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So with that announcement TalOS continued the conversation, “So do we know why a Pariah, a Blank of such immense power, consumes the soul? Do they need to consume it?”
“That is where much of the research is going to.” The Sigillite answered as he gave a small wave of his hand, “The event that chanced upon this discovery was a rare one, where a psyker died in the company of his fellow next to one of the blanks. The Priests of Xana were soon able to recreate that event, and using psi sensors, track the movement of the soul towards its consumption.”
“Does consuming the soul impart any benefit to the blank?” Was the logical next part of TalOS’s questions.
“Those who have eaten normal human souls, both knowing and not knowing it, describe a little jump in energy. Those that consume psykers, same as before, feel reenergized for several days after the event. Most cases refer to the consuming a low yield stimulant when the event occured.” Malcador explained with interest laced within his voice, “Some have reported fogged memories that are not their own when questioned, with one case of recalling a psyker’s last meal when prompted to concentrate.”
“So they gain both energy and something similar to an Omophagea?”
“It is unrefined and not exact.” Malcador admitted with a small bit more thought, “I believe it more related to a creature becoming what they eat. They will take in the meat molecules eaten to make their own flesh, but some of the original will still be there written upon those atoms.”
“Possible, but have we found out how long they can recall such a memory?” TalOS put forward, “It could be unprocessed material, similar to how the material will still have properties of the original until consumption.”
“The instances have been rare enough that we have yet to fully consider the possibility, I will put it forward for potential study.” Malcador agreed as he finally had a glass of wine in hand.
“Have they been able to witness what happens when a blank eats another blank?”
“Yes, though this has mostly occurred with those terminally ill as Blanks are worth their weight in gold.” The Regent of Terra admitted, “They do consume one another, psykers describing it as two void consuming the other. Those consuming report little to no additional energy, far less than even a normal man. There was one case that described the blank, after eating his fellow, having a change in attitude.”
