The earliest thing he could remember was the book. No, that wasn't quite it, but Kenneth had difficulty recalling. He gave himself a minute, and then it came to him clearly.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOwvRdaYCu
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KEEUkjSG0
Kenneth remembered a building, a grand one in the middle of his home village. It was a church, the Church of the Buffalo. It was on an elevation of two-hundred feet and was five miles from the shore– hardly anything, he's come to realize. He remembered the town having abundant greenery and a gorgeous forest nearby. Of course, how could he forget the forest?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhkZSZ5bvK
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdaxGiCQ9V
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuDji8Hosz
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EcwlO81gm
He had just turned three years old. Kenneth was about thirty-two inches tall, which was considerably short for his age. Kenneth was wearing a black robe, akin to that of the priest's. He was standing next to said priest, who was giving a speech Kenneth couldn't remember. After the speech, his head was doused in warm, relaxing water, and then the attendees of the ceremony clapped. Kenneth was just officially declared a toddler. It may seem silly, but his village was small, so ceremonies for the young were held like this quite often. It was Kenneth's third birthday, he remembered. He ran over to his father and mother, and that was the first memory Kenneth could retain of them. His father looked sick, his mother looked guilty.
From this point on, Kenneth could recall it effortlessly.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHadhi2zjFs
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkzcApdgT6
When Kenneth returned home, he was treated to a dish of kind words and a refreshing meal. He was only three, but he had such a big appetite already. His father was away from the table. Kenneth just sat with his mom.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqytGi80pgZ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiaqbkfin3
"Happy birthday, Kenny."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ROU0DHJBJ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3ptvpuqgv
"Mm?" Kenny hummed with a slice of bread stuffed into his mouth. "Mm! Thank you!" Though it was hard to hear, her mother smiled. She was a nice lady, brown hair and green eyes. Kenneth loved her. He loved how her mother made great food. But Kenneth always thought that she looked too old to be his mom, maybe his grandmother.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFTJw29A0d
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDUkoE1wkE
Dad came back to them. He had a glass bottle in his hand. He looked tired, but Kenneth was smiling vigorously at him. He still didn't change out of his church robes. He sat at the table, slamming his empty bottle on it. He stared at Kenneth's mother, and then at Kenneth. He burped and said, "Happy birthday boy," and passed out on the spot.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vTXnn5NfH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm1T9JnTia
Those words were a lot coming from his father. Kenneth was told to rush to bed, and he did so cheerily. He did it so.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMCtOA4SLS
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rNO8OSFQG
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsoqKpZqtt
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGHM26PkE6
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CkpSgrMe2
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUuq28Ijz6
Customary to the tradition, Kenneth learned how to read and write now that he was a toddler. And he was quite good at it, he soon found. By this time, he was already writing cohesive sentences, and he read every bedtime story in the big folklore book in just a day. Kenneth loved to read, but he loved another thing more: the forest.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPgnCaP1rk
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP77qIwQXh
Kenneth's house was closest to the Blooming Biomes, a gorgeous forest near the village. Kenneth's room had a window placed perfectly for him to gawk at the forest. It wasn't a dense forest either, so he could see the magical plant life there too. Some of it moved, and some of it released spores, but Kenny marveled at it all the same. Kenneth loved looking at that forest so much that his dad forbade him from going to his room throughout the day. So Kenneth, the smart child that he was, went to the forest.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXZhj8mmNE
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmKbZowCed
His mother stopped him immediately during his first attempt. He couldn't even make it ten feet out the door. Kenneth protested, but his mother explained that the forest was "dangerous and filled with wild beasts." Kenneth didn't believe her, of course. Kenneth spent all day looking at that forest, and he knew wild beasts weren't there.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDUl80VrEr
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjuiWvXdSS
On his second attempt, Kenneth made it past the rickety fence surrounding the house. His dad picked him up this time, and he fiercely slapped Kenneth. That was the first time that Kenneth could remember himself crying. His mother was furious, but his father apologized and hugged Kenny. Of course, Kenny was satisfied with that, but he was a smart child, and he knew he could get more out of it. So Kenneth tried to pressure his father to let him into the forest. His father almost slapped him again. Kenneth thought of it as progress.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCxSbdbCUG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMUCa1gy1e
Kenneth's third attempt was much more successful. His father caught him trying to jump out the window. Kenneth didn't account for the fall, and he plummeted with teary eyes, but his father was right there, frowning.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJ1BrHakO8
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlaOHWEwFz
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFnerMMthO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMmnjAN2VS
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5KnYYnpTn
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIapw4dlqa4
Kenneth's fourth attempt wasn't interrupted by anybody. He managed to do it, to finally do it; he was in the woods. Kenneth frolicked around and gazed at the scenery like a dumb drooling moron. He hugged the trees, tickled the flowers, and even pulled one out of its stock before he was hit with a spore that made him cough and wheeze. Kenneth decided against randomly pulling on plants. Kenneth ventured further into the forest, and he swore that it grew more and more beautiful with each step. Even the grass had a sparkly tint to it. Kenneth loved it. But something went awry.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXRPekAZkP
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jbgENog4g
Kenneth tripped on a large root he didn't see. He scraped his knee, but Kenneth managed to suppress his tears. His father's given him worse after all. He rested against the nearby tree. Though it hurt, once he raised his head from the wound, his joy washed the pain away. The forest was that majestic.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxZ4XehcyQ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1JeZD0M9N
Then out came an animal. It wasn't very big. In fact, Kenneth thought it looked familiar. It was like one of the farm animals his neighbor kept around, but it had long curvy teeth coming from its mouth that pointed to the sky, and it had a lot of brown furs. It looked at Kenneth, and Kenneth smiled. And then Kenneth was forced to roll away.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuH2RlQfqE
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlNDoD50IF
The boar hit his snout on the tree, dazing the beast for just long enough for Kenneth to get on his feet and haul ass. But he tripped again on a different root. This time, Kenneth cried. The beast inched nearer and nearer and Kenneth's scratch grew to a disgusting flow of blood. Kenneth crawled away screaming but the beast kept approaching. Kenneth's pants became damp. But a miracle happened. The boar stepped forward and forward, and after hearing a snap of a branch, a great purple something emerged from the ground. It resembled the maw of a great dragon, but its eyes were missing and it was roughly the size of Kenneth himself. The boar stepped back in shock, but before it could make any distance, the boar's head had been bitten off. The maw retracted into the ground. Kenneth couldn't move. Ten minutes later he slowly crawled to the hole that was made. It wasn't a hole, he realized. It was a set of four large leaves, parallel and perpendicular to one another, and in the middle of these leaves were blue sparkles. Kenneth knew better than not to touch it. Kenneth smiled with glee, got up, and ran home.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2e5sJgNsP
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q0a5My2dk
Two things happened that day. Kenneth discovered mana, and Kenneth discovered magical plants. He was running back home excited, but a loud ruckus coming from the home prevented him from entering the front door. It was his mother and father. They were screaming and crying. Kenneth waited until they stopped, and it did when he heard a slap. He didn't know who it was from.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eyCB5vVdh
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQc521qThd8
The next instance Kenneth cared to remember was when he turned four. Kenneth somehow hadn't been caught sneaking out into the woods, but something of his had been found. His mother was in his room, holding a notebook in her hand that Kenneth was all too familiar with. He turned to run away but was grabbed by the back of his shirt before he could.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xHioesr7k
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsX21vFzP9Z
"What is this, Kenny?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdNHSGBVYG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D7uQvWqRs
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTwcw22YhQ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLhfOJLb4u
Kenneth decided to tell his mom a half-truth. Maybe he could escape a beating that way, he thought. His mother opened the book and flipped straight to the crummy illustration of the purple plant that killed the boar.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80jSgF8LH5
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6nwViNAVy
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fppGXWEPF
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzJxSy4Oi6
It was no use avoiding it now. Kenneth told his mother that, for the past six months, he has been going into the Blooming Biome and studying the magical plant life there. As well as a kid his age could, anyway. Though Kenny expected to be slapped, that didn't happen.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSvvP6lojf
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPe99ca9WXx
"Christina, do you know what this means?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOqVKALiy7
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZk5PlnR9ph
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImsvLEp2R3
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbReRhwb2tq
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWv0DVKT2Ha
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ872Bijd0LZ
Kenneth's mom nodded. Kenneth didn't understand what was going on, but the two of them were smiling and that had to be good.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOPJzQiTyv
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It was.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrS5LT9dZ39
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9hhhI7luq
A week later, Kenneth's father presented him with what could best be described as a tome. Kenneth didn't ask where they got it, because he was having a hard time even lifting the thing. His father explained to him that it was a book of magical plants and alchemy. Kenneth had no idea what the second word meant but he didn't care. He just received a big new book to read.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBC4eq1A1g
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBYus3HQzm
It took Kenneth a month to read the book. Another month was spent reading it again. Kenneth tried to sneak out again but his parents had been keeping an exceptionally watchful eye, so it was impossible. Kenneth didn't mind though, because this book was the greatest thing that has ever happened to him. He didn't know any of this 'alchemy' stuff, but the plants, oh the plants. He recognized the few he's seen in the woods, like the spore one, or the purple one, or the one that occasionally shoots out blazing beams of light, or the ones that make him vomit. But there were so, so many that Kenneth didn't know about, or could've even dreamt about. Most of them were at much higher elevations, but that was fine because King's Peak was easy to traverse anyway. He saw gorgeous illustrations resembling beasts more than plants, and each picture carried an ungodly amount of information. Uses, known habitats, behaviors if they had any, risks, stories of their discovery. Kenny spent all day in his room, just reading about this stuff, over and over. His parents had to take away the book for a week.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLdN2lNEz1
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey0oZxI2z8
During that week though Kenny managed to sneak out of the house. It seemed that all the time he spent in his room reading made his parent's security lax. He ventured into the forest with his journal, now filled with plagiarisation from the book both text and picture, and attempted to connect each plant he saw with an illustration. Now that he was older traveling the forest was much easier, and Kenneth learned to bring a weapon with him this time. He had a small hunting knife in a sheath in his pocket. He discovered that he could also use the knife to take some of the plants he saw with him, but he made sure they didn't shoot out any spores before he did. He kept the retrieved plants in his other pocket. It was fine for a while until his pants became wet. Not from himself this time, but from the plants. He took them out and they were all leaking a clear fluid. It was clear but it was sparkly, much like the rest of the forest. Kenneth didn't have any cup with him, so he improvised and took the knife out of its sheath and used that to store the liquid. He ran home, forsaking the plants and the knife, and snuck in.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwq1WY6yzU
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPIqvVOH3n
His parents still weren't home though. Kenneth usually wouldn't pay that any heed, but there was broken glass in the kitchen and small red liquid on the floor.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wvsAbsZom
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"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkATeXAbPwb
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Kenneth ran upstairs.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNCjtEt4ac
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Kenneth spent the next week experimenting with the liquid. He relocated it to a small glass cup and tested it out. He didn't want to taste it quite yet since he knew that was dangerous, but he did touch it. It felt cold, even after being in his room for so long. It amazed Kenneth. Kenneth then spent time putting different things into the cup. Grass, food, a few of his clothes, sometimes his own urine, metal, and by some miracle, fire. Nothing ever came of it though. It satisfied Kenneth for a while, but ultimately, he thought it was a dud. He kept the glass around. It made him feel nice.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy86G5yWhk9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWp9tN3euG
In a month's time, something exciting happened to Kenneth. His birthday was just a few days away but before any celebration or presents, his father sat him down outside. This had never happened before, so it made Kenny die with anticipation.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAflzg4BDdK
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIgUNhyZS2
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWVzf7WYYM
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Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuqnsBQJVt
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"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmlBUn3wkr
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunk7EdaOZX
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24fPt7qgGB
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dJwFCN6Bt
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8DB4zaGSS
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58XgqmG43p
That was when Kenneth's life began.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpkdNhGNzM
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4q8KsH6fE9
His father taught him the basics: how mana was the essence creatures manipulated to conjure objects and tinker with the world. Fire, water, earth, and wind would all be conjured, and in the right circumstances, they could be manipulated as well. His father also explained how combinations could occur but he glossed over it. His father told him alchemy was the mana manipulation of chemicals, magical or not, and that it took a very skilled user of mana to achieve success in alchemy.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeToo5fKmA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWR3BGRVqGp
It was all Kenneth needed to hear before constantly nagging his dad about lessons. His fifth birthday rolled around and his father had bought him a basic alchemy kit, consisting of flasks, cylinders, syringes, and dropper bottles. Kenneth was unbelievably grateful that he practically ignored the new clothes his mother had bought for him. It was a white shirt with a grayish-blue vest, and a nice pair of gloves to go with it. It was meant for his alchemy, his mother explained. Kenneth loved his parents dearly that day.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj6BaVE3oK
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qCFCRRrWI
His lessons on mana manipulation were coming along steadily. Sometimes he would be beaten for failure, but Kenneth didn't care if it meant getting better. Three months passed, and after numerous bruises and fights between his parents later did Kenneth "graduate" from his father's lessons. The whole time though, Kenneth messed with alchemy, and really, he only needed his lessons for a few weeks. It mattered not though.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS0W43EiI4
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3FqsVPopo
Kenneth was an auspicious child. He mastered basic alchemy like matter state manipulation and chemical changing, but to him, that was all just chemistry. No, what Kenneth really, really wanted to mess around with were the plants in the forest. His parents didn't care if he was out and about anymore, so Kenneth took advantage of it. What was probably his hundredth trip was taken with new knowledge, his new clothes, and a new passion.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwDWrkEIVm
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdikTEf4NL
Kenneth brought bags with him, as well as a flask and a syringe. He had a belt where he could hook the flask and syringe and a cork lid to make sure the flask was shut. He put plants in the bag and any leak was put straight into the flask. He regretted only bringing one. He wanted the purest sample possible, after all. He still did have that syringe though, and since it was going to be such a small sample, he knew it had to come from a special plant.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Fj4Do5pEH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51N44gs1lm
Kenneth smiled. He knew that there was a special plant here, alright. He ventured further into the forest until he found four familiar leaves. The sparkles from all that time ago were gone now, but that didn't deter him. He crouched down and stuck his syringe into the middle. And all of a sudden, out popped the purple plant.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSmSvswBE7
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMnjIqSjiH
But Kenneth was ready for it. He reached for his knife holstered on his belt and cut the stem effortlessly. The maw fell to the ground, motionless, and Kenneth stuck its syringe into it. He also decided to take the head and one leaf for good measure.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sa90371Jp
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEAgaIfkmQ
It was a haul, and Kenneth couldn't be happier. He returned home ready to tell his parents of his discoveries. That didn't happen quite like how it should've. His mom stepped outside as he was five feet away. Kenneth opened his mouth to say hi, but she looked at him with ferocity. It was a face Kenneth never knew her mother could make.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH02aV9H5lR
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7A0WzKCJU
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn079pktkhG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPdPn3Fnf0
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r3Ri7dtqH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pHMLYkmAD
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqHwBFtgVL
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyG7HPT3yY
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54YeWKBWTd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2NacgplUa
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZlI7L4BmR
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfzlhsaJk4
Kenneth gulped. He let go of the bag and waddled towards his father. What he got was a soft pat on his head. Kenneth blushed in surprise.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qtCNUxzuK
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfV49lrTzU
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4YJTTOMpx
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgITwcEIlh9
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoFQ6gnGvb
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IqOeInE0C
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXguDE8Z3uO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIHvZAHYWi
It was in that laboratory where Kenny would enhance his skills for the next two years. The time flew by fast. Astonishingly fast, but Kenneth's growth showed it. According to his father, Kenneth had already become a grade-four alchemist. Kenneth had no idea what that meant but it made him happy, and it drove him to keep improving.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gZC5xJUCo
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUh3H6gpUJR
Usually, Kenneth would follow the book. He learned the mixtures and followed the instructions listed there, and after hours of practice, the results he received were even better than what the book described. He managed to make a fertility potion to grow the newly planted tree in an instant. He managed to create a healing potion which, according to his mother, healed a boy's broken arm instantly. He managed to even reconnect one of the cut plants he brought back to the soil, and now a spore-bloom was in his backyard. His father punched him for it and removed it, since it was making him sneeze.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1mLcMrmE8
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeywSQZxjfj
But, after a while, Kenneth ran out of instructions to follow in the book, and he already perfected each and every recipe. He asked his parents for a new one but they claimed the books were "too expensive these days". Kenneth was upset but he didn't protest, he just thought of new things to do. A night in his laboratory made him realize just how potent his mana manipulation had become, so much so that he could do it without thinking. He thought maybe to learn proper spells, such as those related to the four core elements but decided against it. He decided on something new entirely.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfC43mlDNAM
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What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbxgBO18e9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uq0tlAWTH
The next year Kenneth would learn to do just that. He mixed his alchemy and mana manipulation with the plants he would find in the wild. He made roots grow and shrivel just with mana, and he could even accelerate the growth and decay of plants. He soon learned to amplify the effects of the plants, such as how potent the spores were, or just how large and hot the light beams from the Light-Beam-Blossoms became. Ultimately though, he returned to alchemy, and that was because of one thing: the purple dragon-maw plant. He planted it back using one of his plant-revival potions but did it in a more remote location. The maw, for whatever reason, didn't react negatively to Kenneth. In fact, the maw begged for his attention. It would lick Kenneth from time to time, much like a dog did. Kenneth grew to cherish it.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOBKrPYn3a
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLOzw96Hhi
The plant itself seemed to be rare, as, according to the textbook, it was an "ancient species likely to be extinct." Obviously that wasn't the case, but Kenny didn't mind. That was because there were no alchemical procedures listed with the plant. All of it was free reign, like a sandbox, and Kenny took advantage of it. He mixed and matched substances and potions with the essence of the dragon-maw plant, all to varying degrees of effects. Sadly, Kenny burned through possible combinations too quickly. He had to leave the maw for the time being; he said his goodbyes.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg0jZXVXJ5
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFzTfggyDV
Kenny returned to the forest again to gather more plants. This time he ventured deeper than ever, hoping to find a species he hadn't encountered yet. It didn't happen. Instead, Kenny found another boar, but it was smaller than last time, most likely a child. Kenny left it alone, afraid that it might hurt him, and continued to go deeper into the woods. He turned back once the sun began to set. On his way back though, Kenny found an interesting sight.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAacurnWbG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9m7UCuDiF2
"...It's dead."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa28GkIy0x
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo41b1yH9Uc
The boar was lying on the ground, not in one piece, but in several. Its insides, few in quantity, were sprawled around the grass. The boar was practically hollow. All that was inside of its skin were bones. But for whatever reason, a single part of the boar was left out completely untouched: its heart.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW1TLPhn3k
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONSNEk5Wxk
Kenny didn't know what overcame him, but he reached for that heart and put it in the bag. He ran straight to his room and took out the syringe containing the essence of the dragon-maw plant. He stuck it into the heart. Nothing happened until he used mana manipulation.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOFu7WXLLj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoaYJqgPBu
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtBBq59G3X
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOR9EXeWPa
A month passed and Kenneth continued to mess with the dragon-maw's substances. He inject it into other plants, even into a live pig at one point, and used varying levels of mana manipulation just to see what would happen. The pig oozed out the liquid, but was fine. As for the plants though, nothing happened. Kenneth came to the conclusion that only flesh and bone were affected by the ooze.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk8RLanOTT
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqIeyiZ1B7
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZMgGdpvNr
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQN4sTLaPW
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJHNBPMt9r
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxljBxVOc6
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3abpPmgdv
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzFpokygI4
That was the first time she ever said that. It made Kenneth happy, so he explained his process and findings, how he used the ooze and injected it into organisms. He told her of the pig, and how–318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xX6lQu2w3
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXrfT5NLls
**THUD**318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sufFgeS4J
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHiE7u8uxZ
A fist flew right into Kenneth's stomach. He was launched to the wall and slowly slid down. He looked up at his mother, who was making a face of pure terror.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FSoT2rXGj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2JJegIB6Z
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8iqpO9gcC
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Q1x4LZMpw
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnrayHPbMu
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGS4ksqYjx
Three months passed. Kenneth's focus returned to manipulating plants with mana. He quickly grew more and more efficient, to the point where hardly any nutrients from the soil were used to manipulate plants. His raw skill in mana manipulation grew, too. His father told him how splendid of a mage Kenneth could become, but Kenneth didn't care for that. Kenneth's greatest achievement was growing an entire tree in his backyard, just using his mana. The tree was nearly twice the size of any tree in the Blooming Biome, so it attracted a lot of attention from the neighbors, and Kenny got a good beating because of it. Kenny didn't care though, he was improving, he was growing better and better. But it didn't feel as fulfilling. He returned to alchemy and improved his potion-making abilities, and through connections with his father, he even managed to sell them to outsiders of the village. Having a sudden income was pleasant, but the process of making potions became repetitive.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4NUVQTnDy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOBYVCwJJi
Kenny had the itch to return to the dragon-maw. But it wouldn't amount to anything. After all, he had no flesh he could use.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmmiSgTntU
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoAttwHshz
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8CQLShuBe
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNz8Yul2RR
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtwHBog5Jj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsg6XYnTuzU
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp509z55jw
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8vT0LdY1A
He used his body to test the effects. He started small of course, just a quarter of a syringe's worth of essence, and the effects were immediate. Kenny received a deal of discomfort, and his face scrunched terribly. But something worried him. Unlike the pig, the ooze never left his body.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAixoai6W32
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXXHyXTVIi
His curiosity grew. He returned home that day, hoping to continue his fiddling in his room, but when he walked through that front door, he was met with a thrashed kitchen.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWiVbbX43t
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamuuYxXbaH
His mother was on the floor, sobbing. It was so distinct to him, that sobbing. The house had disappeared. The hallway, the broken kitchen, everything was gone. All he could see was his sobbing mother.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKwWC5QnwU
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBhKKN7ZoG
Kenny had no idea what to do, because now he wasn't playing with his plants. Now, he was in his home, and his mother was sobbing on the floor, and his mother was sobbing on the floor and Kenny had no idea why.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVi5bSOPcZ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIv0bObuAvP
He scuttled upstairs and burst into his room. He rummaged frantically, glancing at potions and doing double-takes, making sure he would grab the right one. He eventually found a healing potion. Keny ran back down and offered it to her, wordlessly. His mother slapped it away, claiming that "she was fine" but Kenny knew it was a lie.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9CZnfZz5j
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2J9aU02cLp
And yet, Kenny believed it. He nodded at her assertation and simply walked back to his room. He lied down on his bed, and with a little trouble, fell asleep. Why did he do that?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy8m5DfkMp
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fSKrgSslj
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueNC1oracO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKExzagQmq
He returned to his experiments the next day. Kenneth had no interest experiencing such discomfort for results, so he changed his strategy. He drank some of the essence. It tasted like crap, so he spat it out. He tried mixing the essence with fruit and bread, but it tasted like crap so he spat it out. He was nearly out of options until his father brought home a bag of seeds. It was for the garden they were going to supposedly make. Kenneth found a new food item to try, so he injected the tiny seed with the essence– only a fraction of the syringe went in –and ate it.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j8zjeVrMc
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ho6OrfGVQ
It tasted like nothing. He tried a few more, still, nothing. The dosage must've been too small he thought, but then he realized that didn't make sense. It didn't matter how small the dosage was, it was always going to taste the same. But he didn't taste anything, just the grimy seed.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqzrfP1yL9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZjHYTf5lI
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtKIQDZ5wl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi84ljiHMao
He concluded that nothing would happen once his ninth birthday rolled around, since it was four months later. His parents didn't bring him any gifts for this one. In fact, they weren't even at the house.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeli0rg2GKZ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4HCIs170U
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxpuzHF3o0
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviFfscfN5E
Kenny didn't mind. He went back to the dragon-maw plant. The plant was excited to see him and repeated the same licking routine it had been doing for a long time. Kenneth was excited to see it too, of course. It became a great close friend of his.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡod0G4EZN1j
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIsFP8maVp
It was while caressing the plant that Kenneth noticed something strange about himself. For whatever reason, his shirt was bulging at his chest, and he felt something cold and hard rub against his right arm. He pulled back and stared at it. He couldn't believe his eyes. He pulled back his sleeve. Still, he was shocked. He took off his shirt and now Kenneth became worried.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4x8OQNUeyK
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu07GSy4YD
A bundle of roots about as thick as his father's arm was protruding from the left side of his chest. It wrapped around Kenny's right arm and stopped right above his hand.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17R7VDGCDE
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRYvmmwUBf
Kenny fainted.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJe5XZNhsC
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOAwC79XFB
Kenny woke up an hour later and the bundle of roots was still there. Kenny tried to move it with his other hand but it wouldn't budge. He tried ripping and tearing at it, but it just grew back. This tendril of wood was seemingly stuck with him now. Kenneth panicked and asked himself, "What could've caused this?" He kept asking this question to himself while flailing his arms, trying desperately to shake the wood off.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK6C8SAjZ9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpkivBeO4O
He thought of all the plants he'd been tinkering with until this day. Was this revenge? Was this way of getting back at him? He knew it was silly but he couldn't think of anything else. He almost fainted again until the striking image of the spore plant came to his mind, and all of a sudden, the tip of the tendril blossomed that very plant.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbdLmU7mp6
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG6gbCIvV5
"...What in the world?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMrKxmozjP
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILTSawc5gK
It was much smaller than the normal plant. Half the size, just about. Kenneth didn't understand how this was possible, but he kept messing with it. Next was the light beam plant, and it blossomed at half the size. Next was the dragon maw plant, then the poison one, then the one with the sparkly liquid, and all of them came out perfectly. Just at half the normal size.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RyDBKs9XX
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKJqeRy0ko
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWz7VTaT5QW
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNSuyPwOak
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBVBPPePy7
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauw2Wg04i3
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbtsh6sxa3
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKlP5xXAy2
That didn't work, so Kenneth thought about bringing the tendril forth. It came out and wrapped around his right arm without him even uttering anything.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uOLuJSOuj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0QAQU3Jht
"So that's what it is..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0MUbWbMuy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ778I9gKebv
Though Kenneth was skeptical, and frankly, disturbed, something about this was incredible. He jumped for joy and ran back home. He couldn't wait until he showed his parents.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjtQfr3HuO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiu4wql6V0
Sure, they might've been out when he awoke, but they had to be back by now. Kenny did pass out after all, didn't he? He ran to the front door and slammed it open. He was so excited he could barely see in front of him. He suddenly stopped, because he realized that if he showed a wooden tendril the size of his father's arm coming out of his chest, he was sure to see the priest or something. So he tiptoed in instead.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJaE6vtDp5
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4Z89VpABY
He heard some noise coming from the kitchen. How exciting! Even if he wasn't going to show them his tendril, he was sure that at the very least, he would receive a present. Kenneth turned the corner and entered the kitchen.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKZzpq6Bi6
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXO6rAT6Ts
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMH91X08GE
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjLVqaQ7cQ
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBCEyYqKrd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmizDIHVTr
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPevESwQWe
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA5pn6Mbmv
Kenny was sure, for a moment, that he was still passed out, because this made no sense. Of course, that had to be it. A tendril from his chest should've been a good enough indicator, but this practically confirmed it.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsIl1rIO2i
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOG8LS3kuTn
His mother was standing there with a knife in her hand. It was wet, and the liquid was dripping onto the floor, making a great big red puddle. Kenneth looked aside, and saw his father with his head laid down, and covered in that same red liquid.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDV0Lmv3lKw
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepVi74kA4j
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fIEx8PrhI
"...Dad–"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFprq2Csiq
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiNm5rqj42
"Huh?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBX7e2OZRX
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87KvmCc35t
His mother turned around. When she saw Kenneth, she looked terrified. It made no sense. If she was terrified, then what was Kenneth supposed to feel?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKMBVfz3Fs
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUBxf5KAL0
His mother fell to the floor. She dropped the knife. She scurried away from the boy as if he was the one who killed the man she loved.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0HgnqUFPu
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFMOgWYN6E
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7Y1qjYqxL
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKyWJ4RM5f
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUoi2xgrDO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3vqMfZ98K
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBh9Y9U2xTA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17TpmFiXD7
Kenny just didn't understand why.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstjNJcIO74
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9PPHEM6Cx
Kenny yelled. He didn't know what was happening but the tendril stretched and pushed his mother against the wall. Kenny kept screaming and screaming, and then he too began to cry, and he kept crying all while the tendril held up his mother. Soon, a neighbor came by. Then another.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVltOrhJsS
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu37Tqwf3jO
Mother was arrested that day.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCN73P09hJ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQU4SOP2RkI
–
–
–
Nobody questioned Kenny's strange new limb. Nobody had the heart to. "What kind of soulless bastard would ask him that now?" Stuff like that. It made sense.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykTWrC9AP5
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2FlPzgfwo
He was back in the church. He sat alone, wearing his church garbs. It was the first time he wore something other than his mother's gift. He couldn't possibly imagine doing it now.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbxL2gyMIW
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12wPNbB4Nl
Kenny's mother was under trial. The whole town and the priest served as the jury. At one point Kenny was asked to testify but he couldn't move a muscle. He just couldn't.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfo3bmIGJ8
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZ7uG5jjr8
It was a pitiful trial. Kenny's mother didn't utter anything, and in the end, she was sentenced to death. Kenny was forbidden to watch the execution, but he somehow weaseled his way in as he tends to.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOIyEKD2d8
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRfqeZI5HO
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUDRajCpfe
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZoCKU1jUi
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUU5Vg69DF
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11pG9xSPKc
The trial didn't even last half the day. Her guilt was just that easy to tell. "But what did that mean for Kenny?" everyone asked. Of course, he was famous in the village. He served excellent potions and has made spectacles for the entire town to see. But nobody knew the type of person Kenny was.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMDoDMkqYR
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX78eDgy8W
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXoLkYk5Mi
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIMeKzAVuO
A decision was eventually reached. A family with the surname "Somber" would take custody of the boy. Kenny was asked if he would've liked to keep his old surname but he didn't say anything.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1KygvJJWk
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHLgCW2N5B
Kenny was taken to their home. Kenny didn't know what became of his old residence. He was fed at his new home, and he even had a little brother now.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPuoyazh4Z
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlwwLXQI8A
For the first month Kenny didn't leave the house. It was excused at the time but eventually, his talents were needed too much. So Kenny, who got his equipment back, returned to alchemy, potion brewing, and the selling of his potions. He did it as well as he ever did, but it was different this time. It was wrong. Sometimes now, Kenny would slip up and make faulty products, and those times he didn't receive a beating, just a scolding. Some part of him wished he did receive a beating though.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeAJUihwsh
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Vg0fUMom1
It went on for another month.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi68C66jGmy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdfZFNNYKM
Then another.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o8cr7dlxZ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxa3abr1djf
Then another.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCij9lQOp4
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvhbXAC0o0
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqv9BZJcrIu
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J4uNLl04y
The blood. It was slathered on the knife as if she was going to apply it to bread. And she was just standing there. Kenny didn't see her face but he knew she was smiling. And then her face after. Why was she so scared? Why? Why?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sAK4VIjZG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oDLEQtLDX
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0xQdTwAEG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTyhGEIDVu
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVS7AFMOgHB
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2EeGRgq8T
Kenny didn't understand what compelled her. Why did she have to kill his father? Kenny didn't understand. He asked himself and he didn't have an answer.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hOGYmqrX8
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYABGwI8kmH
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACCanKHO6U
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTGYNCRXLK
They hated each other, didn't they? The "why" didn't matter, because look at what it amounted to. And all the while, Kenny was out of the house or in his room, playing with his plants like they were toys. He was at peace. They were not.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡris856U4e9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHX8TcN7Uv
And Kenny reminded himself of this.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAu3JfqxwW
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6Zhxu8VPI
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWezey00qfy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNYV2oLwrH
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVfRbn1MuA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBttNE5wMuV
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xjikaaZjY
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFnqSoUQdH
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7qenGBzTk
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIl3FU93RPN
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2gzJYIfXY
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFv7VVYdRsg
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2qpCo4IwN
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiZQRiVmeN
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKmU8TvX4j
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlArSIs907
Over and over.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPUxlkEp8s
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyXO7zhSWx
He left the house. He turned ten already, somehow, he couldn't fathom how but he didn't care. He returned to the dragon-maw. It was called a Viscous plant, he recalled. But he hated that name. It was Dragon-Maw and that was final.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O4PutnECd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau1Uu8gV8Z
Dragon-maw was excited to see him. He licked Kenny's face and even ticked him with his snout. Kenny appreciated it but wasn't here for that. He took out his syringe and took a sample of Dragon-maw's essence.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C5BNiBf23
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtk6k5ouzT2
–
–
–
Kenny received a present for his eleventh birthday. It was like a coat. A large puffy white one with brown outlining. But it also came with a stylish shirt and a pair of brown, skinny pants.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9en17rmzX
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vrpvRbbht
His new mother, Anabelle, said that the coat was there to compensate for the bulge whenever his tendril came out. Kenny smiled and thanked her. It had been a while since he'd done such a thing.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBenjYbUct
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMx3id7DsT
After the pleasant event, Kenny returned to alchemy and mana manipulation. He hardly improved though. Kenny lost a lot more than his family during the incident. Kenny tried to stay in good touch with the whole village. He tried to put on smiles and talk politely, but all the words he and other spewed never sat right with Kenny. Nothing ever sat right.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9eDI3OOJh
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDdfvMlFS2
Then there was Dragon-Maw. Kenny saw him every day. Kenny used to love the greeting he received from the plant but he's stopped being licked altogether. Today in particular, Kenny received a face akin to disgust, though it was hard to tell because the plant lacked eyes.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWH2ALolH9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLixLYKi1oa
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8WOXNChrl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0mez5xomq
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WT7JsiGAo
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYKG0ftzDW
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8eWzx2JTl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPre9DAnHjB
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQY0Gw6M4p
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ae60ZvjdI
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJsM2AuQrc
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2b0lh5qBJ
He was getting agitated. Still, the plant continued to flail and yell. Kenny rushed in and tried to pin it down but he was knocked away. Kenny grew annoyed and used his tendril. He wrapped it around the maw and shut it tight.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RwXojgDwQ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDP9qyjtlj
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlukmuHczhr
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NSmoleuA2
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw5ZwlkalP
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZLkeicuLL
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcQmoUZoYN
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3BBuA9wxm
Anabelle approached Kenny before he entered the house. She carried him inside hurriedly. She asked Kenny to sit down and he did. He waited for a few minutes before she returned with a letter. Kenny was handed it and he began to read.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqzIx0PmZD
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zjsqClPCC
It was an invitation.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMa3fQHycH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiscD6MXlFY
Somehow, a scout from a prestigious school of alchemists saw the things Kenny had been doing, and considering his incredibly young age, thought it fit to enroll him there. Apparently, tuition was free, but the school was an extensive journey away. It would take four months on a carriage.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2E35Bixuy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2def7S1Z4
Kenny did not know how to react, nor did he know what to say. He politely told Anabelle that he'd consider it and returned to his room. He continued doing his regular alchemy business but the invitation continued to nag him. He sighed and put down the flask.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K9iGNl6nx
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ApXdcwy7c
"What am I supposed to do?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsq0mcm5OI
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ywgX93AQT
It was a tempting offer. Kenny did love his plants, after all. Alchemy was profitable and enjoyable, and he was very skilled at mana manipulation. The selling of his potions probably caught the eye of the university. But why should he go? He was already exceptional in his field. He was fine here, wasn't he?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG5nbXFVrg
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR1jPF16U9
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7AYtOGyrFW
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg66K9WII7q
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKJfbhXqgA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1DGiUIS3W
All of a sudden, Kenny's mind began to hurt. This is something he'd typically avoid thinking about. He sighed, thinking it was time to clear the haze in his mind.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0TbCM8mLQ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjYNlKC9tf
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BRc6BqPvy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxbOqNujgD
The stationary plant went missing.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGn8MQ5qNqd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNi2owGMkEd
He had no way of making a new one. The one in his tendril would simply produce blood– it was something he discovered months ago.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjEI3bJlRB
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwAvnxkCdi
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7nwYvt3mA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6CrCEwJUc
Dragon-Maw went missing.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMECuIJUmoo
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpzVmpvbLP
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrTYfs90Nl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRsjx1kS7l
"...Why?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzFsJzw09C
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlYCxTh3n4
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KIL59MFgl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAG5VKK1Rk6
And still, Kenny took his essence.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6NLMyC9UA
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqPTYtz0A1
Of course he would leave.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjRx5gPg5b
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtEPPpCAhL
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaxsbhc0jj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcvImMguZz
–
–
–
Seven months passed since Dragon-Maw went missing. Kenny didn't move much since then. He grew a little bit of belly fat. It relieved him.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9v3sbAIvs
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIe7bkkTjpa
Kenny was still doing what he did best, brewing potions for the village. That's all he ever did, people say, just stay holed up in his room and do alchemy. It wasn't a lie, but sometimes, Kenny felt like he wasn't even doing that–318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AqNmWKbEG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRdxfunY1R
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46zaYWa0VD
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxIFPvic6l
"Kenny. Come out here."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOi4PfCgWBf
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdM71houuz
But that was a man's voice who just spoke. He stood up and begrudgingly opened the door. His wrist was taken and he was pulled.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpfO9VhF8v
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF01GtS4VUX
"W-Woah!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTWnME2u9j
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycIAcZpQNs
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsAdcmVGMG
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5NNbBRrRv
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoFPFsxaSd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwBjaQSZYT
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3rInZfjZr
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs9iGDOx0H
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwFIw3Gjr0
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNklYAey1e
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBhN0RnVpj
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoOk78Hxc0
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNH5YZtkhpy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfOZbEtpBM
The sun was bright outside. Kenny had a hard time seeing so he covered his eyes. He tried to re-enter the building but his turning of the doorknob was met with a kick at the door. He'd rather not get hurt, so he decided to just roam the village.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyp6B2pQhV
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvutE5gSTh
It was... strange though. Not because something truly strange was happening, but because the mood was different. People were out and about, doing their work, and children were playing and having fun.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5rU9CXYB3
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7k80JdTem
Kenny didn't get it.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbnlU3qf3M
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqQuBZcwxF
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUHnYXQEe7
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cqRQcU6Yj
"Ah, Kenny! Look at you!" A random woman said with a gleeful smile on her face, "You're finally outside, about damn time you recluse! Hahaha!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdJn7CXPZO
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49MM9TqZAu
"I... whaa?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiugMYGFmbl
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nk4uFzcDb
Kenny couldn't formulate a sentence. The woman just waved at him and went away. Kenny didn't understand. Why was she so... rude to him? Didn't she understand that his parents died? That his plant was gone and that he was all alone?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTetJIdZrb
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzKTrEkPlg
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXUzDSovJp
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyOI4bKk5Q
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8Di3UqhKE
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Wg0zoUora
He didn't like that. But still he kept wandering. He didn't know what else to do. He watched as the kids played and as the adults chattered about this and that. Kenny was confused. He didn't understand it at all.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUE7AL88or
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U9BUeCiTB
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjynOR04SJH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZMEVceB9D
Uncle? Kenny turned around and a little girl was there grinning ear to ear. Kenny was much taller than her, she was probably something like six–318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtCBnWeOYd
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB48uUVzQPW
"Huh?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgehVkPN5UM
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlQq35CTKo
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuj0OkbOyB
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeGZP6FAo1
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r2XYPqIyH
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnO9uKyH2ry
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0m5tn0a5I
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPM4s72sX1
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1bceYDcbw
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVgpcWovGQ
"Uh... sure?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDilzqScTt6
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhhvMT8xBB
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6e57enj6FC
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoO9PNZkRIb
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWt0lV3VYD
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk7y8ALt2B
No, Kenny couldn't still.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn45xzRYNZ9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtvbT4SSzc
He still didn't know what was going on.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxFa3BeuNR
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoY00oQwCux
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnBYEy3PJP
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgQS5jZlbi
"...Big Brother."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwtkjJNVD4
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBEDVjehwU
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6TCftoryN
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNnJYDhAwK
The kid looked upset. Of course, that's the look. That's the look that I should be getting, Kenny thought. They're still dead, and the plant is gone, and he's still alive, and nobody should ever forget that, Kenny thought.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyl1FKpuf1
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUzvWAZvXB
But then he smiled.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7drxl8rUjX
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPFXI6qvzM
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqyWGcthxR
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFSCv9KIB5
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUTHAQL3Tg
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡht5nlkfiVy
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpTiFhWreT
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4k7ho7UMvR
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UrjbUraM0
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeSqmRRZeA
"D-Don't you get it? Does nobody else get it? My parents died! I drove my plant away! Am I– am I the only one who cares? And– and its–"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDDbRNgHy0
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHdYZF53t9
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3s9sNXvl4
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuu8ymNegZ
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNP3RX2psy
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdf2UjLbiP
"I get it, it hurts. And I'm not saying you should be all cheery. But for a whole seven months, you stayed indoors, and it was the plant that drove you that far?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH63gbBsFNg
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolrjVI4Ei0
"W-What? Huh?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUu98miTj9
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2o1YFcHEb
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGxudhAthQ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6kkFzonMy
This was insulting.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ten9YIQsD
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EelQTxRzK
This was just insulting now.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhovZO6WZXX
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZi8EuL0TN
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaYeSMSWpC
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMxv41EbNd
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaGuWGnlfJ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSmwlayFiK
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYKpSIAgRf
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJlHjCL0cD
And then something shattered in him.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQ7BERli9n
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQPwqEQ9Oi
What was making him so hung up?318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QirsHR8Sx
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBkNH5NWtZ
Why, that's obvious, isn't it? It's so obvious that Kenny didn't feel the need to say it out loud. But Jackson was looking at him like he needed to say something. Kenny couldn't though, because Kenny knew that it was too obvious. Yet Jackon kept that gaze up, and kept pestering him with that look, and–
**SLAM!**318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TLWP1rEHp
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoozCB13ph
"...Huh?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡed0F6GvGGM
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0M6niz3mRy
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MtwUMweBJ
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KKugrRR0X
"L-Listen, Kenny..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9Eo9h2iQk
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIegTIJkcL0
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKje49ZXn3L
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjiIsqo00M
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvdnJekC0S
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOwSEXf7kJ
"..."318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHohNOGzgtg
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MQEyasUi4
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9LcojrAQm
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIay1m3MA9
–
–
–
He had a talk, to say the least. Kenny grew better. He had a difficult time talking to others, and despite the discussion, his feelings for the incident and himself didn't go away entirely.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooBfY9SkF1
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOGaDeYm2Z
But Kenny was fine. He turned twelve, and he was about to board a carriage. Yes, he accepted that offer. Transportation wasn't free, and despite Kenny's insistence on paying for it himself, a carriage was in front of him while his coin sack was completely full.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBaDgWxR8t
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcO0P2BwPS6
Kenny turned to those saying goodbye. It was practically the whole village, but Anabelle and Jackson were at the front. Kenny swore he was going to cry again, but he held himself back. He was wearing the clothes Anabelle gifted him. His snow white jacket with brown buttons and outlining, his complementary light-brown pants. It did make the environment a bit toasty though.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FrtDiNZbk
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3mvQO0cpo
None of that was important. What was important right now was that he was hugging Anabelle and Jackson. What was important right now was that he was boarding the carriage and waving goodbye to his village. His home.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ch8TKxv23
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDsGSXa16U
He was going to ascend King's Peak. It sounded a little crazy to him, but it was really happening. Kenny brought the tome and his equipment with him. He couldn't believe that a simple set of gifts got him this far.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWBfemuxNx
318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbRFpGzSRi
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIdcnd8qtd
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Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.318Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaNr7iRFJQ
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That's what he remembered. All of that. Not all of his questions were answered, but he was glad he remembered that much. He got up from the rock and scratched his head. He wished that he remembered how exactly it came to this, though. Kenny was in a rocky field. His carriage was totaled, the horses were missing, and his driver was dead on the ground.
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