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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgLcHv4gbt
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaPpodrqvt
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2ZLZoZbIq
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Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HJopykUD8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQJuWWzIGC
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzpBeoXbxI
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpODynvGCC1
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDL5kn4Nqg
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"Happy birthday, Kenny."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcyLbn2ixz
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"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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG513ArOljX
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDy04NSo7Xf
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6etCFypn56
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGXehVIiE6
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That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91T9LCH4v7
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Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡck86zAzmcV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4BbykZ9gC
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAwFH9fOF6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zQEr81fZI
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBdbGuOWz5
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rdoySofen
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJAC3KyBiV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GA7vTQB9g
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHgcm6PY5Y
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMWsNrffGk
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8cOTByQvW
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHdCNPeP6v
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfyepA0lqZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kqAV8Yr8G
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyVHrpggHd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqLeWuusvC
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW4NpEg3Q6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QN8TMJwkL
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUS8Nz2zn3
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVGCT3I7h0
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDgmpniO8Y
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPKG71qVa1
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCT7Mrd45Un
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOYAL0rEpM
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wWuIXXiTZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYrbla9AYd
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJF52HS5Z2
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"What is this, Kenny?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtp164hf1h
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"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WQRzPaoYK
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSjUad0Xgm
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGHGXFB8db
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6t158Vf2c
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffRQwR7ZbV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV4joMuHQl
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTPeo4zYw0
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"Christina, do you know what this means?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryreTfsRVf
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His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOsJl8Ex3g
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"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Buto6DqwF
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN0obMoz9m
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It was.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmZvKnBSDm
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmD00OMx3Xd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmpkurQa63
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80KPU5IE1Y
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6LnGGsVVq
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBZz62e53v
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId142ZFHhz
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"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXXLNVdaJC
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Kenneth ran upstairs.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSl4c7USHvE
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hzAanHheR
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmAJIZy5KV
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyk0sDFHUl
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"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoADCipjbl
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Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmcmRBsTN1
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"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyr9qQ6mKM
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Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNs2AkPNFL
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"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokxymkUPSI
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That was when Kenneth's life began.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NYOXvTX6l
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pIC0AnOeG
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQuRHuyBAl
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCCTekoQ1f
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJVhNSYFGE
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cDSLXtSTF
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuqrbzmHFX
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGV9u1VOAd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIsSjFsPgL
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXenfbaKD6K
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIaJncyG7Y
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9J8XsvrP4Z
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbl1nlmKgp
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wye54zWsB
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR1p87dt3K
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLiJj5OpiI
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"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOR4xr4C3q
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Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplOQEsInZC
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"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkDuX1bwz6
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"J-Just some plants, Dad..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sXX2grOEA
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczRt5kjORP
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEp2GfM8EFl
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGb94cDX1T
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkjCzIYzTZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lrVOnYMWe
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02Kj1Vw4Tm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsasRQS1bEa
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxbSNY4kdPl
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Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3Ht6YX5l5
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85wuige0NL
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN3lqCUnTJ
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1ZWb1H0JV
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRtKMaa8dK
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What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRs4RDaMhh5
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HVFCWJlLz
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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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPPRWpHghG
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09c6lza9MM
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5pHAvF19v
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ybbIMCd8e
"...It's dead."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2Symf6dXj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqimxwBJzf
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ndkE9oUYY
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6Ut4T7Or5
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9MMPJzYyd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBb9qxj7Pvh
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9etKe4Wq1
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgyBE5xZrM
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBdQwzwLOu
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjBIpamB5s
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3Toli6PaB
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLDjOrSFp4
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYSpw5LFVY
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbUZNKAKB1
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnhFLY5ClV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtVcsOIQ7A
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–325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByqW1J7Hlm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxif3yFj5h
**THUD**325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFXkvPmJLH
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDCfufDjqi
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsobHnAwTBa
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwV2aFE63P
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj9Aeefkvp
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiCQ863xE0
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFnRwSjCZQ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGWrCjysRk
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj9NG4lvxp
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcceH2KonrQ
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi4FfWswpf
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wtuNwmUhO
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LnmcT1GAQ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYByf3iXxgw
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHq6JUf3vks
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASr0iaR6DI
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gOlgqcHrL
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNjEsdusE0
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCsNXWaUhh
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiRSpfagPa
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4M8WANEMY
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JeL3jDSoG
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVP6DGjVcY
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1vFO8xwJH
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZc2QXWzni
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NlWksY8Rw
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTascVo0Zj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8ZLzIsOay
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg5vao4vJV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zWMv7rbtK
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9faKfEXU9E
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI0fiODWHQ
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB9WX7k63h
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhoV4VxtIV
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CHoHR54Ay
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHaRB3ctTm
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE1ViedT4h
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfiZqPclSM
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAefsxmzrKt
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdgiYEYyAp
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomOiOFNED9
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKS0RFgCtY
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQpYYS7XBi
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CBFW05wq1
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZfqZ3sNoZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7FA0Nhgxk
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JzZixmyH2
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB38GAOjGc7
Kenny fainted.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgnErmASZQ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuNcsKQmEu
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8iYsPW8ZK
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1IitYI1D9
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3DQ3ZEKXG
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfkaMJROFz
"...What in the world?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYQd8q7ir8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9oxMR5sV4
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaEx6Cizrg
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlirGqGv8V
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeVy8p0u8d
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsH09owjLX
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6nf8NY9Ol
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiqWPYYEfv
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbEuLav756
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ndvem8RI7
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgufan73vK
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdlku6vDUW
"So that's what it is..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBxpBHr6vD
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVDdN5IAhl
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzXkPrlYMu
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0uUYps5G5
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkiUbIm8MC
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00stHxx3fi
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIVDUY8CHj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnuTkKvhWk
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteKrgf4sDm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK357hS80s
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwVUcNulww
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2IOgf0dXS
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgT25FykrA
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuyq7pkKFu
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzp213MluNt
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUXIKBTzwq
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyn5gTpijF
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3zK4UZ2dZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA5QI3MFdw
"...Dad–"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzNWG93EVD
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpee8qyccbp
"Huh?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmIOp7Huwg
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KHrMyThzd
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXMdQBTbU4
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhnpcjpesK
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFEFWP90NV
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6TLuIIXW7
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GD18exc7a
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D7IlRlesA
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsFUp3uPSd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNTvgQzs5k
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiFzqpnvzU
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVKk3ZEozQ
Kenny just didn't understand why.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalksckROf4
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDSPxIgJyt
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDiwtMbr67
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZL4G3jj4t
Mother was arrested that day.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BrKgejsy8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTdwO1bkV9
–
–
–
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQZQ31174G
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIP46Vg3ex0
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXL0UqedoG
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4upC8rrNwQ
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs97xenMCz
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21OnVzvGBV
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y6zoanqXp
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4eXrJi0iJ
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTXWsabmNc
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1D9mEUtZY
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDBTn5q8XP
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9Y3gj0e5U
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvlXcBUpOl
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk39Nc6Xb5
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzuZXJfDUq
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMD4IGZvjF4
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGK61vCAKM
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoedkD9aUNB
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6i7IethVh
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEgRclcX5n
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3mmRrGkh8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNKsJXTkjt
It went on for another month.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtQ3IaE3HQ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjLvx7B25o
Then another.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPTcQ0xuRC
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunjiLTPfjk
Then another.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP7BeDp2DA
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc5OGkTiWC
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmGxRtjhhl
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BTSDgxu8z
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKyXzN5fXE
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGrEQ8RvYq
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz7XavKmmn
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTookFK8Kd
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujdmz9kKgs
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRk4ecewlA
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn55xvqrm5T
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAVQGyOVfr
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaXobxyVw1
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmBFedfwCx
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayR8feeiK6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14A1e4gb5Z
And Kenny reminded himself of this.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7T0TycpvTe
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxffjbOrkRZ
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHhIBPdBqr
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrMO6wrRqY
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdzpCtyEdO
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGkonkzMqD
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZSVEYj61q
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5WHpk26SW
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnc0PMY38xF
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8MbfEws3H
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5i91VMBPj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4vo1xdzNk
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHM27JKOxa
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjRFlATU2m
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcClLORH343
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETeUiuKIWD
Over and over.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMd3O27bR8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLeJrv7TtI
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IA066YjRz
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9KRicdzub
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjM9Zb34cD
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5m08qljbX
–
–
–
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3I4jZMdt2
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrr7IjixW1
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3zA8vCyJB
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDQXA3ZHWi
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUpgA8arr8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8HCjwndBo
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLChXfM9z94
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16XVU0Z5HF
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShEjrRx4mZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTYhudz8Cs
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XWXWDRomL
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wSPNJqkve
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyGa4UEOtW
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o3nACHY8a
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnjPpuQvZ2
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9bAdUqeMd
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLu4iPhsQoM
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3ZrqXZt3a
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEi5WC1oirT
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzQvwqIEpG
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLwp1UwQYl
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDaXszCzKN
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IwsIxltue
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr2YejTW9R
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d8kwjsndy
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInAqoQFrtz
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdDVF6pFDN
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYWcYpSxzh
It was an invitation.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdarlto2Pe
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBytkla7Pyj
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGC7ZMonuv6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjeOMpcTQJ
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIPcMU58Ma
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZMf5LoBrM
"What am I supposed to do?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3AdRd4hJ6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPylkljYaiO
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXDmLWepNj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wDkR9qduR
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BoqCc9Uyh
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDbwd8rCfZ
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnEFXbIU3w
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTYgrh7Qm6
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6SzHnLgsQ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FYbCOSlMt
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2JlxDpX9q
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsGUFOPLlt
The stationary plant went missing.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4GtLVwAJG
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEl2rtx6tU
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MDxcP3z56
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyDGh3QDIh
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdb563FOBE
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhoOuVKSNK
Dragon-Maw went missing.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEDIoOoTJR
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AedZz7ZzH
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKX3A3tZr9
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeX5HaKBaTE
"...Why?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJrRidND35
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWe6vMmfF6
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3A3BUwq6Q
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oeitm018B
And still, Kenny took his essence.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2y4uug4VK
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pbRnB994w
Of course he would leave.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTwBMQhwfq
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnUqilAn9i
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWS3P9PMXhx
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmUL27DzKr
–
–
–
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpedjEG825D
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOicmjonidh
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–325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVOyXAMncb
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1CsRn7MGC
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURg4d389wE
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4yvBgji5J
"Kenny. Come out here."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhwrJx2atI
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw8GbrOloB
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7A8ElciR48
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3k7btxwCqR
"W-Woah!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJL923OXPkL
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTMqDb76zr
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfPpadmNYA
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj684BobxtK
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41mfChh3Fb
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnSPHyhUcx
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBUincKit7
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MD0yzSpKp
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rzvMoatJa
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3cqp0wrV1
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUypUPgasrw
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3irrCvjur6
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtZMtnRq1q
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LJlQBnFM4
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mEC99m3Xw
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsa8J40QYv
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRzCbZheIt
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuJ0Nppdno
Kenny didn't get it.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmr79AnewL6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYzh9QAyFf
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6r3PLvWzx
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr3pJ2yAiw
"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!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBz5oAjTLvx
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsAG3PhjQK
"I... whaa?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMAvzeZyz0
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdhhVukJck
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?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EAVclvgov
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RoK2Z2x2i
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpC1eHDFKw
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJa0XPjf7i
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HeaVtzPLL
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pLEHJXx1o
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYc6SW6piVD
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIpzJIbufh
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPtqmXyLrZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mS2fOueMt
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–325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN9EcvXWiU
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAu9lKWLxR
"Huh?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQvtC5VqDJ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxEHcm8GQ1
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsPaXew7uB
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHo50fg7YK
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkANk3ef64
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfjWSnk3hF
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJNOim4aSE
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK9RPaE53eP
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB389OsLGC
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqR6L0IHRR7
"Uh... sure?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUSVoU1g5e
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6RfUqCnvR
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyNXn2Sf9d
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ50ouG1eXh
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiR1ds2QRBj
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5c75ZS2lP
No, Kenny couldn't still.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqPsYiAS0k
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgtim7EZgN
He still didn't know what was going on.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmAvSzSSqm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBVivbQsby
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIj99NQSBz
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qTMW09N70
"...Big Brother."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXwgcdpYz8
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nzIcOLAY8
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MDXbBJPe1
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6VNi6Nurc
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jmPKzsBQb
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaThDR94uv
But then he smiled.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjJAX3qxIt
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOs800obFun
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43HuLyk7U6
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JckF47lw9
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48yHIYLIRo
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5w97Oljo6f
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZCPp8Pqyf
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotjo0ECtRo
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjUv2kbRLZ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95vT5rlscq
"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–"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5d5Da3mGU
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdClByCyB3
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVc5YXDacTJ
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC1YkYZXg1
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ979JCbIRTo
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHKq3eBXzr
"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?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJItN9G1jr0
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ876RGoTVEN
"W-What? Huh?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrMGymnN4v
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhWudPxmNv
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY40w0ZBDMm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldoF4dLJ3A
This was insulting.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PuT71LnZ1
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvmAXVVSAP
This was just insulting now.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa8jpKUBgd
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF4tLjzgxg
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRkmuLvVWg
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYhcQI8whY
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5tlyNJ22x
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMNtsp1kLz
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpYeRbhINl
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChPx4Q2TXp
And then something shattered in him.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhI0zEYh8O
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfub17V8AQr
What was making him so hung up?325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFraq7ORST
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuCvECSc43
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!**325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn6AzGpo7K
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR9Rwvouz8
"...Huh?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfYg7G925X
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSoRYmtBdA
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3D5pWK0vs
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6xeryOfZk
"L-Listen, Kenny..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXg5YXtwsm
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbRD6EyFHK
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOp6TnapW9k
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPTMD4MT0Z
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtpZ9xPPsS
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq9NB3tf2G
"..."325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7266AVixio
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgsTS5ktuF
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGdyI2PV5y
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFavp8uDPL
–
–
–
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTJfB4ZReb
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fh4B7DAmv
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tR4ddacAv
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6ix1d7p08
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYnD7VaQU9
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJu0OCGxm3
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAK98iTZF7
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkZ8ehja3k
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.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHhcejzU5B
325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6bufzfr8S
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoTcRbKZbo
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Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.325Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8gNqvF3O7
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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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