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Chapter 159: The Mirror of Eternal Doubt
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Act I: A Flickering Surface
The Gallery stretched into a chamber where the light dimmed and flickered.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing faintly, its glow unstable.
Ao Bing frowned. "This place feels wrong."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled nervously. "The mirror here… it hesitates."
At the center stood a mirror that shimmered uncertainly, its surface shifting between clarity and shadow.
It whispered, its voice trembling:
> "I am the Mirror of Eternal Doubt. I hold what is questioned, what is uncertain, what is feared."
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Act II: The Weight of Uncertainty
The interns gazed into its surface.
Each saw themselves faltering, unsure, questioning their own worth.
Ao Bing saw battles where his strength failed.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls where his wisdom was incomplete.
Ne Job saw miracles where his decisions wavered, unsure if they were right.
Twinkle pulsed faintly, its rhythm uneven.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must face doubt without surrender."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Doubt is mine. I will twist uncertainty into fear, and fear into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Doubt, trying to deepen its hesitation into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "I can't trust myself!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My notes are meaningless!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Doubt is not weakness. It is the beginning of truth."
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Act IV: The Trial of Doubt
The Mirror of Eternal Doubt spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must stand firm in uncertainty."
Ne Job gazed into its trembling surface.
He saw himself faltering, questioning, afraid.
He whispered:
> "I doubt. But I still act. I still learn. I still endure."
The mirror glowed, its flickering stabilizing into steady light.
Twinkle pulsed strongly again.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's notes grew firm.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
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Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to drown the interns in endless hesitation, twisting their choices into paralysis.
Ao Bing staggered. "I can't decide!"
Taiyi Zhenren clutched his scroll. "I can't write!"
Ne Job stood firm. "We are uncertain, but we move forward. That is truth."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names, Silent Echoes, Shattered Promises, Hidden Truths — joined with Eternal Doubt.
Their light struck the Mask's illusions.
Uncertainty became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every doubt overcome.
Ne Job stood firm, doubt and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of Eternal Doubt calmed, its surface shimmering with steady light.
It whispered:
> "Intern, doubt is not chaos. It is the question that leads to truth. 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 doubt today. But uncertainty always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.