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Chapter 281: The Mirror of the Eternal Tree
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Act I: A Chamber of Living Roots and Branches
The Gallery opened into a chamber where radiant trees rose in luminous majesty, their roots deep and their branches stretching endlessly toward the heavens. The air was alive yet solemn, as though every breath carried the weight of growth and continuity.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a vibrant hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of life.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like everything here is alive, reaching both down and up."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not wither. It grows."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous branches, its surface shimmering with eternal vitality.
It spoke in a voice calm yet fertile:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Tree. I hold what grows, what endures in life, what carries truth into renewal."
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Act II: The Weight of Growth
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by trees.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant standing tall, nourished by roots unseen.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in tree-rings, wisdom recorded across ages.
- Ne Job saw miracles branching in silence, inscribed into the Registry as trees eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's vitality.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must grow without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Trees are mine to corrupt. I will twist growth into decay, and renewal into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Tree, trying to fracture its branches into rot.
Ao Bing staggered. "The branches crumble into ash!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into hollow rings!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Tree is not decay. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of Tree
The Mirror of the Eternal Tree spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must grow."
Ne Job gazed into its living surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of growth too fragile to endure.
He whispered:
> "I grow. Even when shadows rot, I endure. Even when despair waits, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its branches steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with renewal.
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 tree into decay, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in crumbling branches!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in hollow rings!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Tree is not decay. 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, Eternal 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, Eternal River, Eternal Mountain, Eternal Star, Eternal Dawn — joined with Eternal Tree.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Decay became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every tree restored.
Ne Job stood firm, tree and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Tree calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant vitality.
It whispered:
> "Intern, tree is not chaos. It is renewal eternal. Guard it well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, alive once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
> "You may resist trees today. But decay always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.