The silence of the subterranean expanse was not merely an absence of sound but a physical pressure that tasted of ozone and oxidized copper. Julian stood paralyzed, his hand still resting against the bronze door, while his eyes struggled to adjust to the dim, bioluminescent azure that bled from the walls of the chamber. Elara stood close behind him, her fingers digging into his sleeve. The air here was heavy, stagnant, and vibrating with a frequency that felt like a low, incessant hum.
Do not move, Julian breathed, his voice barely audible even to his own ears.
From the shadows ahead, a rhythmic clicking sound emerged, sharp and crystalline like glass striking obsidian. A form detached itself from the gloom. It stood nearly twice the height of a man, its body composed of interlocking me
