Chapter 21: Challengers
1151 Words
Yayis gasped and sat up. He gazed at the starry sky above his head with round eyes. He rested a hand on his heart.
Glancing to the side, he saw Malik sitting not far away and watching the sky. Yayis’s gaze saddened.
“Worried?”
He blinked and saw the orange orbs focused on him.
“N-No.” Yayis looked away. “My father is strong. I mean… I-Iblis is strong. There’s no way… he would be in that state.”
Malik glanced back in front of him. “Do you hate your father?”
“I do! A lot!”
“Why?”
“Because he never listens to me, and he’s so stubborn. He… He’s stupidly proud…! He always wants to hurt humans out of all races. I don’t know why he’s so keen on that. That’s so childish! I hate him so much!”
Malik stared at a shooting star passing by. “Then why are you crying?”
Yayis’s eyes widened, and he rested his hands on his cheeks. He wiped his tears quickly. “Because I’m… frustrated!”
Malik’s gaze softened slightly. Cool, soft wind blew.
Yayis stood up. “I will go… take a bath.”
Malik nodded and glanced back at the sky.
Yayis walked past the trees and undressed. He looked down sadly. “Of course…” He pursed his lips, clenching his fists. “I hate him so much.” He gritted his teeth and punched a tree nearby. “So why… won’t he hate me?! Why does he believe in me so much?”
He fell to his knees. “When I don’t… even believe in myself…”
He pressed his hands against his face.
He gasped as someone patted his back. Cherry gazed at him sadly. “Mastah’s fwend… is Chewwy’s fwend.” He hugged Yayis. “Chewwy comfowts you! Cuddle!”
Yayis smiled sadly and hugged him back. He caressed his orange hair. “Thank you, Cherry. You’re a very good friend.”
Cherry smiled happily and nodded. Yayis’s gaze softened. “Okay. Let’s take a bath. Do you like water?”
Cherry jumped with joy. “Yis! Chewwy loves watah!”
They got into the lake and bathed under the night sky. They looked up as more shooting stars flew by. Yayis smiled, his hand reaching out for them. “I see… jinns are still trying to eavesdrop on angels.”
Cherry giggled, playing with the water. His horns had grown longer and sturdier. Yayis poked them. “I see even you got stronger from this training. Are you in better sync with Shams now?”
Cherry nodded several times. “Mastah tweats Chewwy so well! Chewwy loves mastah!”
“Do you… know anything about… you know… what happened one year ago?”
Cherry’s gaze saddened. “No… Chewwy… Chewwy is sad because mastah has the blood of another jinn, but mastah doesn’t know about it. Chewwy won’t make a fuss. Chewwy twusts mastah.”
Yayis grinned and patted his hair. “What a good child! Tell me about your family. Did they know Iblis?”
“Evewyone knows… Evewyone knows Iblis, and… My family always avoided him. He nevee bothewed us eithee,” Cherry started, “He always lived far… in the ocean. But we lived in the mountain. We wewe far.”
Yayis nodded. “Tell me more.”
Cherry blushed and covered his face. “Someone is so cuwious about Chewwy! Chewwy isn’t used to attention!”
Yayis laughed and hugged him. “It’s okay. Please tell me!”
Malik glanced behind at the bushes, hearing them laugh.
“Nobody is watching.” He glanced back in front of him and saw a yellow-haired man. The man rested his fingers on the corners of his lips and lifted them up, narrowing his eyes. “You can smile now. It’s your golden chance.”
Malik narrowed his eyes and looked away, not replying. The man pouted. “You’re no fun!”
Malik shrugged. “I wasn’t created to humour you.”
“Uh. Whatever.”
The man sat next to him. “Will they pass this year?”
“Yeah.”
“You will weaken your shield, won’t you?”
“No.”
“So honest.”
Malik shook his head and turned away from the man. “Go away. You have things to do.”
The man sighed and stood up. “All right.”
He disappeared in the darkness of the night, and Yayis and Cherry came back laughing. They had berries they gathered with them.
Malik glanced at them. Cherry ran to him and placed the berries on a cloth. “Eat! Mistah!”
Malik stared at the berries then looked away without saying anything. Cherry’s eyes watered, and he hugged Yayis, crying. Yayis smiled weakly and kissed the top of his head. “It’s okay. He’s just not hungry. Okay? Looking at your cuteness made him full.”
Cherry wiped his tears and nodded. He ran back to Shams’s side and disappeared in an orange light. Malik stared at them in silence.
“Thank you…” Yayis smiled at him. “For everything.”
Malik nodded and patted his head.
Yayis returned back to sleep, and Malik guarded them. The next day, Yayis and Shams broke Malik’s shield within thirty minutes. They screamed with joy and hugged. “WE’RE GOING TO SIRKUS!”
Malik shook his head. “Auditions first. Let’s go.”
He walked ahead, and they followed him, celebrating.
Cherry looked at them, a warm smile on his lips. Shams and Yayis both glanced at him and smiled back. Yayis titled his head to the side. “Why are you so happy, Cherry?”
“Chewwy is happy… Chewwy is no longer lonely… Chewwy has fwends!” The orange-haired giggled excited.
They laughed too and walked for the next week. Their eyes widened, standing in front of the gate serving as an entrance for the building. They saw thousands of other people standing in front of the closed gates, chattering and warming up.
Malik stood next to them, and his hood was covering his face and hair. He looked down as Shams pulled his sleeve. “Who are all these people?”
“People from neighbouring planet and parallel universes,” Malik started, “Sirkus doesn’t set up bases on every single star or planet. One base can join up to fifty or more planets from different dimensions. It’s more practical that way.”
“Will you go with us, mistah?” Cherry asked. “You will also audition?!”
Malik shook his head. “I will go in as your mentor. You cannot apply for an audition without some sort of guardian if you’re below twenty.”
“I’m not below twenty!” Yayis objected.
“But your body is,” Malik rectified, “Even if you can prove you’re older, you’re not participating as a mentor. You can’t cover for Shams.”
“Well, I appreciate that you’re staying with us. I feel safer with you.” Shams smiled.
“It would be wise not to interact with anyone this early on,” Malik advised, “Do not give away your trust so easily.”
They both nodded. He sat down on the grass and pointed at a shining red clock on the gates. “When the circle becomes fully red, the gates will open, and you will be informed about what to do. A Sirkus representative will be present to monitor everything. Then, you can send your applications. Your application will be answered within a few hours, so stay inside of the building. However, no matter what, never leave the building. You will be instantly disqualified.”
He folded his arms. “Also, never tell anyone that you’re human, Shams. Never.”
They sat patiently until the circle became entirely red. It split in two, and the gate started opening vertically. The first half flew up in the sky, and the second half sank underground.
“WELCOME, CHALLENGERS!”
- Writer
