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Chapter 168: The Mirror of Endless Return
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Act I: A Chamber of Circles
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the walls curved endlessly, spiraling inward like a labyrinth without end.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing in a looping rhythm.
Ao Bing muttered, "We've been here before."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "No… it only feels that way. This mirror repeats."
At the center stood a mirror shaped like a circle, its surface rippling as if time itself bent around it.
It spoke in a voice both familiar and new:
> "I am the Mirror of Endless Return. I hold what cycles, what repeats, what endures through recurrence."
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Act II: The Weight of Cycles
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing patterns that returned again and again.
Ao Bing saw battles fought endlessly, each victory echoing the last.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls rewritten, wisdom rediscovered across generations.
Ne Job saw miracles fading, then reappearing, always returning to the Registry.
Twinkle pulsed in rhythm, resonating with the loop.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must accept return without despair."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Cycles are mine to corrupt. I will twist return into futility, and futility into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Endless Return, trying to trap the interns in an infinite loop of failure.
Ao Bing staggered. "We're repeating mistakes!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls rewrite themselves endlessly!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Return is not futility. It is renewal."
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Act IV: The Trial of Return
The Mirror of Endless Return spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must embrace recurrence."
Ne Job gazed into its looping surface.
He saw himself faltering, repeating errors, doubting progress.
He whispered:
> "I return. Not to fail, but to learn. Not to despair, but to grow."
The mirror glowed brighter, its cycles steady and clear.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the rhythm.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls aligned.
The Mask recoiled, his corruption faltering.
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Act V: The Clash
The Mask screamed, hurling shards of deception.
Illusions tried to trap the interns in endless repetition, twisting their choices into futility.
Ao Bing staggered. "I'm stuck in the same fight!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom circles endlessly!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Return is not futility. It is the path to renewal."
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, First Dawn — joined with Endless Return.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Cycles became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every return restored.
Ne Job stood firm, recurrence and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of Endless Return calmed, its surface shimmering with steady rhythm.
It whispered:
> "Intern, return is not chaos. It is renewal unbroken. 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 return today. But futility always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.