Yue's diminutive form seemed to grow more imposing as power gathered around her. The air thickened with concentrated mana, tasting of ozone and possibilities as she began a sequence of hand movements too complex and fluid for untrained eyes to follow. Each gesture left behind a momentary afterimage, golden sigils hanging in the air for heartbeats before dissolving into the surrounding atmosphere.
"Perhaps I should warn you," she said, her childlike voice suddenly carrying ancient harmonics that resonated through the bones of everyone present. "You might want to brace yourselves."
The first sign of transformation came from the floor. What had been shattered stone and scattered debris began to shimmer, its substance becoming translucent before seeming to melt away entirely. Yet rather than plunging them into the void beneath, the dissolving laboratory revealed glimpses of grass and ancient stonework emerging from the insubstantial mist that replaced solid matter.
