Moonsilver lining

The Lunar elders arrived a little past midday. How they had managed to reach Satellite without Sector Security noticing, Yusei didn't ask but he knew Luna's Chosen could shapeshift. He wouldn't be surprised if one of them had transformed into a whale and carried the others.

They were six, two Full Moons, two Changing Moons and two No Moons, three men and three women, aging from forty to seventy. Rally shrank under their looks. Yusei held him. The elders looked at him as well. The oldest of them frowned deeply.

"No coincidence…" He said before going back to the group.

They spent the afternoon setting the trial. Neither Rally nor Yusei or anyone else was allowed to watch them work. As night fell, they came to find the pair.

"The trial is ready." The male Changing Moon Lunar told them. "Mr. Fudo, Mr. Dawson, this way. You as well, Kerry. The others, you should go back to your dens."

Blitz, Tank and Nervin decided to stay with Martha. The matron was as worried as they were about the boy.

They headed to the outskirts of a district near the middle of Satellite's "residential" area. The male No Moon Lunar, the oldest of the group, was the first to speak.

"First, I believe introductions are in order. I am Tyto Cassanha, Envoy of the Silver Pact and First Elder of this little assembly. My fellow No Moon…" He pointed to a beautiful woman in her mid-forties who was wearing green. "Is Belinda Darrow. My Changing Moons brethren are Ulrich Schwartz and Catherine *Cat* Lang. Finally, my Full Moon comrades are Philip Wong and Judith Badger. Together, the six of us will oversee your trial. Belinda is also the one who will apply your tattoos. Don't worry, her day job is a tattoo artist so she had plenty of practice already."

The knowledge was reassuring. Catherine Lang was next to speak.

"This trial, as you may have been explained, will determine which Caste you belong to. You will be given a task, and we will observe how you fulfil it. It is through your actions that we will find out which role fits you best."

"The task will be simple." Judith Badger grinned, and Rally noted she had an oddly-strong jaw. Along with the strips of white in her hair, it reminded him of a badger. "A gang calls this territory home. Their leader has a Limited card called Morphing Jar. You are going to get it."

"That's all?" The boy asked.

"Well." Philip Wong winced. "You are pretty young. If stabilizing your shape wasn't so urgent, we'd wait a few years to give you a proper trial. As it is, this is the least-risky task we came up with."

"Make no mistake, it will still be a challenge." Ulrich Schwartz pointed. "However, what we are interested in is how you go at it. The trial is simple: find the leader, get that card, get back. The thing is that there are many ways to proceed. We are curious to know which one you'll pick."

"Don't worry." Belinda Darrow reassured. "If things go pear-shaped, we will interfere. Despite its proximity with a Shadowland, this area has nothing in term of supernatural creatures. A bunch of mortals won't last long against trained Exalted. You can rest assured on this field: we won't let you die. But, if you're caught and they roughhouse you a little, well, it's part of the challenge."

Rally nodded. The six elders showed him the way.

"You have until sunrise to complete the task. Good luck, Little One."

The boy breathed, folded his sleeves and shapeshifted into his spider form. Belinda and Cat turned smugly to Philip and Judith. Ulrich took the shape of a lynx and jumped to the rooftops while Tyto opened a laptop. Soon, Rally became visible. The boy had decided to sneak around in his spider form, creeping in the shadows and clinging to the ceilings. Finally, he found the gang's leader. The man, tall and buff was busy drinking with his underlings. Rally waited patiently until they were passed out to get his deck. He only took Morphing Jar.

No one noticed anything as he shapeshifted again and vanished in the dark. Fifteen minutes later, he was back to the group. He took the card from his pocket.

"Here you go. You're right, it wasn't that hard. So, which Caste do I belong to?"

Tyto and Belinda grinned from ear to ear.

"Ours, the No Moon Caste."

"Now your Caste has been decided, we can give you the explanations." Cat grinned. "Full Moon Lunars are the warriors of our kind. On the other hand, Changing Moon Lunars are tricksters and diplomats. Finally, the No Moons are scholars and priests. When passing a trial, how you go at it determines which caste fits you best. Full Moons will challenge the issue head on through brute force while Changing Moons will trick and manipulate others and No Moons will use intelligence and subtlety. You went completely unnoticed and showed both patience and cleverness while retrieving that card. These are the hallmarks of No Moons."

The explanation was clear. Next step was applying the tattoos. They returned to Martha's house where the boy lost no time telling the others how it went. Belinda, meanwhile, was preparing her tools. Yusei recognized them as high-quality. The woman was indeed a professional.

Belinda frowned.

"What is that golden triangle? You already have a tattoo, boy?"

"No." Yusei said grimly. "It is a criminal mark. Sector Security applies it to the wrongdoers they catch. They got Rally when he was seven. He had stolen some bread."

The woman hissed, a forked tongue darting from her mouth.

"They branded a child for a piece of bread!? What are these people? Anywhere else, such crime would only warrant a scolding!"

"Welcome to Satellite, the dumpster-island of Neo Domino City. Everyone is guilty, even when they aren't."

"And Satellite denizen are strictly forbidden from going to Neo Domino City." Kerry sighed. "It is a public offense. I did some research. If you told me the police is corrupt, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Every shining city has its shadows." Ulrich said harshly. "I did my own research. I know how Satellite came to be: a tectonic shift. What bothers me is that neither Neo Domino's mayor not the head of Sector Security did anything to improve the situation. Worse, it looks like they reinforced it, as if they want Satellite to be a slum. Many shantytowns are an unfortunate consequence of a city's existence, but it's more a natural occurrence than a desire to make a slum. This isn't the case here."

Everyone tensed. Yusei unconsciously started to glow gold.

"If this is true, Director Goodwin is an even bigger asshole than I thought."

"Calm yourself, boy. The situation outrages us as much as you. But this isn't the time to discuss it. For now, let's focus on those moonsilver tattoos."

Belinda set to work. First, she had the boy undress until he was in his underwear. Then she made him sit. Rally flinched as her tool felt halfway between a scalpel and being brushed by steel wool. The woman made a point of covering his criminal mark with moonsilver, then reproduced the pattern on the other side. Then she drew the lines. Yusei smiled as the patterns reminded him of printed circuitry, thin and geometric. There was no filled polygon, only lines. No curve except the rings.

On the forehead, she drew an inverted triangle. On the spine, she drew a straight line. She drew a circle on each shoulder and connected it to the spinal line, then made it run on his collarbone. One ring on each elbow, then a circle atop each hand and connect the two with a coupled line. One ring around the bellybutton. Three lines going up until they reached the solar plexus, then zigzagging lines between each rib, connected to the spinal line. Nothing on the chest. On the legs, one ring on each knee, then one line down the ankle and a circle around it. Up the thigh, one line going up to the underpants, then short horizontal lines on each side, each no longer than a phalanx and set in a shifted pattern.

And done. Rally breathed.

"It hurt!"

"Getting tattoos always hurt. Usually, full-body ones are a matter of repeated visits but it isn't something we can do with these. A Lunar's tattoos must be done in a single session."

The whole operation had taken four hours. Tyto neared the woman and whispered something. The female Lunar tensed.

"Are you sure?"

"Certain. It is auspicious that the tattoos you drew reminisce of circuitry patterns. The Pattern Spiders are up to something."

"The monitors of the Loom of Fate. Are you absolutely certain of what you found, Elder? You could be wrong."

"They are brothers in all but the blood. Of course, the Pattern Spiders would confer with Luna and the Unconquered Sun about granting them their Exaltation."

Belinda frowned deeply. Her voice was so low Yusei and Rally barely heard her.

"Ryushi and Kinugumo. The Architect and the Weaver. In any case, you are certain they are sibling-mates."

"Yes." Tyto turned to the pair. "There is something about Solar and Lunar Exalted that you must know. At the dawn of time, when our kind was created, each Solar had a Lunar mate. The relationship wasn't always romantic, however. Some were like brother and sister, others like the closest of friends… The bond between a Solar and their Lunar mate is deep and powerful. When the Deathlords and the Yozis managed to corrupt some of the Solar Exaltations, their Lunar mates found themselves without a partner. The Infernal Exalted are no more, but some Abyssals still remain. Nevertheless…" Tyto smiled. "When a Solar and a Lunar reunite, it is always a momentous occasion worth celebrating. You, however, had the chance to Exalt at the same time so no reunion was needed."

"The Sparks of your Exaltation are mates of the brotherly kind." Belinda continued. "Which is why I would like to extend an offer. You are both too young to join the Silver Pact, the governmental body monitoring us Lunars. However, it is allowed for a Solar to be given moonsilver tattoos if their Lunar mate already received theirs. Yusei, would you like to?"

Yusei considered. If he and Rally were truly bonded as they'd explained, the markings would concretize the bond.

"Will it be as extended as his?"

"No. For Lunars, the tattoos have to spread over the entire body to stabilize their form. Yours will be much smaller."

"Just make them match his."

"Will do!"

She took her tools and set to work. On the forehead, she drew a small half-filled rhombus, his Caste symbol but silver and angular. Then she had him go bare-chested and drew rings on his shoulders with a line running over his collar bone, then a circle on each elbow and the top of each hand connected by a coupled line. Just like Rally. Belinda went no further.

"Here you go. As requested, you match."

The pair grinned.

"Come on, let's go to bed. We spent nearly the whole night awake and I feel like I'm gonna drop soon."

"And you can't even watch the sky because of the pollution." Belinda groaned. "Sucks."

Yusei and Rally woke up late in the morning. Blitz, Tank and Nervin were already at work in the garbage plant, and the rest of the Lunar Exalted were sleeping in various rooms across Martha's house. The teen took a moment to watch his tattoos. They really looked like circuitry, and Rally's body had even more than his. He spent his dozing time to think.

Jack's betrayal. His near-death. His and Rally's Exaltations. Kerry's knowledge. Rally's trial. The moonsilver tattoos. It was a lot to take in a very short time. But the proofs were here, from the energy he felt within him to the silver fuzz on Rally's arms. It was real. It was true. It was a lot to assimilate. But he would do it. He was a native of Satellite. He was tough. He watched his little Lunar brother-mate. When Belinda had mentioned the bond between Solars and Lunars, he had instantly made the connection with the bond he felt with the boy. They were tied, the two of them. He could feel it in his soul. He caressed Rally's head and waited for him to wake up.

Rally woke up no long after.

"Big Brother?"

"Good morning, Rally. Slept well?"

"Yes. Your arms feel safe."

Yusei chuckled and sniffed the air.

"I smell pancakes. Let's get them, I'm hungry."

Rally bolted from the bed at the mention of food.

"I'm starving!"

After what he'd done last night, it wasn't a surprise. Yusei made a double-take when he saw how late it was.

"Almost midday? Not every day that I sleep this late…"

"Not every day that you stay awake this late either." Martha noted and handed them plates and tea. "Here you go, breakfast for two growing teens. I have to admit, those tattoos are quite pretty. Beautiful and useful."

Yusei smiled. Rally preened.

"So, what will you do today, Big Brother? I hope Kerry, Belinda and the others will start training me."

"If they are, I'll stay to watch. Then I'll wander around to clear my mind. I need to digest what happened yesterday."

Hard to believe they had Exalted the previous twilight. The other Lunars emerged from their room one by one and were served breakfast as they talked among themselves. Eventually, Belinda nodded.

"We have decided that I will be your mentor. Normally, Kerry would do since he's the one who found you, but your castes are different. He cannot teach you as well as I do."

"Alright. When do the lessons start?"

Tyto chuckled.

"The eagerness of young minds. Children are happy to do exactly two things: learning and playing."

"True that." Martha chuckled.

"Naturally, Belinda will stay behind while we leave this place. We will be gone by nightfall. Unfortunately, there are only three hundred of us across the whole planet, so our work is plentiful and we are never short of it. As for a mentor for young Mr. Fudo, this is something we were unable to obtain for the time being."

"I know enough about Solars to teach you the bases." Belinda reassured. "So, you won't be without guidance. However, my teachings will be basic. You will have to do a lot of self-learning."

"I hope it won't be a problem in the long run…"

"Agreed, this is far from ideal. But there are even less Solars than there are Lunars and they are just as busy as we are."

Which was why they hadn't found a mentor. Yusei decided he would manage for now.

Belinda's first lesson to Rally was how to learn new forms. Given shapeshifting was a Lunar's greatest asset, it was only logical that they would start there. Even though he couldn't use the knowledge, he still found it interesting. Belinda meditated an instant.

"There are no snakes, but I sensed several big rats. I will teach you a Knack, a special trait that improves our shapeshifting abilities. It is called the Humble Mouse, and will allow you to perform the Sacred Hunt ritual for animals smaller than a housecat. As a rule, when learning new forms, we are limited in size between housecat and adult moose and need to learn different rituals to obtain their form. So, tonight, we will perform the Sacred Hunt for a rat."

Yusei listened with one ear. Belinda then shifted to Charms.

"Charms are a form of Essence manipulation focused on extrapolating on an Exalted's abilities. It isn't a spell in the sense that it is an alteration of the world through Essence. To cast a spell, you take Essence, shape it with your will and throw it. To use a Charm, you choose an ability you possess – like building things or sneaking around – and imbue said ability with Essence. Spells are limited by a person's willpower and Essence. Charms are limited to a person's skillset."

That was actually interesting and something both could use. Belinda nodded.

"Since all Charms are based on skills, the very bases are the Excellencies. These allow an Exalted to use Essence to increase the proficiency of one of their skills. Now, what are you good at?"

The answer came quickly.

"Sneaking around!"

"Crafting."

Belinda nodded.

"Good. So, I want you to focus on these skills. Close your eyes and put yourself in the mindset of their use."

Yusei and Rally sat cross-legged and closed their eyes. It came to them easily. Rally remembered all the times he had to make himself small, all his wandering head low in the shadows, all his dodging of gangers and Security forces. Yusei remembered the feeling of tools in his hands, the clikity-clak of a laptop, the scent of rust and oil and the frame of his Duel Runner.

"Good. Now, let your Essence flow within you. Spread it across your body."

Both opened their eyes and found themselves cloaked by a gold aura for Yusei and a silver aura for Rally. Belinda nodded.

"You got it. Now, keep it active and sneak around or craft something. You'll tell me how it feels."

She was so right it wasn't even funny. Rally decided to go to the hideout and back. Yusei decided to use the toolkit Martha kept at the orphanage and work on the heater. The machine was never warm enough at night. Not an hour later, the heater was as good as new. The teen blinked several times.

"Usually, I'm not that good."

"Of course not." Belinda chuckled. "Your crafting skills have improved thanks to the Excellency. That's literally what they're for."

"It… kinda feels like cheating."

"We aren't ordinary people. Besides, given the state Satellite is in, you'll need supernatural powers if you want to fix it."

Point taken. Belinda tapped his shoulder.

"Shut it off, the lesson is learned. Actually, no. Since Rally isn't back yet, use the Excellency again but focus on a different skill."

"Dueling. Wait, no. Now, that would be cheating."

"Given it's fundamentally a game, yes. Afraid so. What else?"

"Riding, but we don't have a Duel Runner on hand. Fighting?"

"Fighting works. Let's get outside."

This time, Yusei focused on his time not dueling but using his fists. In Satellite, it was more common than it seemed. The feeling of his fist connecting, a boot in the stomach, dodging and moving as each muscle screamed for him to stop… Once more, his aura glowed gold. Belinda nodded and took a stance, her own anima glowing silver.

"Let's get this party started…"

Even with the Excellency's enhancement, she still kicked his ass. Yusei was willing to admit he was pretty good in a fist-fight, but Belinda literally danced around him, her footwork flawless, her body always evading his punches. He aimed a fist at her stomach – and got a boot in the rear for his trouble. The teen grumbled.

"Not good enough."

"I have been a Lunar for three decades, kid. You Exalted the day before. Not only that, I am a trained martial artist while you are at best a street brawler. You have neither technique nor discipline. The Excellency is a force multiplier. You against me was never a contest."

Yusei grumbled but accepted the critique. It was sadly accurate. Belinda crossed her arms.

"Even with the prevalence of Monster Dueling as an entertainment and for settling scores, martial arts still have their niches. How often have sole losers dropped their Disks and used their punches?"

"Too often. That's why I picked it."

"And you can't get out of being cornered by the police by Dueling your freedom. Hence martial arts. Don't worry. If you're willing to learn, I may know a style or two that could fit you. If anything, it will teach you proper discipline."

Yusei agreed. When Rally came back later, boasting how he'd scared Tank and Nervin out of their pants at the hideout, Yusei and Belinda laughed good-naturedly.

Yusei may be more physically-inclined than your average Monster Duelist, but against a Lunar Exalted who's probably older than the mid-forties she looks to be into, he has zero chance even with an Excellency giving him a boost. And Rally is a sneaky thief.