The ground beneath him distorted slightly and for a brief moment reality itself seemed to misalign
—and then it happened
A memory surfaced
Not triggered by emotion
…but by pressure
A fragment from a previous life
A different world
A different body
Cold
Metal
A narrow underground space
Chains
Not physical chains
Rules
Limitations
A voice
"…adapt or be discarded…"
The memory flickered and vanished instantly
But something remained
A feeling
Familiarity
Neuro opened his eyes slowly
"…I've experienced this before"
The realization was not complete but it was enough
The pressure increased again
His body trembled slightly now not from fear but from the limit of current stability micro fractures formed within his internal mana flow
He did not correct them immediately
He observed them
Allowed them
Studied collapse as part of structure
"Pain is data…" he thought
Then something changed
The mist around him shifted violently
Not reacting randomly
Reacting to him
The field had recognized deviation
Pressure spiked again but this time it was focused
Targeted
As if the environment itself was attempting to correct an anomaly
A normal individual would now be forced to their knees
Neuro smiled faintly
A small almost invisible expression
Not joy
Not madness in the common sense
…but something far more dangerous
Acceptance
He stepped forward again
Forcing deeper entry into the field
The pressure surged beyond his current capacity