In the forge, Serian felt a sudden, shocking coldness spread through her chest. It was not a hostile cold, but a familiar, silent emptiness.
A perfect, three-foot sphere of absolute, light-devouring blackness materialized in the air beside her.
Her own personal hole in the universe.
The constructs that were about to overwhelm her froze, their programming unable to process the sudden appearance of the void-sphere.
Hephaestus himself took a step back, his eyes widening in shock. "What… what is that power?"
Serian just smiled, a fierce, triumphant light in her eyes. "That," she said, "is my backup."
She didn't hesitate. She poured her own golden, divine light not at the constructs, but directly into the sphere of void.
Light and darkness met.
And the forge exploded.
---
