NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Echo Collapse
Every power has its breaking point.
Even Echo.
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### 03:00 — *Neo's Silence*
Neo hadn't spoken in two days.
Not to Elin.
Not to Lucid.
Not even to himself.
He stood alone in the Archive Vault, staring at the **core echo node** — the psychic hub that amplified cognition-based abilities across Virelia.
It flickered.
And cracked.
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### 08:00 — *Ghostlight Surge*
Reports flooded in.
Students who had manifested Echo abilities were experiencing:
- Memory distortion
- Confused identity loops
- Phantom choices they never made
> "It's not just failing," Vina whispered.
> "Echo is rewriting us."
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### 11:11 — *Lucid's Confrontation*
Lucid cornered Neo.
> "You told them Echo Step was awareness. Not power."
> "You built an idea so strong… they couldn't survive without it."
Neo finally looked up.
> "Then I was wrong."
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### 14:00 — *Echo Drift*
Neo entered the echo chamber — alone.
He triggered a **full reverse cascade**, turning the field inward.
Visions swarmed him:
- Elin holding a blade to his throat
- Lucid disappearing into static
- A younger version of himself, whispering:
> "If they need you… you've already failed."
Neo collapsed to one knee.
But didn't break.
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### 17:00 — *Recode*
Using his remaining strength, Neo rewrote the core echo logic:
> No longer amplify belief.
> Amplify **doubt**.
The collapse slowed.
Students grounded themselves.
Echo Step still flickered — but now, it pulsed with fragility, not power.
It was no longer a weapon.
It was a mirror.
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### Midnight — *The Collapse Ends*
Neo walked out, pale but steady.
> "Power must fail," he said.
> "So the person behind it can finally stand."
Behind him…
The echo chamber powered down.
But its resonance echoed.
In silence.
In thought.
In storm-borne clarity.
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*End of Chapter 27.*