I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 174: Beyond Seen Reality
"What the hell is going on?" Julian asks.
Both he and Arthur are watching the café footage, starting from the moment Theo enters. Julian has hacked into the café’s security system, and now they’re watching everything unfold through the live feed.
They watch Bradley’s behavior deteriorate in real time, the man acting as if he’s completely lost his sanity the moment Theo appears.
"How does Thea do it?" Julian mutters. "Illusion magic? Art, do you know?"
Arthur shakes his head, eyes glued to the screen.
He doesn’t know either. He suspects it’s illusion magic, but he has no idea how something like this is even executed.
"Jesus," Julian exhales. "Theo wasn’t lying when he said Thea is powerful. She’s not just powerful. She’s terrifyingly precise."
There’s a hint of pride in his voice, despite himself.
Then he adds, dryly, "Just remind me to never piss her off."
Arthur laughs openly. "I had the exact same thought when I saw her eyes while she told me she wanted Brad."
Julian shakes his head again, watching Bradley clutch the tote bag like it’s his most precious possession... before flinging it straight toward Thea.
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The tote bag flies toward Thea and stops right in front of her.
Floating.
"Brad? Are you really okay?" Thea asks, her voice full of concern. She looks at him with widened eyes, worry unmistakable. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Bradley stares at the floating tote bag, eyes stretched wide in pure horror.
"Thea! Do you see that?!" he shouts, pointing frantically at the bag.
He abruptly gets to his feet, knocks his chair down, and stumbles backward, taking several hurried steps until his back collides with another table occupied by patrons.
"Hey! Watch it!" one of them exclaims.
Bradley nearly knocks over their drinks as the table rattles under the impact.
He whips around and shouts at the patrons.
"Do you not see that?!" He points wildly at the floating bag.
He grabs one of the patrons by the shoulder and shakes him.
"Hey! What the hell, man? What’s your problem?!" the other man snaps, his voice raised in anger.
Bradley keeps shaking the man.
"Tell me you see that!"
The man can tell Bradley isn’t thinking straight, so he forces himself to keep his anger from rising further.
"See what, man? What is it?" There’s even a hint of concern, almost pity, in his voice.
"That! That floating bag!" Bradley says, finally relieved that someone is listening to him.
The man looks toward the direction Bradley is pointing at. He sees nothing.
"There’s nothing there, man. Are you sure you’re not seeing things?" he asks, his voice calmer now.
"What do you mean there’s nothing there?! It’s right there! In front of her! That... that white-haired woman. You see her?!" Bradley spirals further.
"Yeah, I do," the man replies, then chuckles.
"She’s beautiful." He smiles stupidly.
Bradley feels his anger surge at the comment.
He grabs the man by the collar and yanks him closer, their faces inches apart.
"Watch it! That’s my girl!"
The man frowns, then laughs mockingly.
"Yours?" He scoffs. "Well, I’ll admit, visually, you two match. But..." He gestures vaguely toward Bradley’s head with his free hand, clearly implying something is wrong.
"Up here? You’re not all there." He sneers. "It’s a pity she’s stuck with someone like you. Better let her go. Let a better man take care of her."
Bradley is really angry now. He sees red. He pulls his arm back, fist clenched, ready to punch the man, when Thea suddenly places her hand on his shoulder.
"Brad! Why are you trying to hit a woman?! Stop it!"
Her voice is sharp with shock.
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Theo smirks as he watches Bradley stagger backward, almost falling flat.
When Bradley slams into the table behind him, Theo’s frown flickers for a brief moment, but he doesn’t stop what’s happening.
Then Bradley whips around, his attention snapping toward a female patron nearby.
Theo immediately stands and moves toward him, his instincts kicking in.
And his instincts prove right.
Bradley continues to spiral. His breathing is erratic, his movements jerky, his eyes wild. He raises his hand again, this time toward the fear-stricken woman, while nearly half the café is already on their feet, ready to intervene.
Theo closes the distance at once. He places his hand firmly on Bradley’s shoulder and says, loudly and clearly,
"Brad! Why are you trying to hit a woman?! Stop it!"
Theo is already acting shocked. He only needs to exaggerate it slightly.
He never expected Bradley to spiral this badly. He had only nudged him, not rewritten his entire reality.
The rest is Bradley’s mind unraveling all on its own.
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A woman?!"
Bradley’s voice is near hysterical.
"What woman? Thea, he’s a man!"
Thea speaks softly, as if afraid of frightening him further.
"Brad," she says carefully. "She’s a woman. Not a man."
Her voice is low, but firm.
Bradley slowly turns to look at the person he had been about to punch.
And freezes.
Standing there is a brunette woman, trembling, her eyes squeezed shut.
Bradley’s grip loosens instantly. He steps back as if burned.
"I– I– I’m sorry," he stammers.
"I– I don’t know what came over me. I– I don’t think I’m thinking straight."
His voice breaks as the adrenaline drains from his body. He looks exhausted. Overwhelmed.
"It’s okay, Brad. It’s okay," Thea whispers, gently guiding him back to their table.
She straightens the fallen chair and helps him sit down.
Then she turns toward the rest of the café and bows slightly.
"I’m sorry. My friend isn’t feeling well. I’m really sorry."
She turns back to the woman and repeats her apology.
The woman only shakes her head. Fear still lingers in her eyes as she returns to her seat.
A few seconds pass, and the café’s calm atmosphere slowly returns.
Bradley sits hunched over, his face buried in his hands, breathing unevenly.
Thea takes a seat beside him and pats his shoulder.
"It’s okay," she whispers. "It’s okay, Brad. You don’t need to hold it in. It’s okay to spiral. It’s normal... after what you did."
Bradley’s blood runs cold.
His hands slowly uncover his face.
"What do you mean?" He says in disbelief.
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Theo smirks again.
"Oh, don’t pretend you don’t know, Brad."
Bradley tries to turn his neck to look at Theo, but his grip on Bradley’s shoulder tightens and holds him in place.
"You used Thea for your own benefits. You lied to her, until she distanced herself from her family, and you deliberately isolated her in the mountain cabin, so that she was fully dependent on you."
"Have you really forgotten about that?"
Theo may speaks in low voice, almost a whisper, but the anger is unmistakeable.
"It’s time for you to pay for what you did."
Theo releases him.
Bradley immediately springs to his feet, his chair crashing loudly to the floor.
He stares at Thea, his eyes bulging in pure horror.
He sees the beautiful Thea, but her eyes are glowing, misty gray threaded with a hue of gold.
He points at her and screams at the top of his lungs,
"You’re not Thea! You’re not Thea! Who are you?! You’re a monster!"
