“Hng,..”

Francis rubbed his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. Finely cut wood planks fitted into place. He looked left, looked right, and down at himself. Still in one piece, with both eyes intact. So far, good. What was not good however, was that most likely, he got kidnapped. Again.

On a table on his right side, there was a nice glass of water. Beneath it, was a piece of paper with something written on it. He reached out to have a sip, fully expectant that his arms and legs would be restrained once again. But surprisingly, he could move freely. He let out a smile, not knowing that he did so. With one hand on the glass, he tipped the water into his mouth and drank. His attention turned to the paper. As crooked as the words were, he could more or less read it. Of course, those words were far flung from English. Still, the text and language were now a part of his daily life, like it or not.

“Ahem. Hello?” he shouted out.

It was what the owner had written on the paper. It said to call out, and if there was no response, he was to leave the room and search. The first room he should encounter was the living room.

He waited for a minute, counting to 60 in his head. No response. He swung his legs down onto the floor, and jumped off the bed. His legs shook, and he fell on his knees.

“The fuck?”

Holding onto the table for support, he stood back up. With every step, his legs quivered. What happened when he was asleep?

“Oh, you’re awake. Good,” a woman said as she leaned on the door.

Black hair with a length of about halfway down her back. In her hand, was a glass full of red wine. She had pretty eyes, and seemed about the same height as Francis.

“Where am I? Who are you?”

“No ‘who am I’? Guess you’re not an amnesiac.”

“Answer the questions.”

“Feisty. First, you’re in my house. Second, I’m Kim Hye-Sung.”

His legs gave out below him. He furrowed his eyebrows, and turned to look at her. Pushing himself off the table, he stared at her face.

“Korean name?”

“What.”

She dropped her glass. The woman rushed towards him, not even caring about the shattered glass. Her hands reached out for him, and she picked him up by the collar. She pushed him against the wall, and her face had a rather scary look.

“What did you say?”

“I asked if you were from Korea. And judging from that reaction, probably?”

“Who are you? Why do you know about the otherworld? Are you an otherworlder too?”

“Calm down. Could you help me to get to a chair or something? My legs don’t seem to want to cooperate.”

“Ah. Then it seems like you might have brain damage?”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on. I’ll carry you to the dining table. Princess style?” she asked, completely ignoring her previous statement.

“Haaa. Well, whatever. And princess style is what I’m most used to after all.”

“So uh, the dragon? The mansion? What happened?” Hye-Sung asked as she picked him up.

Francis couldn’t quite help but wonder how strong she was. The otherworlder carried him with ease, and deposited him on a wooden chair.

“Thanks. So uh, where exactly is your home?”

“Before that, you hungry? I just got back from hunting a while ago.”

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.”

Kim Hye-Sung grabbed an apron hooked onto the wall and donned it. Tying the strings into a cute bow, she reached for her knife and began to cut. A cabbage like vegetable, and slices of meat from a rabbit.

A small flame erupted from her fingers. It jumped from her fingertip to firewood, and a great fire burst forth. Francis could feel the heat from where he was sitting. She grabbed a black curved wok, and placed it onto a stone furnace, above the fire. With quick movements, she used a bottle of cooking oil next to her and poured out quite a large amount. Immediately, the oil began sizzling. Tossing the remaining ingredients in there, she cooked up a fresh, well seasoned meal. Francis hadn’t seen a wok or a bottle of oil since he died.

When he looked around, it really was a modern home. Equipped with the things one would see in a well stocked kitchen, she had pots and pans, spices that he had never seen before. Even a rudimentary fridge.

“What was that? Your fire hand.”

“Basic magic. Not familiar?”

“You’re a mage, huh?” Francis commented.

“Nah. Not really. Aren’t you one?”

“Huh? What made you think that?”

Francis cut the cooked meat and bit into it. Soft and well-textured. Although, it was slightly on the saltier side. Still, he complimented her cooking. The juices of the rabbit flowed into his mouth and down his throat, and it made him strangely nostalgic.

“Still, you’re an otherworlder right?” Kim Hye-Sung asked.

“Yeap. You too?”

She nodded her head. Meanwhile, Francis ate. She leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms.

“To think there were others,” said Francis.

“Yes. Were you transported here too?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, a shining ball appeared and claimed that it was a god.”

“How did you even encounter it?”

“Oh, a white rectangle appeared in the middle of the street in Seoul.”

“Did you walk in?”

“Yeap. You?”

“Ahhh... I died.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for asking.”

“No no, it’s fine.”

“Well, what did you ask for?”

“Huh? Ask for? You could ask for something?”

“Uh, yeah? You’d need an incentive to come here right?”

“Ha,” Francis took in a deep breath, “Mind if I go outside and shout for a bit?”

“Sure, no issues. I’ll set up a barrier.”

They walked outside, and a nice evening sun greeted them. Kim Hye-Sung supported his walking, placing his arm over her shoulder. It was nice. Having a human’s touch that wasn’t malicious was a refreshing feeling. After getting tossed around like a hot potato, or rather competed for and stolen, he wanted some downtime.

Birds chirped as they returned to their nests. She set him down on the steps of her house, and walked around in a circle in front of him, about a metre in radius. Picking him up, she placed him inside. As they entered, something felt different. So this was a barrier?

“Here you go. No one will be able to see or hear you doing anything here. Oh but, don’t expect this level of quality from any random mage, alright? I had to negotiate for hours in order to get this level.”

“Alright. Thank you. Now...”

He sucked in air into his lungs. Kim Hye-Sung sat on the steps leading up to her house, and waited. With all of his power, he shouted.

“Bahamut! You asshole! You absolute asshole! Why the fuck, and I mean the actual fuck, did I nto get anything? Instead! I had to inherit the body of a good-for-nothing useless egotistical bitch? I want to stab you, you damn draconic piece of shit!”

“What? Good-for-nothing? You take that back,” the original said within his mind.

“Ohhhh! And you’re living in my head now rent-free are you?”

“Hey, I’m not the only one you know. He’s here too.”

“Hi. I’m the dragon. And, uh, Bahamut?”

“And we have another one! So you two are just staying in my head now?”

“I mean it’s actually my head,” the original started.

“Shut the fuck up. I’ll stab you.”

“Oop. Alright. Hey Dan! Wanna use the pool table?”

“You have a pool table?!” Francis shouted out loud.

With a sigh, he rubbed his temples. Billiard ball cracked within his head. There was just one question he had for them.

“How long are you gonna be staying here?”

“I should be asking you that, since it’s my body.”

“And I have no plans to leave. You are the one with the most potential for a business partner after all.”

“Alright, look. Just, don’t bother me too much, ok?”

He turned back around to look at his savior. She seemed oblivious to his troubles, but she met his eyes and smiled. She waved, and mouthed a question. Probably asking if he was done. Francis nodded, and she motioned for him to come out. As he stepped out, she smirked and stood up.

“How was it?” she asked.

“Pretty nice. But no response though.”

“Hahaha! Of course there wouldn’t be a response. You’re making a demand to a god!”

“That’s true. But I think both of us have half of the puzzle, right? Let’s explain things to each other.”

She put his arm on her shoulder and grabbed his waist. The warmth of a human was somewhat calming. Beside him, she carried him up the steps of her house, and let him down on the wooden chair. Did she make all of it herself? Everything was beautifully done.

“Well, so what was your business at the big mansion?” Hye-Sung started.

“I was kidnapped by an old man. Then got kidnapped again, and got brought to the mansion. And uh, I passed out, and you brought me here.”

“Oh, I saw that you fell out of the tower. Strangely though, your legs didn’t break but someone managed to hit your head.”

“Ah, that was probably because I was signing with you,” the dragon spoke.

“I’ll handle you later.”

“Ooo. Ignoring a dragon for a girl,” the original commented.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Ah! Straight flush!” the original shouted out.

“God damn it! I only had two pairs. Again?”

“Please shut up.”

“Hello?”

Calling out to him, she waved her hand in front of his face.

“Sorry. Was thinking about something. Anyway, you?”

“Well, first I saw you fall out from the tower. You landed, but you were mostly alright. It was then that I thought that maybe you were in danger, and brought you here. I force fed you a potion to heal you.”

“Hm. Sorry, force fed? What do you mean?”

“You were unconscious. So I had to shove it down your throat.”

“And a potion?”

“It’s a healing potion. What, never played a game before?”

“Those exist?”

“Yeah. I make them. But they usually bring me more trouble than anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh you’ll see. But is that explanation sufficient?”

“It’s alright I guess. By the way, do you have an anti-magic barrier set up or something?”

“You could tell? I thought I made it extra stealthily. If any mages try to attack me they won’t even know what happened, haha!”

“That makes sense. Also explains why she hasn’t reached me or anything.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that? And I didn’t catch your name. Who are you?”

“I’m more surprised that you don’t know me than anything. I’m Francis Rayleigh.”

“If you’re important, I’m sorry for not treating you like that. I don’t really keep up with the news.”

“No worries. I prefer this too. But how does the potion work?”

“You’re the first one who asked that actually. It’s basically a sort of mana battery, and when you drink it, that mana is added to your own pool and it greatly increases cell reproduction for a very short time. That’s how your wounds heal, but since they’re not stem cells, you can’t regrow an organ.”

“So you basically cause cells to grow a lot more?”

“More or less. But it’s a shame that I can’t conduct long-term studies.”

“But wouldn’t that increase the chances of a tumor forming?”

She leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes. Was she thinking about something? Her face clouded up. She muttered something under her breath.

“Fuck. You’re right. Well that’s a shame.”

“Hey witch! You there?”

A young sounding voice shouted from the outside. He sounded impatient, Hye-Sung groaned. She slumped down on the table and let out a deep, deep sigh.

“What’s going on?” Francis whispered.

“I gave a potion to his sister one day because she hurt herself. Now, they bother me every single day. I’m getting tired of turning them away, and everyday I get closer to shooting him.”

“I feel your pain. You ever worked in fast food?”

“Of course. I still regret giving that extra nugget to this day.”

“Hahaha! That’s a shared experience for us. But what are you gonna do about him?”

“Just ignore him for now. He usually leaves after a while.”

Francis nodded, and laid his head down. He could finally relate to someone. Eventually, the shouting stopped, and he started to stand up but she stopped him. She put her hand on his head and pressed down, almost as if what he was going to do was dangerous.

“He probably hasn’t left,” mouthed Hye-Sung.

“How long does he stay for?”

“Not very long. I think his family gets angry if he stays out.”

“Oh, alright. A while longer then.”

“If you want, I can check,” the dragon interrupted.

“What, how?”

“I can make myself invisible and separate away from you a little bit. For a cost, however.”

“Elaborate.”

“Time, lifespan, or health. I’ll take the appropriate amount of whichever you choose.”

“Then... Health?”

“Granted. Do you want her to see me too?”

“Why not. She’s been helpful.”

Once those words left his mouth, a long serpentine body came out from the back of his left hand. It was translucent, and had a vaguely grey shading. Kind of resembled a jellyfish, actually. It stretched out and twisted, and coiled. Reaching nearly half a metre in length, it could peek out of the window.

“What the hell is that?” she mouthed.

“Magic, I guess? Well, see anything?”

“A boy, approximately 14 human years old. Wearing a tunic of brown fabric, and grey shorts. He is waiting outside the door,” it reported into his mind.

“The boy’s still there. What do you want to do?”

“Keep your head down then.”

A few minutes passed in tense silence. His neck ached from the awkward positioning, and the spirit dragon thing kept watch. Eventually, the boy kicked dirt around and left.

“He’s gone,” said Francis.

“Alright. So, what exactly is that?” she pointed to his left hand.

The spirit dragon thing retracted. It returned back to his hand, and there was no sign that it even existed. They sat back up.

“Well,” he began to explain, “I think tha-”

He was interrupted by his own coughing. In a polite manner, he covered his mouth with his hand. Hye-Sung looked at him strangely, and he began to smell iron.

Warm liquid touched his palm. And his lips too. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she reached for a tissue.

“You okay?” she asked.

He let go of his hand. Red spots. Blood? Impossible. Unless it was the payment that the dragon asked for.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m alright. I should recover soon.”

“Do you know how to get back?”

“No. But I think people are coming to rescue me.”

“Rescue you? How important are you?”

“I’m the mixed blood son of a duke.”

“Bigshot, aren’t you? What are you, Princess Peach?”

“You could say so.”

“Stay here then. They should come rescue you soon.”

“Can you remove the anti-magic barrier?”

“No can do, future duke.”

“Fair enough. Carry me to bed. I’ll be honest, I’m not confident in my body right now.”

“Of course, of course. Princess style? Also, you are incredibly light, are you not?”

“Long story, but thanks.”

She picked him up and dumped him onto a mattress. He looked up at her.

“I’ll be doing some patrolling, so don’t worry about me. And I can sleep on the floor, it’s fine,” said she.

“No no! I can’t allow that. Just drop me down on the floor. I’m intruding in your house anyway.”

“Tell you what, I’ll let you sleep first, alright. Then once I’m done, I’ll figure something out. So go to sleep. Alright?”

He sighed, and nodded. He wasn’t really in a position to do anything. And she seemed to be telling the truth. The day came, and he woke up to shouting.

“Witch! Give us more!” someone demanded.

Holding onto the walls for support, he walked outside. A man stood outside her house. Bald, and armed with a spear. He didn’t look particularly muscular, nor did he appear to be a threat.

“No. Go away.”

“I’ll call the guards if you don’t!”

“Don’t try to blackmail you dumbass,” Francis shouted from inside.

“That’s it! I’m calling the guards! Prepare to be hung for being a witch.”

He sulked away. Hye-Sung turned around and met Francis’ eyes. She seemed somewhat pleased, and walked towards him.

“Forget everything you’ll see.”

“Just snipe him already.”

“Hah! We think similarly.”

Grabbing her bow on the table, she took aim. A blueish arrow formed between her fingers. It pulsed, much like a heartbeat. With elegance, she let the arrow fly, and it arced beautifully. Landing itself squarely into that man’s head, he collapsed nearly immediately.

“I’ll have to move away. Tsk. Fuck them.”

“Hmm~ Then, do you want to come with me?”

“Where to?”

“To the imperial palace. Besides, I want to talk to you more. You’re the only one from my world.”

“The palace? Who the hell are you really?”

“A potential next in line for the seat of emperor. Nice to meet you.”