"I am John". Hearing this, elder didn't know how to react. He wouldn't mind getting a bit more detailed information about him. Since it seems like the other party isn't interested in sharing anything else the elder nodded in confusion. After some time the elder again asked "do u know him?" Showed the other teenager beside him. John then quickly checks the other party's condition in a hurry before answering. After confirming that he is just unconscious and might wake up any time, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then he turned to the elder and said "he is like a son to me." Hearing this elder almost choked to his death. "Bro are you kidding me, can't you see both of you are in the same age how come you are his father and he is your son? Are you guys playing some kind of game of father and son roles? Did you guys played rock, paper and scissors and u luckily won to choose father role?"
A slight frown appeared on the elder's forehead but he quickly concealed it before asking," what is your age?"
John had a ton of doubts in his mind but he patiently replied I am thirty-five years old. Hearing this elder frowned in displeasure. Yet he stayed calm and said I don't know why, but it seems like you don't trust me. I am the one who saved you. If you want me to help you to reach your place safely, you should be answering me properly. I may not be able to help you if you keep lying to me.
John got confused, he politely said, "elder, I don't understand what you are talking about but everything I said is true. I am john, my age is thirty-five and shiv is like a son to me. I have raised him since his childhood."
After hearing the explanation of john and his unwavering confidence, the elder paused for a moment. After contemplating for a while he got to a conclusion about what might have happened. He doesn't know how is it possible. I couldn't make any sense out of this situation. After racking his brain he got into a conclusion, if we didn't buy the middle-aged man here by himself he might not have believed it. Then the elder quickly brought a mirror out of storage ring and placed it right in front of john. After seeing the image in the mirror, john froze for a second. He then started to observe every inch and crook in his body. What made him more surprised is that it's his own body. That's how he used to look when he is young. He felt light, free and healthy. He may not even get the same feeling from his own previous body. Then john finally understood why the elder said, "he was lying" when he said his age was thirty-five. The body he was in right now is a teenager body hence the age he mentioned before would be a blatant lie. He turned to the elder in hopes of explanation of what happened but to his surprise, the elder said," you used to be a middle-aged man when I found you unconscious". Then I took you to a monk. You are in a dire situation with almost all of your bones in your body broken and your magic network got damaged. I lost all hopes for you but the monk made a miracle and saved you. I don't know what he actually did to you but I'll call it a gift you can relive your life from being as a teenager.
The elder then asked questions about why was he in that remote landmass. Then john said that there used to be a lot of people living there including his family. "My father is a healer and my mother is a fire mage. When I was still a kid my father went out of the home and never returned. My mom never talked about him either. She helped me learn how to read and farming. She died when I was still an adolescent kid. I don't remember what happened to people around me but there wasn't anyone living there anymore."
Hearing his story elder felt bad for him. Well, now you are a teenager so live your life again with people and ask me any kind of help you require. You can stay here as long as you want and don't worry about anything.
With a deep voice, john said," I want to get strong, Strong enough to protect my loved ones". Hearing that the elder understood the feelings of john and asked what just happened before he came for rescue. John started to explain everything he witnessed from the first encounter to the last. He skipped the part where dragon brings the baby. He introduced shiv as another baby left in that place. As he can clearly remember how majestic the dragon was yet it came to him to hide the baby from harm's way. Which shows that shiv had enemy's in out there. He neither knew their identity nor have enough strength to protect. Hence it would be safe to conceal his identity for now. Elder got the peculiarity in his story but didn't bother to ask as of now it's clear that both of them are good people. To the elder, that's what matters. It isn't a good thing to probe deep into their personal affairs. With a soft smile, the elder said "take rest, I'll introduce you to this world tomorrow" and left the room.