With their first and so far only guest having departed, Aethel found themself tucking away their new cloak and considering what to do in a more long term direction. Normally they were a creature of chaos and impulse, but unlike the original Galbar under the Monarch (and that was a sentence that evidence had called into question back then) Aethel hadn't appeared at the beginning. They weren't late by any means, but their starting point had been set after most of the heavy lifting had been done this time around.

This had its positives and negatives of course, but the biggest issue was that it meant that they were trying to make an impact as a divine being on a world that already had something of a glut of the damn things. Creating a moon almost certainly made an impression of course, but apart from Ashy none of the beings divine or otherwise down on the planet below had the slightest idea who they were. So clearly something [i]else[/i] needed to be done in order to get everyone's attention. Something to truly make an impact...

Aethel's gaze turned to look at the smaller orbital rock that had come into existence shortly before they created the Dreamers Moon for an uncomfortably [i]long time[/i]... before filing that one away for the time being. The situation wasn't [i]that[/i] extreme just yet, but it was always good to have other plans ready to go at a moments notice if the status quo needed to suddenly change.  

However, before Aethel could focus to heavily on their plans for Galbar, they felt something deep within their being tremble. A single beat of a heart that was both theirs and at the same time, wasn't. A heart that they had created with the intention of it one day becoming a deity in its own right, but in order to survive they had consumed it in order to aid them in abandoning Mana in exchange for Dreams. 

One beat became two. Then three. And with each thunderous echo the Heart of Nightmares made itself heard. During the long slumber it had been dormant, much like Aethel themself had been... but at long last it was time for the true transformation to begin. Now seemed like as good a time as any, as Aethel sat themself down in the heart of their domain as the only entity on their personal moon. This was honestly as safe a place as they were going to get. 

In fairness they could have easily fully combined the Heart of Nightmares with their being without really having to change anything about themselves, but it was honestly time for a change. The form Aethel currently wore had been the one they had been born with, but since Mana was no longer the core of their being a new look to go with the new aspects felt right to them. They closed their eyes and focused.

Time passed in complete silence. At first it didn't seem like anything was happening at all, but then many of the tendrils on Aethel's body started to recede, pulling back and disappearing under the flesh as if they had never been there to begin with. As each tendril disappeared, Aethel's body seemed to grow bigger as more mass was added to it. A few tendrils would remain because the new Aethel intended to keep the hooves and the tendrils were honestly useful for things, but they would be reshaped slightly because their primary duty now [i]was[/i] to touch and pick up things rather then just sway in the tides of magic as they once did.    

Once all but the remaining tendrils were gone and it seemed that Aethel had reached a critical mass of sorts, their body started to violently spasm. Every muscle over Aethel's equine body tightened as hard as it could, before relaxing again for just a moment before it all tightened once more and continued to repeat in a pattern that was slowly building up in speed. Had there been witnesses, the process would have looked horrifying and painful, but Aethel's features remained the picture of silent serenity. 

Suddenly seams tore open all over Aethel's body. Instead of blood and organs as one might expect, instead what came out was a horrible dark red fiery glow that bathed the moon with such a dark light that it made the moon itself darker with the kind of shadows that animals avoided in rightful fear that stepping into one would be the last thing they did. The silence was broken by the thunderous, unceasing beat of a heart that didn't exist in the real world, but who's unending beat was such that it was only once someone pointed it out that they realized that it was always there, thumping under the skin of reality itself. 

The opened seams closed, leaving little evidence that they had been there at all as the dark light that had poured out of them disappeared and allowed the moon to brighten again while the hammering of the Heart faded back into the background of reality once more. Then transformation was not finished through.

Across the front of Aethel's body, the fur of their coat started to change into something more fluffy and soft while two pairs of moth like wings that seemed to share the color changing nature of their mane and tail sprouted from their back and draped over their body like a regal cape. Aethel remained still for some time more as things settled down and the transformation finalized... but at last they opened their eyes once more and looked themselves over. 


[hider=Summery]
Aethel ponders ways to get their name out there on Galbar due to being something of a late comer. They spend a little too long looking at the third and smallest orbital body of Galbar before tucking the plans for it and the role it might play in 'making an impact' away for another time.

It is around this time where the Heart of Nightmares that Aethel consumed in order to survive the fall of their cycle made itself known within their being... and rather then put it off any further, Aethel began the process of infusing it into their body fully as a new aspect. They also took advantage of the situation to change their fundamental appearance in order to reflect the fact that they no longer have the original aspect they were born with and instead have two new ones.  
[/hider]
    

[hider=Might]
Start 
AP/MP
5/5

3 MP on Aspect: Nightmares
The Dreamers Moon and the Dreamers Fruit are both creations of Aethel's that have never shied away from the darker and more haunting experiences that sleep can provide. Aethel is simply embracing the other side of the Dream coin. 

Finish
AP/MP
5/2
[/hider]