Long ago at the peak of Mount Kelimutu, there lived two powerful figures with opposite natures. Ata Bupu was a wise elder, while Ata Polo was a cruel sorcerer who enjoyed preying on humans. Despite their differing moral castes, the two lived side by side in peace because they respected each other's power.

That peace began to be disturbed when a pair of orphans came to beg for protection from Ata Bupu. They were terrified because they felt targeted by Ata Polo. Out of pity, Ata Bupu agreed to protect them, but with a strict condition: they were not allowed to leave the field area so they would not be detected by Ata Polo’s sharp sense of smell.

Unfortunately, one day Ata Polo managed to discover their whereabouts. He demanded that Ata Bupu hand over the children to be eaten. Ata Bupu tried to negotiate and asked Ata Polo to wait until the children grew up. However, when the time came, Ata Bupu still could not bring himself to hand them over and tried to hide them inside the earth.

Ata Polo's rage triggered a great battle that shook the mountain. The earth suddenly split open and swallowed them all. The wise Ata Bupu, the bloodthirsty Ata Polo, and the two poor orphans were buried in the ground. Not long after the event, water emerged from the cracks in the earth, filling the craters and forming three lakes of different colors.

To this day, the people of the Lio tribe believe that the three lakes are the resting places of spirits:

* **Tiwu Ata Mbupu** is believed to be the gathering place for the souls of wise elders.
* **Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai** is the place for the souls of young men and women who died at a young age.
* **Tiwu Ata Polo** is believed to be the place of exile for souls who did evil or practiced black magic during their lives.