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Chapter 204: The Mirror of the Eternal River
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Act I: A Chamber of Flow
The Gallery opened into a chamber where streams of light coursed across the floor, weaving into one another and flowing endlessly toward unseen horizons.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a fluid hum, its rhythm echoing the chamber's current.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels alive, always moving."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not stop. It flows."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant currents, its surface shimmering with ceaseless motion.
It spoke in a voice calm and unending:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal River. I hold what flows, what endures in movement, what carries truth across time."
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Act II: The Weight of Flow
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by rivers.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant adapting to currents stronger than himself.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls carried downstream, wisdom preserved in fragments that endured the journey.
- Ne Job saw miracles flowing into silence, inscribed into the Registry as currents eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's rhythm.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must flow without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Rivers are mine to corrupt. I will twist flow into erosion, and movement into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal River, trying to fracture its current into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "The waters drag me under!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into the depths!"
Ne Job steadied them. "River is not erosion. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of River
The Mirror of the Eternal River spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must flow."
Ne Job gazed into its streaming surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of being swept away.
He whispered:
> "I flow. Even when currents overwhelm, I endure. Even when waters scatter, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its currents steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the flow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
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Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to twist river into erosion, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in the flood!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in torrents!"
Ne Job stood firm. "River is not erosion. 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, Eternal Lantern, Eternal Seed — joined with Eternal River.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Erosion became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every current restored.
Ne Job stood firm, river and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal River calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant flow.
It whispered:
> "Intern, river is not chaos. It is renewal 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 rivers today. But erosion always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.