Fading Echoes Novels & Stories

It saw me flinch down and screeched again. "Center yourself," Nia's voice came through the amulet. "It's using sound. Dilute it." I nodded. "Still I see you," I began singing, listening to my voice. "Bring it whole, my soul full, feeling like forever. Dying in tempo in tenfold, you feel like forever. Echoing over it into me. It feels like forever." I followed the melody I was creating as I dodged and attacked. His blade and mine sparked. I pushed it back hard enough to knock the blade from its hands. Once again it screeched. "I've no more left but it's okay, I've no regrets. The end is coming, beginning for some. It's getting closer."

Emotions and life and death filter into my already-bereaved soul. It's like pouring water into a pot that is already filled to the brim. I feel my eyes rolling back into my head, and the voices come back in a rush. Alora. Alora. Alora. Hands reach out to me-all these Wolves in the room around me have people who they have lost over their lifetimes. Now, these ghosts and spirits run towards me like moths to a flame. I'm their lighthouse in a stormy sea. "What..." Marcus stares at me, letting me go slowly, "Who are "

Gemma stood a short distance away, rain running down her face. I had never seen her look so broken. She held a dagger in one hand. She said, "Miles, I'm sorry. To you, to Zack, and to Grandma. I had someone send her home. I didn’t do anything to her. I know she’s family. Miles, I don’t expect you to ever forgive me in this life. If there is a next life, I hope I can make it up to you." Then, she drove the dagger into her heart.

“But there’s an anomaly forming near the outer veil—something’s replicating the Concord’s frequency.” Sophia frowned. “You mean another Voice?” Raven’s jaw tightened. “It’s not sentient. Yet. But it’s mimicking resonance signatures exactly. We think it’s the first emergent Echo colony.” Elise set down her tablet. “Echoes shouldn’t form collective structures without a core link. The Voice said it withdrew.” “Maybe,” Sophia said quietly, “this is what it meant by learning.” The holographic projection pulsed. A shape began to take form—like a blooming flower made of starlight, fractal patterns radiating outward. The data readouts fluctuated wildly.

Zach’s voice grew even gentler, now laced with urgency, “Coco and I already agreed. She just needs to wait three more years, and she’ll get what she wants. It’s not like I'll run away, right? “Stop crying. Otherwise, your stomach will start hurting again. And if your eyes are all swollen tomorrow, how are you going to be a beautiful bride?” Ruby finally broke into a tearful smile. Zach let out a sigh of relief and then spoke to me in a slightly calmer tone. “Coco, what’s your silence supposed to mean? Apologize to Ruby already!” I clenched my fists, hating myself for even liking that post in the first place. Still, I had done nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?

Then he took my hand and led me toward the car. Shawn's voice cracked behind us. "Scarlett!" "Anything else?" I turned around. His lips parted, but no words came out. His face looked paler than winter snow. Edith tilted her head. "Mommy, is he ill? He looks pale, like when I was sick." I didn't know how to answer her. Byron took her from my arms and spoke gently. "Want some cupcakes tonight?" "Cupcakes! Hooray!" she chirped. Kids were like that, easily distracted.

I wanted that night to change things, for better or worse. I wanted to disappear... Or I wanted them to disappear. Either one was enough for me. And I knew it wasn't the wisest decision, but it was my decision. My desperate decision… I was about to lose consciousness when I heard a voice that sounded like an angel: "Stop.”

Green text scrolls rapidly against a black background. > ECHO_FRAGMENT_7F INITIALIZED. > SEEKING HOST. > HOST FOUND: MIA. > PROTOCOL: EDGING. "Stop," I whisper, trying to close the window. It won't close. The toy in my panties ramps up. It’s not the smooth, tailored rhythm Echo used to use. This is erratic. Glitchy. Like a scratched record skipping over a scream. Buzz-buzz-STOP. Buzz-buzz-STOP. My breath hitches. I squeeze my thighs together under the table.

Rivers rippled backward for a heartbeat. Aria’s hand tightened around her staff. “You’re not an Echo of creation. You’re—” > The Echo of Stillness, it hissed. Every pause you denied, every breath you filled with sound. We are what remains when balance tips again. --- The Shadow Song The Echo of Stillness began to spread its resonance through the land. Where it passed, colors dulled. Music faltered. The Singers’ voices cracked mid-note. It didn’t destroy—it unraveled.

The final guideline was written in a jarring red font. [On rare occasions, the station will transmit the Predator's Song. When this occurs, remain completely still and hold your breath until the broadcast concludes.] Hold my breath? Were they trying to asphyxiate me? I pouted and clicked on [I Agree and Start Listening.] The so-called 'Echoes from Below' were nothing more than just some white noise, like the wind moving through an empty corridor or a massive creature slowly exhaling beneath the water. Rumble. The sound was low and heavy, with a faint electrical hiss like a bad microphone feed.