I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 272: Seeing is Believing

Alicia doesn’t know what to think.

Her mind is racing, and her heart is pounding loudly in her chest. So loud, she briefly wonders if Theo can hear it.

And Theo is looking at her.

Waiting.

She doesn’t know what he’s waiting for.

Alicia believes she possesses a very strong logical mind. Even Alex used to comment on it often. And right now, her brain is working in overdrive, trying to find a logical explanation for what she just saw.

But it shouldn’t surprise her if she finds nothing logical about it.

Still, she refuses to give up.

She wants to try again.

She needs to try again.

She owes that to her logical self.

She takes a deep breath and blinks at Theo, thinking carefully about what to say.

"Can... can you show it to me again?"

She notices that Theo is taken off guard.

Good.

You didn’t expect me to say that, did you?

A small spark of satisfaction lights up inside her.

A little revenge.

Alicia does a tiny victory dance inside her head.

It feels good.

"See it again? You want me to summon fire again?" Theo asks, confirming.

It’s called summoning?

"Yes, please," she replies politely.

Her composure has returned after that little mental victory dance.

Theo does as she asks.

But this time, the fire does not change shape. It simply wraps around his hand like a glowing glove.

Alicia gasps.

She stares at it for several seconds before realizing something strange.

She doesn’t feel the usual heat that fire radiates.

She looks at Theo, confused.

Theo notices immediately.

"What?"

"It’s not hot," Alicia states.

Theo raises an eyebrow.

"The fire? Yes, it’s not hot. I don’t want it to burn my hand."

"How can fire not be hot?" Alicia’s mind starts racing again.

"And it doesn’t burn your hand."

She steps closer, her hand slowly lifting.

"Can I touch it?" Alicia asks curiously.

Theo smiles faintly.

He nods.

"Sure."

Alicia raises her hand and slowly moves it closer and closer to the fire.

As her fingers approach the flames, she still feels no heat.

So it’s true.

It’s not hot.

How can fire not be hot?

Alicia’s mind struggles to process it.

"Here," Theo says.

He gently takes Alicia’s hand with his left hand and moves the fire onto her palm.

"Oh..."

Alicia exhales in amazement.

Her eyes widen so much they look like saucers.

She is so fascinated that her mind finally stops trying to analyze.

It goes quiet.

She looks like a child seeing a toy for the very first time.

Theo unconsciously exhales in relief.

Alicia chuckles softly.

It sounds very much like the laugh of an excited little girl.

Theo smiles along with her.

They remain like that for a few minutes before Theo extinguishes the fire. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Alicia watches the flames disappear in awe.

"How do you do that?"

"Magic," Theo answers simply.

"You can do magic?" she asks quietly.

She slowly sits down on the edge of the bed without realizing it.

"Yes."

She looks up at Theo.

"How?"

Theo takes a deep breath.

"Do you know that magic used to exist in Altheon? A long time ago?" he asks.

"But that’s just a myth. A lore. A legend," Alicia replies automatically.

Then her eyes widen slightly.

"It’s not real..."

She looks at Theo.

"...It is real, isn’t it?"

Theo chuckles faintly. "It very much is."

Alicia is thinking.

"So, I was right. You did magic in the dungeon," she says as the realization settles in. "That’s how you cleared the dungeon!"

She looks pleased that the pieces finally click together.

She has been wondering for a while how Rhaenas could be so powerful. Now she knows, and the answer satisfies her.

"That’s why you don’t want to clear dungeons with other teams. Rhaenas always wants to go alone. Now it makes sense. I thought it was because you were trying to stay mysterious. You know, one of the selling points."

She laughs.

"Well, it kinda is, isn’t it?"

Theo watches her in amazement.

Her mind does not break.

She can accept it.

"You believe it? Magic, I mean," Theo asks, wanting to be sure.

"Honestly, I don’t know what to think or believe," Alicia admits. "I’ve seen what you did, and I can’t find a logical scientific explanation for it. So right now, the safest way for my brain to keep functioning is to accept it as magic."

She grins.

"It’s simpler. Easier for my sanity."

They laugh.

"I wish I knew how to do magic," Alicia exhales, slightly pouting.

"Why? So you can be more powerful? Being a Sentinel is already powerful, you know," Theo asks.

"Yeah, true. But a Sentinel can only do so much. You were in the dungeon. You were stabbed repeatedly, and yet you’re not dead. I assume it must be because of magic, right?"

Theo is stunned.

How can I forget?

How can I explain to her that I survived because of her brother?

Can she accept that?

Alicia is also slightly stunned.

She wonders why Theo suddenly goes quiet.

"Thea?" she asks.

She never thought that she would enjoy talking like this with another girl. And she’s only sixteen. But she is very mature for sixteen. Most of the time, Alicia forgets that Thea Montrose is only sixteen years old. Barely a young adult.

She’s not supposed to be fighting like this. And yet she’s here. More powerful than other adults and Sentinels Alicia knows.

Is this the price for power?

She cannot help but feel a little pity for Thea Montrose.

"Thea?" she calls again, gently nudging him.

"Huh? Sorry, I wasn’t listening." Theo looks serious.

"It’s okay. Are you okay?" Alicia asks.

It takes Theo a while to respond.

He takes a deep breath.

"Yeah, I’m okay."

"You look troubled. Is there anything I can do?" Alicia asks. She suddenly has the urge to hug him and protect him.

"I am. Just tired."

A pause.

"Also... troubled."

Theo looks at Alicia very seriously.

"There’s something I need to tell you."