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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPf1D06tTr
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHUJrIikKE
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzpL0zbpfQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgJe8NVZlx
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWGBRNUbM2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ3eJFFV2a
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC6Mc3UbPM
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljzcqzvnhx
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPNZVnuXhG
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB9euvNpjn
"Happy birthday, Kenny."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOIm5EAVbo
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGtB65ricv
"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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXyP8TWdVs
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIiod7HgkS
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjc1LkRlmF
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kOWK6M91b
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFuXuTHXkQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMLO0iU7eE
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEzkfjKg2p
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkLNjNvUz9
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu336MbKb0O
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCGdobxGo1
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlABFLqyNKD
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwb9zTRVaF
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QKdm5S4v2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwG0pQmNP9
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaR3RlBOjSQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUmSQOBe6r
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwinpZpsy2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkyZ6whOdP
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFlhJuFwQC
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDz547GAfa
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FE8yBYPUe
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppRYFZl300
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVg9Ja8nCF
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuRu7VRLG6
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHVks1pVGS
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8lIXHADYL
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrKEBE1gLV
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqFwV5qoOV
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH8hUt6YeT
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Q7tOP7H3z
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXx2kH9VBQW
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0mf8jmV61
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwicFmyEieL
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7vRE0IZIV
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakKIOgGlw5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrNLvY4nCs
"What is this, Kenny?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7srRrEwU5H
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJS11BzxKK9
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYCIhFzzW3
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjQDWgrq9n
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BpNOvIrsD
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP23eONz7z8
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhyZZZJsS5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf43qoI7mlS
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmKoLQCC1q
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLT7uKa98s
"Christina, do you know what this means?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN365kocoX6
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQjOd5vFqT
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDj4Q6nYeT
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3o1wISO2EX
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeK0AxNzCX3
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCVkCKdQJQ
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtGJzZR0hi
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTCzDSyQGI
It was.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXAOC1m1Xh
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEsjfhrb0X
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYnkepQYa6
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEb2nSq2sz8
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8E0gLuFuym
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRFiKlCEvh
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESeScixh9V
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdPVOWed3X
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShY5rb1MQZ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYpuF8ei1H
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAGreCj99g
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Y64XJcQKX
Kenneth ran upstairs.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7SIULNyOk
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIb7Yeepagp
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rWlCcMAf7
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYDm0XHE4H
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuk9pMFOp4U
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuA0J2zM6X
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAc0PkYin7L
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrYsVaEQfc
Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIwWUaEGqr
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMNwy0fPWJ
"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGkkUAmjl0
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmbEZvcMVR
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsndSnRDLfZ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJq2o6sQANK
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H7LlTOw2B
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhabjsVTEXL
That was when Kenneth's life began.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuEWRFMqd4
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiN0DO6aCz
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0spzAR7fhu
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eBvLO6oNV
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEcwzW31eC
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou4SsFJw7V
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsEKRxoqLQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5ru5pLsT5
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnITcgaX7Oa
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpmZWleY2Y
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XXeTKJETh
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqXq6QhW4q
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSkWJVhl7o
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CKIKgb6XO
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbK7dVHhvKk
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoCJqrN0zm
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3phZiQtbrs
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqLqGzdqc9
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hOEKxIgKN
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsarcaui5R
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRHJmPjuDM
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClY7bIbPM8
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNDfJWWFlR
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBE4K5OQBPa
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zDr1vzCCo
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSmqG5K8X9
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpKM4GT95D
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jhk4gG73o
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPlaeBvMVM
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaZyKndVS1
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNawl96umpP
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptlmoL1AUM
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLeEEGnpK0
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfHJR5lcxl
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5ScZU4dp3
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6K3L8u3Un
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzWd0wd5Y2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVpl2xyBBw
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhm8DYSPN5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBGFw6rQqf
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKN4x5seJrf
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE5TfU2Nzr
What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimviISmiq8
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqGVlSlREp
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvPGY8SjVN
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡag6t3xMgR7
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnlHprXXB5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwg3XTK1OS
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXSnZk4I96
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCTYYgJtG9
"...It's dead."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSR5zuZC4F
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgrFNjwPwA
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9Cli5tHTV
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfsOGDfSeL
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZVk84g0fW
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyHiXvCtaQ
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8cYPs8AVE
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzm4j8QFTr
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImZxH9LTnA
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UCyhIVjpz
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28Wrk49Wt7
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgSSpoo8YB
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhmTnhejlY
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78uDDvvbKx
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpy5QM9NFB
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiFagKLU9p
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–273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rvGu8Ccv4
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHvn8NKgs0
**THUD**273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgMlFEB7AJ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLUZuQVNKz
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qJZ9vB1bD
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1rNZzFKzU
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEfGCXfs7p
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxqSUJ7Dz1
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdyAh6ucJm
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBOcAylKxf
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VshZWqOgo
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtp6XVXi4B
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknmFyqUihf
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxDNPQGJIA
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX86KD2TG0
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWbrj0L2aH
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIX4LzQXzc1
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSTDiX80rU
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcAWIWtvmx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmmOrQZviY
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAAnO41BbD
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKS7WRbQpJ
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLdKubYGzv
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufuL2Stzy9
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawBgXOYQrI
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iGp5oEUxI
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aM8ChAl1O
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbTjlCTqy4
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkne7lm9sH
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxoqVGLebj
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHl636lKCxA
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXHxhmMykn
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCln6TBmY1i
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsB2xQzjM3M
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaVmDfSPv5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfY2VuAmpY
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GE36HjVgT
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktOfLjy9rW
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagiDWMcZAh
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLseQqaH4is
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv5cmmjkoA
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms3WeRypwX
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HsVqmaT1Y
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8p56SW5RX
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQ2FBeW1qs
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPO7LM6nW9Z
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3spD5Gy56
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgyuynOBV3
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kdyYxawvB
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfiHBHCoBB
Kenny fainted.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ510qq8Vrvx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvh9r1b5IE7
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJl8Zecs6z
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXABJNxUfRe
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIehiEzyEF
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNRC9D2X1V
"...What in the world?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYv7U3k3Eo3
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRCWgCSiFW
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVE9XbrXmjH
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hSHW4ARtH
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUq42V5VdND
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwbOYBX7Hv
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaD5JyTieX
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZIfihA9qj
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDSPG6sj3r
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMi0WHLMgB
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfj0NNW2yx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOWKNVazDh
"So that's what it is..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJV4ii2aC0Z
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VMW8NFVNy
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVdAkZL7ZG
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoCFgrgH3i
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2CFIX96aa
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWW2kEy2D0
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuptR6qCAMQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6w5j5qwYm4
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08EHpPJGjf
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdSZXseEiw
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8upicVWx66
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGobqPGt59c
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPlp3R3ann
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHIvf5TilX
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eonF5fymS
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJZ79fttAs
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOn6XaAIvD1
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4tqcYHo0n
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8Huig9mCq
"...Dad–"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjf59XulksX
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ362eF7M28q
"Huh?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyCP0VOsrU
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SmpdnmjHG
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ztgPEXyBp
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5Sm3mi2R4
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy1t6vwGbo
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspKDSa40mI
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI56aJILzL
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaZenTJh1e
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIu0FSZiIRX
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjUCwjbS0d
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTrWYpzamN
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0JfLwyCjW
Kenny just didn't understand why.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1tu9b5Q0S
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡql0O0ScLXe
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35YECHZKkI
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgntlG0zPG
Mother was arrested that day.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8hvWUYXbW
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlcCBHfIWV
–
–
–
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBpsMjFjmA
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvn53K1AHGh
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyFIMx9Odq
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeOI8YbtQH
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSXQfqeyXw
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoAerx1YbZ
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP9hPCbwsp
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIInnSbVKl
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IWChAPeFK
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0jKgyGbRe
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEadgWeipfB
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSawmI2t42k
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSRcXqSYNN
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSn8Eh4kN3j
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgwMZsSxo6
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhf8nSTKcy
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4Q8sbkUA7
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lln3weN6W
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLufPnN1cdV
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYb3l5QnsQ
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSEF1DP7Io
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2BpKHxZid
It went on for another month.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYOk45n2wK
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7qpJhjEkL
Then another.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkSc26pA86
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthLz5dczri
Then another.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVhWnl7zVy
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXuO0nu1Tt
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn94NC3fIWR
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiCv3qayzh
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKU1pjLpBL
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBllyqpPn5W
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOuygKmr8H
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wBbPjrQef
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQtgHBU0sK
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ACdi9lF12
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmQCyTEbjR
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXCgIQs874
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOixZPRXU2M
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WAAiclC8x
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsF1gKjP9Bb
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjN2amHscLc
And Kenny reminded himself of this.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J70EkZkhC
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm9ILH5T5g
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa70LfZWuxv
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNehEyNaq9z
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKsAzwF41O
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoexsN6Wzs
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡix3PBK1Zti
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GZm3uAenS
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcerhRC1yM
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE15EUsRCr
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEl3RUsT7wE
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRndgbY8KI7
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdzLzvc8Xx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXW7yNrPi7p
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKuE1sIBWi
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlhIjMgTP8
Over and over.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5OauMtu6a
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQuGPcKEhV
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UzULXbLMm
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2VOD3fbyV
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMMEOU5F0Z
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErLdKOq4O4
–
–
–
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJISykzloQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYT5bIE2PhS
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQMrDruTT2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES5gYjcYUm
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkn13R0nBW
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqKCDisJe3
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhCGFF8aeq
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEFdvJNSsS
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeEoildKPF
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPgcDtxzSD
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyP7PGnObbn
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEjXrqsD3i
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTi9Mv8Djm
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHUtouUMMi
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlI8s3qBFi
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriJyb9jHxU
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5uqryrpTI
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoNVIvdFo7
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWK013Cpwub
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMpsuL25WM
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlW6m4SxRf
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTk3ShrOlqw
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaa7EuL81B
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZnD9gG8WS
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMl9hfHR6p
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9c5XTfLVFu
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYVhag3dWd
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNh76yCaQU
It was an invitation.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRiskCWA2q
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDa6SJ3xMVc
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNriMyVS1Bz
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuPbTR7IIq
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyM2L3bmyv
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5osDm3RAEq
"What am I supposed to do?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxO6sKv93a
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNl9Q9ii9wg
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenTdeEfrgQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD78sLPk00
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9WGgLIMEa
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0W2k2ER54t
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcNX4xR3XT
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNAePLrlxm
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU3GHRHa4M
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bk6kd0Tce
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QAbLm0b0f
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XHEE8FzOv
The stationary plant went missing.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkfOYHinuw
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4mQ1ZxivQ
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZg9DfhcZ7
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiQceviZV6
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNatkdCbLey
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOGPJJTId5
Dragon-Maw went missing.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIK4qQcXJx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1mss4kEIL
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeDWyTjtYu
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGTBKRwAwm
"...Why?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYFXuAraM8
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgu0n0pSfYc
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aGWUE000S
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ89RMG6w20
And still, Kenny took his essence.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFe7MRFcas
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpd2lPvXpb
Of course he would leave.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnvRoPkHRn
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmM8QlhKlu
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZiPSt2z5V
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmE84DPlq9
–
–
–
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpWy914KhT
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPTKiXYrzW
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–273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2i18kv4xs
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JIZD6Xl6K
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78BQ4GYCKV
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmCIM2vqu9
"Kenny. Come out here."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyurOQzpTK
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHczxAq0o1
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBe8jdZVVvW
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu4tUKSqCh
"W-Woah!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGhsfTGyLM
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0osq2O5CKj
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2f20CKMjag
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfU8URPwSuQ
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wyrGOHllK
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0aOyEm9jF
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPAUmYnDcs
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkw0TTlNhWp
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡol7aPbIkz9
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRh11XLkZ4h
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwQoKpV6h5
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFVB4933Pb
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHk15tw2E8S
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8A2irxGg0
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXep45SKli8
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfN0fryDAE
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX66hZWaTov
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0vhcXwGnh
Kenny didn't get it.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cEUcCadAX
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuAeg3aHyZ
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjR23qJHIR
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxkcl1MD01
"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!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8z74IWZFi
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgT7wADnH5R
"I... whaa?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByzehlk7lq
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3lLE4q23i
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?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjr4ntTsOL
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12YnYaa11d
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFnbKKIy4y
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGiRQBPrmM
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUH6KqMUydI
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF982ACZoo
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2nbRYeDT2
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjPFTKlHtd
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvIGTLKbGt
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV92CPpQ1ag
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–273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iquBGBD5d
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HG8S7QZ5w
"Huh?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquRoswRgfE
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjR1SdZNjn
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHUtwOxzRB
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLebadEUfrH
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTza5EKCrt
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP3OavGTir
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNB8VYjEhz
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIELTALbvK
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIy77f84Ni
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrhzxvz1VO
"Uh... sure?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyn1hrixh5e
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCzjN3vkBd
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarhHCtprOf
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0frWFYmUJh
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDTa1AxJ0n
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLBcxZ7lNwu
No, Kenny couldn't still.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOfQbJUSCh
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHN8MKIyeO
He still didn't know what was going on.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUdyxPFLLx
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBMDKv5TtQ
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIObfQaWDlE
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBs4HwKPs30
"...Big Brother."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TjrGt3gAl
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2iG64APMR
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToz9FAdkjr
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnNkE0fpAF
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz7VfJ4rfY
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5algyOy0Hi
But then he smiled.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGmIABuIIB
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzARcYElEZT
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCD3XKRSfb
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P3aqmAGf5
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqiNJ8CYQb
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32FjJGpvni
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAVMBOcreb
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN87XTfu7qV
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhlRKaGHwJ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCZ8lONrpX
"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–"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRJ8LCrmvb
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdEBETHmAlp
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCe0svN9xe
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6kqrGvW3G
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNYld3ZWUA
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrdyKpzr0H
"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?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3Pi5c6tVQ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoSvu877q8
"W-What? Huh?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES2WhWkVsZ
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJPVde9mF9
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GK07Nx8Fi
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCGaUsYotG
This was insulting.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnCeCekS1a
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdoCJcuRqM
This was just insulting now.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoN7nWjW9Yq
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPnm0lurBF
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScAFooxlEe
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqlB73llzL
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEC5G9WPEz
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tYADrWOYU
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46Aw1AuLMy
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8X02Ow4qY
And then something shattered in him.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoplyiFRZR0
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67RFRxOTRe
What was making him so hung up?273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMLgccU7oy
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgacoM4m3Sk
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!**273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhHdofswWj
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgjmJnPiNF
"...Huh?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIayn3Im42O
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJp6SnPGdm3
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡma8tsfY1Da
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM1YZbufju
"L-Listen, Kenny..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4V4SN8Rct
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJHXR7ZXcv
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYxXhlge7G
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKReaToSXxr
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGofi3LMbXd
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhp2Ahkx8H
"..."273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6V7o6Rqfgt
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9Wvf17qWS
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6op5fhr5L
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Jfh0iCuzZ
–
–
–
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5ZFUK8cW6
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDfOCnRj8X
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqK1Dfuipgq
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKT1DU308M
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCewwEpfO6M
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNw0hIlV2lg
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRw1XNK3i7
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxOG7jmr8p
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.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahZhYdoCVd
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwDhO8qeFQ
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8i5cRJ3EQu
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bG7HdI2Al
Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvqFbRh0tU
273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbr3tekmFg
–
–
–
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.
ns18.220.167.202da2
