Born in Another World With Two E Rank Skills!?

Morning light filtered through the window, casting soft golden hues across the room as Kael stirred awake. He rubbed the remnants of sleep from his eyes and sat up, stretching before sliding out of bed. The smell of something savory reached him almost immediately, making his stomach grumble. He quickly got dressed, pulling on his clothes with practiced ease, and made his way to the kitchen.

He was halfway through wondering what he could cook when he spotted Garron and Elira already at the stove. The sound of sizzling filled the space, and the unmistakable smell of bacon and eggs hung thick in the air.

"You beat me to it," Kael said with a small smile. "Thanks for making breakfast."

"No problem," Garron said, flipping some eggs onto a plate. "You've been through a lot lately. We figured we'd let you sleep in."

Kael chuckled. "Where's Mira?"

"Still out cold," Elira replied, smirking. "She always does this. First night home, she sleeps like a rock."

As if summoned by her name, Mira shuffled into the room. Her hair was still tousled from sleep, but she was already wearing her usual clothes. She blinked at them all, clearly still waking up.

Kael's eyes softened as he remembered the moment last night—the way she'd hugged him when he'd been shaken from the nightmare. He smiled at her without thinking.

Mira saw the smile and, though still drowsy, smiled back. A soft blush crept into her cheeks.

Garron and Elira exchanged a knowing glance, and Garron grinned. "Look at these two. Can't even glance at each other without turning red."

Elira chuckled. "Seriously, you'd think we were watching a romance play."

Mira's blush deepened as she shot them a glare. "You two are the worst."

Kael turned red as well, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. And yet… it felt warm. Familiar. Like when his parents used to embarrass his sister back home. That soft, bittersweet ache of family tugged at his chest.

Breakfast passed in comfort and teasing, and afterward, the group made their way to the Velis Arcanum Academy. The crisp breeze of the capital greeted them, and Kael took in the familiar spires and shimmering magical wards with a quiet sense of returning.

As they passed through the gates, the atmosphere shifted.

Whispers rippled through the students as the Headmaster, Dalen Velis, stood waiting at the academy's front steps.

"Kael," Dalen greeted him with a nod. "Come with me. Your schedule has changed."

Kael blinked. "What about my other classes?"

Dalen raised a brow. "Most of them won't help you now. Not if you truly want to learn more about being Unbound… or the potential of Omni-Vision."

The words hit him like a jolt. Kael looked toward Mira, uncertain.

She gave him an encouraging smile, though her eyes shimmered with emotion. "Go. I know you want to grow stronger… and you will. I'll see you at lunch."

He hesitated only a second more before nodding. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

With that, he followed Dalen through the halls of the academy. They walked in silence until they reached the headmaster's office.

Dalen walked to the tall bookshelf behind his desk and placed his hand against it. With a soft rumble, the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a hidden passage.

Kael's eyes widened.

They stepped into a stairwell lit by glowing crystals embedded in the stone walls. At the bottom, a circular chamber opened up. Shelves lined the walls, but unlike the tidy rows of the academy library, these were locked behind metal cages, and strange symbols glowed faintly on the bindings of books and objects alike.

"What is this place?" Kael asked.

"Some call it the Vault," Dalen said. "Most of what's here is forbidden knowledge, dangerous artifacts, or relics from before the Purge. None of it matters to you yet… but someday, perhaps."

Kael stared at one cage where a sword floated in the air, pulsing with a dark red light. He felt drawn to it, but tore his gaze away.

They continued on, passing into a smaller, quieter room. A round table stood in the center, stacked with aged parchments and bound tomes, the air thick with the scent of ink and magic.

"Sit," Dalen said.

Kael sat across from him, eyeing the spread of materials.

"Start reading," the headmaster said. "If you don't understand something, I'll help. We're no longer teacher and student in the traditional sense. Think of this as apprenticeship… or something older still."

Kael nodded slowly and picked up a sheet of parchment. Symbols danced across the page—at first, nonsense. Then… comprehension bloomed.

His eyes widened as the meaning unraveled.

Thought-echo magic.

Leyline pattern fractures.

The Path of the Unbound.

Kael leaned closer, his fingers trembling slightly as he turned the page. These weren't just lessons. This was truth, the kind only a handful of people were ever meant to know.

And he was one of them.