Soul
Within Illte there are several distinctly different views of the soul. The three major are that of the polytheistic Illomi, the atheistic Illomi, and that of the Zhonyo.
Polytheistic Illomi
According to the faith of the polytheistic Illomi, the soul are planted in the body just shy of 2 years after birth. If the body's a good place to grow in, the soul will start to bud soon after. This budding shows itself as the child becoming self-aware and developing consciousness. In the following years, the budding soul will grow and finally spring out in its first bloom. Each time while blooming, the soul will spread its spores and be germinated by other souls for its following bloomings. The first blooming will usually start between 5 and 7 years of age, and most often last for several years. A second blooming happens when the child is 11-12 years of age, although this blooming is short-lived, rarely lasting for more than a year, or so. The third blooming is for most people the most important. It coincide with the sexual development into adulthood, when the teenager will begin engaging in sexual relationships. This blooming will often start around 14-15 years of age, and will have ended by 19 years of age.
The next blooming coincides with early adulthood, starting at about 21 or 22 years of age, and lasting until childbirth. The fifth blooming starts as a response to the first blooming of a familiar child, and will often encompass both the first and second blooming of the child, or children. The sixth and final blooming happens when a familiar child becomes with child, and will often last through the offspring's first blooming. Some believe that the presence of a grandparent is vital for both the seeding of the soul, and its first blooming.
Finally, having exhausted its power to bloom, to set and release spores, and no longer being capable of germination, what's left of the old soul are harvested by Welauneqi. Among the polytheistic Illomi, it is considered to be a duty to leave as small amount of soul as possible for Welauneqi.
| Life is the time between when Dogma planted your soul, and when Welauneqi harvests it. —Unknown
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Unfortunately, not all bodies are capable of supporting a soul. Such bodies will grow like any other, but will show no sign of consciousness or self-awareness. These children functions as no more than pets for their parents. Initially they are kept in the hope that the soul is just a late bloomer, but when nothing happens its parents might still want to keep the child even beyond hope. Though this condition of extreme bonding is rare, counseling will usually diminish the need to keep the living body of a non-existent soul, though never remove it completely. Continuing counseling are often necessary to aid the parents in coping with the grief of having to dispose of a child that never existed anywhere but in the mind of its parents.
