*Chapter 11: The Labyrinth of Echoes*
When Li Wei's foot crossed the rune's edge, the world spun and dumped him into silence—a total void, thick as fog, cold as forgotten memories. He was alone, but never truly alone. Voices circled him in the dark: a thousand whispers, every buried worry, every mean thought he'd ever picked up from others and himself.
The maze took shape: shifting halls of endless mirrors, each one reflecting not his face, but those of his friends, his family, strangers whose pain he'd soaked up for years. Their eyes all blamed him: for listening too closely, for never saying enough, for hurting when he wanted to help. With each step he took, the path folded and twisted, sometimes leading him back to painful memories—a shouting match with teachers when he was too weird to understand, classmates avoiding him after his power surfaced, his parents' tired sadness at their mind-reading son.
His feet ached, his head pounded, but he kept moving. He caught glimpses of hope: memories of laughter under lanterns, Bao Yu waving shyly, Mei Fen's illusions dazzling with color, Jin Ming calling him "boss." He realized they weren't just echoes of pain but reminders that he could choose what to carry—and that his friends had let him shed the worst of it day by day.
At the heart of the labyrinth, a shadow stood. It looked like him, only older, broken, haunted by every secret. The shadow whispered, *"You cannot save them from their own fears. You can't even save yourself."*
Li Wei steadied his breath, remembering the warmth of his friends counting on him. "Maybe I can't save everyone," he said, voice shaking, "but I don't have to do it alone anymore."
With that, the mirrors fractured in a rain of silver and light. The voices faded. Li Wei stumbled out of the maze, blinking in the pale, magical dawn, feeling lighter, every step echoing with newfound courage.
Waiting for him outside, his friends cheered. For the first time, Li Wei's smile was easy, quiet, and proud—not just for him, but for all of them.