Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

The night flew and morning soon came. Kyle woke up to the soft chirping of birds outside the cottage window. Today was the day they returned to the academy.

Kyle looked around and saw that his teammates were still fast asleep. He quietly got up from the floor, so as not to wake anyone up before he stepped outside.

The village was already alive with activity. Farmers were heading to the fields, children were playing near the well, and the scent of freshly baked bread spread through the air. A deep sense of contentment filled him as he took in the scene.

Henrick spotted him and waved. "Good morning, Kyle. I hope you and your team rested well."

"We did. Thank you," Kyle replied, walking over. "I smell something good and I think my team will wake up to the smell soon. Is it breakfast?"

Henrick chuckled. "It should be. The women are preparing a little feast to see you off. It's the least we can do after all you've done for us."

Kyle nodded in gratitude. "You've all been too kind."

A few minutes later, the rest of the team emerged from the cottage, yawning and stretching. Lina was the first to comment. "What's that smell? Is that bread?"

"Probably," Zara said and rubbed her eyes. "Let's hope they're as generous with breakfast as they were last night."

The team gathered in the square, where a long table had been set up, laden with bread, fruits, and various dishes. The villagers joined them, and the breakfast became a lively affair.

Children darted around the table, sneaking extra pieces of bread, while the adults exchanged stories with Kyle's team.

Even Void joined in, much to the children's delight. Though initially cautious around the dragon, the kids had grown bolder with him after last night's festivities. They fed him scraps of meat, laughing when he let out small puffs of smoke in approval.

As the meal came to an end, Kyle stood up and addressed the villagers. "Thank you for your hospitality and kindness. We'll never forget our time here. But it's time for us to return to the academy."

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A murmur of sadness spread through the crowd, but Henrick stepped forward and clasped Kyle's hand. "You'll always have a home here, Kyle. All of you. Windrest will never forget what you've done for us."

Kyle nodded and his chest tightened with emotion. "I'll be back someday. I promise."

The team returned to the cottage to pack their belongings. Once everything was ready, they gathered in the square, where the villagers had assembled to see them off.

With final goodbyes exchanged, the team retrieved the return stone that had been given to them before the mission. Each of them placed a hand on it, channeling their mana simultaneously. This caused the stone to crack and a surge of gray energy enveloped them.

Kyle took one last look at the village as the energy swirled around them. The faces of the villagers, the warmth of their smiles, and the bond they had formed—he burned it all into his memory.

And then they were gone.

**

The gray energy dissipated, and Kyle and his team found themselves standing in the mission hall of the academy. The room was massive, with high ceilings and glowing crystal panels lining the walls. A large portal stood behind them, its surface rippling like water.

Kyle took a moment to orient himself. The teleportation felt strange, disorienting but not as unpleasant as before. He glanced around, wondering the magic behind how they had arrived here.

"What kind of technology even is this?" Zara wondered out loud.

Finn shrugged. "It should have something to do with that gray energy that left the stone."

Kyle was about to reply when Lina's excited voice interrupted him. "We're back! Finally!"

The group's chatter was cut short when a woman approached them. She was dressed in the academy's official robes—deep blue with silver trim, and on her hand was a clipboard. Her sharp eyes scanned the group as she stopped before them.

"Mission complete or aborted?"

"Completed," Kyle said confidently.

She motioned for them to follow her. "Come with me. We need to document your mission report."

She led them down a long corridor, and at the end of the hallway was a door marked Mission Submission Office.

Inside, the office was surprisingly simple. A large desk dominated the room, piled high with papers and folders. Behind it sat a man in his mid-fifties, his graying hair neatly combed. His robe was more ornate than the woman's, marked with gold accents that indicated his seniority.

He looked up as they entered, his expression curious. "Ah, the returning team. Hand me your mission slip."

Kyle stepped forward and presented the slip he'd been given before they left for Windrest. The man took it, studying the details carefully.

He hummed as he cross-checked the information with a set of logs on his desk. "You returned on your own?"

"Yes," Kyle confirmed.

The man frowned when he heard Kyle, not expecting such answer. "How is that possible? Your mission was to hold off the tide until reinforcements arrived. I've received no report of reinforcements being dispatched yet. How could you have completed the mission?"

"We eliminated the tide." Kyle said with a pride smile, earning a frozen expression from the man.

"You what?"

"We cleared the tide," Kyle repeated. "The mana beasts are no longer a threat to Windrest."

The man stared at him in disbelief. "That's… impossible. How did you—"

Kyle smiled, fully expecting to be questioned. He began explaining everything about their journey, from how they had handled the first wave of beasts to how he had sneaked out in the night.

He downplayed his actions to a great extent by omitting how him and Void had slain over a thousand beasts, rather, he used the same lie he had told his teammates, telling the man that he saw no beast apart from the Corrupted wolf.

He described how his teammates had come for back up on time, and how they had managed to slay the beast with some luck and a bit of skill.

Kyle wrapped everything off by reporting that the origin source had gone through its burst stage already and as such was no longer a threat to anyone.

When Kyle was done with his report. The man pondered quietly before he decided to pick up on a point he had head Kyle say. "None of the beasts you encountered in the forest had a core? Are you certain?"

"Positive," Kyle replied. "We searched thoroughly."

The man leaned back in his chair, processing the information once again. He wrote down some stuff and inwardly decided to send some staff to investigate that place.

"I also managed to find a beast," Kyle remembered and decided to add. His teammates already knew about Void and Kyle didn't trust them to keep it a secret so there was no harm spilling it out himself.

"He's bonded with me and he's here right now."

The man's gaze shifted downward, and for the first time, he noticed Void sitting calmly at Kyle's feet.

The man's eyes widened. "Is that… a dragon?" he considered but eventually shook the thought away. Unlike the others he knew that there wasn't any dragon left in the Zekkoa. Dragons were extinct but they were still creatures that looked like them, and this was probably one of them.

His eyes widened as he stated at the majestic figure of the creature before him. 'Dragon or not, these creatures are very powerful due to having a speck of draconic bloodline and this boy had seemingly found one in the forest.'

"It's not a dragon," the man stated, eliciting dussapointed looks from Kyle's teammates. 'But it's something special. It's more of a quasi-dragon, like a superior reptile. It's still rare nevertheless. Where did you find it?'

Void calmly stared at the man with a smile but his mind played various scenarios of how to deal with him. [What's that dude rambling about? He's comparing a beast of my stature with a reptile!]

Kyle tried to placid Void internally so as not to over react, reminding him that him being allowed to stay could depend on his behavior.

"I saved him from a trap in the forest. He's harmless—well, to us, anyway."

The man's shock was evident and he felt a twinge of jealousy within him. "Such a creature... in the forest. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"