The forge was dark. The forge was silent.
The constructs were gone. Hephaestus was on one knee, his great shoulders slumped. He had spent his power holding the room together. A new, jagged hole in the ceiling let in a single column of gray light. In the center of the light, the fire elemental was gone. The chains that held it were shattered husks on the floor.
Serian stood amidst the wreckage, her sword arm trembling from exhaustion. Her golden aura was gone, her energy spent.
Hephaestus looked up, his ancient, scarred face full of a profound sorrow. "What have you done, child?"
"I have made a choice."
"You have unleashed a primal force of chaos upon this world."
"He deserved to be free."
'And now I need to finish this.' Serian turned her attention from the god to the pulsating bio-energy node. It was her true target.
