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Chapter 167: The Mirror of the First Dawn
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Act I: A Chamber of Rising Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the walls glowed like the horizon at sunrise.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with anticipation.
Ao Bing whispered, "It feels… new."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "This mirror is not about endings. It is about beginnings."
At the center stood a mirror shimmering with the colors of dawn, its surface alive with promise.
It spoke in a voice warm and steady:
> "I am the Mirror of the First Dawn. I hold what begins, what awakens, what rises anew."
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Act II: The Weight of Beginnings
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing the power of first steps.
Ao Bing saw his earliest battles, where courage was born.
Taiyi Zhenren saw his first scroll, where wisdom began.
Ne Job saw his first miracle, where harmony took root.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the glow.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must embrace beginnings without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Beginnings are fragile. I will twist them into false starts, and false starts into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward the First Dawn, trying to dim its glow into failure.
Ao Bing staggered. "I feel unready!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls blur at the start!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Beginnings are not weakness. They are strength waiting to grow."
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Act IV: The Trial of Dawn
The Mirror of the First Dawn spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must rise."
Ne Job gazed into its radiant surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid to begin again.
He whispered:
> "I rise. Even when I fall, I begin anew. Even when I fail, I awaken."
The mirror glowed brighter, its dawn steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls cleared.
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 beginnings into endless failure, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage is gone!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom falters!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Beginnings are not failure. They are the path to 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, Eternal Harmony, Final Resolve, Infinite Resolve, Last Question — joined with the First Dawn.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Failure became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every dawn restored.
Ne Job stood firm, beginnings and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the First Dawn calmed, its surface shimmering with gentle radiance.
It whispered:
> "Intern, dawn is not chaos. It is the promise of renewal. 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 beginnings today. But endings always wait."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.