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Chapter 161: The Mirror of Boundless Hope
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Act I: A Gentle Glow
The Gallery opened into a chamber filled with soft light, warm and steady.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with calm delight.
Ao Bing blinked. "This one feels… different."
Taiyi Zhenren tilted his scroll. "Not heavy, not broken. It feels alive."
At the center stood a mirror glowing with gentle radiance, its surface shimmering like dawn.
It whispered:
> "I am the Mirror of Boundless Hope. I hold what is dreamed, what is believed, what endures."
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Act II: The Weight of Hope
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing futures not yet written.
Ao Bing saw battles won through kindness, not force.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved, shared freely across generations.
Ne Job saw miracles thriving, each one teaching harmony beyond illusion.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the glow.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must believe even when shadows linger."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Hope is mine to corrupt. I will twist belief into delusion, and dreams into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Boundless Hope, trying to turn its glow into false promises.
Ao Bing staggered. "It feels too good to be true!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls dissolve into fantasy!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Hope is not illusion. It is strength."
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Act IV: The Trial of Hope
The Mirror of Boundless Hope spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must believe without surrender."
Ne Job gazed into its radiant surface.
He saw himself faltering, doubting, fearing failure.
He whispered:
> "I believe. Even when I fall, I rise. Even when I doubt, I endure."
The mirror glowed brighter, its light steady and true.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls gleamed with clarity.
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 hope into false promises, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My strength is fading!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom is hollow!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Hope is not false. It is truth waiting to be born."
The awakened mirrors — Patience, Friendship, Courage, Sorrow, Endless Paths, Forgotten Names, Silent Echoes, Shattered Promises, Hidden Truths, Eternal Doubt, Living Light — joined with Boundless Hope.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Dreams became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every hope restored.
Ne Job stood firm, hope and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of Boundless Hope calmed, its surface shimmering with gentle radiance.
It whispered:
> "Intern, hope is not chaos. It is the strength that endures. 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 hope today. But despair always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.