A young man with short black hair leaned against a table, one foot resting on its edge as he flipped through a book. His knee bent rhythmically, rocking him slightly as he tried to absorb every word on the page.
"So this is what the Zhull's world looks like…" he murmured, eyes scanning line after line. He made a conscious effort to memorize the key details, determined to retain all that he could.
The room around him was a chaos of books and scattered notes. A single lantern hung from the ceiling, casting a faint orange glow that barely illuminated the worn pages in his hands.
"Kai!" A knock on the door interrupted his concentration.
"Yeah?" he called back.
"Come on out. It's time to go," came the voice from the other side. "Dad's waiting for you, so hurry."
Kai frowned. It's already time? he thought, letting out a quiet sigh. With reluctance, he placed his chair back in its normal position, slid a bookmark into the book, and stood.
"Coming," he answered, heading for the door. Although he acted calm, his hands betrayed a slight tremor.
When he opened it, he found a shorter girl smiling up at him. "Ready?" she asked.
He glanced down at his clothes and scoffed. "Clearly not."
"Well, hurry up and change," she said with a teasing smile, turning to leave. Her long black hair bounced behind her.
Kai sighed and stepped into a small washroom, where he used a basin of water to clean himself.
"Kai, wear these clothes when you're done," said a more mature-sounding voice from outside—one laced with excitement.
"Yes, yes, Mom," he replied with another sigh.
After washing, he emerged wearing only a cloth wrapped around his waist. Waiting for him was a green top that lent him a scholarly air and a pair of black pants. Quickly drying his short hair and trimming his stubble, he dressed and then headed downstairs.
A small group of family members turned to look at him—some with smiles, others with neutral expressions.
"Wow, you look so handsome," said the woman with the older voice, his mother. "Almost like a real scholar."
"I am a real scholar, Mom," Kai retorted.
Before she could reply, an older man waved his hand. "Alright, enough chatter. We'll be late." He walked over to Kai and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you finally agreed."
Kai merely rolled his eyes. His parents sighed but led everyone outside into the streets.
"Kai, are you excited?" asked a younger boy, stepping up beside him as they walked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Kai admitted. "I don't know anything about her. And you already know I'll call it off if she's being coerced."
The boy chuckled. "Relax. Our family wouldn't force anyone into something like this."
Kai shrugged. "Maybe not force, but peer pressure isn't much better in my opinion."
"True," the boy agreed. "But what if she's perfectly fine with this? Then what?"
"I'm not sure. It's not like I know anything about her… or like her," Kai added, his uncertainty obvious.
"That's why you need to spend time with her after today," said the girl who had knocked on his door earlier. Dressed in a scholarly outfit as well, she radiated excitement. Everyone in the family had that academic air—except for the youngest boy, who gave off a sharper, colder vibe.
"Right! Bro, you gotta take her on plenty of dates," the younger boy teased.
Kai shot him a worried look. "Maribel, forget dating for a second. How am I supposed even to start talking to her?"
"Just learn from Leon," Maribel said, pointing to the younger boy. "For some odd reason, he's great with girls."
Leon rolled his eyes. "Look at me. Why wouldn't I be good with women? I'm handsome, and I'm training to be a Rulin!" He wore a broad grin as he spoke.
"Technically, we're all training to be Rulins because of Dad," Kai pointed out. "You just want to make it your future, whereas we don't."
Leon scoffed. "Makes no sense. Why wouldn't you want to be a Rulin? Imagine facing a Zhull and getting famous! Think about the money."
Kai patted his brother's shoulder. "I promise I'll make your funeral a famous one."
Maribel let out a laugh. "Right. 'Here lies the great Rulin Leon—died from heart failure!'"
"Whatever," Leon muttered, annoyed by their jokes. He dropped the subject.
A moment later, Kai turned serious. "But really, Leon, I've studied the Zhull. They're not something an ordinary Rulin can handle. You'd need a Nafs at least at the Lawamma level. None of us has reached even Ammara."
Leon smiled. "That's where you're wrong." He knelt to the ground, placing his palm beside a small flower. Closing his eyes, he breathed in a steady, deliberate pattern.
"N-no way," Maribel gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.
Before their eyes, the flower began to disintegrate, crumbling into dust as though it had never been there.
"Ammara," Leon declared, puffing out his chest proudly.
Kai knelt, picking up the tiny grains of dust between his fingertips. "Leon, this is… unbelievable," he murmured, leveling a serious gaze at his younger brother. "Your Nafs isn't ordinary." He pulled a small notebook from his robe and started scribbling notes.
"Hey! What are you three doing back there?" their father called, noticing they'd fallen behind. Both parents walked over, looking slightly irritated.
"We're wasting time," scolded their father. "What's the holdup?"
"Dad, look." Kai raised his palm, showing him the dust. "This used to be a flower."
His father frowned. "You're showing me dirt?"
"It used to be a flower," Kai explained. "Your younger son has reached Ammara."
Their father froze in shock. "R-really?"
Leon stood taller, pride evident in his grin—right until Kai smacked him on the head. "Don't get too cocky just yet."
Leon rubbed his head. "Are you jealous or something?"
Kai offered no answer. He simply kept jotting notes in his little book.
"What's the issue, Kai?" his mother asked. "Ammara at his age is almost unheard of. None of us ever contained our Nafs. This is amazing!"
Kai stayed silent, scribbling for another few moments before closing the notebook. "Leon, you and I need to talk about how your Nafs works," he finally said.
"What do you mean?" their father asked. "Why so serious?"
"Dad, you know I'm a scholar," Kai said. When his father nodded, he continued, "I'm researching two major topics: the Zhull and Shumara."
His mother looked puzzled. "So what does that have to do with Leon?"
Kai turned to his brother. "I believe his Nafs is linked to Shumara somehow. For now, don't mention your awakening to anyone else. I need to look into it more."
Leon nodded, though he still seemed unsure. Their parents exchanged concerned looks.
"Anyway, let's drop this for now," Kai told them. "It's nothing serious yet—I'll handle it."
"Kai, you totally killed the mood," Maribel complained with a sigh.
"Not my job to set the mood," Kai said with a shrug. "Let's keep going."
Their father nodded, leading them onward. He was still thinking about what Kai had said, but he forced himself to focus on the reason they were out in the first place.
Soon, they arrived at a smaller house, cozier than their own. Kai's mother paused at the door, turning to him with a smile. "This is it."
His father gave the door a light knock. After a few moments, it swung open to reveal a man with a welcoming grin.
"Welcome," the man greeted them warmly.