---
Chapter 202: The Mirror of the Eternal Lantern
---
Act I: A Chamber of Guiding Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where lanterns floated in the air, each glowing softly with a flame that never dimmed. Their light was gentle, illuminating paths without burning.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing warmly, its hum resonating with the lanterns' glow.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like it wants to guide us home."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here is not fire. It is illumination."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant lanterns, its surface shimmering with steady light.
It spoke in a voice calm and luminous:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Lantern. I hold what guides, what endures in gentleness, what carries truth into darkness."
---
Act II: The Weight of Illumination
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by lanterns.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant walking forward with a single light.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved by illumination, wisdom carried through shadows.
- Ne Job saw miracles glowing softly, inscribed into the Registry as beacons eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the lanterns.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must shine without fear."
---
Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Lanterns are mine to corrupt. I will twist guidance into false hope, and light into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Lantern, trying to fracture its glow into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The light blinds me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls vanish in false brightness!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Lantern is not false hope. It is truth."
---
Act IV: The Trial of Lantern
The Mirror of the Eternal Lantern spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must shine."
Ne Job gazed into its glowing surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of light that revealed too much.
He whispered:
> "I shine. Even when shadows resist, I endure. Even when darkness deepens, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its lanterns steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
---
Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist lantern into false hope, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in false light!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in illusions!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Lantern is not false hope. It is truth carried eternal."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names, Silent Echoes, Shattered Promises, Hidden Truths, Eternal Doubt, Living Light, Boundless Hope, Unbroken Unity, Eternal Harmony, Final Resolve, Infinite Resolve, Last Question, First Dawn, Endless Return, Forgotten Future, Silent Dawnfall, Eternal Song, Endless Silence, Forgotten Flame, Eternal Return, Eternal Choice, Hidden Dawn, Endless Oath, Eternal Memory, Eternal Threshold, Eternal Light, Eternal Shadow, Eternal Balance, Eternal Dawnfire, Eternal Storm, Eternal Ocean, Eternal Sky, Eternal Flameheart, Eternal Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor, Eternal Bridge, Eternal Labyrinth, Eternal Flame of Truth, Eternal Spiral, Eternal Compass — joined with Eternal Lantern.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
False hope became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every lantern restored.
Ne Job stood firm, lantern and truth united.
---
Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Lantern calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant guidance.
It whispered:
> "Intern, lantern is not chaos. It is illumination eternal. Guard it well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, stable once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
> "You may resist lanterns today. But false hope always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.