Back in the quiet sanctuary of Master Aris's workshop, the vibrant chaos of the market felt a world away. Yet, the old woman's cryptic warning still echoed in Aishah's ears: "Not all ancient things wish to remain asleep." And the unsettling gaze of the cloaked figure lingered, a prickle on the back of her neck.
Master Aris, immersed in his own work, hummed tunelessly as he meticulously cleaned an old, tarnished astrolabe. "Aishah, have you seen the copy of the *Hikayat Raja-Raja*? I believe I left it near the scrolls on the Melaka Sultanate."
Aishah mumbled a distracted affirmative, her fingers already fumbling for the wooden fish pendant beneath her tunic. The moment she touched it, it vibrated violently, a restless tremor that spread through her arm. It wasn't just a pulse now; it felt almost like an insistent tug, drawing her attention to a particular section of Master Aris's vast, sprawling library.
Her eyes landed on a stack of scrolls tucked away in a dusty corner, beneath a shelf groaning with ancient texts. These weren't the maps or trade logs she usually handled. These were old, much older, bound in faded silk, their titles written in ornate Jawi script. Hesitantly, Aishah pulled out one scroll. Its silk binding crumbled slightly in her hands, releasing the scent of dried herbs and forgotten incense.
Carefully, she unrolled it on a clear patch of table, next to the glowing diagram of the Singapura chamber. Her breath hitched. The scroll was filled with faded illustrations and dense script, detailing not historical events, but what appeared to be **ancient Melayu magic**.
Her eyes darted over the pages. There were drawings of figures performing rituals under a crescent moon, strange symbols that seemed to hum with unseen energy, and, most startlingly, illustrations of creatures she'd only ever heard of in lullabies and old fishermen's tales. There was a detailed drawing of a **Harimau Jadian**, a creature of part-man, part-tiger, its eyes burning with a primal ferocity that mirrored the fleeting vision she'd had. Another page depicted the sinuous form of a **Naga**, a mythical sea serpent, coiled around the very foundations of a great city, its scales shimmering with a dangerous allure.
But it was the next section that made Aishah's blood run cold. The scroll spoke of powerful artifacts, of five "Dragon's Scales," imbued with the essence of ancient guardians. Each scale, the text explained, represented a facet of a powerful, benevolent force, meant to protect the land. The scroll even showed a stylized drawing of a wooden fish pendant, remarkably similar to the one she possessed, labeled as one of the very same Dragon's Scales.
The diagram of Singapura's hidden chamber pulsed brighter, seemingly echoing the revelations from the scroll. The wooden fish pendant pressed against her chest felt like a living thing, radiating an intense heat.
"Aishah? Did you find the *Hikayat*?" Master Aris's voice cut through her trance, startling her.
She fumbled, quickly rolling up the ancient scroll, her heart thumping. "Yes, Master! Just… just looking at some of the older ones. Fascinating, aren't they?" She tried to sound casual, but her voice cracked on the last word.
Master Aris, however, seemed to have noticed something. His gaze sharpened, settling not on the scroll Aishah had just hidden, but on the now-faintly glowing diagram of the Singapura chamber. A long silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the distant sounds of the city.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and thoughtful. "Aishah, my dear. I've always told you that maps whisper. But sometimes… sometimes the whispers are not just of routes and rivers, but of older things. Things best left undisturbed." He paused, his eyes, usually filled with gentle amusement, now held a deep, unreadable concern. "Or," he continued, almost to himself, "perhaps, things that must be awoken, when the time is right."
He picked up a loose parchment from the table, a routine sea chart, and pointed to it. "Go, copy this for our next voyage. And perhaps… perhaps keep your curious mind on the known lands for a little while."
Aishah nodded, clutching the wooden fish pendant, its warmth now a constant, unsettling presence. Master Aris knew. Or at least, he sensed it. The ancient magic wasn't just in dusty scrolls or old diagrams. It was alive, stirring within her, and within the very heart of Melaka. The innocent fascination of a cartographer's apprentice had just stumbled upon a secret that could either safeguard her burgeoning city or plunge it into an age-old darkness. And for the first time, Aishah felt the immense, terrifying weight of that realization.