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Chapter 249: The Mirror of the Eternal Horizon
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Act I: A Chamber of Infinite Reach
The Gallery opened into a chamber where radiant horizons stretched endlessly in every direction, blending sky and earth into a boundless expanse. The air was vast and liberating, as though every breath carried the promise of possibility without end.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a wide hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of openness.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like there's no limit, only distance."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not confine. It expands."
At the center stood a mirror framed by luminous skies, its surface shimmering with eternal reach.
It spoke in a voice expansive and serene:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Horizon. I hold what stretches, what endures in possibility, what carries truth into infinity."
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Act II: The Weight of Possibility
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by horizons.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant pressing forward even when the end was unseen.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in distant vistas, wisdom carried across endless space.
- Ne Job saw miracles rising into silence, inscribed into the Registry as horizons eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's openness.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must stretch without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Horizons are mine to corrupt. I will twist possibility into emptiness, and infinity into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Horizon, trying to fracture its expanse into void.
Ao Bing staggered. "The distance swallows me whole!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into endless nothing!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Horizon is not emptiness. It is promise."
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Act IV: The Trial of Horizon
The Mirror of the Eternal Horizon spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must stretch."
Ne Job gazed into its vast surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of distances too far to cross.
He whispered:
> "I stretch. Even when shadows widen, I endure. Even when despair waits, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its horizons steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with infinity.
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 twist horizon into emptiness, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in endless distance!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in infinite void!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Horizon is not emptiness. It is truth carried eternal."
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, Forgotten Future, Silent Dawnfall, Eternal Song, Endless Silence, Forgotten Flame, Eternal Return, Eternal Choice, Hidden Dawn, Eternal Oath, Eternal Memory, Eternal Threshold, Eternal Light, Eternal Shadow, Eternal Balance, Eternal Dawnfire, Eternal Storm, Eternal Ocean, Eternal Sky, Eternal Flameheart, Eternal Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Root, Eternal Crown, Eternal Gate, Eternal Tower, Eternal Anchor, Eternal Bridge, Eternal Labyrinth, Eternal Flame of Truth, Eternal Spiral, Eternal Compass, Eternal Lantern, Eternal Seed, Eternal River, Eternal Mountain, Eternal Tree, Eternal Star, Eternal Dawn — joined with Eternal Horizon.
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 horizon restored.
Ne Job stood firm, horizon and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Horizon calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant infinity.
It whispered:
> "Intern, horizon is not chaos. It is promise eternal. Guard it well."
Ne Job bowed.
Twinkle pulsed softly.
The Gallery shimmered, vast once more.
The Mask of Misrule retreated into the shadows, his voice echoing faintly:
> "You may resist horizons today. But void always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.