I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 244: Second Self

The search and rescue operation has only been underway for about thirty minutes when the sea suddenly erupts.

Water sprays upward in a violent burst.

"Watch out!" one officer shouts, grabbing another by the arm and yanking him back.

The speed boats veer sharply, engines roaring as they scramble to create distance. Waves rock the vessels violently.

Beneath the surface, something pulses.

A deep glow flickers under the water, rising steadily toward them.

Captain Chambers braces himself, feet planted wide as the swell lifts his boat. He grips the railing and stares.

The surface breaks.

Stone emerges.

"A gate?" he mutters blankly. "From the ocean?"

"Captain, wouldn’t that be the gate the ocean dragged away last night?" an officer calls from the adjacent boat.

Captain Chambers snaps without looking at him. "How would I know? It might be. It might not be!"

Before anyone can respond, the stone arch pulses.

"Captain! It’s activating!" another officer shouts.

Captain Chambers turns fully toward it.

The gate flashes once.

Then it expels figures.

One after another.

Bodies spill out from the arch and drop onto the surface of the water, which somehow supports them long enough for the officers to react.

"Captain, it’s them!" someone yells.

Captain Chambers squints hard against the glare.

Arthur, Julian, Thea, Liam, Maeve, and Chief Lutherford. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The first three are conscious. Each of them is carrying someone.

"Move!" Captain Chambers roars. "Get them out of the water! Now!"

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

The door to the Rhaenas apartment opens and closes almost silently.

Claudia strides in with dramatic flair and announces at full volume, "Good news!"

All five members of Rhaenas turn toward her at once.

She spreads her arms like she is about to deliver a grand performance. "Rhaenas has officially earned the title of Concordia’s First Dungeon Response Team!"

Her grin is blinding. "And that’s not all. We have an absurd number of people trying to hire us. Nobles. Corporations. Even two city councils. I told all of them that Rhaenas is currently on break."

A week has passed since the St. Lucas gate incident.

Solarys has been in complete uproar ever since the news broke to the public.

A level eight mutated dungeon, one that Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit could not clear, had resulted in two casualties. Half of the officers who entered had fallen into a coma.

The other half eventually woke up, but most were ordered into strict medical leave. None were allowed to return to duty without explicit clearance from doctors.

Chief Lutherford regained consciousness the next day.

Her memories were fragmented. Decision making proved difficult. Solarys DEU placed her on mandatory leave and appointed Captain David Chambers as interim chief.

Lieutenant Cole and the other recovered officers were also put on leave.

For the first time in years, Solarys DEU stands effectively hollow. If another dungeon emergency arises, they must request assistance from neighboring cities.

Forty eight hours after Rhaenas exited the dungeon, a second wave of breaking news hit Solarys.

A five person team had cleared the level eight mutated dungeon that seventy seven trained DEU officers, who are essentially Sentinels, could not.

The press exploded.

The public argued.

Every news outlet discussed one name.

Rhaenas.

Who they are.

Where they came from.

How they did it.

This is where Claudia Monfort, Rhaenas’ manager, truly shines.

She blocks direct access to every member. Calls, messages, invitations, interviews. All of it funnels through her and her alone.

No one reaches Rhaenas without passing her first.

As a result, the team has enjoyed an unusually quiet week of rest and recovery.

Arthur and Julian’s injuries were not severe. Theo healed them fully.

Maeve and Liam did not suffer significant physical damage either.

It took Theo less than a day to restore them completely.

They have not trained.

They have not accepted missions.

They have done nothing for seven days.

And not a single one of them complains.

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

"How is that good news?" Julian asks.

"What do you mean?" Claudia shoots back, still smiling.

"Well, Rhaenas as the official... what did you say? Dungeon Response Team? What is that supposed to mean?" Julian asks, frowning.

Claudia’s smile does not falter. "Exactly what the title says. Dungeon Response Team. The one they call when there’s a dungeon they cannot clear. Just like St. Lucas."

She folds her arms proudly.

"There’s more. The city is awarding Rhaenas the Concordia Civic Honor. You know what that is, right? The highest recognition a citizen can receive from the government."

Her eyes shine.

"You guys have to go on stage and everything. There’s going to be a recognition ceremony. A huge one. The governor, officials, press. It’s a big deal!"

The five members of Rhaenas exchange glances.

None of them look remotely as excited as Claudia.

Julian shrugs. "Meh." He goes back to reading his comic book.

Arthur returns to typing on his laptop.

Liam resumes watching his cartoon.

Maeve lowers her gaze back to her knitting.

And Theo?

Theo continues staring out the window, silent.

Claudia visibly deflates.

"What is this?" she asks, bewildered. "Why aren’t you more excited? I thought this would make you feel more alive."

No one answers.

She slumps onto the sofa, pouting. "You guys have been lifeless since clearing that dungeon. I don’t understand."

Arthur glances at her.

He closes his laptop.

He stands and drags a chair over, sitting in front of her.

"Claudia, I’m sorry," he says gently. "You’ve been an amazing manager. Because of you, we had the quiet week we desperately needed."

He rubs the back of his neck.

"That being said... as you’ve noticed, we’re still shaken from the last dungeon. It’s not physical, Claude."

He leans back and exhales slowly.

"We’re mentally exhausted. Drained. And it takes more than a civic honor to excite us right now."

He pauses.

"If you ask any of us what would excite us... the answer is we don’t know."

His voice softens.

"We really don’t know, Claude."

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

Arthur closes the door to his room with a soft click.

He remains facing it for a moment before reaching to tap the touch panel beside the frame. The lights flick on.

He inhales slowly.

Then turns around.

Carefully.

As if expecting someone to already be there.

When he sees nothing unusual, he exhales in relief.

This past week has not been easy for him. And he had not lied to Claudia.

They are exhausted.

At least he is.

He walks to the bathroom and turns on the lights there as well.

Fifteen minutes later, he steps out with a towel wrapped around his waist, another towel rubbing through his damp hair.

He takes two steps into the room.

And stops.

Dead still.

Another Arthur stands in the middle of the room.

Looking at him.

Smiling.

Arthur swallows.

He knows this second Arthur is not real.

It is his hallucination.