Chapter 6: Like a Closed Book
As soon as Zaara stepped into the circular building, she was instantly dazzled. The floors, walls—even the ceiling—were adorned with elegant inscriptions, each line carved with care to form a sweeping, decorative design that seemed to pulse with quiet energy.
Seven identical chambers stood along the curved wall, and in front of them stood a middle-aged man in a simple yellow robe. On the right sleeve of his robe, an emblem of a crimson owl was embroidered, catching the light with a quiet authority.
One of the children shyly greeted him, "Assalamu Alaikum. " The man responded with a gentle smile before addressing them all, "Walaikum Assalam!"
"Each of you, enter a different chamber. One by one."
Zaara blinked, then walked forward with a light, curious step. She headed to the chamber at the center and turned back to ask, in her soft, eager voice,
"Uncle Essence Wielder, what kind of Essence Aspect will I get?"
The Essence Wielder smiled warmly.
"I don't know either. But once you've awakened, you'll naturally be able to see what it is. Anyway," he added with a chuckle, "you have such pretty eyes. It would be perfect if your Essence Aspect had something to do with them."
With that, the chamber doors closed behind her with a metallic thud.
Zaara stood nervously in the center of the room, her eyes darting around. The chamber was quiet, too quiet. Then suddenly, a soft white light descended from the ceiling. It wasn't blinding—it felt gentle, like moonlight on water. The inscription lines carved into the ceiling lit up first, then the light flowed into the walls, tracing each intricate groove. Finally, it converged beneath her feet.
A comfortably numbing energy crept up her legs and surged into her chest and mind. Zaara's body trembled uncontrollably. It felt like being gently electrocuted.
Outside the chamber, the Essence Wielder watched carefully. The children's bodies were now enveloped in the awakening light, releasing their own unique radiance in response. He remained alert—should anything go wrong, he would immediately halt the process to ensure their safety.
Inside Zaara's chamber, something unexpected was unfolding.
A camera focused on her picked up flickering, misty-blue lines appearing on her forehead. These lines quickly spread across her arms, forming a delicate, glowing network—unlike anything seen in other awakenings.
In the nearby monitoring room, a blond man with thick rectangular spectacles frowned, staring intently at the readings. Unlike the others, whose awakened essence produced light patterns of varying frequency and strength, Zaara's was entirely different. The blue network on her body defied all known patterns. Some children failed to meet the threshold at all, but Zaara's readings were … unique.
"This is unprecedented …" the spectacled man muttered, leaning closer to the screen.
Though her essence had been detected and recorded, he couldn't interpret the data. Despite his vast experience, he had never seen anything like this. He made a mental note to keep monitoring the girl closely. If her awakening held unknown properties, it could bring both promise—and risk.
Then, as he stared, the blue lines vanished without a trace.
Inside the chamber, Zaara slowly opened her eyes. She felt heavy and disoriented, like she was floating between sleep and wakefulness. She raised her hands in front of her—and gasped.
Around her fingers, delicate, icy crystals began to form, glittering faintly. A chilling aura radiated from her hands, but it wasn't just cold—it was calm as well. The energy that flowed out of her was fragile, almost sleepy, like a whisper in winter wind.
The spectacled teacher straightened in surprise.
"Fascinating ... " he whispered, adjusting his glasses. "Only Allah knows the true secrets of our bodies as he is the one who born and created us."
He had catalogued hundreds of Essence Aspects. This—this wasn't one of them. Perhaps a rare variant? Or an undiscovered type altogether? He scribbled notes furiously. Further testing would be essential.
Meanwhile, Zaara felt her eyelids grow heavy, the exhaustion of the awakening settling into her bones.
Moments later, the Essence Wielder called the children out from their chambers. Each one emerged, looking dazed and slightly numb. When Zaara stepped out, he watched her for a moment longer than the others. He had sensed it too—something different in her awakening. But without orders from above, he didn't take any action.
He simply turned and walked away with children walking behind him.