The vibrations grew stronger.
The residents of Kawi Village poured out of their homes, their faces pale with panic. The village, nestled on the slopes of the Lumut Mountains—a region famed for its natural springs—shook violently, as if the earth itself were trying to tear it from the mountainside.
BREEDUGH!!
The sound of snapping wood and colliding boulders echoed across every corner of the village. Several houses could no longer withstand the tremors. Supporting pillars collapsed, followed by falling joglo roofs that raised thick clouds of dust.
Screams of terror broke out in unison.
Children cried out for their parents. Mothers scrambled to grab their children, who were running aimlessly, while men shouted warnings for everyone to stay away from the buildings. Amidst the chaos, a youth in a white vest left his usual hangout spot and ran forward, attempting to help the villagers.
The ground shook relentlessly.
Cracks began to spread across the stone paths, creeping into house yards and gardens. Trees swayed violently, shedding large branches that crashed to the ground.
Graakkss!
The youth in the white vest rushed to assist an elderly woman pinned beneath a fallen branch.
"Come on, Grandma, quick, let's get to the open yard!" He lifted the shoulders of the staggering old woman.
He glanced behind him. His friends were equally busy amidst the panic, rescuing villagers from the intense shaking.
Then...
From the slopes of the Lumut Mountains, another sound emerged. The youth raised his pale face toward the high cliff above.
"That's no longer the rumble of an earthquake..." he muttered.
Suddenly, a long, heavy thundering sounded, as if the belly of the mountain were collapsing piece by piece.
Grrr... gruduk... grrraaaak...
Birds took to the sky, fleeing the forest. Small stones began to tumble down the slope. Several villagers turned toward the peak with pale faces. They recognized that sound.
A landslide.
For a brief moment, the youth recalled the cryptic words of an old man: "The item I gave you is merely a safeguard; it can sweep away dust."
"San... woii, San!!" shouted the youth in the white vest, calling out to his friend, who was also frantically trying to save the villagers.
He yelled again, even louder, waving his arm to get his friend's attention amidst the panic. His friend locked eyes with him and gestured for him to take the old woman he had just rescued to safety.
His friend understood the sign. Instantly, the youth sprinted toward his home at full speed.
Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he finally arrived at his house while the ground was still trembling. He broke open the lock of a box he had hidden inside a bedroom closet—a room now filled with billowing dust.
Inside the box rested an object resting on a pile of white cloth. The entire object was made of a greyish-galvanized iron. At both ends were two iron spheres, each about the size of an adult's fist. The two spheres were connected by a short iron bar that served as both a handle and the main axle. For a moment, he remembered the old man, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Quickly, he ran out of his house, which was already tilting dangerously.
As the earthquake began to subside, he spotted his mother escaping alongside his older sister. They were a short distance away from him, separated by a carriage.
"Ndu... Where are you going, son...?" his mother called out breathlessly, walking toward him while supported by his sister. Worry was etched across both their faces.
"Randu, take Mother... quickly!" his sister shouted.
Randu hurried away from his mother and sister. Without looking back, he ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the fleeing villagers, heading toward a trail that led up the hill.
"Randu!"
Their voices were swallowed by a sudden, deafening roar in the distance.
Randu's breathing grew ragged. The steep, rocky path felt as though it were shaking under his feet again. He nearly stumbled several times as boulders rolled down across the path. Dust filled the air, broken branches fell around him, and the sound of crashing, falling tree trunks echoed from behind the forest.
The roar drew closer. It was no longer just a sound.
The ground beneath his feet shuddered in rhythm with the landslide rolling down the slopes of the Lumut Mountains. Randu pushed his legs to keep climbing.
After clearing the final incline, a rocky cliff stretched before him. From high up there, all of Kawi Village was clearly visible below the slope. The rooftops looked tiny, surrounded by residents fleeing in search of safety.
However, Randu's attention quickly shifted elsewhere.
In the distance... the slopes of the Lumut Mountains had transformed into a rolling sea of earth. Giant tembresi trees were uprooted like weeds. Boulders as large as houses tumbled within the rushing landslide, destroying everything in their path. Thick dust surged skyward, veiling a sky that was soon to turn crimson, while the earth's roar echoed endlessly.
The wave of the landslide... was heading straight toward him.
Randu stopped right at the edge of the cliff. A strong wind blew his bangs out from beneath his black udeng, softly brushing his forehead. The distance between him and the giant wall of earth continued to shrink.
He clenched his fist, then slowly raised the iron object he had been holding tightly all along.
"Hopefully... it still works."
He took a deep breath. For the very first time, he stood alone before the fury of the mountain.