The next morning, Bruce was walking along a dirt path that led him in the direction his friends had been taken. Still sluggish and recovering from the psychological damage of last night, his feet dragged along, kicking up dirt and dust alike.
On his long walk, he hadn't come across much. He walked through mostly grassy plains, with the occasional patch of forest or small river accompanying the scenery. It was as if he were a lone caravan traveling to its next destination, unknowingly stuck in a time loop.
Just up ahead, he noticed the next patch of forest. This particular patch seemed to be the most normal sight he had seen yet, though it was smaller in comparison to the patches he had passed through thus far. Its trees were a normal green rather than glowing some abnormal color, with seemingly normal critters scurrying around the outskirts.
Passing through this small forestry area, his mind began to wander as the rustling of leaves soothed his previously empty mind.
'I wonder where Xavier and Stephan are... Or where the hell I am. That, too, would be nice to know...'
As if Lady Luck herself had heard his pleas, he saw his first signs of civilization since entering this new world. A ginormous estate surrounded by pristine brick walls and an iron gate appeared just before him.
He walked up to the gate and noticed...
"An intercom? In a fantasy world...? Maybe this world is more technologically advanced than we thought..." He thought out loud, his voice slightly above a whisper. He raised his finger to the button and pressed it. A small buzzing noise sounded out to and past him.
After a few moments had passed, a friendly elderly man's voice came through the device.
"This is the Duke's manor. Please state your name and business."
Bruce's mind immediately dove into a spiral abyss of thoughts. First and foremost, should he use his actual name? Or should he stick with the name he had confirmed when registering with the G.U.I.D.E.? He could also forgo both of these options and come up with a third alias for the new world, if he so desired.
Even after that had been decided, there was still the issue of his business statement. He didn't have any business he was here for. He stumbled upon this grandiose estate by pure chance. It was a Duke's estate to top it off, meaning no simple business was going to grant him even a slim chance of entry.
"I'm... uh... Roswelle. Yeah. I'm here because... I stumbled upon it accidentally. I seem to have some amnesia..." Bruce finalized with the third alias and an amnesia story. He was severely reluctant to reveal his true past this early on. Especially to such an important figure.
"Ah... another child named after the great inventor... Well, Mr. Roswelle, you seem to remember your name just fine. Are you sure you have a case of amnesia?" The old man's voice was skeptical, though it remained calm and kind.
"Well, you know, selective... amnesia... Yeah. I only remember my name. And that I was with two others before I mysteriously passed out last night..."
'Mysteriously passed out,' my ass, God thought up above in his throne room.
"I see... Well, any other recollection of your foggy past?"
"I, uh... You know... Not really."
"...I see. Hold on just a moment, Mr. Roswelle."
"Sure..." Bruce sighed a sigh of relief before inhaling and exhaling a deep breath.
He waited outside for a few moments before two guards clad in iron armor and wielding spears approached the gate. They were both men, one being slightly taller and older with a rugged face, and the other having a young face while possessing a shorter stature.
The old guard spoke first, "Very... peculiar clothes you have there, young man."
"Uh... Yeah. I kind of just woke up with these on, you know?"
The two guards glanced at each other before their gaze returned to Bruce.
"They definitely aren't from around here, that's for sure..." The young guard muttered to the older guard.
"Well, young..."
"Roswelle."
"Yes, young Roswelle... You're a very suspicious person. Peculiar clothes, a convenient story of selective amnesia... As guards of the Duke's manor, we have to apprehend you for some time while we attempt to verify your story. If you'd please make this easy and comply..."
Bruce's first thought was to run, but he noticed the light reflecting off the men's armor and spears and immediately switched his plan to... Well, his plan didn't switch. Not fundamentally, at least.
As soon as the guards opened the gate and moved towards Bruce to restrain him, he dashed past them in an instant. This left them with little time to react. A master plan! With zero flaws! He would burst into the Duke's manor and announce his true motives! That he was starving and searching for his dear friends!
...Well, it would have been this so-called "master plan" had the young guard not reacted to Bruce's sudden burst of movement by instantaneously tackling him onto the dirt road. In the end, they forcefully apprehended him and escorted him into the manor through a side entrance that led directly to the dungeon.
It would seem that Bruce's stroke of luck had been a wolf in sheep's clothing that may lead to eternal prisonment and possibly his execution.