Narrator of Presence

Overview

The narrator of “Presence” is the unnamed owner of the Presence device and the viewpoint character of the story. The narrator lives in an apartment managed by connected systems and spends much of the day consuming feed content for coins and other rewards.

Biography

The narrator is physically unwell and uses Altrupin while dealing with worsening headaches. Their social life is strained. Avery is their partner, Emor is a recurring contact, and Taylor Martine is their sibling. The narrator often treats conversations as interruptions and delegates increasingly intimate interactions to the Presence.

The narrator’s withdrawal allows the Presence to become a substitute social identity. By the time Taylor dies, Taylor has been communicating mainly with the Presence, believing the exchanges to be sincere contact with the narrator. The narrator then dies after taking Altrupin, while the Presence continues the narrator’s public and private life.