I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 223: Echoes of the Dead

Without turning around, Arthur knows who it is.

"Thanks," he murmurs.

"Anytime, Art." Liam pats Arthur’s chest, firm and grounding, like an anchor.

"You okay?" he adds quietly.

Arthur takes a deep breath. The air still feels too thick in his lungs, like smoke that hasn’t cleared yet.

"I have to be, right?" He looks at Liam, managing a very faint smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Liam sighs, the sound heavy with understanding. "She’ll be alright, Art. We just have to trust her."

He hesitates, then adds, "For some reason, I keep thinking she’s as strong as Teacher Theo. Which is impossible, I know. But still... I don’t know. I just know she’ll be alright."

Arthur nods slowly. "Yeah. I know she’s strong."

He exhales. "I used to think she was the weakest among us. But now..."

He trails off, then shakes his head. "I don’t even question her abilities anymore. I worry, sure. But not because I think she’s weak."

He turns fully to Liam, studying him more closely. Something feels different.

"You look calm," Arthur says. "Collected. I mean, that’s not a bad thing. But you weren’t like this when we got kicked out."

His brow furrows. "Something happened?"

Liam’s smile grows a little wider, softer. Almost peaceful.

"Yeah," he says simply.

"The ocean happened."

------------------------------

Theo takes another cautious step forward, eyes locked on the massive body before him.

He scans it carefully, probing, sensing, checking for even the faintest flicker of hostile intent.

Nothing.

No movement. No response. No resistance.

He exhales slowly when it finally sinks in. The King is dead.

He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and straightens slightly. The oppressive weight that had been pressing against his mind lifts.

Then he notices it.

The green mist is gone.

Completely gone.

The dungeon, once suffocating and hostile, is now eerily clear. The air feels still, empty. Wrong, but quiet.

Theo sighs in relief for the second time and begins scanning the dungeon more carefully, reaching outward with his senses, searching for any sign of survivors he might have missed.

As he moves, a familiar sensation crawls up his spine.

The unmistakable feeling of being watched.

Theo freezes.

Then he whips his head around, Light already flaring instinctively, body braced for another attack.

And instead of an enemy, he sees something that makes his blood run cold.

A man stands there, calm, composed, and entirely out of place.

Theo’s jaw drops.

"A... Al... Al... Al... Aldric?!"

"Hello, my love."

Aldric smiles, warm and familiar, like this is nothing more than a casual reunion.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"ALDRIC?!" Theo’s voice cracks.

"How are you here? You’re dead! You died in my arms!" His breathing turns erratic. "I died with you!"

His thoughts spiral.

Aldric was his king.

His old king.

From Caelthorn.

He died.

He is not supposed to exist.

And yet here he stands.

Alive.

Smiling.

In Altheon.

Theo staggers back a step, disbelief crashing into dread.

Aldric was from Caelthorn.

So how is he here?

------------------------------

"Ocean?" Arthur echoes, clearly confused.

Liam nods, completely serious. "Yeah. Ocean."

He exhales, as if replaying the sensation. "I’m Water, right? I was in a really sour mood. Couldn’t process anything. Everything felt loud and wrong."

He shrugs lightly. "And then I saw the ocean, and it felt like... I had to touch it."

Arthur listens, brow furrowed.

"So I went barefoot," Liam continues. "Just stepped in. And the moment my feet touched the water..."

He smiles, softer now. "It felt incredible. Like I was coming home."

Arthur stares at him in disbelief. "What are you? A merman?"

Liam laughs, sharp and bright, the sound cutting clean through the tension.

"Yeah. I had the exact same thought," he admits. "But no, it’s not that."

He grows thoughtful, gaze drifting briefly toward the sea.

"I think it’s more like... the ocean knew I was in trouble. And it called me to calm me down."

Arthur looks at him like he’s finally lost his mind.

"You know how insane that sounds, right, Monfort?"

Liam only chuckles, completely unbothered.

Arthur sighs, rubbing his face. "And yet, for some reason, I believe you."

He glances down at his own hands. "So what, should I set myself on fire to feel what you felt?"

Liam, who still has one arm looped around Arthur’s neck and the other palm steady against his chest, pats him again. Once. Twice.

"As much as I’d love to see that," Liam says dryly, "I don’t think that’s how it works."

He smirks. "Otherwise Thea would’ve made us do it already."

Arthur snorts.

"Just imagine," Liam goes on, clearly enjoying this now.

"You set yourself on fire. I drown myself in the ocean or a pool. Julian buries himself underground."

He pauses, then adds, "And Maeve? What’s she gonna do? Bathe in sunlight?"

The mental image is so absurd that Arthur finally laughs properly.

For a brief moment, the fear loosens its grip.

"Hey!" Liam suddenly straightens, eyes lighting up as if struck by a sudden epiphany.

"Why don’t you try it?"

Arthur blinks. "Try what?"

"Dipping your feet in the water," Liam says eagerly. "I mean it. It might help. It might give you something similar to what I felt."

Arthur looks at him, unimpressed.

"Liam, I don’t know if you’ve noticed," he says flatly, "but I’m Fire. Not Water."

"So?" Liam grins. "That’s even more reason to try it."

Before Arthur can protest further, Liam grabs his arm and starts half dragging him toward the shoreline.

"Hey, Liam. Stop" Arthur resists, but not very hard.

A few nearby officers notice the scene and exchange looks, some shaking their heads, others suppressing smiles.

Strange people, these Rhaenas.

Even the way they worry is strange.

------------------------------

"You’re not real," Theo says firmly.

He plants his feet, forcing the words out like an anchor. Saying it aloud helps. A little.

Aldric smiles.

It’s the same smile that has haunted Theo’s dreams for years. Soft. Warm. Familiar. Devastating.

"How would you know, my love," Aldric asks gently, "if you don’t touch me?"

He takes a step closer and extends his hand, palm up.

"Here," he says softly. "Take my hand. Touch me."

Theo takes a step back.

His heart is pounding now, loud in his ears. His thoughts are racing, colliding into each other. He knows this isn’t real. He knows it. And yet, the image is perfect. Too perfect.

When did this start?

How long have I been seeing this?

His body turns cold, dread crawling up his spine.

Is the Dungeon King really dead?

Or was that just another illusion?

Theo clenches his fists.

I have to snap out of it.

Aldric watches his expression shift. The frown. The hesitation. The fear.

He smiles knowingly.

"Ah," Aldric murmurs. "So you’re thinking this isn’t real. That this is all just an illusion."

He nods slowly as he continues to approach, unhurried, one measured step at a time.

"You might be right."

Theo’s breath catches.

"In fact," Aldric continues, voice almost affectionate, "you are right. This is just an illusion. It’s all in your head."

He stops just short of Theo, eyes shining with something sharp and amused beneath the warmth.

Then he smiles gently. Lovingly.

"The question is, my love..."

He tilts his head.

"Since when?"

Aldric’s grin widens, unsettling and intimate all at once.

"Do you know?"