Chapter 23Hidden behind the veil of mystery, Beauty is eternally free from the slightest stain of imperfection. From the atoms of the world, He created a multitude of mirrors; into each one of them He cast the image of His Face; to the awakened eye, anything that appears beautiful is only a reflection of that Face.
—Nur ad-Dīn Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī, fifteenth-century Sufi mystic and poet
11:30 p.m. GMT+3, May 9, 2022
MoxWorld armored private jet, somewhere over the northeastern Black Sea
Joy. Rapture. Introspection as the peripheral noise within her mind fades and blends into the colors of her inner visions. Zara has not felt this way at any time during the past two decades. Something she lost along the journey of life, along with many other things, including her grandmother’s headscarf.
