Luhel bond
| Luhel bond | |
|---|---|
| Related to | Aether spores, Aether |
| World of Origin | Lumar |
| Universe | Cosmere |
“ I assume you have no idea what a Luhel bond is. Don't feel bad. ”
The Luhel bond is a connection typically formed between a human and an aether.[1] While it can be symbiotic or parasitic, it is defined by the person giving up physical matter, typically water, in exchange for the ability to manipulate the bonded aether.[1][2]
Different forms of aether
Lumaran aether
On Lumar, the only known bondable form of spore aether is the Midnight Aether, also known as Midnight Essence.[1] Creating Midnight Essence from midnight spores involves wetting the spores. Pouring water on midnight spores will cause the human to feel sudden thirst as water is extracted from their body. The Midnight Essence will then request water as an exchange for forming the Luhel bond.[1] The amount of water drained is proportional to the amount of direct control the human has over the essence creature.[3] Uniquely, the bond between some who form a Luhel bond with Midnight Essence is visible in the form of black lines, and the connection can be severed using a silver knife.[4]
An additional likely manifestation of the Luhel bond is the spore eater condition, though whether spore eaters truly utilize the Luhel bond is unknown. Spore eaters are connected directly to a prime aether on one of Lumar's moons, and exchange a large and eventually fatal amount of water for protection by the prime aether.[5] This protection is granted through the related substance protecting the spore eater from any force that would break their skin.[6] Due to the seeming inability for the spore eater to manipulate these substances for any other purpose, it is likely driven by the spore eater's prime aether more directly.
Core Aethers
As the Luhel bond is referred to by Hoid as the manner in which aethers typically function, it is likely integral in the function of the aetherbound.[1] Indeed, known aetherbound are shown to exchange water with their bonded primal aether for the manipulation of aether.[7] Additionally, there is some form of psychic communication available between aetherbound and their bonded primal aether through this connection.[8]