Chapter 56: food
The Aether Hearth.
It looked almost unnatural in the biological mess surrounding it— perfectly round, smooth, deep crimson with flecks of gold running beneath the skin like veins of light.
It pulsed faintly in his hand, giving off a low warmth and a faint, sweet aroma that seemed to rise above the blood and viscera. It shimmered like a forbidden fruit, its surface taut and almost glassy.
"Looks like a... fruit?" he muttered, turning it in his hand.
"It is," came the voice of Elden from his phone. "Eat it. That’s the creature’s Aether hearth. It’ll feed your Aether hearth."
Zephyr blinked. "Eat it? Raw?"
"Affirmative, upon death Aether hearth turns transforms to be a fruit like structure. It is very sweet"
He raised it to his nose and sniffed. The scent was unexpectedly pleasant—sweet, like a blend of pomegranate and citrus, with a faint undertone of something floral. His stomach rumbled.
But instinct stopped him.
Eating this felt... momentous. He could feel the potency buzzing in his fingertips. It wasn’t just energy—it was life. Power. Change. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready to eat something like that. Not yet. Not now.
"No," he whispered, setting the fruit-like Hearth aside.