The Dyatlov Pass Incident. Mystery of the Fireballs. Sergei Mikhailov
possible here.”
Chapter 11 – The Altai Experiment
They crouched behind large boulders, observing the group. Thibeaux-Brignolles stood slightly apart from the others, his tall figure silhouetted against the mountain.
“Go ahead, Tibo,” they heard Dyatlov’s voice. “Try again. Like yesterday.”
Brignolles slowly raised his hands. For several seconds nothing happened, and then… his feet left the ground. Slowly, as if in a dream, Tibo began to rise into the air. He hovered about a meter above the ground, his face expressing complete concentration.
Maxim felt the device in his pocket respond to this strange phenomenon – it began vibrating more intensely, the symbols on its surface glowing brighter.
“Look!” whispered Anna, pointing to the horizon.
An unusual object appeared in the sky, resembling a comet – with a bright luminous core and a long, shimmering tail. It moved slowly along the horizon, as if observing the events below.
Tibo slowly spread his arms outward, taking the pose of a crucified Christ. His figure, floating above the ground with outstretched arms, against the backdrop of majestic Belukha and the glowing object flying in the distance, looked surreal, almost mystical.
“Incredible,” whispered Dyatlov, continuously photographing. “Yuri, are you seeing this?”
“Yes,” Yudin replied quietly, not taking his eyes off the floating Tibo. “Like last time, only… stronger.”
Tibo continued hovering with his arms spread. The glowing object in the sky seemed to pause, hanging above the mountain. Its tail shimmered in shades from white to orange, casting strange reflections on Belukha’s snowy peak.
“We need to capture this,” Dyatlov frantically changed angles, clicking his camera’s shutter. “This happens once in a lifetime.”
Suddenly Tibo’s face changed. His eyes widened as if he’d seen something astounding. His lips began to move.
“Yalpyng nyor… Tul tov ul mien…” strange, guttural sounds of the ancient Mansi language echoed in the ringing silence.
Itokai grabbed Maxim’s arm:
“He’s speaking of the sacred mountain… warning… ‘Don’t go there…’”
At that moment, the glowing object began slowly descending. Its tail curved, forming a luminous arc in the sky. Tibo still floated in the air, his figure with outstretched arms casting a strange shadow on the mountain slope.
“Quick, take the picture!” Yudin shouted. “While they’re both here!”
Dyatlov aimed his lens to capture both Tibo and the mysterious object in the sky. At that moment, something strange began happening with the light – it seemed to condense around Brignolles’s floating figure.
“What’s happening?” whispered Maxim, gripping the device in his pocket tighter. It vibrated more intensely, almost burning his hand.
Tibo suddenly spoke again, but now his voice sounded different – as if someone else was speaking through him, someone more ancient and powerful:
“The time will soon come… Kholat Syakhl… nine steps… the sacred mountain calls…”
His words echoed off Belukha’s slopes. The next instant, the comet-like object shot upward and vanished into the sky, leaving only a glowing trail.
Tibo slowly descended to the ground. He looked exhausted, but his eyes burned with a strange fire.
“What was that?” asked Dyatlov, running to him. “What did you see?”
“I… I don’t remember,” Tibo rubbed his temples. “It felt like someone was speaking through me. And visions… many visions.”
“What visions?” Dyatlov took out his notebook, ready to write.
“A mountain… different from Belukha. Dark, with a flat top. And nine figures in the snow…” Tibo spoke slowly, as if trying to hold onto fleeting images. “Something is supposed to happen there. Something important.”
“Kholat Syakhl,” Yudin said thoughtfully. “You said that name while floating. We need to find out where exactly this mountain is.”
Maxim, Anna, and Itokai exchanged glances. They knew which mountain it was and what would happen there in less than a year.
“We need to organize an expedition,” Dyatlov said decisively. “Find this mountain.”
“Igor,” Yudin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s first understand what’s happening here. Tibo has only just started… manifesting these abilities. We need to understand their nature.”
“Let’s take another photograph,” Dyatlov suggested after a pause. “For memory. Shall we build a pyramid?”
“Can you repeat… what happened just now?” Dyatlov asked Tibo. “For the photograph?”
Tibo nodded, though it was clear he hadn’t fully recovered from his strange trance.
“Hey, everyone!” Dyatlov called to the other group members who were nearby. “Let’s take an unusual photo!”
Soon the whole group gathered. They began building a human pyramid against the backdrop of the majestic mountains: two participants stood on their hands at the sides, two more positioned themselves in the center, three people formed the second row above them, and Tibo with his guitar was to take the highest position.
Maxim, Anna, and Itokai continued watching from their hiding place. Tibo, now familiar with his new abilities, easily ascended to the top with his guitar. As before, he seemed to lose weight, barely touching his companions’ shoulders.
The ninth group member adjusted the camera on its tripod. From above, under the cloudless sky, a strange afterglow still fell upon them – a trace of the vanished luminous object.
There was something strange about the photograph taken at that moment. Yes, everything looked normal – a cheerful tourist pyramid against the mountains, everyone smiling, Tibo with his guitar at the top. But looking closer, it wasn’t clear exactly how he was staying up there, what he was standing on.
“Perfect shot!” exclaimed the photographer, returning to the group.
“We’ll need to print several copies,” said Dyatlov, helping his companions dismantle the pyramid.
“Igor,” Yudin called quietly when everyone started dispersing. “We need to talk. About what’s happening with Tibo… and about this mountain, Kholat Syakhl.”
Maxim watched as the three – Dyatlov, Yudin, and Brignolles – moved aside and began speaking seriously. Tibo looked thoughtful, as if still under the impression of his strange experience.
Maxim, Anna, and Itokai carefully moved closer, trying to hear the conversation.
“It gets better each time,” Tibo was saying, looking at his hands. “As if I’m learning to control it. But the main thing – the visions. They’re becoming clearer.”
“What exactly do you see?” asked Dyatlov.
“A mountain… dark, with a flat top. And some lights above it, like the one we saw today. But there’s something else…” Tibo paused, searching for words. “As if the mountain itself is trying to say something. Warn us.”
“About what?” Yudin asked quietly.
“I don’t know. But it’s connected to the number nine. I keep seeing nine… something. Figures, signs, I can’t tell exactly.”
Dyatlov