I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 225: Not Dead Yet

Arthur sighs in contentment.

Both of his feet are barefoot and dipped into the water just below his knees. He does not even bother to roll up his pants. He knows he can dry them with his Fire later.

When Liam hears Arthur sigh, he smiles and smacks Arthur’s back.

"Told you, didn’t I?" he grins widely.

Arthur closes his eyes. He feels refreshed, like he has gone through a spiritual cleansing. He unknowingly smiles.

He takes a long, deep breath and holds it.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Then he exhales slowly.

He takes another deep breath, holds it, and exhales again.

When he opens his eyes, all of his wariness has been washed away, just like the water comes to the shore and returns to the sea.

"How is this possible?" he mutters. He is Fire, and yet water does this to him.

An answer comes to him almost immediately.

It’s because this is Mother Nature’s way of helping you.

Arthur jerks slightly, his left foot stepping back.

"Arthur?" Liam asks, alarmed.

Arthur scoffs softly.

He turns to Liam. "I asked how this is possible. I’m Fire, but water still works on me. And I think Mother Nature answered me. That’s what startled me."

Liam blinks. A few months ago, he would have thought Arthur was insane. But a lot has changed. His knowledge has grown.

"What did she say?" Liam asks, curious.

"You didn’t ask?" Arthur counters.

Liam shakes his head.

"I didn’t ask. I assumed it was because I’m Water. But I also felt like it would help you. That’s why I dragged you here. And you didn’t exactly refuse, did you?"

Arthur blinks and turns his gaze back to the dark horizon.

"I think we both knew, somehow. I swear I heard a female voice in my head saying, ’Because I want to help.’"

Silence falls.

Liam does not comment. Somehow, he is not surprised.

For the next few minutes, they stand there in silence.

Then they speak at the same time.

"I’m heading back."

"I want to check on Julian and Maeve."

They grin at each other and start walking toward the resort, boots in hand.

"ARGH!"

They both jerk, instantly pull on their boots, and sprint toward the sound.

They meet Maeve and Julian halfway.

Both of them look confused.

"What happened?"

"Who screamed?"

Julian and Liam speak at the same time.

Arthur asks, "It wasn’t you?"

Maeve and Julian shake their heads.

"And not out here?" Julian asks.

Arthur and Liam shake their heads as well.

Liam scans the area. Everything looks normal. People are moving as usual.

He frowns. "Does no one else hear it?"

Maeve’s eyebrows shoot up.

"You mean... it was only the four of us?"

They freeze.

Realization crashes down.

Maeve gasps, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Thea!"

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Theo lies face down on the dungeon floor, barely conscious. He can feel his blood spilling onto the ground beneath him, warm at first, then slowly cooling.

The pain is gone.

He does not feel it anymore.

It is very similar to when he died in Caelthorn. At the end, there was no pain. Just regret.

It is the same now.

Regret.

But this time, tears are streaming from his eyes. His body trembles from crying, weak, involuntary. It is strange. He is not out of breath. He is not sobbing. His chest does not hitch.

He simply knows he is crying.

Crying because there is no other way to express this regret.

His chest does not tighten. His breathing is steady. His hands are relaxed, not clenched until his knuckles turn white. His body is not fighting anymore.

Are there different kinds of regret?

The question slips into his mind, uninvited.

Why does this regret feel different from before? Aren’t they both regret?

His thoughts refuse to stop, circling endlessly.

He closes his eyes with effort and scoffs inwardly.

It is so typical of you. Thinking about categories of regret when you are about to die. How about thinking of something useful? Like activating your healing magic. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Theo opens his eyes again.

I can’t.

He does not feel his mana anymore. He does not feel his body responding at all. No warmth. No flow. No connection.

It is as if his body has already let go, leaving only his mind behind. Too aware. Too awake.

He exhales slowly.

And closes his eyes again.

Maybe... I should just... rest.

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Alicia lies on the ground, chest rising and falling unevenly, thanking all the gods above that somehow she has managed to escape death twice. Her limbs feel heavy, like they are no longer hers. Every muscle aches. She has no strength left to move even a finger. So she lies there, staring at nothing, exhaustion pressing down on her like a weight.

After a while, her body starts to shut down despite her best effort to stay awake. Her breathing slows. Her thoughts blur. Her eyelids grow impossibly heavy.

Her eyes slowly close.

Alicia jerks awake.

Her eyes snap open and she bolts upright, heart hammering violently against her ribs.

How can I sleep here?

How long have I slept?

What if that monster comes back?!

She looks around wildly, panic flooding her veins, but then she freezes.

The green mist.

It is thinning.

Not gone, but noticeably thinner. She can see further now.

Her gaze drops.

Two bodies.

One officer lie unconscious right next to her and another a short distance away, sprawled on the dungeon floor.

Her breath catches.

She presses her fingers to the neck of the officer near her, a pulse. Weak, but steady.

She crawls toward the second, ignoring the pain screaming through her body, and presses her fingers to his neck.

"They’re alive," she mutters hoarsely.

Relief hits her so hard her vision swims.

"I need to get them somewhere safer," she tells herself, forcing her legs to move.

The next few minutes are agony.

She drags the two officers inch by inch, her hands slipping against their uniforms, her arms trembling violently with each pull. Her breath comes out in harsh gasps, but she does not stop. She pulls them into a cluster of thick dungeon bushes, shoving leaves and debris over their bodies, hiding them as best as she can.

It is crude. Desperate.

But it is something.

When she finally steps back, her legs nearly give out. She wipes her hands on her clothes, smearing dirt and blood without caring. For the first time since she entered this godforsaken dungeon, she feels like she is thinking clearly.

Like herself again.

She lifts her head and scans the area again.

No screeching.

No snapping mouth.

No movement.

No haelions.

Her brows knit together.

"Does this dungeon only have one haelion?" she murmurs. "That spider monster?"

The thought unsettles her more than comforts her.

A single haelion, with the ability to enter your mind, twist your memories, and make you question reality itself.

Her jaw tightens.

"It must be killed," she says firmly, more to herself than to the empty dungeon.

Suddenly, her breath hitches.

Her heart skips.

"If... if I was under an illusion," she whispers slowly, dread creeping up her spine, "then who woke me up?"

Her hands tremble.

"Who told me to run?"

She presses her fingers to her temples, trying to remember.

"It sounded like Alex," she says softly, disbelief and confusion tangling in her chest. "But he’s dead."

Her breathing quickens.

"Did I imagine it? Did I dream it?" Her voice cracks. "But I heard it. I heard his voice. It saved me."

She shakes her head hard.

"How can that be an illusion?"

No answer comes.

The dungeon remains silent.

After a long moment, Alicia exhales shakily and lets her hands fall to her sides.

"Enough," she mutters. "I’ll drive myself insane if I keep circling this."

She straightens her spine.

"Whatever it was, I’m awake. I’m alive. That’s what matters."

She scans her surroundings one more time, every sense stretched taut, making sure the spider haelion has not returned.

"I need to find the exit," she says decisively. "And come back with more help."

A grim smile tugs at her lips.

"Maybe I won’t even need to," she adds. "My officers might have already called Rhaenas."

Her eyes harden with resolve.

"This dungeon is doomed."