Among the dark creatures of the divine pantheon, there are some - the Festering Ones - darker than most. They rejoice in misery and dine on sin.
Aeyt't is the essence of the mortal
soul, manufactured for the culinary pleasure of the Festering Ones and other dark
Immortal. Among the many things most of the
Divine possess no understanding is food. The simple concept of taste is something denied to a formless spirit, and though from time to time they have descended to the world and taken mortal form to dabble in its pleasures, many see such form as below them.
Therefore, since the invention of mortals was in many ways a great inconvenience to the gods,
Aghme saw it only fair that they gain something from them. They conceived of Aeyt't, as it is called in the language of the
Wa'Senet.
Divine sustenance
The stink of ozone hung over the field in a hazy mist. Among the shifting fog, phantoms stumbled. Some knelt among the burned stumps of once great trees, tears watering the burned grass. I could only think none of them truly saw me, for they wailed of things invisible and unseen as I passed.
Aeyt't is, in simplest terms, the soul of a damned mortal. It is, in far less simple terms, the sustenance of the Divine, the punishment deemed suitable for the very worst of mortal souls, and the essence of a mind distilled. There are those Divines who have little qualm with the consumption of souls undeserving of such punishment. Creatures such as
Shelgoth already perform such deeds in the mortal realm. And therefore, there are Divine who see it is no less than their right as superior beings to savour whatever they may wish.
Others, such as the court of Aghme, delight in punishing the truly worthy. There are few crimes that constitute such heinous punishment as to lose one's eternal life; even murder alone would not qualify a soul for such punishment. It is only when a soul loses its sense of humanity and commits crimes on such a scale that the deities must intervene that punishment is meted out.
In the realm of Aghme, the
Syhian, these souls wait, punished, reliving their worst memories and failures. This is merely a marinade for the soul, to strengthen these memories until they float close to the surface, ready to be sampled. It is then that they are plucked from their torment by the gods and their very essence is distilled. The soul becoming Aeyt't.
Distillation & Flavour
The soul, in preparation for its final punishment, is tortured in many ways for distillation into its final form. Finally, the soul's energy is bound and confined, and then constrained smaller and smaller, until it forms a powerful orb of energy, so closely packed as to nearly become material.
It is then that a Divine must consume this delicacy, in the short moment before the soul recoils, so tightly wound that it erupts and loses all cohesion. This eruption provides the
flavour that Divine so highly prize, for where a human tastes with its body, the Divine taste with their spirit. In that single moment, they can taste the memories of the mortal, their misery and pain. The souls of the truly depraved, evil and broken are said to be the most precious for these reasons.
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Author's Notes
Written for the Food Glorious Food challenge 2018.