The Man the Mountain Kept (M2K)

Mateo Didn't Stay Idle

He sent another team to Mount Rinjani—this time under a new disguise: a scientific expedition. To the Indonesian government, Mateo submitted a proposal for an international research mission to study the caldera's geological structure, geomagnetic activity, and geothermal potential.

Of course, the "scientists" were nothing more than fully armed mercenaries dressed in lab coats.

To erase public suspicion, Mateo even recruited local people—trackers from the native tribes of Lombok and East Nusa Tenggara. People who knew how to read the whispers of the mountain through soil, stone, and wind. They were paid handsomely, equipped with gear, and told they were serving science.

They found the last known location of Diah and Rendra. Footprints. Remnants of a makeshift campsite. Charred pieces of high-tech equipment.

The discovery shocked the local trackers. But they said nothing.

Was it the money?

Still, one thing remained unfound—the entrance to the cave rumored to lead underground, to another world.

Even the traditional guardians who joined the expedition—those known as "keepers of ancestral heritage"—stood silent before a blank stone wall. No cracks. No openings. No shadows of a door.

"This place has closed itself," one elder whispered. "The mountain no longer gives permission to enter."

---

– A Few Days Earlier

Local government officials welcomed the foreign scientists with enthusiasm. Rarely did such a large-scale research mission come to Rinjani.

Their appearance was striking—tall bodies, cold expressions, moving with military precision.

"Maybe Western scientists are just like that," muttered a conservation staff member.

Some were impressed.

"So disciplined. Like... soldiers."

"You don't know," someone joked. "In Brazil, scientists are required to undergo military training."

Not everyone believed the group was truly made up of researchers.

Some local guides—trackers, spiritual pathfinders, even village elders—felt something was off. These people were too calm. Too fast on the hiking trails, as if they already knew where to go.

"They're not scientists. They're more like professional soldiers," muttered an old guide. But he wasn't part of the team. The foreigners had chosen their own escorts—young men who didn't yet understand the mountain's language.

The senior guides stepped back. They didn't want to be involved.

After all, who would willingly enter the belly of Mount Rinjani? That place was dangerous. People disappeared. That place was haunted—the elders said—a dwelling for restless spirits waiting to be freed…

So if those outsiders wanted to dig into Rinjani's depths, let them.

"They chase death for the thrill," scoffed an experienced climber.

But Mateo's team paid no mind to the rumors.

They focused on the mission: to find Hulio, and the two people likely working with Antonio Moreira. All three had to be found—dead or alive.

With official permits in hand, they drilled, dug, and if necessary—were prepared to blast through whatever stood in their way.

---

– Beneath the Mountain

While chaos stirred above, time flowed differently below.

Diah, a geologist, felt trapped between science and something she couldn't explain. She ran her fingers along the damp stone wall, searching for a hidden crevice—but found none. The rock seemed to wait—not to be opened, but to be recognized.

Rendra paced back and forth, his breath growing shorter.

"Are we seriously going to be stuck down here forever? I'm not even married yet!"

Diah glared. "Not funny."

Hulio looked up at the cavern ceiling.

"This mountain doesn't allow it."

"What do you mean? We've been here for days. And you said our time's almost up. How does that work? You know the way out? No, right? Then why are you still here?" Rendra snapped, then laughed bitterly.

"Rendra!" Diah scolded. He was talking too much again.

"I'm right, aren't I? If I could just get out of here, I could be anything. Rich. Famous. Like you used to be, Hulio. But you can't go back, can you? You're a fugitive now. Your enemy is your own family. Great life, huh?"

"Enough. Quiet," Diah cut in.

Hulio said nothing. Above them, a faint purple glow pulsed within the stone.

"The three days aren't over. Because it's not time that must end... it's us…"

Diah sat on the ground, watching a blue light slither across the wall.

This wasn't just a cave—it was another world. But a scientist without proof would only be called mad.

"If only I had a single recording…" she whispered.

Then her eyes lit up.

"I want to stay here longer."

Rendra jumped.

"What the hell?! Diah, have you forgotten why we came here?"

"I know. Our mission was to find Hulio. But Hulio is no longer just a missing climber. He's become something else. Look at him!" She pointed at Hulio.

Hulio ignored them both.

Suddenly, the cave rumbled—not like an earthquake, but like the breath of something ancient, stirring awake.

Hulio turned toward the stone passage.

"They're coming," he said softly.

"Who?! Mateo?!" Diah and Rendra shouted in unison.

---

– What Shouldn't Have Been Opened

Footsteps echoed in the distance, but their presence throbbed through stone like silent thunder.

Rendra pressed his ear to the ground.

"Vibrations. Rhythmic. Human."

Hulio nodded.

"They're forcing their way in. The mountain doesn't like that."

The altar's blue light turned deep purple. Symbols in the stone throbbed like a wounded heart.

In the distance, muffled explosions. Cracks in the rock. Swirling mist. A section of the wall shook violently.

"They're bombing the outside…" Rendra murmured.

"But there's no door. What are they destroying?"

"The protective layer," Hulio replied.

"The barrier between our world… and the one that doesn't belong to us."

From the mist, a figure emerged—tall, floating, faceless. Spirals and water lines flowed around it. In its chest: a third eye glowing bright.

"The Guardian," Hulio whispered.

The creature didn't speak. Its thoughts struck their chests like lightning.

"You are not finished."

"If the gate is opened before its time… you will all be erased."

Rendra stumbled. "Why are we being punished?!"

"Because we are the bridge," said Hulio. "Our bodies are still human. But our souls... have touched the depths."

The being raised its hand. The altar shook. Its golden eye scanned them. Then it vanished into thin air.

Only its message remained:

"Your time is short. The third eye has opened. But the gate remains unsealed."

---

– Cracks from Above

For two days and nights, Mateo's team blasted against the tightly sealed rock wall.

They found a vast cave—silent, untouched by man.

Still, they pressed forward. "They couldn't have just vanished."

On the third day, their pressure sensors blared. Rhythmic tremors. Too subtle to be quakes—but real.

"There's a massive cavity below. And... it's moving."

"Natural activity?"

"No. It's... breathing."

The team leader gave the order: "Detonate that point!"

The first explosion shook the slopes. White mist billowed from the crater—thick and silent. Several local trackers collapsed, their consciousness slipping.

At the mountain's foot, an elder clutched his prayer beads.

"They've awakened something… that should've stayed asleep."

Meanwhile, deep within the mountain, the altar glowed crimson. Stone cracked. Mist thickened.

Diah looked up at the ceiling as fractures spread.

"What are they doing up there?"

"They don't know what they've unleashed," Hulio said.

Dust fell. Then a sound—a soft cracking, like fire crawling through bone.

Rendra swallowed hard.

"It's not just the shield breaking. This is... the wall between worlds."

Hulio nodded.

"And if it opens before the right time... they won't find us.

They'll awaken something... even the Ancients could not control."

---

– The Burning Rift

Cracks spread across the cave ceiling like old wounds torn open. The protective stone weakened, shedding glowing dust like sacred ash.

Diah froze, eyes wide. Unknown symbols lit up along the walls—ancient circles glowing from within the rock.

"That's not natural geology," she whispered. "That's carving... from inside the stone."

Hulio stepped closer.

"It's a seal. This place is guarded by forces beyond modern human understanding."

"And now we know why they couldn't find the entrance from above," Rendra added softly.

"Because the door doesn't open from the outside... but from within."

Mist filled the cave—not white, but charcoal gray. Like smoke from a burning forest of dreams. The air thickened with the scent of iron and ancient earth.

Suddenly, the altar shone—not blue, nor purple, nor red—but gold. Not blinding. Calming.

"The altar is responding," Diah whispered. "Maybe to the pressure above. Maybe... to us."

She stepped onto the altar. The stone pulsed beneath her, as if welcoming her.

Rendra moved to stop her, but froze when he saw her eyes—clouded like fog, a faint triangle glowing on her forehead.

"Diah…" he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I hear a voice," she replied, as if something spoke through her. "Not human. From the stone. It said: if this rift fully opens... no one will ever be able to close it again."

Hulio's eyes sharpened.

"They're almost through."

As if in reply, a massive boom shook the cave. Not just an explosion—more like the movement of ancient bones.

The ground trembled. Mist spread. A low roar echoed from the corridor—too deep for ears, but bones could feel it.

"Rendra," Hulio called. "Grab your pack. We have to be ready."

"R-Ready for what?"

"To run?"

"No," Hulio replied calmly.

"To survive."

Diah sat calmly in the golden light. She wasn't afraid. But she knew the world had shifted into something that could never be undone.

And whatever waited behind that rift… would show no mercy.

---