The Golden Prodigy

Kael woke that morning with a singular focus: to cultivate strength. He knew the path to survival in this brutal world needed power. So his immediate priorities were clear: master the art of walking, learn the local tongue, and unlock the secrets of his own potential.

For normal babies, these would take years—for Kael, they were urgent goals.

At night, Kael would begin his training. His first attempts at standing were humiliating failures. His legs would trembled beneath him like jelly, and will collapse after mere seconds. Frustration burned through him—he had once memorized entire medical textbooks, yet now couldn't even control his own limbs.

"Pathetic," he thought after falling for the twentieth time. But his drive pushed him forward.

He began using the crib bars as support,

gripping the wood as he pulled himself up. Progress was slow but steady. Five seconds standing became ten, then thirty. When he could balance well, he tried taking steps while holding the bars.

During the day when left alone , he would practice harder. He discovered that the wall beside his crib made an excellent support, allowing him to inch his way around the room. Each session left him tired, his baby muscles burning, but he kept improving.

Kael developed a simple baby exercise plan. He practiced raising and lowering his limbs, holding positions to build core strength, and even tried sit-ups by grabbing his toes and pulling himself foward. Maids who saw him thought these were cute baby movements, never guessing his planned training.

Eating was another challenge. The food in this world was nothing like the flavors he remembered from Earth. His initial instinct had been to reject it, spitting it out with disgust. But his medical knowledge reminded him that proper nutrition was essential for development.

"This must have nutrients," he reasoned, eating every bit. "Maybe even magic that helps growth." He ate so eagerly it surprised the nursemaids.

Lady Elyra was amazed by her son's appetite. He now sucks milk up to fifteen hours daily. "He's always hungry," she told midwives. She tried limiting his feeding time—a battle of wills that Kael usually won through strategic crying.

The results of his nutritional strategy soon became evident. His body grew denser, not with baby fat but with muscle . The maids began to complain about his weight when they attempted to lift him.

"By the gods, this child is heavy as stone!" one exclaimed, her arms straining. "It's like carrying a sack of iron, not a baby!"

Even Lady Elyra couldn't hold him long, often passing him to stronger servants. Kael noted their reactions with pride—proof his plan worked.

With his body growing well, Kael focused on language. During the day, he listened to maids talking, noting words, grammar, and pronunciation. He practiced silently, forming words with his mouth when alone, preparing his vocal cords for eventual speech.

But listening to the maids speak wasn't

helping him to master the language faster.

So at night, when everyone slept, Kael would climb out of his crib and move through the quiet halls of the estate, hiding from guards and servants then trip to the library.

In the vast library, Lit only by moonlight streaming through tall windows, Kael would pull down books from the lowest shelves. He studied the alphabet first, connecting the strange symbols to the sounds he'd heard. Next came basic vocabulary, grammar, and eventually literature and poetry.

"I'll become the Shakespeare of this world," he thought with grim amusement as he memorized poetic forms and literary devices.

After a month of relentless effort, Kael had accomplished his initial goals. He could walk without support, had mastered the fundamentals of the language, and his body had developed far beyond normal infant capabilities. The time had come to reveal his abilities and claim his freedom.

His chance came one morning as Lady Elyra fed him. Several maids worked nearby. Kael had been sucking the milk for nearly eight hours, and when he suddenly stopped, his mother smiled with relief.

"Finally satisfied, my little glutton?" she smiled, adjusting her gown.

Kael looked directly into her eyes, his golden irises gleaming in the morning light. With perfect clarity, he spoke his first words in this world: "It's really delicious, Mother."

The room went silent. A maid dropped a folded blanket. Another gasped her hand flying to her mouth. Lady Elyra's face drained of color, her hands beginning to tremble as she stared at her infant son.

"W-what did you say, Kael?" she stammered.

Kael smiled, enjoying the theatrical moment. "Mother, you are beautiful," he said, his voice clear and sweet, his pronunciation too perfect for a child his age.

Lady Elyra's eyes filled with tears. She held Kael close, crying with both joy and fear. The maids looked at each other, some making protective signs against evil.

"A miracle," whispered an older maid.

Kael stayed quiet, letting the shock spread through the house. He thought with pride: "I've only just begun."

The next morning brought another surprise. A young maid found Kael standing beside his crib, taking careful steps. Her scream brought other servants running.

The following morning brought the second revelation. A young maid entered his room to find Kael not in his crib but exercising and walking. Her scream echoed through the corridors as she fled in terror, returning moments later with a group of skeptical senior servants.

"The child walks!" she insisted, pointing with a trembling finger.

"Nonsense," scoffed the head nursemaid. "He's barely four months old. No child could—"

Her words died in her throat as Kael, meeting her gaze with his golden eyes, perfectly took three steps toward her. The woman stumbled backward, nearly falling in her shock.

Word spread through the estate like wildfire. By midday, Lady Elyra found herself surrounded by noble ladies, all asking to know her secret.

"It's a special mothering technique," she claimed, enjoying their envy while shooting confused glances at her son. "Passed down through generations of my maternal line."

Kael watched the interactions with amusement. Humans were the same in any world—quick to claim credit for extraordinary events they couldn't explain.

Within days, stories of the golden-eyed wonder spread beyond the estate to the whole Ardent city. Some called it a blessing, proof of his greatness. While others, more suspicious said it was possession or dark magic.

For Kael, the best result was freedom. No one carried the "heavy baby" unless needed. No more crib. For the first time since rebirth, he could move freely, explore as he wished.

"Like a prisoner released," he thought as he walked the halls of his new home, already planning his next steps toward power.