The morning after I finished all my training, the island was silent. The wind was still, and even the sea hummed softly, as if the world knew that something had changed in me.
I woke before dawn and decided to walk alone this time. The master told me that every student who completes his path must wander freely once, to let the island accept his new energy. "The island will speak to you," Master Aarion had said. "Listen carefully when it does."
So I walked under the faint blue sky, my feet tracing soft sand and glowing moss. The air was heavy with calm, and yet something kept pulling at me—not like a direction, but like a call.
The pull led me deeper into the forest, through vines shimmering with dew, past waterfalls that whispered secrets. Then I saw it — a large cliffside hidden behind the silver trees. Beneath it, half-buried by roots and time, was a cave.
I had never seen it before.
The entrance glowed faintly from within, though no fire burnt there. My breath caught as I stepped closer. The air grew colder. Still, something inside me whispered, "Go."
So I did.
The cave was narrow at first, then opened into a large chamber shaped like a heart carved from stone. The roof sparkled with glowing crystals, blue and purple, reflecting the light of the waterfalls that trickled down the walls.
And in the centre… lay a skeleton.
It wasn't frightening—it was peaceful. The bones were arranged carefully, sitting upright with their hands resting on their laps. Its head was bowed, as though it had died in meditation rather than fear.
Around its neck hung a single pendant.
It shone faintly—silver, round, engraved with markings I couldn't read. Each line curved like a wave, glowing dimly in rhythm with my heartbeat.
I felt my knees grow weak. Whoever this person had been, I could feel their strength in the air still lingering—a warrior, perhaps, or something older.
Slowly, I knelt before it. "Whoever you were," I whispered, "forgive me for disturbing your rest."
For a moment, I closed my eyes, bowing my head as I had been taught. The silence felt sacred, like the whole cave was holding its breath. Then I reached out with trembling fingers and touched the pendant.
It was cold—cold enough to sting even my palm. When I pulled it gently from the skeleton's neck, the bones did not crumble. They remained still, as though they had waited for this moment.
As soon as I lifted it, the light inside the pendant grew stronger, changing from silver to a deep crimson glow. The cave pulsed once, and for an instant, I thought I heard a faint voice—too soft to understand, yet warm and familiar.
I placed the pendant against my chest. A sudden rush of warmth flooded through me. I didn't think—I simply lifted the chain and wore it.
And the moment I did, the world trembled.
The crystals above me flared to life, shooting streaks of light across the walls like lightning trapped in glass. The air vibrated, echoing with whispers. I staggered backwards as the mark of the seven stars on my neck glowed fiercely, flashing in the same crimson hue as the pendant.
Then it stopped — as quickly as it had begun.
The cave fell silent once more.
I stood there for a long time, feeling the pendant settle against my heart like a sleeping pulse. Then I bowed again to the skeleton. "Thank you," I whispered.
When I left the cave, sunlight was breaking through the clouds. The entire island shimmered slightly brighter, as though it had witnessed what I'd done. I hurried toward the central courtyard, where my masters waited.
They seemed to already know something had changed. When I arrived, their faces turned serious.
Master Aarion stepped forward first. "What did you find, Mukul?"
I told them everything — the cave, the skeleton, the pendant, the light. I left nothing out. The masters listened without interrupting. Even their calm eyes showed something I had never seen before: surprise.
When I finished, silence filled the space. The twenty masters exchanged glances, some frowning, some smiling faintly, as though confirming something long expected but never spoken aloud.
Then one of them—Master Kaien Ruo, the Warrior—stepped toward me. His expression was solemn. "Do you still wear the pendant?"
I nodded.
Without a word, he drew a thin ceremonial knife from his belt, the kind used for the island's sacred oaths. "Do not move," he said softly.
Before I could ask why, he took my hand gently and drew the blade across my fingertip—just enough to let a drop of blood form.
The droplet glimmered under the sun.
"Let destiny recognise its own," Kaien murmured. With that, he tilted my hand over the pendant at my chest, letting the single droplet of blood fall onto its centre.
The reaction was instant.
The pendant flared bright red, blinding for a heartbeat. Warmth spread from it into my skin, down my arms, and through my heart. I gasped as images flashed behind my eyes — ancient battles, circles of stars, echoes of voices calling names I didn't understand.
The masters didn't move. They only bowed their heads as if in silent respect.
When the light faded, the cut on my finger had vanished, and the pendant's glow turned soft gold, steady like a gentle flame.
"What… what is this?" I breathed.
Master Aarion smiled faintly. "You found what was meant for you."
He placed a hand on my shoulder. "That pendant belonged to one who once guarded this island — the first child of destiny, chosen long before your birth. You completing your training awakened the right to find it. The pendant has now accepted your blood. It recognises you as heir."
I looked down at the charm still warm against my skin. "So it's alive?"
"Alive as spirit ever is," Aarion replied. "It carries memory, power, and a promise. With your blood, you have bound yourself to both."
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then, as the wind rushed through the courtyard, I heard the faint sound of the ocean rising — waves clapping gently as if applauding.
Kaien rested his hand on his sword hilt and nodded. "Your journey is no longer practice, Mukul. It has begun again."
And standing there under the afternoon sun, with twenty pairs of eyes on me and a golden pendant glowing softly against my heart, I realised something deeper than fate itself—the island had been waiting not just to teach me but to remember me.
And now, so would the world.