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Chapter 209: The Mirror of the Eternal Horizon
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Act I: A Chamber of Vast Distance
The Gallery opened into a chamber where the walls dissolved into endless skies, painted with shifting colors of dawn and dusk. The horizon stretched infinitely, neither near nor far, but always present.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a steady hum, its rhythm echoing the pull of distance.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like it never ends."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not limit. It expands."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant skies, its surface shimmering with infinite reach.
It spoke in a voice vast and unyielding:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Horizon. I hold what expands, what endures in distance, what carries truth into possibility."
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Act II: The Weight of Distance
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by horizons.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant striving toward goals unseen.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in journeys, wisdom stretched across lands.
- Ne Job saw miracles reaching beyond limits, inscribed into the Registry as visions eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's expanse.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must expand 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 distance into despair."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Horizon, trying to fracture its expanse into futility.
Ao Bing staggered. "The horizon vanishes before me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into endless void!"
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 expand."
Ne Job gazed into its infinite surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of chasing what could never be reached.
He whispered:
> "I expand. Even when distance overwhelms, I endure. Even when possibility feels unreachable, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its horizon steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with promise.
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 futility, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in endless distance!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in unreachable goals!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Horizon is not futility. 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, Endless 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 distance.
It whispered:
> "Intern, horizon is not chaos. It is promise eternal. 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 horizons today. But futility always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.