Orphan Echoes Novels & Stories

I felt my knees start to buckle three strides before they actually did, my vision narrowing at the edges exactly the way Cora had warned it might, the sickness finally calling in the debt two years of denial had built, and even as the dark forest floor rushed up to meet me I heard Kaelen shout my name, felt his arms catch me before I hit the ground, felt the world tilt sideways into something formless and cold And behind us, closer now, far too close, I heard Rurik's voice rise into a full-throated howl of pure fury, close enough that I understood, with the last clear thought I had before the darkness took me whole, that he was no longer chasing a runaway bride.

Pov: Jane Jansen I struggled to keep my eyes open through the pain as it engulfed me. He stood above me with a malicious smile on his face. My executioner. There was no pity in his cold unfeeling eyes and I stared into the cold empty dark orbs as he pulled the lever. The sound of the blade dropping was the last thing I heard while I swore vengeance on them. On all of them. Everything here was different from home. From the people to the smell to the exotic foods they had. It was an experience that made my heartbeat race, forcing adrenaline to run free across my lithe body. Tonya was glad to have me and she showed me around.

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 "

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in an unfamiliar room. The lights were off. Only the cold moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the blurry figure sitting beside the bed. It was Silas. He sat on the carpet with his back against the bedframe, looking strangely lonely. [Why isn't she awake yet? The doctor said it was only emotional stress combined with low blood sugar, so why has she been unconscious this long? This is all my fault. I never should've let her meet Eve.]

Something that looked like liquid light, flowing from my fingertips, creating patterns that seemed to pulse with their own heartbeat. Then—a voice. Inside my head said. “You are the key.” My vision blurred. The training ground dissolved. I saw Kane and Zane. But not as I knew them. Younger. Broken. A brutal scene of loss playing out like a nightmare. Their first mate. The rogue attack Selene had mentioned. “Balance must be restored.” The voice was ancient. Powerful. Impossible to resist. And then everything went dark.

A sound of distress. Anya met them at the edge of the village, her face etched with a new worry. “You’re back,” she said, her relief palpable. “We have a problem. It’s the Echo Valley.” Liora’s heart sank slightly. The Echo Valley was a place of breathtaking beauty, a deep basin where sound was known to ripple and multiply, creating a natural symphony. It was a place of celebration, where communities gathered to share news and music. “What’s happened?”

Her eyes were the same silver-green as the storm. “Echo,” I whispered, “what is this?” She turned, slowly. Her expression softened when she saw me. “A truth long delayed.” “What truth?” “That I am not your guide,” she said quietly. “I am your echo. The fragment that remained when you died.” ⸻ My breath caught. “What—?” “The system that awakened within you,” she continued, “it was never meant for this world. It was designed by your future self — the last version of you who lived through the full cycle of the apocalypse.”

Connected deeply. Because they knew existence could end. Love could be lost. Connection could be severed. They lived fully. Loved completely. Existed intensely. Because they understood that existence was not guaranteed. Being was not permanent. Something could become nothing at any moment. One of these children was named Echo. River's great-great-granddaughter. Spring's granddaughter. Twenty years old. Brilliant. Powerful. Visionary. Echo had a gift. A unique ability. A special talent. Echo could communicate with peaceful nothing. Could speak to beings who chose rest. Could connect with those who returned to the void.

had been a failure. ​But Phase 8 was something else entirely. ​The ship didn't land. It broadcasted a signal that hit every mind in the valley like a physical blow. ​"THE CORRECTION HAS BEEN OVERRULED. RESETTING THE RESET. ALL ASSETS, REPORT FOR RE-INTEGRATION." ​Leo let out a scream, clutching his head as his eyes flashed a brilliant, violent purple. The Echoes in the village began to walk toward the center of the meadow, their movements synchronized and robotic.

She prayed Mike wouldn't see the faint tremble in her hands or the fear lurking behind her eyes. "So...what questions do you want to ask me?" Mike's gaze lingered on her, his eyes searching for any hint of familiarity. The resemblance was uncanny, and he struggled to reconcile his emotions. His hands twitched with the urge to reach out and touch her, to hug her tightly and cry on her shoulder. The ache of missing his late girlfriend, May, felt like a fresh wound.