Phantoms Beneath Silver City
Then— BOOM.
Not loud enough to shatter windows or wake the sleeping masses of Silver City. But it was there. Undeniable.
A sound that didn't belong.
A muffled blast—quiet, but sharp. Focused. Too neat to be some accident. Too pointed to be chance.
Not random. Not careless.
It had purpose.
It came from deep inside a narrow alley off a silent street. The ground gave a brief shudder—just a twitch, just enough to be felt.
A sharp crack split the stillness, echoing through the stone, as if something beneath had snapped. A chunk of weathered rock loosened. Fell. Dust puffed up, swirling in the quiet. A soft thud as fragments kicked upward, then scattered back down with dull rolls across the cobbles.
Then a new sound— Metal.
Faint at first.
Clink… clink…
Slow.
Deliberate.
Like some old gear being unlocked beneath the surface. Not loud, but full of warning. Ancient. Mechanical. Something was opening.
Then—movement.
