On leaving the Crucible with the Return spell, the echo that deals minor lightning damage in AoE remained on my character and continued destroying pots.
I returned to the Crucible Atrium and the echo vanished after a few area transitions. Next few times I get that echo, I’ll try reproducing the bug.
Tried with a similar echo, the cursed one that inflicts self-damage on top. Same bug. Next time I’ll try returning to a place that isn’t the Crucible Atrium.
I returned to the atrium again, and found my estoc of choice infused with ice. It is heavy and has a bleed gem socketed (bleeding like a stuck pig, if you will), and I have no ice enchantment running. My maximum health was also 15% above what it should be.
Starting a new Crucible run dispels the echoes. Note that as I slit my wrist, max health decreases, and my stabbing implement is less frosty afterwards. The lightning bolt was just obvious enough for me to notice, as was the infusion this time.
After this breakthrough I quickly verified with a few more runs. Seems like it’s all echoes. I remembered to return to a place that isn’t the atrium on the final run, and the echoes were gone.
In short, here’s a better report: The Crucible run does not end properly when returning to the Crucible Atrium. It does end on an area transition and on starting a new run. Reproduce by picking any echo with noticeable (visible, numerical) effects, casting Return, and choosing the atrium.