The boy walks through the village, taking in the world around him. People pass him by, they're all dressed like stereotypical peasants that one would see in a fantasy world.
He watches kids run around and chase each other as they laugh, their parents chatting with one another at market stalls as they look for different things to buy, most likely for dinner.
His feet are already sore from walking barefoot on the ragged and rocky pavement of the pathways of this village.
'Whoever watches over this village needs to take better care of it...' He can't help but mentally complain due to his feet already blistering.
Suddenly, a hand places itself on his shoulder.
He can't help but jump, turning around quickly to see who is grabbing him. The hand immediately lets go, and the man who had grabbed him- a knight- puts his hands up in a surrendering manner as if to show he is not a threat.
"It's only me, young master. We heard that people had caught sight of you. Your parents are full of worry about where you have been. You must come with us immediately," the Knight says as he carefully grabs the boy by his arms, lifting him and tossing him over his shoulder.
The boy isn't even given time to process what's going on, forced to be carried by this knight, another knight following them.
'Who are these knights?? And why did he call me young master? Do I look like a noble??? And what the hell does he mean by my parents? I doubt that they were also teleported into this world…'
He loses himself in thought, ignoring how much he bounces up and down on the knight's shoulder as he walks, carrying him to God knows where.
As they carry him, he observes their surroundings the whole time. Memorizing the roads they're taking, the buildings surrounding them, and the different ways he could run if he finds that he needs to escape in the future.
...
After what feels like ages, the boy is finally set down. He starts to take a deep breath, relieved that he can finally relax a bit now, even though he practically got kidnapped, but his relief quickly dies out as he feels two pairs of arms wrap around him.
His eyes widen as he quickly looks at whoever is hugging him.
A woman with long brown hair and big brown eyes, she looks to be in her forties but still remains gorgeous.
A man with greying brown hair and a well-trimmed beard, his eyes are a deep blue, much like the boys.
He can feel his eyes widen further as he takes in their appearances.
Without meaning to, he lets words squeak past his lips, "…mom? Dad?" He can almost feel his eyes watering, completely caught off guard by this.
These two people… they look exactly like his parents back home. Exactly like them. Except his parents would never be this close to each other, even if it were for him.
He takes a deep breath as he forces himself to relax. These aren't his parents. There's no way.
The man grabs his face, squishing his cheeks as tears stream down his face in almost a comedic manner, if it weren't for his heavily worried expression.
"My poor boy!! Elias, where have you been? Are you injured?? Tired? Oh, who am I kidding?? Of course you're tired!!"
The man pulls him into a tighter hug, the woman has already let go of him and is just crossing her arms with a tight frown, her brows knit together tightly, also clearly worried, but not as dramatically as the man is.
She then pulls the man off of him, tossing him back as she walks up to the boy, placing her forehead on his and closing her eyes.
"My poor baby… It's alright, mommy is here now. We'll get you inside and cleaned up so you can rest for however long you like."
The boy just stands there in utter confusion. 'Elias? Mommy? Inside?? Do they think I'm this Elias person? Are these his parents? Is this not an Isekai situation? Is it a transmigration? Did I steal the real Elias's body??'
The boy can't help but internally panic, externally remaining somewhat calm.
The name Elias is something he recognizes, but he can't figure out why it's so recognizable to him.
Then, he spots a maid standing by the entrance to the manor.
She has long, light grey hair and killer blue eyes, lighter than the sky. She looks fairly muscular under her dress.
'There's no way…' He continues to stare at her, his gaze moving downwards as he looks at her skirt.
The word, or name, "Orson" is stitched onto the hem of it. His jaw nearly drops, but he simply gulps instead.
"…I want to go inside. I'll wash up alone."
The man and woman immediately agree, not wanting to stress the boy out further. They lead him inside, showing him to his room in fear that he's too tired to make it on his own.
Once everyone is finally out of his room and he's left on his own, he collapses on the bed, running his hands over his face as he groans in distress.
After moping for quite some time, he trudges himself to the large bathroom connected to his- or Elias's- bedroom. Looking in the mirror, he doesn't see anything different in his appearance.
He has the same dark blue eyes, dark brown hair, and long eyelashes. Even the two moles under his left eye are still right there.
He looks the exact same, other than the fact that he's more tired and a little bit dirty. Sighing in relief, he sniffs himself and decides to actually wash up like he said he would.
After that, he can go eat and learn more about Elias's parents. The best chance he'll have in this world is to play the role of Elias, at least until he finds the real Elias or he finds a way back to his dimension.
He doesn't want to stay in this world any longer than necessary, especially if it's the world he thinks it is… but until he can confirm whether or not it's that world, he'll have to play his part to survive.
...
This is an unusual feeling for him. The dinner table, which has usually been a very quiet and tense place for him, is loud with chatter and laughter.
His, no, Elias's parents laugh and chat with each other, clearly over-thrilled with their "son's" return, which only makes the boy feel more guilty for lying to them, but it's for his survival, so he's sure that they'd understand… maybe. Probably not.
He'd be mad if someone played the role of his missing son, so they'd probably execute them or do whatever kinds of cruel punishments they give to criminals in this world.
A shiver runs down his spine, but he ignores it, instead just shoving more steak down his throat.
A smile can't help but creep onto his face as he listens to the man and woman chat idly. It feels nice to be a part of a real family for once, not one where his parents are split up and can't even handle being in the same room as one another.
It's the first change this world has shown him that he's genuinely enjoyed.
...
After a long and nice dinner, he lies on the bed in Elias's room. The boy simply stares up at the ceiling, lost in thought once again.
'So, Elias has been missing for a couple of months now. This family's last name is Orson, and Elias is their only child and heir. Orson… Elias… Elias Orson…'
Suddenly, he sits up, his face pale and his eyes wide. He's broken out into a cold sweat as he releases a shaky breath.
"No way…"
The words escape as a mumble, the disbelief taking over his body. He quickly stands up, speed walking to the desk placed in Elias's room.
He grabs a piece of paper and a quill, dipping it in ink as he begins to messily write everything he knows about this world so far.
There are dragons, normal people, but probably other races, medieval-type villages, a noble family by the name of Orson, a son named Elias Orson with parents named Jennet Orson and Ronan Orson, a strong-looking maid, and the noble family isn't corrupt and is very happy together.
The quill drops from his grasp, ink splattering on the wooden floors of the room as he takes a few steps back.
He can't help but react dramatically to what he's realized.
'There's no way…'
"…I'm in the story I wrote in middle school."