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Chapter 213: The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall
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Act I: A Chamber of Falling Light
The Gallery opened into a chamber where stars rained endlessly from above, each streak of light dissolving into sparks before touching the ground. The air shimmered with celestial descent, a beauty both fleeting and eternal.
Ne Job stepped forward, Twinkle buzzing with a cascading hum, its rhythm echoing the fall of light.
Ao Bing muttered, "This place… it feels like the sky itself is breaking open."
Taiyi Zhenren scribbled quickly. "The mirror here does not rise. It descends."
At the center stood a mirror framed by radiant meteors, its surface shimmering with eternal descent.
It spoke in a voice vast and sorrowful:
> "I am the Mirror of the Eternal Starfall. I hold what descends, what endures in endings, what carries truth into release."
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Act II: The Weight of Descent
The interns gazed into its surface.
Visions unfolded, showing truths carried by starfall.
- Ao Bing saw battles where courage meant accepting loss, not denying it.
- Taiyi Zhenren saw scrolls preserved in fragments, wisdom carried through endings.
- Ne Job saw miracles falling into silence, inscribed into the Registry as releases eternal.
Twinkle pulsed brightly, resonating with the chamber's descent.
The mirror whispered:
> "To guard me, you must fall without fear."
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Act III: The Mask's Intrusion
From the shadows, the Mask of Misrule hissed.
> "Starfall is mine to corrupt. I will twist endings into despair, and descent into ruin."
The Mirror of Endless Deception flickered, shards gathering again.
The Mask reached toward Eternal Starfall, trying to fracture its descent into emptiness.
Ao Bing staggered. "The stars crush me!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My scrolls scatter into dust!"
Ne Job steadied them. "Starfall is not ruin. It is release."
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Act IV: The Trial of Starfall
The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall spoke:
> "Intern, to protect me, you must fall."
Ne Job gazed into its radiant surface.
He saw himself faltering, afraid of endings that might erase him.
He whispered:
> "I fall. Even when endings overwhelm, I endure. Even when descent consumes, I carry forward."
The mirror glowed brighter, its stars steady.
Twinkle pulsed strongly, harmonizing with release.
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 starfall into despair, scattering the interns into hopelessness.
Ao Bing staggered. "My courage fades in descent!"
Taiyi Zhenren trembled. "My wisdom dissolves in endings!"
Ne Job stood firm. "Starfall is not despair. 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 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 Starfall.
Their glow struck the Mask's illusions.
Despair became clarity.
Deception dissolved.
Twinkle hummed, resonating with the Miracle Registry.
Ao Bing laughed, fierce and kind.
Taiyi Zhenren footnoted every falling star restored.
Ne Job stood firm, starfall and truth united.
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Act VI: The Mirror's Gift
The Mirror of the Eternal Starfall calmed, its surface shimmering with radiant descent.
It whispered:
> "Intern, starfall is not chaos. It is release 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 starfalls today. But despair always waits."
The Gallery fell silent.
The mirrors glowed.
And Ne Job walked on, ready for what lay ahead.