The island was no ordinary land—it was a sanctuary, a hidden cradle for legends who had withdrawn from the world. Mukul, still a child but marked by fate, stumbled deeper into its heart. What awaited him were not beasts or ruins, but masters of forgotten arts, men and women who had lived lifetimes perfecting skills beyond imagination.
One by one, they revealed themselves to him.
Master of Breath – From the icy peaks of Tibet, he had learned to control the very rhythm of life. With a single inhale, he could withstand days without food, and with an exhale, extinguish flames. His unique skill: Breath of Eternity—the ability to heal or kill through mastery of air itself.
Master of Pulse – Once a battlefield physician, she hailed from Persia. She could read a warrior's condition by touching their wrist. Her unique skill: Pulse of Truth, letting her sense lies and hidden emotions as if they were physical tremors in the blood.
Master of Silence – A former assassin from Japan, she walked without sound, her presence erased even under the brightest sun. Her unique skill: Vanishing Step, the art of disappearing completely into stillness.
Master of Movement – A dancer turned warrior from Brazil, his body moved like wind and water, flowing between combat styles with ease. His unique skill: Infinite Step, the ability to turn any terrain into his stage of advantage.
Master of Mind – Once a monk in India, he was said to have unlocked ten levels of consciousness. He taught Mukul the strength of thought sharper than blades. His unique skill: Mind's Eye, seeing truths hidden from normal vision.
Master of Sound – From Africa, her voice could shatter glass, soothe beasts, or command crowds. Her unique skill: Resonant Chord, the power to weaponize vibration and music into force.
Master of Endurance – A soldier lost in deserts, he survived where none could. Heat, cold, hunger—nothing broke him. His unique skill: Iron Will, the ability to push his body beyond human limits.
Master of Taste – Once a chef in France, he could distinguish a thousand poisons by a drop. His unique skill: Tongue of Alchemy, transforming food, herbs, and toxins into remedies or weapons.
Master of Mirrors – A scholar from Egypt, obsessed with reflection and illusion. His unique skill: Mirror World, bending light and shadow to confuse enemies or conceal truth.
Master of Chaos – From Eastern Europe, a gambler and trickster whose life was a storm. His unique skill: Hand of Chance, altering odds so fate itself bent in his favor.
Each master possessed countless other abilities—martial arts, medicine, design, poison, law, strategy—but their unique skills defined their legend.
They looked upon the boy with the seven-star birthmark not as a child, but as the destined heir to their collective knowledge. "The world will one day burn for power," said the Master of Chaos, shuffling his cards. "You must learn every path—the pure and the corrupt—so you may walk where none can follow."
And so, Mukul's training began under the first ten masters, each teaching him fragments of arts that no single man should wield. The boy who once clutched a toy car now stood at the gates of a destiny vast enough to shape nations.