I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 226: Déjà vu

Alicia moves carefully through the dungeon, every step measured, every breath controlled. Her eyes never stop scanning her surroundings, alert for any sign of the spider haelion, while at the same time searching desperately for the exit.

She notices something strange.

The green mist is thinning. Not just drifting, but actively receding, as if being pulled away. And then she hears it.

Boom.

Another boom follows, distant but unmistakable. The sound reverberates through the dungeon walls, accompanied by brief flashes of light that pierce through the fog.

"What’s going on?" Alicia whispers, her heart starting to race. "Are there people fighting?"

Hope sparks in her chest. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"DEU?" Her voice trembles as she says it aloud. "Is DEU here?"

Before she can stop herself, she breaks into a run, heading straight toward the sounds and flashes. The closer she gets, the thicker the green mist becomes again, pressing in around her like a suffocating veil. But for some reason, Alicia does not slow down.

She knows, deep in her bones, that it will not harm her. Not anymore.

She slows only when she reaches a cluster of massive trees. Carefully, she edges closer and peeks out from behind one of the thick trunks.

Her eyes widen. She blinks once. Twice.

"What the hell?"

About a hundred meters away stands the spider monster. The haelion. Its massive body looms against the dungeon floor, grotesque and terrifying. But it is not alone.

Opposite it stands a human figure.

White hair.

Slim frame.

"Thea Montrose?" Alicia whispers in disbelief.

She blinks again, harder this time, as if that might fix whatever her eyes are showing her. But the image does not change.

What she is seeing makes no sense.

The spider haelion is hurling thousands upon thousands of arrows, all formed from condensed green mist. The mist itself seems to be unraveling, pulled apart and reshaped into those deadly projectiles.

Is that why the green mist is thinning?

But the arrows never reach Thea Montrose.

Thea stands perfectly still, both hands raised, palms facing forward, as if her bare hands alone could stop that relentless barrage. And impossibly, they do.

Above her and around her, a semi-dome of light shimmers into existence. It bends slightly with every impact, glowing brighter with each strike, but it does not break.

Alicia’s breath catches.

"It’s like Aegis," she murmurs. "Montrose Corporation’s Aegis."

But even as the thought forms, she knows it is wrong.

This is not Aegis.

It is too strong. Too seamless. Too perfect. The colors wrong, the thickness is wrong, and this shield seems alive.

If it is not Aegis, then what is it?

Alicia keeps watching, barely daring to breathe. Then she notices it.

Thea wavers. Just slightly.

And with her, the light dome wavers too.

Alicia’s heart lurches.

"Oh no," she whispers. "Is she losing?"

But losing what? Strength? Focus? Sanity?

Alicia cannot tell.

All she knows is that whatever battle is happening in front of her, it is far beyond anything she understands.

Thea keeps fighting, teeth clenched, shoulders trembling as she struggles to maintain the shield that protects her from the relentless barrage. The arrows keep coming, slamming into the light dome again and again, each impact sending ripples through it.

Then the arrows change.

They elongate, sharpening into spear-like forms. Heavier. Longer. Stronger. Their weight alone seems to press down on the shield, forcing it to bend more deeply with every strike.

Alicia’s breath catches.

Her eyes widen as she notices something else.

A sliver of very thick green mist, shaped like an impossibly long, razor-sharp needle.

It is almost invisible, blending perfectly with the surrounding haze, but Alicia can see it. Only because of the faint contrast in color. Only because she is watching so closely.

And she sees something worse.

Thea does not see it.

The green needle circles slowly, hovering just outside the shield, moving with unsettling patience. It searches. Waiting. Looking for the smallest flaw.

Alicia’s heart pounds so hard she feels dizzy.

Then it happens.

The needle shoots forward in a blur, so fast Alicia almost misses it. It slips through a tiny crack in the shield, a flaw created by Thea’s wavering strength, and plunges straight into Thea’s head.

Alicia almost screams.

"NO!" The word claws at her throat, desperate to escape, but she clamps it down at the last second, biting hard on her own fear.

She watches in horror as Thea goes slack.

Still standing.

Still upright.

But her hands fall.

Her palms no longer face outward, and with that single change, the shield begins to fade. Slowly. Helplessly.

Not all of the needle disappears into Thea’s head. About two-thirds of its length remains protruding, thick and pulsing. At its exposed end, the green mist around the area rushes toward it, drawn in violently, as if the needle has become an anchor. A thread of mist forms behind it, connecting the dungeon itself to Thea’s mind.

A needle with a thread.

Piercing her head.

The spider begins to move.

It approaches her slowly. Deliberately. Each step measured, unhurried, as if savoring the moment.

Alicia clamps both hands over her mouth. Her body starts to shake uncontrollably as tears well up and spill down her cheeks.

No! No! Please, no!

Something stirs deep in her mind. Something familiar. Something painful.

A feeling she cannot place.

Alicia’s chest tightens as a crushing sense of déjà vu washes over her.

She knows this.

She has seen this before.

A giant spider, approaching someone slowly like this.

Not her.

She had watched it happen.

"Wake up, please. Go, run." Alicia whimpers, her voice barely audible even to herself.

She keeps watching as the spider approaches Thea slowly, deliberately, until it finally stops right in front of her.

Then they are just standing there, facing each other in silence.

No. That’s not entirely true.

Thea Montrose’s eyes are unfocused. Empty. Her body sways back and forth gently, like bamboo bending with the wind.

One of the spider’s legs moves slowly, circling Thea, testing her, claiming her.

Alicia stops breathing. She bites her lower lip, hard, praying with everything she has left that Thea will wake up.

Please. Please wake up.

But her prayers are not answered.

Thea sways forward, then collapses, falling face first onto the dungeon ground.

The green mist needle is still there. The thread of green mist remains attached to her head, pulsing faintly.

Alicia’s tears fall freely now. She bites her lower lip so hard that it breaks skin and starts bleeding, but she does not feel it.

Her eyes are locked onto the scene before her, unable to look away.

When the spider lifts one of its legs and plunges it into Thea’s body, Alicia sees it again.

The same scene.

Her brother.

Alex.

Pierced by the same spider haelion.

"ARGH!"

Thea screams. Her eyes snap back into focus and meet Alicia’s stare.

For a split second, Alicia sees Thea’s eyes clearly.

Then her memories overwrite reality.

Alex’s eyes.

Just like now.

Both pairs of eyes are wide, filled with shock.

With pain.

With betrayal.

With the same disbelief.

Something inside Alicia breaks completely.

Her mind shatters.

Alicia collapses, sliding down to the ground, her back hitting the large tree behind her. The impact barely registers.

Her vision blurs.

And then everything goes dark.