The group turned to head back toward the dimensional access point—until the void trembled.
A strange vibration rolled through the ground. The glowing crystal in the platform began to pulse in erratic patterns.
Remy adjusted his Arcanodrive. "Did anyone else feel that?"
Reggie checked his Dimenswatch. "Dimensional energy is spiking. Something's wrong."
Suddenly, across the void, a shape began to form.
It was tall. Humanoid. Shadowy. Flickering like a glitch in space-time. Its face was featureless—only an outline, surrounded by pulsing rings of energy.
Vanessa's breath caught. "What is that?"
The figure didn't speak. It simply tilted its head, like it was studying them.
Isabella pulled Linda behind her. "Everyone back away—slowly."
> Then, the figure moved.
One step forward—followed by an ear-splitting shriek that felt like it tore through thought itself. A shockwave of darkness rippled from its form, distorting the platform beneath their feet.
Reggie's voice was tight. "That's not a natural entity… It's an Echo. A remnant of a broken reality."
Jake's Mythatrix activated on reflex, glowing with teal light. "Can we fight it?"
"No," Isabella said. "We run."
Candace grabbed Linda's hand. "I really didn't sign up for this!"
They bolted as the Echo began to dissolve into fragments, chasing them in a slithering swarm of distortion. Reggie whipped out the portal gun, firing toward the platform's edge.
A portal opened—flickering, unstable, but usable.
"GO!" he shouted.
One by one, they dove through, the Echo's shrieking form nearly catching Linda's ankle.
The portal slammed shut.
---
🏡 Back in the Sherman Estate's Garden
The group tumbled out into the daylight, gasping and coughing.
Linda lay on her back, laughing.
"That. Was. AWESOME!"
Candace was less amused. "That thing almost vaporized us!"
Reggie looked grim. "It wasn't just watching us. It was tracking us."
Isabella's face was pale. "We might've just led something... to our world."
---
🔚 To Be Continued…
The group may have made it back safely, but they're no longer just explorers.
Now, they're targets.
And the Echo?
It remembers.