Dosumn Afterclass

He was barely hanging to consciousness, but he got to see and hear Chiyo fall to her knees, sobbing as she clutched her face. Then his sight faded and he fell unconscious.

“Ah. . . ah. . . breathe, Chiyo, breathe,” one of her shaky hands tugged at her shirt while she took deep, controlled mouthfuls of air. Her eyes kept watering down, tears rolling down her cheeks and falling to the ground.

“Close. . . Too close. . . Could’ve. . . He-” her unfocused and foggy eyes turned to look at Samuel and she felt her entire body clench. Quickly drying her tears, she crawled up to him, checking for a pulse and exhaling a sigh of relief once she felt it. After that, she dragged herself to the wall, still taking loud and long breaths.

Chiyo closed her eyes and laid her head back, resting on the wall. Her ears perked up at a familiar noise, someone’s steps coming closer. Heavy but gentle, loud but comfortable. Her heartbeat slowed down back to a normal rhythm and a smile appeared on her head once she felt Azim’s gigantic hand patting her head.

“I’m sorry. I should have left them and run after you,” the butler said. In response, Chiyo stood up and hugged his side, sobbing again. He didn’t say anything, he just hugged her with the same warmness a parent does to their child.

Samuel woke up a couple of hours later staring at the same roof he saw when he first woke up. This time, his body didn’t feel refreshed and new. Every last one of his muscles didn’t want to respond to him, he had a headache so bad he felt his brain was melting and he didn’t have energy to do anything. He overheard a conversation between Chiyo and Salazar, though he didn’t know where it was happening.

“I swear! Chiyo, p-please I am begging you. They- they threatened my family! My mom and my sister, they can’t protect themselves,” he was panicking, more than usual. Rushing his words, his voice shaking; he could imagine the summoner on his knees, shaking like jelly.

“Why would-” she stopped herself in the middle of her scream and there was a second of silence. Then Samuel heard a loud and exasperated sigh, “Ffffine, I will take you and your family in. Just one condition, you get into a contract with me. And Samuel’s contract-”

He couldn’t hear anything after that, passing out again.

The next time he woke up he was staring at a different ceiling. It looked more refined, luxurious. He tried to sit up, no longer feeling that exhaustion that kept him barely awake last time. The effort made him grunt, but he eventually could sit. His senses were slowly adjusting, he felt disoriented. There was someone in front of him who slowly pushed him down to the bed. A blob of white and red that slowly was revealed to be Chiyo.

She sat down on a chair next to his bed, waiting for him to fully come to his senses in silence. The first noise that reached his ears, or that he could recognize, was that of wheels turning on a track. After that he noticed the room was rather small, smaller than Salazar’s even; but ten times more luxurious with some fancy paintings and lamps that looked more expensive than Salazar’s house.

His eyes then landed on Chiyo who didn’t look annoyed with his existence for once. Without the face of a spoiled brat who didn’t get the toy they wanted, he thought she actually looked pretty. He couldn’t point out one exact thing about her face that caught his eye at that moment, it was just that all the pieces fit perfectly. And the smile she had, even if it was probably fake, elevated it to a whole other level.

“Hey, Samuel,” even her voice seemed different. He could still recognize it as hers, it wasn’t the case that he had confused her. Without the vitriol and the spite she had been throwing before (and mostly at him), it felt comforting.

“Hey, Chiyo. Can I ask-” his throat was dry, he felt as if he had swallowed sand and cinnamon after a nice chug of dust. He coughed before she gave him some water. It did help, but it also made his throat itch.

While he continued to drink, Chiyo spoke, “I know what you want to ask. I will answer all questions you have, I promise. Not right now, it isn’t the safest place. I just- well, I owe you an apology. I treated you harshly and I know that- I do have my reasons, but it was still unfair to you.”

He opened his mouth but she shushed him, “You need to rest. So think about what you will say to me when you wake up again.”

Then she stood up, walking up to the door of the tiny room, turning around to look at him, “I asked Salazar to set up our contract. It will only cover your first three levels, just so you get a clear idea of our world. After that, you are free. If you want to continue working with me, so be it. If you want to go and do your own thing, so be it too. It’s the least I can do. So thanks for saving my life. Come talk to me when you are feeling better.”

The door was closed and Chiyo disappeared behind it, leaving Samuel with no answers at all. Was it a good or a bad thing? He didn’t have much stuff to think about after all, just her words. Her apology. Should he apologise too? He did antagonise her but that was because she did first, right? Samuel sat up again, looking out the window next to his bed. They were indeed in a train, several metres above the ground. Above the city.

He stared at it, Dosumn. Wondering what that city had in store for him if his first day there had been that intense. And, as he saw the sun hiding behind the gigantic walls that seemed to surround the city, he also wondered what was Chiyo’s deal. His mind thought back to her sobbing after the fight and he knew it wasn’t about him. Maybe she wasn’t a spoiled brat like he thought she was.

His overthinking didn’t last long as he soon felt his body give up again, sending him to sleep again. Azim was the one to wake him up and, still feeling sore, Samuel could at least move without groaning and complaining about it. The wheels had stopped, it was dark outside.

“How long?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Six hours. We are a walk away from lady Shoda’s house,” the butler replied, offering Sam his hand and helping him stand up. “I also have to thank you. You saved us. If you didn’t have that dolokinesis thing. . . No matter, thanks.”

Azim left the room after a short bow, leaving him to get changed. He hadn’t noticed until then, but he was naked. So he looked for his clothes and only found a suit. Annoyed, he put it on and walked outside the room, following the people walking towards the train’s exit. There he saw her again, waiting for him.

“Hey, Chiyo,” she turned back to look at him, then she turned back to walk outside. He stopped her, weakly grabbing her wrist. “We started with our left foot. I accept your apology. Could we- start over?” Chiyo turned around, smiling. He felt her hand take his, forcing a handshake.

“Sure thing, Samuel. I will even allow you to use my name like you just did,” she turned around again, walking to the platform with both hands on her back. “Now, let’s go! You had some questions, right?”

At the platform he could see Azim standing still, Salazar next to him, an old woman screaming obscenities at him and a younger one hiding her face on a book. Chiyo was walking straight towards him and all Samuel could think was, “Maybe this isn’t so bad. . .”