*In the middle of nowhere*
Feeling a grassy texture and the familiar sense of tiny insects walking on his skin, Artur opened his eyes and sprung off the grass. The next moment light flooded into his eyes and blinded him, punishing him for his abrupt opening.
He shielded his face with his hands, trying to block away the light. His eyes adapted not long after and he found himself in a wide green field with a hill behind him. Only a few trees were in sight. The wind was blowing hard, sending dust and grass into his face. He was confused as to why he was there.
Last he remembered he was in the car with his family.
They were on their way to the beach for the summer and he decided to take a nap to escape the boredom of the trip and his little sister's whining. He could not remember anything that happened after that but now he was here.
"Mom, dad"
Artur shut his mouth. He was dumbfounded. He thought his family was playing pranks and tried calling out again but it was a young boy's voice that came out of his mouth.
"What the? Mo-what?!"
He held his neck and felt it in fear that his voice box had been damaged but all he felt were his skin and the fact that his fingers were somewhat small.
'What's happening?' "This prank is going too far"
He walked up the hill and looked around from them. It only took him one try to spot a cluster of buildings that was a bit far away from him. It also took him only one try to spot a beautiful lady who was walking closer to him from afar. It was a blonde who was elegantly dressed. She was not exactly like princess but it was elegant and beautiful.
He ran down the hill as fast as he could even still failing to realize why he was so slow. Before he got to the woman he was already out of breath and was shocked because he was never this out of breath whenever he ran.
As he neared the woman, he felt a sense of being drawn to her and when she smiled as she saw him coming, he felt drawn to her the more.
Artur got to her and thought he had just seen her open her hands for a hug, but he ignored it and proceeded to ask about the more pressing matter.
"Excuse me miss, sorry to bother you. Well, you see I've been separated from my family and I'm trying to find them, can you help me?"
The young lady raised an eyebrow, looking so surprised.
"Artur, what are you saying?"
"I'm asking you that -wait, how do you know my name?"
"What are you talking about silly? It's me, Lily, your sister?"
"What are talking about? My sister's name is..." The words trailed off from his mouth.
"Come on silly let's go home" Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her. She was giggling as she did so. Her hands were shaky as she held his and Artur wondered why, even her voice showed a hint of sadness as she spoke to him.
He still had no idea what was happening, but he was going to find out. This lady who posed as his sister would be the answer to it all. He was more than determined to find his family.
=================
Artur's determination was soon replaced with anger and confusion. He was this Lily lady in the middle of what seemed to be a medieval times market. People were springing about and several times he was almost separated from her because he kept looking around. The people around gave way for her when they noticed her so an idea came to his head.
"What is this? Oh, I get it, we're in a movie village. Mom and dad set me up, where's the crew?" Artur said, "You're the lead actress, right?"
"What crew? and what is a movie village? You're saying a lot of strange things Artur"
It was not sensible, but he tried to make some meaning out of what he was experiencing. Why would his parents even bring him to a movie village in the first place.
Artur did not notice it before, but he was shorter than before and along with the usually small fingers he felt before his hands were smaller. His skin was unusually white, and his hair drooped in front of his face.
Lily's hands were still trembling as she led him through the streets and they finally came upon a big house, mansion, to be precise.
Its high walls were rough and gray, telling of its age, built from local stones and supported with wooden beams. They showed the wears of time but still stood firm. Narrow arrow slits lined the lower walls, with ivy creeping up their sides and showing how far back the time was when defense was paramount.
The main entrance stood open, revealing a courtyard full of soldiers and hounds, some in training while others were placed at strategic positions. The mansion itself was surrounded by small outbuildings and modest garden, the blooming flowers telling of summer's glory. It neither gave off any eerie feeling nor the warmth of life and people, a home untouched by the present. A home that held the pride and stories of those who had lived within those walls.
As Lily's first foot entered the mansion's boundaries all the soldiers, guarding and training, stood straight and bowed slightly.
Artur wondered what it was all about. When all those men saw Lily, they bowed their heads but when he walked in, they went on their knees.
'Hold on, is this even acting anymore?'
Artur stood amidst them and looked around in confusion and while he did his eyes caught something in a nearby window. He took a few strides and came close enough to see the reflection in the window properly. By repeated action he knew it was him but the face wasn't his.
'What is going on here?'
The face was of a boy much younger, but it was now glued to his skull. No, the body was not his, that explained the small size of everything.
It had been looming at the back of his mind, but he threw the idea aside. Those only happened in novels for him, so he expelled it from his mind. Now he was forced to face the reality.
Waking up in the middle of nowhere, meeting this elegant young lady, the town he had just passed through, the mansion filled with hounds, horses and soldiers who carried swords, shields, spears, and finally, this unfamiliar body. Artur was forced to face the truth.
'Have I transmigrated?'