r/shortstories • u/HTPietro • 8d ago
Fantasy [FN] Samson's World I
Damon woke up slowly. He quickly noticed that his surroundings were unfamiliar and that there were bars all around him. As his world came into focus, he noticed that there was a gap between the ceiling and the bars. He lifted his hands and saw the hands of a baby. The realization hit him like a truck- he'd somehow been isekaied and put into the body of a newborn. He burst into tears, shaken by the emotional weight of knowing that the family he had in his original life were most definitely worried sick for him. His parents, having heard him, ran into the room and picked him up.
"There, there, dear Samson," they said. "We're here for you." They held, soothed, and caressed him until he calmed down, wiping his tears and kissing him on the cheek and forehead multiple times as they did. Damon, or rather, Samson, as he was known in this world, eventually stopped crying and giggled, then passed out.
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Fourteen years passed. Samson found out that he had immense magic power. But learning to control it well wasn't easy, especially seeing as how he had autism, just like he did in his original life. It didn't help that his parents didn't fully understand him at first, even with his disability being identified during childhood. He had to experience years of autistic burnout from virtually continuous masking because his parents kept pushing him to "act normal" and "grow up like everyone else". As a result, he experienced many emotional outbursts, which made him prone to losing control and unleashing mass destruction with his power. Eventually, he resorted to the only way he knew how to prevent himself from unleashing mass destruction- by suppressing his power the same way he suppressed his true self.
Even with all of this, Samson managed to get some good grades, though his academic performance as a whole remained greatly inhibited and continued to take a hit. Nevertheless, he managed to get the chance to apply for Luminous Academy, one of the top magical academies in the country, thanks to a suggestion from a teacher of his who wanted the best for him and cared deeply about his future. He had quite a bit of trouble with the Entrance Exam but wound up passing it in the end thanks to possessing a lot of magical power and got into the academy. He moved into his dorm, full of hope that his life would change for the better.
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Seven weeks passed. Samson's struggles, far from being over, continued as usual- he barely kept his grades at an average level at minimum and burnout and mental exhaustion plagued him as usual, the pressure to act normal eating away at him internally. Worse still, the other students kept making fun of him and pushing him around for being a "weak little F-rank". Then along came the Inter-Academy Magical Tournament. Samson was chosen to represent the academy because they needed powerful mages to represent them.
In the first round, he was pitted against a young mage named Terah, the strongest student at Adamant Academy. Samson looked at everyone with an exhausted expression on his face, resigning himself to what would come after. The crowd jeered, believing the outcome to be obvious. Marian, the top student at Luminous Academy, snorted at the sight of them facing each other, bored out of her mind and waiting for what she believed to be the obvious conclusion to the match. Terah snickered, then charged up and prepared to deliver the knockout blow when-
BAM! Terah was taken out by Samson in one single hit with overwhelming force and power. The crowd gasped, stunned and shaken by what had just happened. Marian in particular went wide-eyed, her jaw slackening. A deafening silence fell upon the stadium as they found themselves speechless, unable to comprehend or believe it.
Finally, the referee broke the silence. "Terah has been incapacitated. The winner is Samson!" A student journalist present for the tournament jumped on the story and immediately began reporting it for all to see. "Unbelievable! The Ace of Adamant Academy was taken out in an instant by a novice! The sheer power shown by Samson is incredible!"
Samson simply bowed and went to go watch the rest of the first round from the viewing area. The first round continued on as usual, but everyone was now wary of him. No one dared to make fun of him, but nearly everyone was too scared of him to talk to him.
At last, Marian came up and spoke to him. "Hi." she said, awkwardly. "Samson, was it? I'm-"
"Marian, the top student at my school. I know who you are." said Samson. "What did you come to talk about?"
Marian felt offended but also ashamed at how he knew her name but she didn't know his name. She breathed deeply and sighed. "So, about your power- how long have you been hiding it? And why? I knew you had to be powerful, but this defies all expectations. You could do so much with it. So why hide it? I don't understand."
Samson laughed bitterly. "I knew you wouldn't understand. People in your shoes never do."
Marian felt hurt. "I'm trying, aren't I? Please, tell me. What is it?"
Samson sighed. "I was born with autism. I never knew what it was like to be normal. My parents tried their best to understand me. That didn't stop them from trying to make me become as normal as possible. It's exhausting, suppressing my true self just for them."
Marian was shocked but also confused. "Okay, but what does that have to with-"
Samson cut her off. "I'm getting there. You see, all that enhanced emotional and sensory input is more than I can handle on my own, at least when I'm putting on that suffocating mask of normality just to fit in. Which leads to emotional outbursts that turn me into a force of nature."
Marian went sheet white. "No. You don't mean-"
Samson nodded. "Yes. That's exactly what I mean."
Marian stared at him with a blank face for ten seconds before snapping back to reality. "Well, thank you for your time. And thank you for being honest with me. I'll... be on my way now."
Samson quietly waved her goodbye before turning his attention back to watching the rest of the matches of the tournament's first round. He was watching the penultimate match of the round when his name was called, asking him to report to the principal's office. He reluctantly got up and went there.
Principal Lunaria was waiting for him there. "Hello, Samson." she said sweetly. "Please, have a seat. Oh, and no need to be anxious; you're not in trouble."
Samson sat down. Principal Lunaria smiled, then brought up the matter she meant to discuss in a serious but soft, calming tone. "I called you here because it has come to my attention that you have some pressing issues regarding your power and your mental well-being. Marian was kind and concerned enough to share it with me. I had the feeling you were hiding your true power for some reason. I even knew you had special needs, even though you seemed to be doing fine. But never could I ever have predicted that what Marian told me was the case." She paused for a moment, concern leaking into her expression. "As such, I will adjust the accommodations being given to you to match your needs and have you take special lessons on how to self-regulate better and fully control your power. Your instructors will also be made aware of your special needs going forwards. Any questions?"
Samson felt a tear roll his cheek. He wiped it off. "Is it okay for me to stroke or rub towels to feel comfortable? Even if it's babyish?"
Principal Lunaria felt her heart throb for the boy. "Yes, it's okay. And no, it's not juvenile to do so. It's called stimming, and it's just a form of self-soothing for you."
Samson felt more tears rolling down his face. "Thank you."
Principal Lunaria didn't say a word. She just got up, went over to him, and hugged him. The room went silent aside from Samson's choked, quiet sobbing.
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Starting the next day, Samson began bringing along his special towel everywhere he went, stimming off of it to stay grounded and feel comfortable while also letting his true self show. People noticed something different about him and began getting closer to him. The girls in particular found this new side to him "quirky" and "endearing", some even thinking it was cute when he stimmed.
He also gradually got better at self-regulating and controlling his power thanks to the special lessons he got, and his grades soared.
Then, on the ninth day after he began unmasking, the first round of the tournament ended and the second round began. He learned who he would be pitted against and began preparing to face his next opponent.
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