One rainy Tuesday, Elias decided the evening’s guest of honor, a nervous young man planning a proposal, deserved more than a standard drape. He began the ritual. The Foundation

Elias flipped the triangle over, keeping the point facing away from him. He folded the bottom two corners inward so they met in the middle, then tucked one end into the fold of the other, locking the shape. With a gentle tug, he stood the napkin upright and fanned out the layers at the top.

He started with a crisp, starch-white linen square, laying it flat on the mahogany prep table. "The secret," he whispered to the empty room, "is the ." He smoothed out every wrinkle with the side of his hand, ensuring the edges were perfectly parallel to the table's edge. The First Transformation