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Chapter 210: The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart
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Act I: A Chamber of Burning Resolve
The Gallery opened into a chamber where flames rose from the floor, not wild but steady, each fire glowing with warmth and strength. The air shimmered with heat, yet it did not consume—it empowered.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a fierce hum, its rhythm echoing the pulse of fire within.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels alive, like courage itself burns here."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not waver. It blazes."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant fire, its surface shimmering with the essence of inner strength.
It spoke in a voice bold and unwavering:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart. I hold what burns, what endures in courage, what carries truth into passion."
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Act II: The Weight of Courage
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by flameheart.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant standing even when fear consumed him.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved by passion, wisdom ignited by conviction.
- Ne Job saw miracles blazing in silence, inscribed into the Registry as fires eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's blaze.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must burn without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Flameheart is mine to corrupt. I will twist courage into recklessness, and passion into chaos."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Flameheart, trying to fracture its blaze into destruction.
Ao Bing staggered. "The fire consumes me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls burn into ash!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Flameheart is not recklessness. It is resolve."
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Act IV: The Trial of Flameheart
The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must burn."
Ne Job gazed into its fiery surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of passion that might destroy.
He whispered:
> "I burn. Even when fire threatens, I endure. Even when shadows resist, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its flames steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with courage.
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 flameheart into recklessness, scattering the interns into despair.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in fire!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in ash!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Flameheart is not recklessness. 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 Songfire, Eternal Silenceflame, Eternal Starfall, Eternal Horizon, 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 Flameheart.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Recklessness became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every flame restored.
Ne Job stood firm, flameheart and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Flameheart calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant courage.
It whispered:
> "Intern, flameheart is not chaos. It is resolve 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 flamehearts today. But recklessness always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.