Page 7 - JEJAK ENIGMA

Chapter 3: The Mystery of Kalawan Forest

The stone door slowly closed behind them. Natural light dimmed even more, and the cool air
turned damp and suffocating. The six teenagers were now truly cut off from the outside
world.

The tunnel they walked through was lined with strange symbols on the walls—symbols
unlike any writing they had ever learned. But they looked familiar to Nayla.

“These symbols… they’re similar to the markings of the Ancient Tribe from my grandfather’s
journal. But they’re more primitive,” she said, shining her flashlight on one. “Look at this.
The eye symbol. It means we’re being ‘watched’.”

Tiara shivered. “Watched… by who?”

No one answered.

Farel stepped forward slowly, brushing his hand along the wall.
“Let’s just keep moving. If we stop, we’ll lose our sense of direction.”

As they continued, the tunnel split into two paths—left and right. No signs. No clues. Silence.

“Should we split up?” Raka suggested, though his voice lacked confidence.

Nayla immediately shook her head.
“No. We stick together.”

But Adit interrupted,
“Or… we could send two people ahead to scout.”

“Why do you keep trying to separate us, Adit?” Farel asked, now growing suspicious.

Adit gave a casual smile.
“I’m just thinking efficiently.”

Gilang tried to mediate.
“If we keep arguing, we’ll just waste time.”

In the end, they agreed to follow the right path, after noticing a faint scratch on the wall—one
that resembled a symbol on Nayla’s map.

After an hour of walking, they reached a large circular stone chamber. In the center stood a
stone statue of a three-eyed human head, mouth wide open. Surrounding it were four stone
pillars, each with a different symbol.

Nayla read one of the inscriptions:
“The right one shall open the way. The wrong one, forever trapped.”

“This… is the first riddle,” said Nayla.

Raka examined the symbols on the pillars: Water, Fire, Air, and Earth.