So, because all this talk of Buffing Moon was cool, I wrote a short and somewhat schizophrenic thing.
##Fanwork Word Count 1100
Empty Moon sat within the center of the ritual circle and did her best to remain calm. When Uly had come to her with the idea of enhancing her native essence, she'd been hesitant, but intrigued. She could see the power he had, and she knew the gulf between them might grow ever wider as time wore on. The Immaculate Faith might be a lie, but that didn't change the fact that the Solars were of a different making than the Chosen of the Dragons. Just look at what Ulys had accomplished in Luseng in a few short months. He'd transformed a Satrapy on the verge of destruction into a shining beacon of trade for the entire Realm! He'd decimated armies, all within the first year of his Exaltation. It was a thing of legend and myth, and deep within her heart of hearts it worried Moon.
Not because of what it might say about Uly, her faith in him was unbounded. No, Moon worried because it was almost impossible for any kind of relationship to survive that kind of inequality. From all she could tell, Solar might stood almost as high above Terrestrial as the Terrestrial did above mortals. A large part of that might just be Uly being Uly, but it was still a concern.
What was more, her first reintroduction to Uly after months apart was to see him deep in the throes of a killing spree. Granted, the fact that those mandarins had been responsible for THOUSANDS OF DEATHS as a result of their corruption was horrible, but it was still disconcerting to see Uly, kind, thoughful, Uly, murder his way through seeming innocents who begged her for help. That this was apparently a facet of his power only concerned her more!
Moon cared deeply for Uly, and would weather these latest storms, but her mind was not quiet. When she'd seen the workings Ulyssian was capable of now, the Consort Celestine, and the remarkable time dilation chamber at the center of Luseng, she'd been amazed. Now he wanted to use that same level of power to raise her up across the widening gulf between them so that she might stand beside him properly. Moon knew that wasn't the only reason, but the thought would not leave her mind.
It was that thought that had eventually decided her. Moon did not seek power for power's sake, but the chance to stand at Uly's side rather than under his protection was too good to pass up. Nilul's endless teasing had only pushed her to make the decision sooner. And so now, here she sat, with all the power of the Elemental Pole of Air swirling about her and flowing into her very being.
It was like nothing she'd felt before. The sheer magnitude and power in the air around her was beyond anything and everything in her experience. It was probably a power greater than almost ANY Dragonblooded had wielded, for it was the result of a mystic working that was beyond all but the greatest of Sorcerers. Not since the days before the Shogunate would such have been possible, and who among the mad god kings that ruled then would have done so much for one they regarded as a mere servant?
The Essence of the deepest North flowed through Empty Moon. It enveloped her, body and soul. The flow of wind, of ice, of cold, resonated within her in ways that she had never felt before. As an Air aspect, her exaltation had granted her supernal grace and clarity of thought. Now her mind seemed to open even clearer as the essence that empowered it expanded beyond its limits.
Moon's ability to understand the flow and interplay of words and language grew, as her exaltation transcended its limitations. Moon had always been wise to the sting of words, for though they could not raise blood directly they could change the face of reality, alter those who heard them, and prove mightier even than the deadliest daiklave. Her ability to speak and be understood, to place hidden thoughts beneath the context of the simplest sentence was now something beyond the Dragon's Chosen.
At the same time the base of her knowledge itself exploded. Her ability to gather information, analyze data, and share it with others catalyzed itself. Her knowledge base could now expand at a rate faster than ever before, and she could share her new knowledge and skills with others in a way that even the greatest of Dragonblooded Sifus would envy.
Empty Moon's understanding of the Esoteric was enhanced as well. As the cold wind of the North flew through her mind she began to understand the beginnings of secrets that had been forever beyond those who bore the Blood of the Dragons. The mighty power of Sorcery was not beyond her now, in ways that were beyond even the legendary Mnemon. The hidden mysteries of gods and demons alike opened before her mind's eye like a vista of potential.
Empty Moon's mind was not the only thing expanded however. As a student of the Naval Academy, one of, if not the, greatest combat school in all Creation, she had known her skill with thrown weapons was great, even for one of the Dragon's Chosen, now she found that skill raised to new heights. Her accuracy could now be such that she could remove the wings from a fly at many leagues distant, and grant her weapons the icy power of the Elemental Dragons. She had become more deadly with a throwing knife than any would credit had they known her before.
Finally, as the ice and frost of the North blew through her she became as one with them. Her presence became like that of the wind, invisible and untouchable, detectable only by its actions. She would be able to pass unseen and unheard before the eyes of the Mighty of Creation without pause, as they would see naught but the air before them.
All this and more happened as Empty Moon sat within the ritual circle. Her exaltation had surpassed all of its limits with the power that had been channeled through her, and as she stood, the working finished, an Immaculate Dragon walked Creation, a myth, a legend, incarnated upon the base earth in the time of Creation's most dire need. She would smite the foes of all that lived, and protect the innocent. All this and more passed through her mind as she turned to gaze upon the one who had made the impossible possible.
"Thank you, Uly."
