Page 37 of Presence

He barely manages a small smile as his eyes meet mine with a slight flicker. I hate to admit it, but it’s clear he’s struggling just to keep them open. He looks like he’s about to fade away. Still, despite everything, he seems proud of me.

“Yes, intention is key,” he manages to say, his voice strained. “But it’s not as simple as just willing it away. It’s deeper, worse. It’s unheard of, Claire. I wouldn’t want you to...”

I cut him off before he can finish. “What is it?” I press.

He swallows hard, his gaze shifting away before locking back on mine. “To purge this darkness, I need something equally powerful. Energy. It has to be freely given and taken. I would...” He stops, looking pained. “I would have to feed from you, Claire. Like a parasite. Like a leech. And that’s exactly what I’ve promised to protect you from.”

His words make me catch my breath. The thought that Echo, who’s always had my back, now needs my life force is downright scary. But I can’t just sit around and watch him waste away. It’s a no-brainer; I have to help.

He and I are in this together.

“O-okay. That’s barely an issue,” I begin, my voice trembling, “Just tell me what to do and I’ll do...”

“It’s dangerous,” he cuts in, his voice a mix of worry and urgency. “Really dangerous. I might take too much. I might hurt you.”

“But without you here, Echo, the shadows will take over.” I shake my head, feeling the weight of my words. “I don’t think you understand just how much you mean to me. You’re worth whatever it takes.”

I keep silent about the rest, about how if he vanishes, the presence will come for me too. He seems unaware of what happened after I returned to my world—how it twisted my time and space, turning me into its puppet. It broke me, toyed with me, and left me helpless. A laughingstock. A lunatic.

I can’t tell him that. I don’t want him to carry the guilt. But the shadows within him threaten not just him, but everything I know. He is the last spark of hope in this dreary world of mine. My last bastion of sanity.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my trembling hands, and ignore the way his eyes gleam with emotion. “I’m asking you again. Please, answer me this time. How can I give you my energy?”

Echo and I are a team. He’s been saving me all this time; now it’s my turn to repay the favor.

He touches my face gently, his hand trembling like a feather in the wind. His touch is cold, almost icy against my skin. It feels like there’s an abyss between us now, with my warmth as the only thing fuelling us both.

“Oh, my Little Soul. You’re so damn pure,” he breathes.

“Echo,” I exhale.

He smiles again weakly, and I know he’ll do what I ask of him now. He can sense my desperation. I’m sure he can.

“I need to connect with you on a deep level, not just physically but spiritually and emotionally too. It’s like a bond,” he says. “You’ll have to open up to me completely, let me into every part of you. It will be draining. It might hurt. Do you still want to do this?”

I nod, “Yes.”

“I’ll only take what’s absolutely necessary, and nothing more. I promise.”

“Okay,” I reply, my voice steady but my heart racing. I trust him, but I’m scared as hell. I wish I could just close my eyes and let the energy flow out of me and into him without overthinking it. “What do I do?”

Our time is running out. I can see it in the way Echo’s normally perfect skin creases with worry, his pale face glistening with sweat. He’s fighting against the clock, yet he still takes the time to explain things to me.

“I… uh,” he starts, hesitance in his voice. “I’ve never done this before, Claire. All I can say is… whatever comes to your mind first, that’s it. Don’t overthink it. Focus on the intention and give me your energy. How you do it is up to you.”

My mind reels. I’m left stunned for a second before an entirely inappropriate thought invades like a poison. I curse myself internally, but it’s too late.

How could you even think about it in such a moment?!

“What is it?” Echo asks, his breath raspy. “You thought of a way, didn’t you?”

“No, I…” Words fail me. “Believe me, it’s not…”

“Try it,” he urges.

Little does he know that the first thing that came to my mind is just a filthy fantasy that should be kept locked up in this very moment deep in my mind, rather than a way to save his life.

But just as I start to shake my head, Echo’s eyes roll back, his breaths becoming shallow and rapid, and any embarrassment I feel washes away. I’m going to do this. I’m going to give him my energy, even if it’s in the most perverted way imaginable.

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