Eleven's Ghost

Chapter 32: The Nano Teacher

Shams’s eyes flashed wide. “Ihdaachar is a nano graduate…” He shook his head. “But… He’s is three hundred years old… How did he…?”

“Three hundred?!” Hajar raised an eyebrow. “I heard he’s nine hundred years old.”

Yayis looked away thoughtfully. “Strange… Something is missing.” He glanced at Shams. “I never got to ask, but what did you find in the library?”

Shams was trembling. “I don’t… know. I…”

He sat down on his bed and looked down thoughtfully. “He lied to me.”

“I’m sure there’s a good reason for this.” Yayis pursed his lips. “Do you want me to go back and ask him?”

“That’s impossible,” Hajar said.

They glanced at him. “Why not?!”

“You can never leave this place.”

Their eyes flashed wide. “WHAT?”

Hajar nodded. “This place is a travelling planet. It’s travelling in space at a speed far higher than you can imagine. Leaving it is out of the question. I also heard that there are barriers sealing everyone inside for protection. Space is a dangerous place after all. Someone like Ihdaachar could navigate freely and move in and out, but I remember he stayed here for centuries. I don’t know when he received permit to move around.”

He laughed. “But we’re not him. I doubt anyone can surpass that man any time soon. He’s someone almost everyone in campus looks up to. Even those who pretend to hate him only don’t know what he’s made of or are afraid of his powers.”

Shams didn’t notice his broad smile. “T-Tell me more! More!”

Hajar laughed more. “Well, maybe I should tell you about the ranks and classes instead. That’s more relevant to you.”

“Yes!” Yayis nodded.

“No!” Shams objected, “Just a bit! Please!”

Hajar curved his lips and shook his head. “As much as I want to, but Ihdaachar had no friends or anyone that knew him well enough. I don’t know what his personality is like. I’m sure there are recordings of his battles in the library though. Ask any librarian there, and they will tell you where to go. Despite being so famous, Ihdaachar hardly let anything slip.”

Nihiru joined the conversation. “But I heard… He had five children…”

Hajar glanced at him and remained silent.

Shams blinked. “Five… children? Where are they?”

“They all died.”

Shams gasped. “No! That’s horrible!”

“I don’t know any details though. I don’t know how he got those children. I don’t know any details.” Nihiru pouted slightly. “It’s not mentioned anywhere in the records, I assume. His life seems to be much darker than you would expect it to be.”

Shams lowered his head and fell silent. “Okay. Thanks.”

“About the ranks…” Hajar changed the subject. “Ranks and grades are irrelevant. You can be a first-grade, first-year and be a third rank for example, but it’s easier to level up your rank if you have a class. In order to level up ranks, you don’t take exams and stimulations. You test your skills on an actual field. Rank and class are both linked. Depending on your class, you can level up your rank.”

Yayis nodded. “And… What are the classes?”

“There are two main classes,” Hajar started, “Warrior and entertainer.”

Shams nodded. “I know this one!”

“I heard that very few people become warriors. Most of those who come to Sirkus come to learn how to become professional performers and entertainers. It’s little known that this place actually trains machines of war. This place has political and military influence across the universe, and it didn’t come as a gift.” Hajar added. “You can think of the warrior class as the shadows of Sirkus. They might seem as thoughtless brutes who only care about violence, but it’s not true. The proof is Ihdaachar himself. By the way, Maine is also a warrior. She’s also one of his disciples.”

“D-Disciples?!” Shams gasped.

Hajar nodded. “I heard that Ihdaachar trained a number of people that came to him. The exact number of people is unknown, but most people say they’re eleven. He was offered a teaching position in the academy, but he refused it for unknown reasons. Maine should know more details about that, but seeing her personality, she wouldn’t tell you just became you ask. She seems to be a nice person, but her personality is bad. It’s all over her face anyway; not too hard to figure out.”

Shams nodded. “I never… liked her. She’s really… happy.”

“She’s a warrior. Her happiness level was enough for her to follow a performer path, but she still wanted to be a warrior. Some people say she is in love with Ihdaachar. Who knows though? Rumours are only rumours.”

“Wh-What’s Maine’s race, by the way?” Yayis asked.

“A harpie.”

Their eyes widened. “HARPIE?! SHE’S SO BEAUTIFUL!” They both screamed at the same time.

“Well, we don’t know what happened, but she’s a harpie,” Hajar grinned, “Not only that! That’s also her real appearance! She’s not using any transformation magic to enhance her looks.”

“A-Are you kidding me…”

“Not even makeup?”

“Not even makeup.”

“Woah…”

Yayis shook his head. “T-Tell us more about classes.”

“People who choose the performer path have it so easy in life. They get a lot of luxury and safety provided by the warriors. Everyone knows who they are, and everyone admires them. They only have ten ranks, and climbing the echelons is relatively easy since they can do as many shows as they like. Perhaps, the only challenge in front of performers is originality. The kind of summoning, the effects, the tricks, they need to plan everything thoroughly. Another thing to consider is teamwork. Performers don’t perform alone. They move in teams of ten people. If there’s bad coordination and teamwork, they will all fail. Once you enlist in the rank system, you can’t allow yourself to fail. It will be worse than failing a grade. There are many things to consider when picking this class. I only gave you a general idea.”

“And what about the warrior class?” Shams asked.

“The warrior class is far more complex. They have thirty-three ranks, I believe. They claim to be protectors of the world, but it’s my own guess that there’s something much darker going on there. It’s the reason why I want to become a warrior. Warriors get far more prerogatives compared to performers. For example, only rank nine and above performers can be appointed as governors on other planets, but in the warrior class, they can do so starting from the fifth rank. Performers can never rule an entire planet, but warriors can. Performers can never rule alone, but warriors can. However, all those prerogatives come with a price. Warriors are generally hated by the people. They are feared and avoided.”

“But… Wait. I heard there are research facilities here,” Shams said, “Do warriors or performers work there?”

Hajar folded his arms and looked down thoughtfully. “Well, warrior and performer are the main classes, but there are sub-classes. In the sub-classes, you find healers and researchers along with other classes. It’s not that healers and researchers are less important than warriors and performers. It’s just that whoever wants to be a healer or a researcher must think about the kind of healer or researcher they want to be. Do they want to focus their work on performers or warriors? Sub-classes are very complicated. I don’t suggest thinking about them right now. We only pick a subclass after you reach the advanced grade anyway. That’s in fourteen years.”

“Then… When do we pick the main class?”

“Beginner grade. We will be given an entire year to think it over. After one year, all students enrol in either paths. They study common subjects for eight years, and then they pick a specialty. If they finish their specialty before sixteen years end, they can pick a second or third or even fourth specialty. That’s quite difficult though.” Hajar laughed nervously.

“Do… Do you know how many specialties Ihdaachar mastered?” Shams asked.

“Just one, I believe. I think it was research. I don’t know. Let’s ask him if we ever meet him!” Hajar laughed cheerfully.

“So, we pick our classes and everything before reaching hardcore,” Yayis sighed. “That’s a shame.”

“I told you, the last four grades are optional. Not everyone enrols. The rank system is also optional, but if you choose to be unranked, you lose all the prerogatives offered by the rank system. That’s why everyone applies for the ranks. If you’re high enough on the ranks, you will be offered a teaching position.”

“Oh…” Shams folded his arms. “I wonder what Malik’s rank is.”

“M-Malik the nano teacher?”

“Hah?” Yayis smiled nervously. “The what now?”