The void trembled under Echo's fury.
The others had remained silent for too long, but now, Ivy and Remy stepped forward, their voices laced with guilt.
**"It was us,"** Ivy admitted, her tone hesitant. **"We let a memory slip."**
Remy nodded, his usual cold detachment faltering. **"Emily was caring for someone… and they resembled someone from the past. It triggered her."**
Echo's presence darkened, the weight of his rage pressing down on them like a tidal wave. **"You let her break because of a ghost?"** His voice was low, but it cracked like a whip, sending a shudder through the void.
Ivy flinched. **"We didn't mean—"**
**"You didn't think,"** Echo snapped. **"You were careless, and now she's slipping further because of it."**
The void shuddered violently, fractures forming in the endless black. The system recoiled, but Echo didn't stop. His anger surged, his power spiking beyond control.
And then—
Everything shattered.
———
Emily gasped as she bolted upright, her lungs clawing for air. A crushing pressure sat on her chest, her entire body trembling from the lingering echoes of his wrath.
"Emily!"
Kia was at her side instantly, hands gripping Emily's shoulders to steady her. Her eyes were wide with concern, her voice frantic. "Hey, hey, you're okay. You're safe."
Ryan appeared just as quickly, his movements calculated but tense. His gaze locked onto Emily, sharp and unreadable. "What happened?"
Emily barely heard him, her mind still reeling. Echo's presence still clung to her, heavy and suffocating, but he was silent now. The void was gone, shattered into nothingness.
Her hands clenched the sheets beneath her, trying to ground herself. She looked up at Kia, then at Ryan, the weight of their stares pressing into her.
But she couldn't tell them.
She couldn't tell them that something inside her had just broken—and she didn't know if it could ever be fixed.