The Otherworlder shifted his blurry gaze down to his aching body. Layers of bandages covered him from his neck down to his toes. He continued to ignore the pain as his eyes shifted up. A ceiling with beautiful engravings and a lavish golden chandelier looked down on him.

He combatted his lethargy with great effort as he turned his head to his side.

Locks of white hair draped over a charming and beautiful sleeping face entered his sight. With her head against a desk on the side of the Otheworlder's bed, Vera's sleeping visage spread a warm feeling in the Otherworlder's chest. His mouth curved into a smile on its own as he saw her body rise up and down with each breath.

The Otherworlder's thoughts fleeted back to when he had met this friend of his for the first time.

Not even a day had passed when he found himself in this strange world. Beyond everything else, he was confused. He didn't know what was happening, he couldn't figure a thing out.

That was when he came across a person so vibrant even lilies would shy away. He saw that person standing with a long and sharp blade in her hands, aimed at her neck, ready to pierce through any second. A white lily, trying to stain itself with the red of its own blood.

"Mmmm," A soft moan escaped Vera's mouth. She squinted her eyes and pushed herself off the desk. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she yawned and looked at the Otherworlder.

"You're up."

"I am."

"Since when?" she asked.

"Been a bit. You could have slept more, you looked nice that way."

A mischievous smile spread on Vera's face. "When I was asleep?"

"When you were quiet–AH!"

Vera flicked the Otherworlder's bandaged forehead, mouthing off a chain of 'bastard's at him. After flicking him a few times, she giggled and turned away. "You open your eyes for the first time in two days and start off with being this unpleasant."

"It died, right?"

"Yes, it did. You killed that Snake God."

A loud sigh left the Otherworlder as he relaxed his shoulders and chest.

"You were almost gone too, though." Vera got off her chair and went to the service table placed at the other end of the room. She picked up a cup and poured in some water. "That big guy, Vollrath? He dived into the Snake and pulled you out at the perfect moment. A bit longer and you would have been asphyxiated to death under that thing."

Vera put the cup on the desk next to the bed and slowly placed her arm on the Otherworlder's back, helping him sit up.

The Otherworlder chuckled at the irony of things. From the healing spell to the dagger and the magic stone, and even after losing consciousness, he was constantly saved by the very people he had abandoned.

As if reading his mind, Vera patted the Otherworlder's head while handing him some water. "It's fine. Feeling guilty or ashamed will only take you so far, you should focus on making amends."

"You're right." The Otherworlder carefully took hold of the cup with both his hands and took a small sip. His throat burnt from the sensation, but he forced himself to drink some more.

"It'll be very awkward, though."

"Haha, I think I'll have to bear at least that much."

Vera took the cup back and placed it on the service table. She walked back to the chair and sat in front of the Otherworlder, her soft smile had gone away and was replaced by a serious look. Her hands softly cupped the Otherworlder's own as she spoke up.

"You ate a magic stone, didn't you?"

The Otherworlder simply nodded at the question.

"It was by some miracle that you didn't swallow it down and spit it out at the right time. The size and quality were an unbelievable coincidence as well..." Vera's words trailed off at the end. She lowered her gaze and slightly frowned as she continued. "It is only by your absurd luck that you'll get away with a small price. You won't be able to use magic at all for a couple of months."

The Otherworlder sighed at her words. He could feel it himself, the condition of his body was terrible, to say the least. He had seen something like this coming, but having it confirmed was a different feeling altogether.

"You'll be defenseless for a fairly long time," Vera said.

"Actually, that is one of the better things on the whole."

Vera tilted her head at the sudden words. "What do you mean?" she asked.

The Otherworlder hesitated to speak, his gaze stuck on the hands that cupped around his own. He lightly tapped on Vera's hands with his other hand.

"You see, I had to pull up some special stuff to keep safe from that maniac..."

"I see... what was it?"

Just then, a snapping sound rang out in the air! The lavish chandelier hanging from the ceiling suddenly broke off and rushed downward.

Vera's eyes widened when she saw the chandelier falling right towards the Otherworlder's head. She shot off her chair and snapped her fingers.

A wave of fire materialized right above the Otherworlder's head and swallowed the chandelier whole. Shocked, the Otherworlder fell towards his back as the flames turned the entirety of the expensive chandelier into dust that merged with the air.

"What in the world?" Vera exclaimed.

"I used up all my luck for a while," the Otherworlder said, his bandaged hands covering his eyes.

"What..."

"I think I've become the unluckiest person in this entire world."