16. Circle of Salt

I don't like this one bit.

Every moment I spend walking behind the shop owner into the depths of the store feels like expediting a tragedy. My stomach squeezes. My legs shake. I feel Camilla's eyes drilling into my back, mingling with the feeling of the presence watching me.

"So, um…" I start, swallowing hard as we walk along an aisle. The incense burns my throat. "How did you two even start talking about my... situation?"

Silence. Tense shoulders. My gut twists tighter with each slow, painful step.

"Raven and I are in the same online community," Camilla finally says, her voice barely above a whisper. "I posted about what's been happening to you, and she replied with some clues. We started talking, and I found out she was the shop owner."

"The world is smaller than we think," the shop owner—Raven—adds. I think it's supposed to sound lighthearted, but given the circumstances, it only makes me feel worse. Every nerve in my body screams for me to turn and run, but I force myself to keep moving. My gut is twisting tighter, a cold knot of dread that just won't go away.

"Right," I quip, the word falling flat. "Much smaller."

We pass through an arch made of wooden bookshelves, entering the room where the cat scratched me last time. The cash register sits here, with a beaded curtain to the left.

"Keep going," Raven urges, nodding towards the curtain. The same one she came from last time Camilla and I were here.

I duck under the low arch first and step into another room, expecting the worst. Instead, I find a dimly lit living room with a small altar covered in talismans, a circle of salt on the floor, and shelves lined with books, jars, and dried flowers. The air is cooler here, the scent of incense mixed with earth and herbs, making it slightly more bearable.

Raven and Camilla quietly follow me inside, their steps barely making a sound on the wooden floor. I can feel them watching me, like they're expecting me to lose it any second.

I hate this.

"So, um… Do you know how to help me or…" I start, turning around and wrapping my arms around me.

Another beat of them just looking at each other.

"Yes, we can help you," the shop owner says finally, her voice low. "But it's important that you tell us everything before we do. We know only Camilla's story, not yours."

Camilla nods in agreement, her eyes filled with concern.

"We've been researching… stuff," she adds. "But there are still a ton of blanks. One thing's for sure though. Something's been messing with you, and it's probably getting stronger. I think it's... hurting you, Claire."

Their intense stares weigh on me, but it's Camilla's words that freeze me in place—her certainty about the harm isn't just a guess; it's solid. She knows. She knows.

"Hurting me? How?" My voice wavers with nerves.

"Please, no dodging," she insists, her eyes narrowing. "I really want to help you, and I will. But you gotta help me help you. Just... work with us."

My conviction falters. I widen my eyes, feel my breathing get a little funny, and wrinkle my nose.

This is bad. I shouldn't have come here. This is just going to lead to more trouble.

"You don't know what you're asking for," I mutter.

Camilla steps forward and cracks a smile. She actually freaking smiles.

"Oh, believe me, we do," she says. "The stuff we've dug up pretty much covers the wildest crap."

The room falls into a thick silence again, with only the faint sound of candle flames in the distance filling the air. I glance between her and the shop owner, trying to decide if I'm ready to spill everything. But I've already come so far…

"I've been seeing things," I confess finally, my voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking louder might make it all too real. "Not just shadows or fleeting movements. People that vanish when I blink, voices whispering from the corners of the room. Something is watching me constantly. It makes me go crazy. It invades my sanity. At first, I thought it was just because of my worsening insomnia, but…"

"Hold up," the shop owner interrupts. "You felt this way before the summoning?"

"Yeah," I say, feeling a chill run down my spine. "I mean... no, not exactly. Things were happening before, but it was more subtle. The presence was always there, but I thought it was just stress or lack of sleep. Not something like... whatever you guys think it is. Then, after the summoning, everything got worse."

I still can't bring myself to say the word "haunting." I always suspected that the presence was sinister. I just never wanted to admit what I always thought it was. A demon. A dark being clutched to my back.

"That changes things," Raven says, the tattoo on her forehead creasing as her brows furrow. "The summoning didn't create the doors, it just opened them wider. They were already ajar."

"What?" Camilla asks, her voice airy. "How come?"

I stand there, watching the two of them as they exchange worried glances.

"There was already something targeting her…" Raven begins. For some reason, I feel a sudden urge to correct her.

"Presence," I interject. When they both give me puzzled looks, I swallow hard. "Presence, not something. That's what I'm calling it in my head."

"Right," the shop owner mutter. "This presence has been targeting her before. That means that it just needed wider access. It needed Claire to lower her defenses."

A heavy silence falls over us, only to be shattered by a loud crash from the shop area. It sounds like a book slamming onto the ground, but with the force of someone hurling it down in anger.

Oh, no… Is it happening? Are the shadows creeping back into my mind?

Camilla sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes widening as she gently works her jaw side to side, biting the inside of her cheek. I see her reaction, but I have to ask anyway.

"Did you hear that too?" I manage to say.

"Yes," the shop owner replies sharply. "Artemis! Artemis, where are you?"

"Are we not…" I point my thumb at the arch leading to the shop area as the owner calls for her cat two more times. "...checking it out?"

"No," they both say at once, their voices so firm that my stomach clenches with nerves.

Then, everything happens quickly. Raven storms around the room, lighting new candles around the circle of salt. She takes out books, flips through pages, and directs Camilla to search for something too, while I stand frozen, too scared to move. Before long, Raven comes over to me, holding a small cup of some murky drink.

It's as if that crash pulled them into motion. They're feeling something I don't. Because I… I only feel the presence tickling my spine.

It's restless.

I feel like I'm alone in the woods, the sky cloudy, covering the moon and stars. In the vast crevasse of leaves and trees, it sees me perfectly, with its eyes all black and accustomed to the darkness. It sees me like I'm naked, my skin glowing among the shadows.

It keeps watching me.

"Drink this," the shop owner says, snapping me back to the present. "You said you feel watched, right? This might help."

I hesitate, looking at the murky liquid. Its surface shimmers slightly in the candlelight. The smell makes bile rise in my throat.

"What is it?" I ask, unable to hide my disgust.

"Would it matter even if I told you?" she asks hastily, her gaze darting toward the archway leading back to the main part of the shop. "It'll help shield your mind from negative energy and make you less easy to access to whatever's watching you. It's made from herbs known for their protective properties—totally harmless. It smells awful to you because…"

"There's something in me that doesn't like it," I finish her sentence. Presence. It makes sense. I hate it, but it does.

"Exactly."

I hold my breath to avoid the smell and down the liquid in one swift gulp. It burns slightly as it goes down, a sharp, acrid taste making my eyes water, but I manage to keep it down. As soon as I swallow, something weird happens.

Presence… lessens. This… existence, that has been with me for as long as I can remember, gets weaker. It's there one moment, ready to wreak me, and the next, it's just a faint tickle on my neck.

My head spins, my stomach clenching so painfully that I fold in half, hands clutching my belly, wheezing for air. I grip my knees tightly, trying to ground myself in the spinning room. My heart races, pounding so loudly in my ears that it's all I can hear.

The sensation of being watched got weaker with the potion, but now something else fills its place—an oppressive, squeezing dread tightening around my chest like a vice.

"Oh god," I manage to say. "What is happening to me?"

"It didn't like that," Raven replies, her voice muffled like through a fog. "Get into the circle with us."

"What about... your cat?" I blurt out, a bad feeling gnawing at me. She pauses briefly.

"Artemis will have to wait. This is more important now," she says. She grabs my arm, guiding me to the center of the salt circle where Camilla already stands, her face etched with worry. "We don't have much time. Claire, tell us everything from start to finish. The presence can't see you now, but the stronger it is, the faster it will get to us."

I take a deep breath, my mind racing as I try to piece together the chaos of the past few weeks into something coherent.

"I couldn't sleep," I say, barely able to think. "I was exhausted all the time. It was cold, and shadows… gods, the shadows. Then after Cam's summoning, I met my guardian spirit in a dream, and I… I could sleep again. He was protecting me, but…"

"Wait, wait," Camilla interrupts me. "Spirit guardian? What are you even…?"

"Oh no," the shop owner says. "What did you just say? He was protecting you? You said a spirit guardian was protecting you in your dreams? This is important, Claire. Did you invite this spirit, or did it come to you on its own?"

I hesitate. How was it exactly? I don't know. My memory… I have such a bad memory.

"He... he came to me after the summoning. He said he was there to protect me from the shadows, that he could keep them at bay. Camilla, you invited him in, right?"

"I just wanted to call in some protective force. I didn't mean for it to start up a conversation with you or anything. I didn't even specify what or who it should be. I think… the intention might have been open-ended enough for something else to step in," Camilla interjects, her voice laced with worry."God, could it be my fault?"

Raven curses under her breath.

"No, I don't think so," she says. "You just widened the door that was already open. If the presence wasn't so strong, you might have been able to close it. Instead, it took the chance to pose as a guardian and reach out to Claire. It must be something strong." She turns to me. "Listen, if this guardian appointed itself, it might not have been there to protect you at all. It could have been using you, feeding off your fears, or even strengthening the very shadows you were trying to escape."

My heart sinks as the implications start to dawn on me. What are they even saying?

"What?" I ask, eyebrows drawing together.

It was a bad idea to come here. It was a bad idea. Bad idea. Bad, bad, bad, bad…

My stomach tightens so painfully that I roll my eyes from the agony. My whole body feels like it's on fire.

"Is this why you started taking pills, Clarity?" Camilla asks, touching my shoulder. "Did it force you to do it?" She curses before I can reply. "Fuck, I knew something was off. You'd never do that. You've always said that taking sleeping pills was your unbreakable rule."

My breathing quickens.

"What? No..." I whisper. "I took them because I wanted to. No one forced me."

"Did you ever feel starving after waking up? More than ever?" Raven asks, her tone more panicked than before. My head spins. They're bombarding me with questions. I can't handle it. "Did you ever feel a pull in your belly when you talked to that thing that claimed to be your guardian?"

What is she implying? That Echo is the bad entity here? Impossible.

Echo, the being who shielded me from the terrifying shadows in my dreams, who brought me relief on sleepless nights, is the only one who helped me survive. They don't understand how much he's done for me.

Yet, against my will, the possibility that he could be manipulating me, feeding on my fears—it slithers into me, creating doubt that rattles me to my core.

No, don't even think like this, Claire.

But what if…?

NO! Shut up. Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up.

"You don't understand," I mutter, shaking my head as my muscles scream in pain. "That's not right. It's the presence that's the enemy. Not him."

"Did it… Did he promise you something?" Raven presses on, relentless. I hate this woman. I hate her. The more she talks, the more my stomach hurts. What is happening to me? "Did he hurt you in any way? Did he use you? Think."

"No!" I shout, lifting my head to meet her eyes. She doesn't know what she's talking about. She just keeps asking questions she shouldn't. Echo is good. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. My savior. "Stop asking things like that. He's good. He saved me."

My hands shake so violently that I lose control over them. I almost believe they'll leap at Raven and start squeezing her neck. I want her quiet. I want her gone. But she meets my gaze, her expression unyielding.

"Claire, you need to know that malevolent entities often masquerade as something trustworthy. They thrive on fear and anxiety. They twist themselves into something appealing, something you crave."

"No, it's the shadows. They're the enemy," I repeat, my voice trembling. "He fought them off. He helped me."

Camilla's hand squeezes on my arm.

"Calm down, Clarity. We just want to help here. We don't really know what you've been through. It's just that there are so many possibilities here... The shadows could be part of the same thing he's controlling. In possession cases, it's not unusual for the so-called ‘protector' to actually be causing the very evil they're claiming to protect you from. It's all manipulation, a trick to get to you."

Possession? I'm not possessed. I'm targeted.

"Did he ask you to do something for him?" Raven asks again, her voice raised, nostrils flaring. "It's important. Please, think."

Desperation tugs at my chest. I try to recollect my thoughts, discern whether anything happened in the dreamscape that could indicate Echo was just a manipulator in disguise. It hurts to think like this. It hurts even more when my gut is already wrenching under that potion this woman gave me. But for Camilla's sake, I try. Only for her.

"He, um… He needed my help," I say after gathering the sweat on my forehead with the back of my palm. "He didn't ask me for anything. I gave it to him on my own."

"Gave what?"

"My energy," I reply. When the two of them suck a breath in and one of them even curses under their breath, my heartbeat quickens rapidly. "I know how it sounds, but I swear he's not bad. Ech…"

"Don't say his name!" Raven shouts, grabbing my palm, her eyes wide. "Don't do it."

The command to stay silent hovers in the air, amplifying my racing pulse and strangling the words in my throat. I hold my breath, my thoughts in chaos.

"But why?" I whisper, my voice trembling.

"Names hold power," she says, her grip tightening. "Especially when it comes to spirits. Saying his name could strengthen his hold on you, give him more access. And he already seems to have plenty of that…"

She doesn't want you saying his name. She's scared.

What is she so scared of? Echo's a friend. He's on my side. The only thing that could fear him is the presence.

Oh no. What if all this is not real? What if my reality is bleeding with a nightmare at this very moment?What if Camilla and Raven are just like the puppet people with creepy smiles?

I look between the two of them, my mind scrambling. That must be it. They want to lure me into their trap. But why…? Why do this?

"What do you… what do you want from me?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

"We need to sever his influence," Raven replies. "If he really cares for you, he'll release you willingly, and we'll know he's genuine. But if he resists..."

She wants you powerless. Then you'll be on your own. Alone in the darkness. Abandoned.

"What if I can't handle it?" I mutter. My voice breaks. I'll shatter into tiny pieces if Echo's gone.I'll become nothing. Just ashes on the floor. A torn blade of grass on the field. A crumbly grain of sand in a sandstorm. I'll die.

I need him.

Another loud clang sounds from the shop area. It's closer this time. And angrier. Somehow, I know it's filled with ill intent, making my teeth ache.

Camilla lets go of me and bends down to pick up the book at her feet. She flips through the pages quickly, like she knows exactly what she's looking for, then slides the book under Raven's nose.

"This," she says. "I'm pretty sure this is the thing that targeted Claire."

"Sleep demon…" the shop owner reads aloud. "Beings that dwell in the realm between sleep and wakefulness. Beings that prey on the vulnerable, the unsuspecting."

My breath catches in my throat.

"They come to you under the guise of trust, of desire," Camilla continues, her fingers tracing the faded text. "The signs are subtle at first. Trouble sleeping, a sense of unease that gnaws at your soul."

No, no, no. Don't listen. Don't believe it. You can't believe it.

But my heart is already sinking.

"And then... then what happens?" I ask, the question leaving me on its own. My voice trembles with dread.

"If you fall deeper into their grasp," she whispers, her voice a haunting echo, "they offer you paradise, a realm of dreams beyond imagining. But it's all a lie, a trap to ensnare your very soul."

I stagger back, my mind reeling from her words. I almost cross the line of salt.

"But... but there must be a way to stop it," Camilla protests, desperation creeping into her voice. "Does it say anything about that?"

Raven shakes her head slowly, eyes filled with sorrowful resignation. "Once you've been marked by the demon, there's no turning back," she says, her voice heavy with finality. "You become their source of sustenance, a vessel for their insatiable hunger. Nothing from the outside can change it. If you want it out, you have to do it yourself, Claire. Fight it. We can only make the fight easier for you."

"Wait," I say, panic bubbling up inside me. I can't take this anymore. It's spilling over me, suffocating me, making me laugh nervously. "Source of sustenance? Vessel for hunger? Isn't this just a little too much?"

Echo's good. Echo's good. Echo's good.

Another thud. Even louder. Even closer.

The oppressive air wraps around me, squeezing my chest tighter and tighter. I grip my own arms, trying to keep my crumbling thoughts together.

No way. He can't be the presence. He couldn't have been watching me all this time.

But he did. He said he did watch me.

"This isn't too much," Raven insists, her voice loud. "This is the reality of dealing with beings that manipulate dreams and desires. They blur the lines between bliss and horror, and you won't see the danger until it's too late."

Something moves in the corner of my eye, creeping across the floor. Then, a sound—high-pitched.

"Oh God, Artemis!" the shop owner cries out, spinning to face the noise.

But Artemis isn't right. Her fur bristles, pupils dilated to slits, and she crouches low as if ready to strike. She hisses at the darkness beyond the salt circle, ears flattened. A growl builds in her throat, then she bolts into the shadows of the shop.

Raven jumps back, her face showing pure fear.

"Stay close," she orders, pulling us both closer to the circle.

Another thud rattles the walls, and the candles flicker and sway. The shadows lengthen unnaturally, crawling up the walls like spider legs. A gust of wind howls through the room, chilling my bones. Goosebumps prick my skin as a low, guttural growl echoes from somewhere just out of sight.

I know this sound. I heard it before when I was alone in my apartment, the presence chasing after me. It toyed with me then. It toys with me now.

Is this Echo? Could it really be him?

I've been its target for a long time. I knew the presence as my enemy, my oppressor. But now… the thought that it might be Echo behind the mask of shadows and darkness makes me feel like I don't know it at all.

Like we're strangers.

"We need to weather this!" Camilla shouts. "Push it away, Claire! The longer it doesn't feed on you, the weaker it is."

But if it really is Echo, then he fed on me every night for the past weeks. If it really is him, then no circle of salt will stop him because he's already in me. I let him in. I let him in completely.

Suddenly, a sharp, cold wind sweeps through the room, extinguishing the candles in one swift motion. Darkness envelops us, the only light coming from the faint glow of the salt circle. The temperature drops, and my breath becomes visible in frantic, white clouds. My vision blurs slightly, and I sense shadows shifting just beyond my sight. I hear a voice in my mind.

They're trying to take you from me, Claire. Don't listen. You know what's real.

"Echo?" I call out, ignoring Raven hissing behind me at his name. "Is that really you?"

A cold silence hangs in the air after I ask my question, and it feels like the whole room is holding its breath. My heart is pounding in my ears, and the darkness seems to swallow the faint light from the salt circle. Suddenly, I hear a smooth, low, completely feminine voice right behind me.

"You know it's me, my Little Soul. You've always known." I spin around, terror fueling my veins as I see Camilla's face moving. It's her voice, her muscles, her eyes staring at me, her head cocked to the side, a putrid smile painting her face.

That smile... It's just like the one those creepy people had.

It twists unnaturally, pulling her lips back to reveal human teeth. Her eyes, familiar but hollow, bore into mine with a predatory intensity that sends icy fear down my spine. The shadows close in, and her voice echoes, shifting and deepening like something clawing out from the depths.

"E-Echo…? I don't believe this…"

"Don't you really?" Camilla's figure taunts. "Don't lie to me, Claire. You know I can see right through you."

A tendril of darkness snakes toward my ankle, wrapping around it like a vice.

"Fuck, the salt," Raven cries. But I don't look at her. Black eyes hold all my attention. "Hold your ground!" she shouts. I hear her as if through a fog. "It's trying to break you. It's not Camilla. You know this."

Camilla—or the presence wearing her face—lets out a low, guttural growl, shaking the room with its force. The floor quivers beneath us like it might crack open and swallow us whole.

"Is this your new friend, my Little Soul?" it hisses, slithering into my thoughts. "She acts like she cares about you. But she doesn't. All she wants is for you to lose me. She wants you to continue your sad, human life. But you don't want that, right? You never did. You always wanted an escape."

Fear gnaws at my soul, but suddenly the shadow gripping my ankle loosens. Instead, it slides higher, caressing my skin on my calf, petting me, beckoning me to trust it.

I'm lost, unsure of what to do. There's so much I don't know, so many unanswered questions. But one thing is clear—in this moment, as the shadow curls around my leg, twisting and reaching higher to my thigh, I let it. I spread my legs further.

"Remember how it feels, Little Soul? With me, there's no loneliness."

His words stroke my mind, soothing the frayed edges of my sanity. It might be Camilla's form he's using to speak, but Echo's here. He's fighting for me.

"You can fight against me and struggle alone," he murmurs, "or you can surrender to me, be mine. You know just how good I can be to you. And there's so much we haven't explored yet…"

"Claire, resist it!" Raven's voice echoes from somewhere far away, as if from another realm entirely.

But she's just jealous. She wants what I have. She wants to never feel alone. She wants to be happy. I want that too.

With Echo, I was always happy.

The shadows swirl around my vision, forming a cocoon of inky darkness that tightens like a shroud. A tendril around my leg pulses with energy, sending vibrations through my entire being. I recognize this feeling, this bliss that courses through my veins. This energy is mine. And he's taking it from me.

"We can live in the dreamscape, Little Soul. Let me take you there."

Camilla's figure shifts closer, her form blurring and morphing in the encroaching shadows. Her smile is twisted but strangely inviting. It mirrors him, I realize. Come to think of it, I've always thought he seemed a bit devilish, a touch sadistic.

It makes sense now.

Echo is the presence. He's my tormentor and my companion.

I take a step forward, slipping out of the circle of salt completely. The shop owner's voice rises in panic, her warning like a faint cry from a distant shore.

"Don't let it consume you, Claire! Fight it!"

But the shadows around my waist tighten, pulling me closer to Camilla's altered form. Her smile widens as she extends her hand, her fingertips brushing my cheek. I lean into her touch, my breath catching as I lose myself in her gaze, finding comfort in those empty, fathomless eyes. I missed it. I missed him.

"This is where you belong," a voice murmurs. "With me."

The final flickers of doubt fizzle out like embers in the dark. My fingers intertwine with hers, and the darkness swells, cocooning us in shadow. I close my eyes and sink into oblivion.

Echo is here with me, filling every corner of my soul. I don't have to be afraid anymore.

"Take me," I whisper into the dark. "I'm yours."

And just like that, I disappear.