'When I first reincarnated into this world, I thought that I'd have some kind of cheat. A chance to be cooler than I was in my past life. Well, look where I am now...' Theo thought to himself as he looked around his cell from his laying position on his bed.
'Imprisoned at the ripe age of seven and held for five years.' He thought to himself as he spread out a bit. 'Well, I guess I should at least consider myself lucky for not having been tortured. Just isolated, which I suppose is a type of torture to some.' He thought as he turned onto his side and faced the wall.
'It's not so bad, I get food, water, a bed, plus I get to do anything I want all day... So long as it doesn't involve exiting this cell.' He thought to himself as he laughed mentally.
"Fuck it! Who am I convincing here!? In my past life, I may have locked myself in my room, but at least I had the internet, all I can do here is exercise, sleep, train magic, and fantasize!" He yelled to himself as he sat up angrily and began tapping his foot on the ground frantically. After a moment he stopped and laid down, sighing.
"Whatever, nothing I can do about it, I've already tried escaping several times and failed miserably, so it's not like I have anything better to do..." He mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes and faded into slumber.
In the darkness, the sound of boots hitting stone floors could be heard rhythmically echoing through the halls. 'Hm? What's that sound?' Theo thought to himself as his eyes opened drowsily. 'Footsteps?' He wondered as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his left eye drowsily.
He sat facing the door, waiting to see if anything happened. The steps continued to get louder until they suddenly stopped. He heard the familiar jingle of small metal objects clanking together and after a moment, the door opened, revealing a young girl, around fifteen years of age.
'I feel like I recognize her...' Theo thought to himself as she approached him.
"Th... Theo... Is that... You...?" She asked hesitantly as she approached him.
"Yeah, that's my name." He responded blankly. 'Hm, she clearly knows me, so she's probably someone from the village. A kid that I played with perhaps?' He wondered as she slowly reached towards Theo's face.
"I'm sorry... I... We..." She said as she placed her hand on his cheek, covered her mouth with the other, and tears formed in her eyes. Theo tilted his head in confusion.
'Did I have a deep connection with any of the children from the village? I can't really remember...' He thought to himself. "Um... This is slightly awkward, but... Who are you?" Theo said hesitantly. 'I regret asking that question, that was stupid!' He thought to himself immediately after speaking.
Quickly, she began to cry. "... Did you... Really forget me...?" She asked as tears ran down her cheek.
"Sorry..." Theo said remorsefully.
"No... It's fine... You were little, after all..." She said as she brought her other hand to his other cheek, revealing the rest of her saddened expression.
"Sydney! We need to hurry, the royal guard can only buy us so much time!" Somebody shouted from down the hall. She snapped back to the moment.
"Right... We need to hurry, let's go!" She said as she pulled back her hands and wiped away her tears, putting on a serious expression. She turned around and walked into the hall. Hesitantly, Theo followed her.
'Sydney... She's...' Theo thought to himself as he exited his cell.
"Theo, even if you don't remember me, I'll do my best to be a good older sister. I owe you that much." Sydney said as she walked down the hall.
'That's why I recognize her!' Theo thought to himself as he connected some dots. 'Man, my time alone really has taken a toll on my memory, hasn't it?' He wondered to himself. After a few moments, of walking, they reached a staircase where a guard was standing.
"That the kid you were trying to find?" He asked. Sydney nodded, then began walking up the stairs. Both Theo and the guard followed.
'Now that I think about it, that much time would have driven most people insane.' Theo thought as he put his hands on the top of his head in a relaxed way. 'Well, at the very least, I should probably go over how I got here, see if I can remember who's who before I see them again...' He thought to himself.