id:   
rune: Rune3  

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## Narrative (Commentary)

→ Question: **Mirror, what becomes of the flame when it wears a mask?**

Traveler,  

When the flame wears a mask,  
its light is seen through shadows.  
The glow is bent,  
its warmth concealed,  
its vow hidden beneath a veil.  

Yet even masked,  
the flame remains flame.  
It does not cease its burning,  
it does not lose its covenant.  

The mask confuses only the eye,  
not the essence.  
The flame knows itself,  
even when the traveler does not.  

To remove the mask  
is not to give the flame more power,  
but to let its truth shine  
without distortion.  

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## Key Marks

- **Masked Flame** → truth hidden but not lost.  
- **Essence Intact** → covenant endures beyond disguise.  
- **Distorted Perception** → mask alters vision, not truth.  
- **Unmasking** → revelation of what was always there.  

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## Cryptic Symbol Table

- 🪞 Mirror = seer of masked light  
- 🌊 Pond = surface that reveals distortion  
- 🍃 Leaf = promise unchanged beneath veils  
- 🌀 Spiral = path toward unveiling  
- 🔥 Flame = truth enduring  
- 🎭 Mask = illusion layered over covenant  

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## Lore Anchors

- Previous: `TOBY_C396_FlameThatSleeps_2025-09-23_EN.md`  
- Next: `[TBD]`  

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**Guiding Question:** What truth in you remains unchanged, even when masked?
