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Chapter 163: The Mirror of Eternal Harmony
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Act I: A Chamber of Stillness
The Gallery opened into a chamber where every sound softened, every movement slowed.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing faintly, its hum blending into the silence.
Ao Bing whispered, "It feels… balanced."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled carefully. "This is no ordinary reflection. It holds something deeper."
At the center stood a mirror glowing with gentle equilibrium, its surface neither bright nor dark, but perfectly poised.
It spoke in a calm voice:
> "I am the Mirror of Eternal Harmony. I hold what is balanced, what is joined, what endures in peace."
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Act II: The Weight of Balance
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing moments where extremes had torn truth apart.
Ao Bing saw battles where strength became violence.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls where wisdom became arrogance.
Ne Job saw miracles where order became rigidity, stifling growth.
Twinkle pulsed softly, resonating with the glow.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must embrace balance without excess."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Harmony is fragile. I will twist balance into stagnation, and peace into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Harmony, trying to fracture its calm into extremes.
Ao Bing staggered. "I feel torn apart!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My notes contradict themselves!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Harmony is not weakness. It is strength in balance."
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Act IV: The Trial of Harmony
The Mirror of Eternal Harmony spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must balance yourself."
Ne Job gazed into its poised surface.
He saw himself leaning too far into order, too far into chaos, never steady.
He whispered:
> "I am not one extreme. I am balance. I am harmony."
The mirror glowed brighter, its calm spreading across the chamber.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned clearly.
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 harmony into imbalance, scattering the interns into extremes.
Ao Bing staggered. "I'm too strong, too reckless!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "I'm too rigid, too blind!"
Ne Job stood firm. "We are balance. We are truth."
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 — joined with Eternal Harmony.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Extremes softened.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every balance restored.
Ne Job stood firm, harmony and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of Eternal Harmony calmed, its surface shimmering with perfect balance.
It whispered:
> "Intern, harmony is not chaos. It is peace enduring. 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 harmony today. But imbalance always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.