The Feeding Rituals of The Children: Masters of Life-Force and Psychic Bonds
In the shadowed hierarchy of The Children, feeding is a ritual that binds power, control, and ecstasy into one experience. These energy vampires, known for drawing the life-force of their prey, do not require the bite or blood of traditional vampires. Instead, they siphon the raw vibrational energy—the core essence—of each victim, leaving them drained in spirit rather than body. This process is an intoxicating one, a sensory rush that overwhelms even The Children with its intensity. But their society is built on mastery of self and strength of restraint. To indulge in the pleasure of feeding without control is to lose one’s honor, dignity, and standing within their ranks.
For The Children, feeding is as much a test of discipline as it is a ritual of survival. Those who revel too deeply in the ecstasy of their power are seen as having failed, betraying the elegance and refinement that define their kind. Lord Asagawa, their formidable leader, enforces this code with unwavering intensity. The act of feeding, while deeply satisfying, is to be approached with a measured hand and a focused mind—each experience a balancing act between primal pleasure and elevated self-control.
The Power of Tasting: Sampling and Bonding with Prey
For The Children, feeding begins with an act called Tasting—a subtle, precise sampling of energy that lets them assess a potential victim without consuming them. With just a gaze, a Child can engage this “pull,” a barely perceptible tug at the core of the person’s being, creating a sensation so unique that it’s felt nowhere else in existence. Tasting is not a physical pull but an energetic one, a whisper of the power to come, and it serves two main purposes:
Assessing the Prey
Tasting allows a Child to immediately gauge how the prey might react to their influence, sorting them into the types of responses that make feeding rich and nuanced:Fearful Responses: For some, the pull sparks an instinctual sense of fear. These individuals feel an unexplainable dread, marking them as ideal prey for Children who seek efficiency in feeding. Fear generates energy that is potent and easy to harness, making these prey a quick and reliable source.
Curious Responses: Some react with intrigue, a sense of fascination that leaves them wondering what they’ve just experienced. These individuals captivate Children who prefer to “play” with their food, returning to the prey again and again to rekindle this curiosity and build anticipation.
Sensual Responses: Others experience the pull as a subtle allure, feeling a strange but undeniable attraction. This type of response is pleasurable for both the prey and the predator, creating a loop of energy that is intensely satisfying to draw upon, making them a favorite among Children who enjoy feeding for both sustenance and satisfaction.
Resistant Responses: A rare few feel no fear and are instinctively set on edge, ready to resist the pull. These individuals cannot be easily fed upon, as they lack the fear that fuels the life-force The Children draw from. Engaging with such prey requires force and aggression, making it forbidden within The Children’s society—a transgression so severe it warrants a death sentence.
Establishing a Psychic Bond
Beyond assessing prey, Tasting creates a psychic link between the Child and their intended victim. This bond, while invisible, allows the Child to return to their prey at will. Whether they want to spark curiosity, heighten attraction, or keep their prey in a constant state of subtle unease, the link lets them subtly manipulate their prey’s emotions, bending their responses as they please. Some Children use this bond to weave a network of potential victims, creating a stable of those they can return to over time, deepening the connection with each encounter. This psychic link is also a source of pleasure for The Children, allowing them to “toy” with their prey’s senses, emotions, and even thoughts, enhancing their experience without feeding.
The Ecstasy and Discipline of Feeding
For The Children, feeding brings an unmatched sense of euphoria, a surge of vitality that courses through them, heightening their senses and sharpening their perception. It is a moment of pure power, where predator and prey are bound in a silent exchange of energy that leaves both changed. But this ecstasy is as dangerous as it is intoxicating. Without strict discipline, a Child can become addicted to the act, reveling too deeply in the pleasure of feeding and losing themselves to it.
Lord Asagawa’s code demands restraint. Feeding is to sustain, not to indulge. Those who overstep, becoming addicted to the rush of power, are marked as weak and lacking in self-mastery. They are watched closely, pitied, and eventually cast out if they cannot regain control. To give in to the thrill of feeding without regard for the consequences is to abandon the very principles that make The Children who they are—beings of refined power, elegance, and discipline. For those who are addicted to the ecstasy of feeding, life within the society becomes one of disgrace, their status reduced to that of a mindless consumer, no better than the vampires who feed on blood.
Feeding as an Art of Power and Self-Control
Among those who adhere to the code, feeding becomes an art. They select prey with care, reveling in the nuances of each reaction and balancing the thrill of energy with the responsibility of control. Each act of feeding is approached with purpose, savoring the experience without losing themselves in it. They see feeding as a test of their own strength, a demonstration of their ability to wield immense power without becoming enslaved to it.
The Children’s society reveres this balance, holding it as the highest standard of strength and grace. To feed without losing oneself is to affirm one’s place within the ranks of The Children, beings of cosmic awareness and elevated self-mastery. Feeding is not merely an act of consumption, but a reminder of their unique nature—a delicate balance between predator and guardian of their own energy, a union of hunger and restraint.
Ultimately, feeding for The Children is both a ritual and a reflection of their duality. They are powerful, yet bound by codes of conduct; they are predators, yet they walk the line of self-control with an unwavering focus. In the ecstasy of feeding, they find both their power and their purpose, and in mastering it, they set themselves apart as true beings of energy, life-force, and indomitable will.