I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 270: Invisible Strings
"Okay. Let’s do it. I want to help with fours and fives," Theo says.
He sounds excited.
He can finally have time alone.
Inside a dungeon.
He is already imagining the silence. The freedom. The absence of conversation. Just him and the monsters.
Arthur looks satisfied too.
Finally, help.
He is no longer the only one carrying the weight of Solarys DEU.
Liam also feels a spark of energy return to him. He has been restless for days. At first, staying home felt like a reward. Rest. Peace.
Then... he showed up.
It stopped being peaceful.
It stopped being restful.
Liam wants to feel useful again.
Only Maeve frowns.
Of course she wants to help.
Of course she does.
But something inside her resists the idea of returning to a dungeon so soon.
She cannot explain it properly. Nothing is wrong. She is not afraid.
She just does not want to go back.
She would rather stay in the apartment.
Cook.
Clean.
Take care of them. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Make sure everyone eats.
Make sure everyone rests.
She opens her mouth to say something—
"Go – good morning."
Everyone turns toward the voice.
Captain Chambers stands awkwardly near the hallway.
"Good morning, Captain," Liam greets first.
The others follow with their own greetings.
"I... I want to say thank you. To all of you. For your help."
He straightens slightly.
He has decided to do this first.
Rip the band-aid.
"Please, let me say it," he adds quickly when he senses someone about to interrupt him.
"Like I told Ms. Collins earlier, I remember everything I did. But I couldn’t control it."
He swallows.
"But that’s not an excuse. I did it. It wasn’t my intention, but I still did it. I can’t deny that. And I don’t want to deny that. I need to own it."
He exhales sharply.
"The sooner I own it, the better for all of us."
He says all of it in one breath.
Then pauses.
Takes a deep breath.
"I hope we can all move past this and continue like before."
Another pause.
He looks slightly lost, unsure how to end it.
Arthur stands.
He extends his right hand.
"For fresh start," he says.
Captain Chambers looks at him in disbelief.
Just like that?
Arthur’s expression does not change.
Captain Chambers slowly smiles and shakes his hand.
"Fresh start."
Small cheers erupt in the apartment.
"Captain," Arthur continues, not wanting to waste time, "not to rush you, but I’m curious. Are you planning to return to work?"
The others hide their smiles.
Captain Chambers blinks rapidly.
"Why, yes. As soon as the doctors clear me, I’m back."
Arthur closes his eyes and exhales loudly.
Then opens them again, smiling.
"Good. Thank you, Captain. Now, have a seat. I need to fill you in. You ready for it?"
Captain Chambers nods. He is grateful the topic has shifted to something structured. Something he understands.
They sit down on the sofa together and begin speaking in lower voices.
Seeing this, Liam finally heads toward the shower.
Theo, Claudia, and Maeve return to the kitchen and begin cleaning up.
"Thea, you don’t need to clean. Go rest," Maeve says, taking dishes from his hands.
"Yeah, we got this," Claudia adds.
"Okay. Thanks, ladies. I’ll go check on Alicia before heading to bed."
He chuckles.
"It feels weird saying I’m heading to bed at seven in the morning."
They laugh.
Theo turns and walks toward the guest room.
------------------------------
Alicia blinks lazily.
I know this room. I’ve been here before .I’ve stayed here before.
It’s like a déjà vu
She blinks again and slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position.
"Yes," she murmurs. "That’s right. I have been here before."
Her head feels heavy.
She closes her eyes and waits for the dizziness to pass.
"Ugh. My head."
She presses her fingers against one side of her temple. It doesn’t help. Her head is still throbbing faintly.
Click.
The sound of the door opening.
She turns her head sharply toward it.
Curious.
Not afraid.
She knows she is safe here.
A glimpse of white hair appears in the doorway.
She gasps softly.
Theo hears it and lifts his head.
Their eyes meet.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
Five seconds.
"Alicia, are you okay?"
"Oh my God, you’re not dead."
They speak at the same time.
They both pause.
Theo smiles faintly and closes the door behind him.
He pulls a chair over and places it beside the bed before sitting down.
They stare at each other.
Neither speaking.
"Are you okay?" Theo asks again.
"I saw you dead," Alicia says at the same time.
They blink.
Then chuckle.
"I’ll go first," Alicia says. "I believe my answer is shorter than yours."
She meets his eyes steadily.
"I’m okay. A little dizzy. But it’s manageable. And before you say anything, I want to say that I remember everything, Thea. Including the last eight months."
Her voice lowers.
"And what I saw in the dungeon."
Theo cannot stop his smile.
"What exactly did you see in the dungeon?"
Alicia narrows her eyes slightly.
She has the distinct feeling he is testing her.
Trying to make her doubt herself.
She will not allow that. She knows what she saw.
"I saw you get stabbed. Repeatedly. And then there was water everywhere. And you pulled me out. With invisible strings."
Her voice steadies.
"And before I passed out, I saw you standing there. Dry. Completely dry. I was also dry. I don’t feel wet. Even though there was water everywhere. Like we were in the middle of the ocean."
She holds his gaze.
Half challenging him to deny it.
Theo studies her carefully.
Her eyes are clear.
Sharp.
Present.
Aware.
He leans back slightly in the chair.
"And what do you think about that?" he asks casually.
Alicia shakes her head slowly.
"I don’t know what to think. My brain says it makes no sense. But I saw it. I know I saw it. I wasn’t hallucinating."
She does not break eye contact.
"I saw you."
