Page 89 of Presence

“The same thing you are, I fed you one just like you,” he replies. “Yours was dying. You needed the strength of another soul.”

I stumble back, my hands flying to my mouth in horror. The room feels like it’s spinning, the walls closing in on me. The shock hits me like a cold dagger straight to the core. I try to say something, but my mind is a whirlwind of chaos.

I fucking consumed a human soul…!

“What…” I begin, my heart pounding like a drum. I can feel the power from that soul coursing through me, swirling and surging within. “What does that make me now?”

Echo’s eyes narrow, studying me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. “More than human,” he says.

I shake my head, refusing to accept his words. “What does that even mean?”

But before I can get an answer, his shadows begin to swirl around him. They wrap around him, obscuring him from view. In an instant, they dissipate, leaving no trace of Echo. He’s gone. Just like that.

That fucker has vanished.

Lying on the bed, I lift my arms and stare at my skin. It looks normal. Painfully normal for someone who just consumed not meat, not another person’s body, but their very freaking soul. Shouldn’t there be a mark, a sign, anything to show the darkness I’ve taken in?

I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I don’t even know what I am right now. From what I can tell, I’m dead on Earth. My body’s gone; what’s left is just an astral projection. I am my soul, a reflection of the essence I consumed to survive.

But then why do I feel so goddamn hungry?

I’ve lost all sense of time since Echo left. But one thing remains clear: he’s still gone. I used to feel him around me, like a whisper in the air, but now it’s as if he’s vanished from this world completely. I’m alone in the dark of his cavern, that gnawing emptiness making me clench my teeth.

Time works differently here, but it’s just as maddening as those nights I spent on Earth, lying awake and watching the clock. Seconds dragged on like minutes. Now, without a clock, I’m left with only my heartbeat to measure the passing moments. But even my heart seems to betray me, each beat growing slower.

I lick my lips, saliva pooling in my mouth.

More than human. The words echo in my mind. What does it mean to be more than human? Is it like being a ghost, a poltergeist? Or maybe it’s something darker, like a soul reaper?

“Damn you, Echo,” I shout, dropping my hands and pressing one against my aching belly. The pain intensifies with each passing second, almost unbearable now.

I toss and turn in bed, my gaze drifting to the other room. The pit that glows there is filled with souls—I know that now. Echo must be tearing them from the humans he torments and storing them in that glowing abyss. I remember when he devoured one right next to me. Unlike me, when I consumed a soul, he didn’t even flinch from the pain.

My stomach squeezes.

“No,” I say, snapping my head away. “Don’t even think about it. Don’t even let your mind wander to that damn pit.”

But the thought lingers, gnawing at the edges of my sanity. I close my eyes, trying to block out this awful persistent hunger that threatens to consume me. I force myself to think of something else, anything else.

A distant memory rises to the surface—one filled with warmth and laughter. Camilla. I wonder how she’s doing these days... Being with her on Earth feels like it was a lifetime ago. Did she cry when I died? Probably. But she’d be okay, no doubt about it. Nothing could ever dim that light in her. She was like sunlight personified, always so bright and cheerful.

The pain in my stomach intensifies, and I bite back a scream. No, thinking about Camilla doesn’t help. It only makes the pain worse, somehow.

I clutch the edge of the bed, nails biting into the fabric as I battle the relentless urge to move. The hunger is insidious, a dark whisper echoing in the corners of my mind. It pulls me toward the pit, daring me to peer inside.

With a shuddering breath, I force myself to stand. My legs tremble, the room swaying around me, but I steady myself. I don’t know when I pass the entire chamber. All I know is that soon, I’m at the edge of the stone platform, staring into the abyss below.

The souls inside are glowing, their light flickering like dying embers. When I first stepped into Echo’s lair, they were quiet. Now, I can almost hear their faint little screams. I can sense their despair. They’re calling out to me, like a siren’s song. They want me to end their suffering.

“No,” I whisper once more, but the word rings empty. My body seems to have a mind of its own, and before I know it, my trembling fingers are reaching out to the edge of the pit. As soon as I make contact, a surge of energy courses through me, making me gasp and jerk back. The feeling is a heady mix of warmth and pain, flooding my senses in a way that’s both overwhelming and irresistible. I close my eyes, relishing the sensation despite myself.

Oh god… What is this?

I need more.

I open my eyes, watching the souls writhe inside. They look heavenly, so pretty and shimmering. I can almost taste them again. I could drown in a waterfall of pain and come back even stronger, power tingling at my fingertips. I don’t know why, but I want it. I want to break and be rebuilt again.

My resolve weakens, and I lean closer.

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