The air in Melaka crackled with tension. While the Sultan's forces braced for the impending Siak invasion, Aishah and Master Aris knew the true battle lay elsewhere. The Shadow Seeker was banking on the external threat to distract them, to allow him free reign to collect the remaining Dragon's Scales. There was no time to lose.
"The Scale of the Jungle," Bakar had said, "is often found where life thrives most fiercely, yet where the ancient spirits sleep deepest." Master Aris consulted his family's journals. "There's an old mention of a hidden waterfall deep within the **Endau-Rompin rainforest**, north of here. A place of immense natural power, said to be guarded by ancient spirits."
The journey was arduous. Aishah, accompanied by Master Aris and a grizzled but trustworthy guide from Bakar's network – a former tracker named Jati – plunged into the dense, humid embrace of the rainforest. The jungle was a living, breathing entity, its canopy so thick that only dappled sunlight pierced through. Giant trees, their roots snaking across the forest floor, dwarfed them. The air thrummed with the buzz of unseen insects and the calls of exotic birds.
The heat was oppressive, and the humidity clung to them like a second skin. Aishah found herself relying on Jati's uncanny ability to read the subtle signs of the jungle – a broken twig, a disturbed patch of moss – to navigate the labyrinthine trails. The wooden fish pendant throbbed continuously, its warmth growing more intense the deeper they ventured.
Suddenly, Jati froze. "Something watches," he whispered, his hand going to the hilt of his keris. From the shadows, the jungle itself seemed to stir. Vines snaked with unnatural speed, trying to ensnare their feet. A low growl echoed from the undergrowth, deep and primal, far too large for any known forest creature.
Aishah's pendant flared, and an image flashed in her mind: the terrifying, emerald eyes of the **Harimau Jadian**. The beast of the scroll was real. A blur of golden fur and black stripes erupted from the trees, a massive tiger, but with an unsettling intelligence in its gaze, and an aura of dark magic radiating from its powerful form. It wasn't merely a tiger; it was a shapeshifter, a guardian corrupted by the Shadow Seeker.
"It feeds on fear!" Master Aris shouted, pulling out a small pouch of dried herbs and scattering them, creating a momentary shimmering barrier that briefly confused the creature.
Aishah knew what she had to do. Closing her eyes, she focused on the pendant. Its warmth spread, not just through her arm, but through her entire being. She recalled the sensation of the light bursting forth in the cavern. This time, she willed it. A surge of energy coursed through her, connecting her to the spirit of the sea, to the boundless power of the ocean. The air around her shifted, smelling faintly of salt and rain.
As the Harimau Jadian lunged, Aishah thrust her hand forward. A wave of shimmering, almost liquid light burst from her palm, not as a direct attack, but as a disorientation. The light wrapped around the creature, temporarily blinding it, causing it to stumble and snarl in confusion.
"Run!" Jati yelled, pushing them forward. They scrambled deeper into the jungle, the Harimau Jadian's enraged roars echoing behind them. The light had bought them precious moments, but Aishah felt the drain. Her limbs were heavy, her head swam, and a dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. The price.
They finally reached a clearing. In its center, nestled behind a curtain of smaller, crystalline waterfalls, stood an ancient, gnarled tree, its bark shimmering with a faint, verdant glow. Entwined within its roots, half-buried in the moss, was a **stone carving of a coiled serpent, a Naga, its eyes glowing with an inner luminescence.** This was it: the Scale of the Jungle.
As Aishah reached for it, the earth trembled. The ground beneath them fissured, and from the deep chasms, dark, swirling mist began to rise, coiling around them. The jungle itself seemed to groan, its ancient power corrupted. The Shadow Seeker was here, closer than they thought. He wasn't just sending creatures; he was directly challenging them, twisting the very essence of the land against them. They had found a Scale, but the trials were far from over.