Eleven's Ghost

Chapter 10: One Hundred Million And Eleven Traitors

“It’s just rumours. I could never confront him with this. I don’t know what his reaction would be.”

“It’s true.” They heard the man in black speaking as they entered the military district. “I used to work in the angel research department, ARD for short.” He turned to them with a soft smile. “Also known as the forbidden department.”

They forced smiles, and he shook his head. “Let’s not confuse the little Shams and Yayis with too much information. It’s too early for them.”

He entered a tent, and there was a round table. All ten village chiefs sat. Yayis and Shams sat next to Un.

The man in black chose to stand. He pointed at himself. “My name is Ihdaachar. It’s actually only a number. The number eleven. It doesn't mean anything. When you go to Sirkus, you’re given the choice of keeping your name or changing it with a number. I was given the number eleven. When I returned to Earth, I didn’t return my real name, so I turned eleven into Ihdaachar.”

He rested his hands on the wooden table and pattered it gently. “It’s the same for everyone present in this room. At first, I was the only person watching over this half of the planet, but then Sirkus contacted me and said they wanted to split humans into ten groups of ten millions and make small countries with leaders. I had to test every leader individually, and all of them took their posts. Ironically, the ten of them were from the same group in Sirkus.” He laughed briefly. “Anyway, go ahead and introduce yourselves, ladies and gents.”

Un stood up and nodded. “I’m the village chief of the first village, Un. Un for one. I changed my number to fit in the description of my role. It would be easier to remember this way.”

“I’m Tunin. I supervise the second village,” the man in pink said.

“I’m Telata. I supervise the third village,” the woman in purple said.

“I’m Arbaa. I supervise the fourth village,” the man in orange said.

“I’m Hamsa. I supervise the fifth domain,” a woman in green said.

“I’m Sita. I supervise the sixth domain,” a man in yellow said.

“I’m Sabaa. I supervise the seventh domain,” the woman in red spoke.

“I’m Tamania. I supervise the eighth domain,” a man in brown said.

“I’m Tisaa. I supervise the ninth domain,” a woman in white said.

“I’m Achra. I supervise the tenth domain,” a man in gray said.

All ten village leaders sat down again, and the lights around them faded away. Shams gazed at them, impressed. “So… Why… Why are you using numbers? It’s weird. Use real names!”

“We have our real names.” Sabaa said, “But this is more practical.”

He nodded several times, a bit scared.

Ihdaachar laughed. “You’re an adorable child, I must say.” His eyes smiled. “I already contacted your family. They know you’re leaving. However, one thing remains.”

He stood in front of Shams. “You’re fourteen, not fifteen.”

He tilted his head to Yayis. “You will train him for one year. I had a house built for you two in the forest. Once the year ends, you can fly Shams to the border. You will find me there. It’s very true that the border is a giant cliff overlooking space. However, I will facilitate your passage to the water kingdom.”

He patted Shams and Yayis’s shoulders. “I’m quite confident that I can do this much.”

Yayis nodded, a bit worried. “But… Who cut the Earth? We… There are so many questions…!”

“Are you asking me because you think someone who worked in the ARD would know?”

Yayis became embarrassed and looked down. “No. I’m sorry!”

Ihdaachar took his chin. “The circus academy is much more than a simple magic school. It’s an entire world. The number of departments in the academy is beyond numbers. While I used to work in a relatively high-class department, it doesn’t mean I will know everything about the other departments.”

He sat on the table and crossed his legs. “However, it’s certain that Sirkus has a record about what happened to Earth exactly. They must have a department responsible for that. I don’t know what it is. When you go there, you find out. I’m sure you will find a way.”

Yayis nodded, and he seemed fidgety. Ihdaachar sighed. “Did you know? I can read thoughts as well.”

Yayis gasped and took a step back. “I’m so sorry!”

“I will answer. I have nothing to hide.” Ihdaachar spoke. “I only don’t talk about myself because I think it’s useless. You have nothing to learn from me. If you’re so curious, I don’t mind.”

He paused. “My real name is Moussa. The reason why I entered the ARD is because I was qualified. The reason why I left is…” He pointed at his eyes. “My loss of eyesight. It was an accident. Everyone died, and I only lost my eyesight and fell in a coma for a couple of decades. You don’t need to know the specification of the incident. It just happened.”

Ihdaachar’s gaze softened. “As for my age, my body is thirty years old. I’m three hundred years old.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, including the village chiefs.

He walked to the exit of the tent and stood in front of it. “I don’t think the word “old” can describe me anymore,” he said jokingly.

He turned to Yayis. “Did I answer all of your questions?”

Yayis nodded, and he seemed shy. “I’m sorry. For prying into your life.”

Ihdaachar smiled, amused. “Let me give you a piece of advice.”

He rested his back against a pillar nearby and folded his arms. “If you’re going to circus, you will meet your father, Iblis.”

Yayis gasped and instantly took out his sword. He pointed at Ihdaachar. “Why do you know about that?”

“I was there when they captured him.” Ihdaachar spoke. “I looked into all the sons he ever had. Millions and billions of sons, but you seemed to be his favourite.” He frowned slightly. “Maybe.”

Yayis felt his eyes watering.

“Everyone here knows that Iblis is your father, except Shams. Don’t worry. I already put him to sleep.”

Yayis glanced behind him and saw Shams sleeping on the table, Un taking care of him. He glanced back at Ihdaachar. The black-haired continued. “I don’t mind whose son you are. I believe that humans now are far more dangerous than the leader of the evil jinns. The evil I saw from the director of Sirkus is something else.”

Talata glared at him. “You met the director?!”

“Not directly.” Ihdaachar shook his head. “I didn’t want to, even though I was given the chance multiple times.” He tilted his head backwards, exposing his neck to Yayis’s sword. “You should never meet that man.” He grimaced slightly. “I don’t know if it’s right to call him a man.”

“I-It’s not Zultan’s father… right?”

“Definitely not.” Ihdaachar shook his head. “I left the academy before knowing Zultan’s father. He became an explorer after I came here. I was the governor of Earth for a few centuries. I challenged the previous one and won. Then, I made the exploration division. It didn’t exist before.”

“Because it means humans have the chance to discover the truth?” Sabaa said. “They have a chance to see the border and realize that their whole life is a hoax.”

Ihdaachar snorted slowly. “You can say so.” He tilted his head to the side. “I wanted to give a chance to my kin.” He smiled again. “I was the only human in the academy, back in the day. I stayed there for two centuries. I almost gave up on humans until I saw the ten of you performing. Then, I was newly appointed as the Earth’s governor. I thought: why not give them a small crack they can slip through?” He poked Yayis’s sword, and it faded into shadows. Yayis’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I started the exploration branch and observed every single person closely. I trained them myself to increase their chances of survival. Then, Zultan’s father caught my eye. I don’t know where he is now or what he’s doing, but I know he’s in contact with Sirkus. He might be there, in fact. I do not possess any truth, unfortunately.”

Ihdaachar stood in front of Shams. “The second human who dared to follow his curiosity is this boy. I asked Un to take care of him since he was in her village, and she did.”

“But, leader, did Sirkus let you get away with all of this?!” Un frowned, worried. “I thought Sirkus lets its agents supervise the planets only because they do what they’re asked.”

“Until Iblis broke into our underground city and forced us to return to the surface, I was acting in a satisfactory manner, respecting the rules of Sirkus. I negotiated my way to legitimize the existence of the exploration branch.” He paused. “However…”

He rested a hand on the side of his head, and black sunglasses covered his eyes.

“Now, I along with the human race are branded as traitors to Sirkus.”