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 later on in the day since it seemed too early to be having dinner already but too late for lunch.
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 red.
Suddenly, a hand places itself on his shoulder. He can't help but jump, turning around quickly to see whoever is grabbing him. The hand immediately let's go, 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 just me, young master. We heard that people had caught sight of you, your parents are full of worry on where you have been. You must come with us immediately," the Knight speaks as he carefully grabs the boy by his arms, lifting him up and tossing him over his shoulder with little to no hesitation, as if it's a normal thing that's done between the two of them despite the boy not knowing this knight whatsoever.
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 knights 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 different ways he could run if he finds that he needs to escape.
...
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 despite the fact that he basically 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 realizing, he let's 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? 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, killer blue eyes that are lighter than the sky, and 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 into 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 agree, not wanting to stress the boy out further despite also wanting to coddle him. They lead him inside, showing him to his room in fear that he's too tired to make it on his own.
They almost call for a doctor to come and check up on the boy in fear that he got damaged in his long time missing, but he quickly refuses, insisting that he's too tired to deal with that. In reality, he's just afraid that they'll realize he isn't who they think he is upon close inspection.
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 he's more tired and dirty. Sighing in relief, he sniffs himself and decides to actually wash up like he said he would.
'After bathing I can go and eat with Elias's parents... the best chance I'll have at surviving here would be to play the role of Elias, at least until I find the real Elias or maybe even find a way to return home. I really don't want to stay in this world any longer than necessary... especially if it's the world I'm thinking it is... but until I can confirm that, I'll just have 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 overthrilled with their "son's" return after so many months missing, which only makes the boy feel more guilty for lying to them, but it's for his own 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 him 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.
He can't help but allow a smile to creep onto his face as he listens to the man and woman chat idly. It feels nice to be apart 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 actually enjoyed.
...
After a long and nice dinner, he lays on the bed in Elias's room. The boy can't help but stare up at the ceiling, lost in thought once again, trying to figure out why this place seems so eerily familiar to him.
'So, Elias has been missing for a couple of months now. This family's last name is Orson, 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 stand 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 to dramatically from what he's realized.
'There's no way…'
"…I'm in the story I wrote in middle school."