Nothing in the mansion had changed.
The same white walls, the same long corridors, the same heavy silence that never truly disappeared.
But for Neuro, everything was new.
In the first days after his birth, nothing important happened.
Time simply passed slowly.
Servants entered and left quietly.
They took care of him as they would with any other child of the family.
But every time one of them approached…
They paused for a brief second.
Not out of fear.
Just a strange feeling.
Neuro did not move much.
He did not cry like other children.
He did not seek attention.
He simply opened his eyes… and looked.
Not at people.
But as if he was looking through them.
Days passed.
Inside the mansion, life continued normally.
The older children trained.
Their footsteps, movements, and the voices of instructors could sometimes be heard from afar.
One day, the door was slightly open.
From where he lay, Neuro could see part of the training yard.
Children stood in lines.
Trying to sense mana.
Some failed.
Some barely succeeded.
Neuro watched in silence.
He was not surprised.
Not interested.
He simply noticed the difference.
"Stage 1 Beginner…"
The thought passed quietly through his mind.
He did not say it out loud.
He simply knew.
Then he closed his eyes.
Not because he was tired.
But because nothing there interested him.
Elsewhere in the mansion…
His father stood watching from above.
He wasn't looking at the children.
He was thinking.
"Stage 3… from birth."
The thought did not leave him.
Not because he had never seen talent before.
But because this was not just talent.
He moved slowly.
Then stopped.
And looked toward the child's room.
Inside, Neuro opened his eyes.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As if he had felt something.
It was not pressure.
Not danger.
But a presence.
He did not move.
He simply looked toward the door.
After a moment, someone passed by.
Then disappeared.
Silence returned.
Neuro closed his eyes again.
A simple thought remained:
"There are stronger people here…"
He felt no fear.
No excitement.
Just observation.
Outside, his father paused briefly.
Then continued walking.
He did not enter.
But he was certain of one thing:
"This child… sees too much."