The Summoning, Part 1

It wasn't the best of starts. The tools and means were already right there laid out for me. I had an audience in waiting too, a front-row view that ensured that not a single thing can go amiss, not a single mistake, and definitely not a single failure.

I could feel all eyes on me - it felt like each stare made me heavier, and with every second's passed of nothing but just dead air, that weight just kept on piling up. 

Ten minutes in and it was as if my knees were actually starting to sink into the floor. Twenty minutes had heavy bags of sands being placed around my arms, adding even more onto that persisting sinking feeling.

It was not a good feeling.

I didn't even realize how heavy I was sweating until I tasted a hint of saltiness at the tip of my tongue trying to dampen my dry crinkled lips. Beads of sweat splattered into the circle.