Chapter 156: The Mirror of Silent Echoes
Act I: A Hollow Sound
The Gallery stretched into a chamber where sound itself seemed to vanish.Ne Job stepped forward, his footsteps muffled, his voice swallowed.Twinkle buzzed, but no hum carried.
Ao Bing frowned. "It's too quiet."Taiyi Zhenren tapped his scroll, but even the scratch of ink made no sound.
At the center stood a tall mirror, its surface rippling faintly.It whispered without words, a silence that pressed against their hearts.
"I am the Mirror of Silent Echoes. I hold what is spoken but unheard."
Act II: The Weight of Silence
The interns gazed into its surface.They saw moments when voices had been ignored, truths dismissed, cries unheard.
Ao Bing saw his warnings lost in battle.Taiyi Zhenren saw his notes overlooked by careless scholars.Ne Job saw miracles unrecorded, their lessons fading into silence.
Twinkle pulsed faintly, struggling to hum.The mirror whispered:
"To guard me, you must give voice to silence."
Act III: The Mask's Whisper
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
"Silence is mine. I will twist it into neglect, and neglect into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.The Mask reached toward Silent Echoes, trying to drown its whispers entirely.
Ao Bing shouted, but no sound carried.Taiyi Zhenren scribbled, but the words vanished.Ne Job steadied them, his lips moving: "Silence is not absence. It is waiting for truth."
Act IV: The Trial of Echoes
The Mirror of Silent Echoes spoke:
"Intern, to protect me, you must speak what is unheard."
Ne Job gazed into its surface.He saw himself, voiceless, ignored, fading.He whispered, though no sound carried:
"Every voice matters. Every truth deserves to be heard."
The mirror glowed, its silence breaking into soft echoes.Twinkle hummed again, faint but steady.Ao Bing's laughter returned.Taiyi Zhenren's notes rang clear.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.Illusions tried to drown the interns' voices, twisting them into silence.
Ao Bing staggered. "I can't shout!"Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My words vanish!"Ne Job stood firm. "We are heard. We are truth."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names — joined with Silent Echoes.Their light struck the Mask's illusions.Voices returned, strong and clear.Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every echo restored.Ne Job stood firm, silence and truth united.
Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of Silent Echoes calmed, its surface shimmering with soft ripples of sound.It whispered:
"Intern, silence is not emptiness. It is the echo waiting to be heard. 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 silence today. But neglect always waits."
The Gallery fell quiet.The mirrors glowed.And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.