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Chapter 169: The Mirror of the Forgotten Future
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Act I: A Chamber of Shadows Ahead
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the walls seemed to stretch forward into mist, as if time itself refused to settle.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing faintly, its hum uncertain.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like tomorrow, but broken."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not show the past. It hides what is yet to come."
At the center stood a mirror clouded with haze, its surface shifting with faint outlines of futures never lived.
It spoke in a voice both distant and near:
> "I am the Mirror of the Forgotten Future. I hold what is possible, what is abandoned, what is erased before it begins."
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Act II: The Weight of Possibility
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing futures that might have been.
Ao Bing saw victories that could have been won, but were never fought.
Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls that could have been written, but remained blank.
Ne Job saw miracles that could have been born, but were erased before their first breath.
Twinkle pulsed faintly, resonating with the haze.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must honor what could be, even if it never was."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Futures are mine to corrupt. I will twist possibility into despair, and despair into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward the Forgotten Future, trying to erase its visions entirely.
Ao Bing staggered. "I see nothing ahead!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls vanish before I write them!"
Ne Job steadied them. "The future is not erased. It waits for us to act."
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Act IV: The Trial of Futures
The Mirror of the Forgotten Future spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must honor possibility."
Ne Job gazed into its hazy surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid to step forward, afraid to fail.
He whispered:
> "I honor what could be. Even if it is forgotten, I carry it forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its haze clearing into radiant visions.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with the glow.
Ao Bing's fists steadied.
Taiyi Zhenren's scrolls filled 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 erase the interns' futures, twisting them into emptiness.
Ao Bing staggered. "My battles vanish!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves!"
Ne Job stood firm. "The future is not emptiness. It is possibility waiting to be lived."
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, Endless Return — joined with the Forgotten Future.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Emptiness became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every possibility restored.
Ne Job stood firm, futures and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Forgotten Future calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant visions.
It whispered:
> "Intern, the future is not chaos. It is possibility 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 futures today. But erasure always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.