Page 90 of Presence

Just a little bit, I tell myself. Just enough to ease the hunger.

My fingers sink into the pit, and a jolt of energy shoots through me. There are at least a dozen souls here, all swirling in a chaotic dance. So many choices…

Each soul is a world of its own, once filled with life, memories, highs and lows, friends, family, and maybe even love. Thoughts, desires, disappointments—I crave them all.

With trembling hands, I grasp one at random and pull it out. It pulses with its own rhythm, a swirling mass of light and shadow. My mouth opens on its own, and I take the soul inside. The moment it touches my tongue, an electrifying surge courses through me, more intense than anything I’ve felt before. I bite down, and the soul dissolves like mist, its essence flooding my senses.

Images and emotions flood my mind: a young girl’s dreams, a mother’s love, an old woman’s regrets. A whole lifetime from beginning to end seeps into me, bringing both joy and pain.

It’s blinding.

I gasp, my eyes snapping open. I’ve never felt pleasure like this before. This… this is beyond anything I’ve ever known. I don’t understand now why I can endure it, why I couldn’t before, but none of that matters. This is like a drug.

Tremors shake my body, sensations crashing over me in a wild blend of ecstasy and agony. I lie here, panting, as the aftershocks pulse through me. Finally, I manage to sit up, my arms and legs heavy and shaky. The hunger is still there, gnawing at me, but it’s a bit quieter now. I wipe my mouth, the taste of the soul still sweet on my tongue.

“Fuck,” I curse, running a hand through my hair. Suddenly, I wince as something sharp scrapes against my scalp. My fingernails… they’ve grown, curling and hardening beyond anything human. Just as I start to examine them, Echo’s presence returns. I stiffen, my pulse racing, as his dark, looming figure materializes in the chamber.

“So, you’ve tasted another soul,” he says, his voice a dark melody. He stands before me, his black eyes piercing into mine. I swallow hard, struggling to conceal the lingering ecstasy that pulses through my veins.

“I… I couldn’t help it,” I stammer. “The hunger… It was too much.”

He smacks his lips. His body tenses as he steps closer, eyes narrowing. “I’ve spent months hunting for it,” he hisses, each word dripping with anger. “Your little hunger is nothing compared to that.”

I shiver under his gaze. He’s right, I have no idea how much work it takes to hunt a human soul. All I know is what it’s like to be on the other side of the hunt—lonely, scared, and slowly falling apart until I finally break.

“You left me,” I say, lifting my chin defiantly, trying to still my shaking hands. “You left me alone with them.” I gesture towards the pit, my voice cracking slightly. “What did you expect would happen?”

Echo’s eyes narrow, his expression hardening. He strolls toward me, his claws extended, his eyebrows positioned into two angry lines.

“You want to blame me?” he growls, his voice sharp and cold like a winter wind. “Would you rather I strip away your conscious thought? I could have done that—turned you into one of them, lost in their endless misery. But I didn’t. I let you keep your mind. I saved you from an obsolete death and kept with me, a conscious being.”

“After you killed me the first time,” I growl, surprising myself. Wait, what? That deep, thunderous growl that just echoed through the realm—did that really come from me? No way... Or did it?

Echo pauses, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. The low rumble still echoes in the chamber, reverberating off the walls. “Yes,” he says at last, a hint of wonder in his voice. “I did kill you, didn’t I? But it seems I’ve also given you life.”

He walks toward me again, slowly, deliberately. He starts circling me, like a predator eyeing its prey, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But fear isn’t what I feel. I’m ready for him. As he moves behind me, I turn my head just enough to catch him in my peripheral vision.

“I needed it,” I say, licking my lips. “The hunger was unbearable.”

“Is that so?” he coos. “Mine is too.”

I fight to keep it together. The hunger might be quieter now, but it still simmers just below the surface, ready to roar back to life. My fists clench, my new nails biting into my palms.

“Don’t compare us,” I snap through gritted teeth. Anger flares up, hot and fierce, and for a moment, I feel like I could leap at him myself.

He circles around, stopping in front of me with his head tilted, eyes piercing through me. I swear I see that familiar, sinister smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Why not?” he purrs.

“Because...” I begin, but the words get stuck in my throat. No reasons come to mind. My first thought was to argue that we’re nothing alike, but that’s a lie, isn’t it? He devours souls. I’ve consumed two myself. “Because...”

“You’re becoming like me,” he declares, his voice a dark whisper. “Maybe you already are like me.”

Is this what he meant by saying I’m more than human?

I swallow hard, trying to push down the rising tide of anger and confusion. Echo’s words hit me hard, not because they’re meant to hurt, but because they’re the truth I don’t want to admit. He smiles even wider, knowing exactly how I’m feeling inside. But no matter how hard I try to calm the anger that coils inside me, it’s not enough. I feel like I’m about to blow up. I’m running hot. My skin seems to burn.

“I can’t seem to read your thoughts anymore,” he muses. “The flame of your soul has changed shape, too. Tell me, do you feel a fire consuming you? Can you sense the burn of your soul starving for something more?”

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