The compass in Arga's hand began to shake harder and harder.
Its green light flared like a tiny flame.
For the first time since they had found the object, its needle was not pointing north, south, east, or west.
It pointed straight at the figure in the black cloak.
The Shadow Collector.
Arga had no idea what to do.
The figure stood calmly at the mouth of the cave. A violet lantern hung from his right hand. The flame inside the lantern flickered, even though there was no wind.
Behind him, a genderuwo stood with its massive body blocking part of the passage.
"Don't go near them," the genderuwo growled.
The Shadow Collector did not answer.
Instead, he raised his hand.
The violet flame in his lantern suddenly grew larger.
Whoosh!
Violet light swept across the ground.
Bimo grabbed Arga.
"Run!"
The four of them ran down the trail.
Chirp flew above them, shouting.
"Don't go left!"
They turned right.
"Don't go right!"
They stopped.
"Why are you only saying that now?!"
"Because you were going too fast!"
Bimo glanced back.
Black fog was beginning to descend from the mountain.
A huge shadow could be seen inside it.
The genderuwo was trying to hold something back.
"It's fighting the Shadow Collector!" Sinta cried.
"Then we have to go back!"
Arga stopped.
But Chirp immediately dove in front of his face.
"Don't!"
"Why not?"
"The genderuwo told us to leave because it knows it can't protect you if you stay there."
"But it's alone!"
"It isn't alone."
Chirp looked back.
"This mountain is with it."
Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed through the air.
The ground shook.
Small rocks rolled down the slope.
Bimo looked up.
"We should probably take the bird's advice."
They ran again.
They continued down the mountain until the sounds of battle could no longer be heard.
The fog slowly began to thin.
They stopped beside a large tree to catch their breath.
Bimo sat down immediately.
"I've never run this far before."
Sinta opened her water bottle.
"We haven't reached the bottom yet."
Bimo stared at her.
"Why would you say that?"
"So you'd know."
"Thanks. That's really helpful."
Nala sat down, hugging her sketchbook.
Her face was pale.
Arga watched her.
"Are you okay?"
Nala shook her head.
"I saw something."
"What?"
Nala opened her sketchbook.
The page that had previously shown the genderuwo had changed.
A new drawing had appeared.
The genderuwo stood in front of a cave.
Behind it stood another figure.
The figure was smaller.
Covered in black fur.
And in its hand was a blue stone.
Arga remembered what the genderuwo had given them.
The small stone that was now in his pocket.
"Is this Genta?"
Nala nodded.
"But look."
She pointed to the back of the drawing.
There was a figure in a black cloak.
The Shadow Collector.
But this time, his face was not covered by a mask.
The drawing showed only part of his face.
Arga stared at it for a long time.
"I've seen this face before."
Everyone fell silent.
Sinta stepped closer.
"Where?"
Arga shook his head.
"I don't remember."
Chirp suddenly went quiet.
Sinta watched the bird.
"You know something."
Chirp did not answer.
"Chirp."
The bird turned its face away.
"It's not time yet."
Arga furrowed his brow.
"Not time for what?"
"For you to learn everything."
Arga began to get annoyed.
"You've been saying that from the beginning."
Chirp looked at him.
"Because some answers can be more dangerous than the questions."
Arga fell silent.
He didn't like that answer.
But before he could ask anything else...
They heard the sound of water.
A trickle.
Soft and gentle.
It came from behind the bushes.
Arga immediately remembered the genderuwo's words.
"Follow the sound of water."
He stood up.
"We have to go there."
They walked toward the sound.
The closer they got, the clearer it became.
At last, they found a small river.
The water was crystal clear.
But in the middle of the current were black stones arranged like stairs.
Sinta opened her notebook.
"According to the map, this river shouldn't exist."
"Does that mean our map is wrong?"
"Or..."
Sinta looked around.
"...this river appeared recently."
Nala crouched down.
She saw something between the stones.
"There are footprints."
Bimo looked too.
"Whose footprints?"
The tracks were enormous.
But they were different from the genderuwo's footprints.
These tracks had five toes.
And in the center of each sole was a glowing blue dot.
Arga followed the tracks.
One.
Two.
Three.
They led to a gap in the rocks.
They went inside.
Behind the gap was a narrow chamber.
Its walls were covered in drawings.
There were drawings of a bird.
A tree.
A mountain.
The sea.
And seven different creatures.
Sinta stepped closer.
"These are the Guardians."
In the center of the wall was a drawing of a door.
The door was divided into seven sections.
Six sections were still green.
One section had turned black.
"The seal," Arga whispered.
An ancient inscription appeared beneath the drawing.
Sinta read it slowly.
"When one guardian falls, the shadows will find a way."
Bimo pointed to the black section.
"Does that mean one of the guardians has already fallen?"
Chirp nodded.
"The Banyan Guardian has not fallen."
"Then who has?"
Chirp looked at the drawing of the mountain.
"The Mountain Guardian."
They all fell silent.
"The genderuwo?"
"It's still standing."
"Then Genta?"
Chirp nodded.
"Genta is the missing guardian."
Nala touched the drawing.
Suddenly, the wall began to shake.
Genta's picture lit up.
Then a voice rang out.
Very faint.
As if it came from a place very far away.
"Help..."
Nala pulled her hand away.
"That's him."
Arga stepped closer.
"Genta?"
The voice came again.
"Don't trust..."
Then it disappeared.
"Don't trust who?" Bimo asked.
There was no answer.
Arga stared at the wall.
A new crack appeared.
Blue light spilled from inside it.
The light formed an image.
A young boy.
He was about twelve years old.
His hair was black.
He stood in a dark room.
Behind him was a violet lantern.
Arga recognized the figure immediately.
The Shadow Collector.
But something about it shocked Arga.
The boy in the image turned around.
And his face...
looked exactly like Arga's.
Arga stepped backward.
"Impossible."
Sinta placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Arga?"
"That's not me."
"We know."
"But his face..."
Bimo looked at the image.
"It really does look like you."
Chirp flew closer.
His expression was extremely serious.
"The compass never shows anything without a reason."
"So what does it mean?" Arga asked.
Chirp did not answer.
In an instant, the blue light went out.
The room fell dark again.
Then they heard footsteps.
Not a single pair of feet.
Many.
From outside the gap in the rocks.
Bimo switched off his flashlight.
They all froze.
The footsteps drew closer.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Then someone spoke.
"The children are in there."
Sinta held her breath.
A second voice answered.
"Don't let them take the stone."
Arga felt around in his pocket.
The blue stone was still there.
Chirp whispered,
"They found us."
Bimo pointed to a narrow passage behind the chamber.
"There's another way out."
The four of them crawled toward it.
The passage was narrow.
Extremely narrow.
Bimo could barely fit through.
"Why am I always the one who gets the tightest spaces?"
"Because you're the biggest," Sinta whispered.
"That's no reason not to feel sorry for me."
They kept moving until they saw light at the end of the passage.
Arga climbed out first.
They had emerged on the other side of the mountain.
A vast valley stretched out below them.
In the middle of the valley stood an old building.
A stone house with a red roof.
Sinta opened the map.
"That's not on the map."
Chirp gazed at the building.
"I know that place."
"What?"
"Grandpa Mahesa used to live there."
Arga was startled.
"Grandpa Mahesa?"
Chirp nodded.
"That house was where he kept everything he found during his travels."
"Why have we never heard about it?"
"Because the house was abandoned a long time ago."
Nala opened her sketchbook.
Her hand suddenly began to move.
Her pencil drew on its own.
A door.
A shelf.
A compass.
And a young boy standing in front of a window.
Written beneath the drawing were the words:
THE ANSWER ABOUT THE SHADOW COLLECTOR IS INSIDE MAHESA'S HOUSE.
Arga stared at the old building.
"Then that's where we're going."
Chirp nodded.
But before they could move, a voice came from the top of the cliff.
"Don't."
They all turned.
The genderuwo stood there.
Its body was covered in scratches.
Parts of its fur were singed.
But it was still standing.
Bimo ran over to it.
"Are you okay?"
The genderuwo gave a small growl.
"I've been through worse."
Arga let out a relieved breath.
"We found Genta's tracks."
The genderuwo looked at them.
"Where?"
"At the river."
The genderuwo's eyes widened.
"You found the river?"
Arga nodded.
"We also found a picture of Genta."
The genderuwo was silent for a long time.
Then it said,
"Then... he's still alive."
Nala held up her sketchbook.
"He asked for help."
The genderuwo closed its eyes.
"I know."
"You know?"
"Because I heard him last night too."
Arga stepped closer.
"What did he say?"
The genderuwo looked up at the sky.
"He said a name."
"Whose name?"
The genderuwo looked at Arga.
"Mahesa."
Arga froze.
"Grandpa Mahesa?"
The genderuwo nodded.
"Then he said..."
The genderuwo stopped.
"What?"
"Don't let that boy find his home."
Arga stared at the old house in the valley.
His heart began to beat faster.
"Which boy?"
The genderuwo did not answer.
Because in the distance...
the violet lantern lit up again.
The Shadow Collector stood atop the cliff across from them.
This time, he did not chase them.
He merely raised his hand.
Then he pointed at Arga.
His deep voice was carried on the wind.
"Find that house."
He paused for a moment.
"Then ask Chirp..."
The little bird suddenly flapped his wings nervously.
"...why Grandpa Mahesa left you."
The violet flame went out.
The figure disappeared.
Arga slowly turned toward Chirp.
"You know about my family?"
Chirp was silent.
"Chirp."
The bird lowered his head.
"I do."
"And you've been hiding it from us all this time?"
Chirp did not answer.
Arga gripped the compass.
For the first time since their adventure began, he felt that he wasn't just searching for a mystery.
Maybe...
the mystery was searching for him too.
And the old house in the valley was where they would find the answer.