Into Another World (kotlc/mlb au)

Chapter 5

Sophie opened the double doors and Adrien saw a bunch of eyes turn to him.

Twelve of the sixteen people in the room wore identical silver cloaks, with circlets encrusted in the twelve different jewels he'd seen on the Councillor Manors. Their thrones were equally as decorated, save for the one wearing onyx, with a simple sturdy throne instead. They were all labeled, thankfully for Adrien. The other four were situated on a high platform, dripping with jewels as well, sporting golden crowns and silver tiaras. However, he could see a fifth royal throne in a dark corner, collecting dust.

"Lady Reuwen," the Councillor in the onyx crystals said. Adrien looked up to see his throne had "Bronte" scrawled on.

Elvin branch, Sophie's voice filled Adrien's mind. One of the Ancients. He's SUPER grumpy until you get to know him. Now Oralie and him are two of my biggest reasons I'm even able to sneak out of here.

Adrien still needed to ask how Sophie could do that, even if she was imitating a kwami spirit... whatever those were. Most of his mind still claimed that while yes, he was standing in another world, there couldn't have been such a thing as kwami spirits.

"Good to see you, Councillor Bronte," she dipped an ungraceful curtsy to Bronte, then faced everyone else. "Councillors, Your Highnesses, I would like you all to meet Adrien Agreste. Found and returned home."

The words felt rehearsed, like Sophie had been planning this moment with enough grandeur for the adults in the room to understand.

Everyone turned to Adrien.

The man in the golden crown, in the center of it all, spoke first. "I can't believe it. Adrien Agreste!"

Adrien saw a couple Councillors murmur in surprise.

"Firstborn of the Agreste line," the man in the golden crown added. "Gone for nearly fourteen years."

"Precisely thirteen years, eleven months, and twelve days," a Councillor with caramel colored hair and a peridot green crystal corrected. Adrien watched her smooth her hair and could tell it was a habit of hers. Her voice was a little bothersome, though. He saw her throne was labeled "Alina."

"As I keep hearing," he said, ignoring his issues with Alina, even if he didn't know her. "That's back to my fourth birthday, I believe."

"Nearly," Bronte said. "The record states you officially disappeared the night of the 5th of the 1st lunar month, on the eve of your fourth. No one knows exactly what happened."

Adrien felt his mind struggling to wrap around the date. He had to remind himself that Sophie had said Aelesia was only in 1875, that they were bound to have differences in counting time, especially now that Earth and Aelesia weren't as connected as Sophie said they used to be.

"And here you are," the man in the crown said. "We thought we'd never see you again. Your parents... they..."

The woman next to him blinked back tears.

"Wait... what happened to my parents?" Adrien asked, worried now. "Are they okay? Where are they?"

"Oh Adrien, they searched for you everywhere, but... we haven't seen them in years, so we assumed that..." the woman explained. "The last we saw of them was them running into the Aelesian Forest to find you."

Adrien felt himself choking back his own tears.

His real parents were gone as well?

He'd already lost the ones on Earth.

The curse was most likely laughing at the fact that he was officially an orphan.

"Well... that's unfortunate," he mumbled, doing his best to not have a panic attack from the fact that he didn't have parents anymore.