Chapter 1
Islamabad – National College of Arts
The fine arts studio was heavy with the sharp scent of turpentine and acrylic paints. The air was thick with the chatter of students. Inaya was busy blending deep blues and blacks onto her canvas. Around her, her friends were absorbed in their own worlds—some discussing the latest luxury brands, others planning their weekend parties. A silent observer sat in the corner, secretly admiring their talent.
"Inaya, how long are you going to sit here?" her friend, Sara, asked, lifting her brush. "The entire social circle of Islamabad is heading to Kalaam or other getaways this weekend. What’s your plan? Can we join someone?"
Inaya offered a faint smile, though her brush paused. "Kalaam... there is a unique peace in its silence, Sara. You all look for the noise; I’m looking for stillness."
She looked back at her painting. There was a strange void on that canvas—a void she still couldn't name. She felt she was searching for something, but what? In the glitz and glamour of her home, she had never found the answer. Perhaps the answer wasn't in the search, but in the emptiness that remained.
COMSATS University
The physics lecture hall was silent. The professor had written a complex equation of quantum entanglement on the board. For every other student, it was just a formula, but for Saalis Jahandar, it was reality.
He hadn't been to university for two days. Today, he walked in twenty minutes after the lecture had started. The professor stopped and looked at him, but Saalis didn't even acknowledge his gaze. Instead, he stared out the window at the ground below. The winds were fierce, and the tree branches swayed violently. He was lost in this intensity when the professor’s voice cut through the room. "Saalis Jahandar, I’ve been noticing you staring outside for a while. If you're done with the view, why don't you come and solve this equation?" the professor asked in a stern, sarcastic tone.
Saalis walked straight to the blackboard, picked up a marker, and wrote down the solution to the complex equation—a task that perhaps even the department heads couldn't have accomplished so easily.
"I wasn't aware of the test, sir. However, this formula is flawed," he said in a cold, detached voice, then placed the marker down and returned to his seat.
The entire class fell into a deathly silence. Saalis had no malice; he was simply lost in his own world of logic. He dropped the marker on the table and sat back in his seat. There was no room for emotions in his life—only logic and results.
