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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIwA1qNnk3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyX5BeFF0u7
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyncEVmIPvP
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRqgNnkm0G
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqr0Tyee1S
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYz0uCovEx
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0jTugGqYc
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhpCpXz99Q
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6LffcZNBj
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNYwJZd0IZ
"Happy birthday, Kenny."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcitXXwvOq5
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuQxGo4tfX
"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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFsGXeMV0r
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7bATljWzq
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb5kBCl8Dq
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrS0rKbJ3A
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOsM4avRVI
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbjvwK0gGy
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbsPyc2b8G
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6F9SB916o
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj50jfAWrsd
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGf5MWHJH1
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUE8QaACbKF
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05S2DP6IVU
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Y6dDBFcyf
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehT6vrxzux
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoUMZgHV5C
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYlVuNnY7g
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIS0Y1mHwIn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RBb93Y6Vs
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmBQoeOkDg
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVPDNBdhFt
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENOd3Q3EiU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMrQyvwaoM
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r6k3qd08b
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr55P1ZQ3s
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6SrmFGH6n
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU05zQtKte8
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29cQaEo9N0
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2QuNlYaOE
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPI5fnCnRon
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ounR2CRp2
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGjFV30zX6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg4vYu1aH7
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq96WHGgTv
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsHwc6fRg9
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FHdggrCfw
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6HlgKHh9o
"What is this, Kenny?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdv3lDnJLsY
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tW85JFBoh
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAxXpyT7Nq
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETRyFd4gzg
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGrzZLwhdb
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2yuw7SVo5
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaEruQCTBO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxgruHLXe5
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YX4RwGgHu
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl13w9hl8BY
"Christina, do you know what this means?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KFBP6JS10
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDTE5hnIjd
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYYJfoP6KN
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl07gA8t58
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWxwDMVF9e
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw02ZtuATg5
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mHxwzjICO
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It was.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TXNpWvnfl
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5BE1xkYDU
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rHq2x3ALu
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xpcqSIcBA
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡricCahxEFp
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckIDSMH5UP
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVO5cvD142
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i8ANOgLsB
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBkQqs0Heu
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8w1dCxJSu
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgt3GJAiXI6
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Kenneth ran upstairs.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1uruhMEF9
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9peu3YDnP
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1xvFEAzkf
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjs3vAlWCNc
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cJ5izSNor
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUPRaTjwXz
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YmnCAD5XD
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Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlijtTHLvw3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIxdyyHmcf
"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsBDfsGSSJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxt4zJtPf6
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodLZLEDqvv
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeVlSEq861
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvp606IS7a
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Oq3Tbbv3g
That was when Kenneth's life began.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePadpxT7YK
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcI6FfTOIi
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUTaZep8OA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHMIXEAEhy
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCc1Tjujpe6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rhM0Z0Obg
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwiBqAYlLF
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9JAYX8O4w
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wr40k4GJR
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkL7UvmrjVD
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVuKk9DWMt
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DiotH2FZh
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r2qvGK1Hy
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0ZxB10JmW
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPzNTmNU1d
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQJHcFe2Q0
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8GsmdWTAZ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGM9iWtnLUL
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IcWx0XZiH
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8h4GGEMbI
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNHLrag6ds
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScfMrODx8d
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBslOUUvSOU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LEt9WlbGV
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV9Nmnq0mC
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIhpFeBP73
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKM2rbkHNn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vsWpoac9q
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH7ptFiIz7
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeM3rvjFD2
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJRQDhb4lZ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhe8rUdlkW9
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXE5vrkwww
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sywoLF8JG
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTN88E3JzWI
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5aSmFhjH1
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsJvRimYH0
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3H2q7D1cM6
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TLKFRPBqJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtJxkc0rCU
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2JGiDFMZk
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR8JS2qubM
What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmS6eDMh9d
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdHViKx6Eo
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHX0hRMhUr6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBvfUm8BjpZ
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtwhFBzx31
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczt4CSrgFj
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE7vIkZ37M
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrksWHo9UT
"...It's dead."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkzK9hVPIW
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyX3MkHGlOz
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4lqiWpWEj
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyAxemvTTb
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywhkc8Ux2d
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0kLFwQE9p
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEY2RGj9Kn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEU1H2UsOwa
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF051lzekyT
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuriKZ7ZbxJ
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Soyt4CsjM
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLdivRrz2u
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9fRriDO9n
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mfyAeB1KE
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKoY5OjW7B
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSVtVFa8bj
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–550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZ6k38jl9C
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcy55nZy9B
**THUD**550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasneqUy2sc
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3MnrCp4Y7
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlau9eeVbuE
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ms89Pg7P4
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjijAMVSRQR
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFJiM7MZxe
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgvWpmkHwn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEf1ondUtCD
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpeSioBJGp
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxUZkkb625
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pjC2vn6sX
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP9fMBkPKS
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYoBHHVmqH
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVTCHnu591
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUfVycocPq
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacl9xUMmCm
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJWBBWfrds
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63qelWpMST
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkc8lcaw3yA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqX3eU2WEc
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNICSpf8ZnM
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiN2ZZ8Ueo7
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJafQGhnEw
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSBAuJ8rVS
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlffZ47CBG4
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO07g4IRDAa
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhOUBEgg7M
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzNkUw2mua
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2BFiEWzzB
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FlLN1oKhd
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pTJzTiOgN
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNm0bngylNp
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UKAOKq8ko
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdN75SB6Wi
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEuiaDFQ4A
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADyYa0Vu1U
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmH6LJkU9w
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuO655GfPA
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfk07ZLOo38
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIxCtqYnth
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw3XM57EdI
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysbHEZ3smg
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFprD9QxRUW
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGftiZTeM9W
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOCkA5jC4M
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTObAzteGD
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHtsSMmuxG
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF7sknAb6g
Kenny fainted.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qfkKdO2cr
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHLn1IwG1Z
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR9oYBzBK1
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOe4sj4zisB
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YXwXDX9Yb
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYQM98mwS5
"...What in the world?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzZbQUqgtm
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgICdFIMbvN
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzBTWLix0M
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dd0XjfKP7
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefHUpw4FmV
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wL3vjI4hd
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjduq5udvv
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLFN9K6zSl
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb27UEvBGcy
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtriLpPaZZb
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpy7iAL74k
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjckGM2Tr8
"So that's what it is..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9psxqm6B1E
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBE66BqTIK
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EmGXsdkJ5
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjzuLGbyiG
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspHaUuPgms
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7VIUKNy3V
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsstNPtKrs
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDBrMIbKur
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0DJBYdp6C
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG7klqpVwR
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMcjSXi1mG
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNQiC3O4CG
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGGxSjYThg
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLfphCSm5i
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s4tAcaPyU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PPt6oZvQg
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuCOfvaXDa
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaepr06RUy8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpats6aaO0
"...Dad–"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrV0tXzQuY
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgNxewikW5
"Huh?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbwbBF3sI0
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WLDW56xWq
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikUXFgNKxq
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ82GknGUS
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhjYMFkUqc
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEE7e0pkiu
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCK6C55KegU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUv26h5TO1A
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QjSVBeLHf
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfCe3zyHX8
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ4sGz4JJP
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6A2K4q1nu
Kenny just didn't understand why.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUXDaethEA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4Y9MIPQ0g
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkBz3x1aza
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0KONAciYS
Mother was arrested that day.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuhjHfuwXX
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpSY9nVPSl
–
–
–
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi6IJVobxC
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoZLECXTFG
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7vOhv1cyJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfATfjbmBN
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5hCyUvI9L
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP7qXELgfY
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lzcBzujDP
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbKQNLHDCX
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIuYwN45H6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw9lZrwKTm
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkN2cyeIS9
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3UBqztVM6
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fIN5UbmcA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPh0wDa0gxi
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8fVhodLmO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2LSWIk1qc
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07hCYNaxgm
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtTUE03zoG
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYYz94tWVh
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJz4iLPYIIu
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt6BnDfzre
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gKwn15xG9
It went on for another month.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAr7Ffddjh
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmGRHamj4X
Then another.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKm2jcR6EZ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGhQf37yTj
Then another.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdoWTJINcF
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7dnpEDaTd
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemPXzkUYDI
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgn4r4O9nE
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEeUddRlNJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjzLl1RUb6
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aehIrtjp7
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYZFm19Wln
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjPIpoqyH3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTCYPBKM6K
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJplO7lpu1
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDEFdP0bjY
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlNgd3UmjS
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QHLx8pvFX
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TlZKhhKbo
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7SWLrQDZR
And Kenny reminded himself of this.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGsIJTDsA4
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA02lMVC392
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqWBYMg0e0
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOaJ4aMu2i
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCzTCinNkD
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbGdtAcU31
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRNsofDqic
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0X7pEHjjc
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilfxdkA8AH
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1kVdO9hrI
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmwKNJopUn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2wjcRbAfJ
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasepUjmdSm
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1Szya1tyq
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNlEd4I9sJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHHgGee9H9
Over and over.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHSVgs4sqj
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RYSX5o8wu
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmceIHZJur
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSwJbSt0St
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIxjby2x8Y
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmmMDvTcbx
–
–
–
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7iyWPIlm1
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjtcXow2zH
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnP6b3Gk9y6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7yQmRnk4J3
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0vAazGP2u
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6A7sFtjhu
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpO5T09rOb
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGO5HeXmDtl
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQ5vj4fwd3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wqeLpCPiO
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpsEaMuSoz
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEguhARkbzn
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzj4VzkIVG
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7KSyEGMa4
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovI6End8Tn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHjJv5f4bI
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL4misX7CO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHYvMVcmDF
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTSzpqwsCA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrWRyB8kip
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6D7MaCYMHR
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS0GENUTUN
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkgoji2i2l
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKwvoppP6v
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNubIwscSo
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4LxHrCER2
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf3j3m18g2
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqrcnvKveA
It was an invitation.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndOGA60WT2
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgNfPrmmOz
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5W9dmMN4fK
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrldQlWO5D
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6TyH0oetB
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwM8j2MJXjY
"What am I supposed to do?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdq8lolbGxG
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zngnRhGHI
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpl9oKvDzxp
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBDtoXI7ZG
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK2YE1mkaX
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2Lx0GGVU1
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCM9Wm1rFs
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHQjUQA3fw
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZGOZoucPk
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvpsSQ2BOd
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVkIhxgNsu
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQSTBj0pbi
The stationary plant went missing.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡci4Pkr69QA
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWWcePkDBu
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9r0BDO9iEp
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSdYTf32rl
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtbR9CsUHO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TK9jItakY
Dragon-Maw went missing.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDgur5DmoU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDCV4U6LD5
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOGrMnpp9c
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEj9wzXMwUu
"...Why?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlyYC0qjEa
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83ORNN0O5m
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOo1Y8FqTa
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkvhOxL3UO
And still, Kenny took his essence.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5A0tcUM0uw
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORBxekj6vZ
Of course he would leave.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTGt550sup
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xHkkSxOTu
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsjskmd1WN
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq6K4kWEeT
–
–
–
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNNp22VZPM
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U7givPb0j
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–550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2ugLmwCd5
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOWdffYoPo
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RIfN6tFW6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FPZGWT5hX
"Kenny. Come out here."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKJqJ1CL1T
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nLhBFMf0y
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZUdm9Dnz3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkxQK6W5jJ
"W-Woah!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3uoix6fU3q
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFApZ23D0r
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08l7m73I4f
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbdqyKdP1I
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTp4cgG5HJ7
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w30n6Sd9c
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKhMQNiELb
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnxtVCXHlO
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw73Fy6LaA0
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbPK8clPCT
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWDJ22uiw1
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49aj4m3YQQ
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cIw6dxeZU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsfjYhkG3T
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMvBwLrRJL
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaprdgCkmV4
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kpvyQghID
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD5mJJevK2
Kenny didn't get it.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyp0ACCcYMl
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxpd9dnNoU
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1np2zWEfAf
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywgAXc2AXE
"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!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOjIeSco5g
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYiXeT8sBeB
"I... whaa?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCaj01ow9A
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFB2FLhRjs
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?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaXH92bNbO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7HeSLH2Ph
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o8dQMoum4
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aMgpXXc6q
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcd2axtQZi
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9V5mr1jysO
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENSSuHj6jT
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdY54D9Pvk
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHpAoMw7rn
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDA7dV3cndE
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–550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1XhhyfMcr
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcx3dMa5hk
"Huh?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nl223BDrm
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm2TMF0tBO
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx1NwQidko
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡps6407OJpI
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4e0D86TW6
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4bYcew7nc
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJstcSfKEdB
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIVL2O8W2B
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hEPv5oKIx
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlDNxBwwzm
"Uh... sure?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmR7yLd5EU
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfpMKWN3pe
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6a15WUF8m
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxplkky10X7
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1hhb7yyxM
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrKfyVj2iM
No, Kenny couldn't still.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e4MfJZrFr
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ymnAT9q3W
He still didn't know what was going on.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6z4ZKit0n
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ty3J3hdKB
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡierVDdPnLt
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHktxPfiIo3
"...Big Brother."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfSIRF1db8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ3hzDRwzj
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4iIbDxXZ7
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGpDJNJPEa
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIYLd9PQRk
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnFSQbGOOo
But then he smiled.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBQw12DpDK
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5s5gSt6Yo
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpa5lNZiYxJ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPjRsPpgx6
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFozsxi75EO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN2s7rbNRV
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4YULi36Wi
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ99fjZHwsY
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjWtooeGHa
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCrJN0jfp7
"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–"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvQ34mly1Y
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85bvjEjXDz
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvYsofxh8A
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4rVQDaOX5
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk4rj7c1XM
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6jBupPSqp
"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?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf3Mayzeh3
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJN8wtqpmn
"W-What? Huh?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnw4uIPivX
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2vad2EuNo
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtctwdLzz9
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JBbrGjERz
This was insulting.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHc62NrSNL
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCAwOsIt4R
This was just insulting now.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWfr919B3j
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O1A30TbsY
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSULl666pm
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FUiDnDtaL
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ3Jz7FLIV
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSv2Fx6r7U
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDhpHBEgi8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaypzKKScP
And then something shattered in him.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gOPtocDyO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJhMmhLpeX
What was making him so hung up?550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEVSCp6uyY
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYhh7Hajdf
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!**550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmvN1eW9m8
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1FgaLQk8U
"...Huh?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcBKD6s0yr
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVGJFtrlyD
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKTjg4hE6j
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m28m0NqJ1
"L-Listen, Kenny..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQcHKK3T0m
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2t3v2hv6dR
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbj2V4NciB
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j8uvl0vBp
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsm5GTdxKkq
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqdUYqXHFu
"..."550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtpDJbUuMQ
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeED9XRQDmK
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL853VXBHoY
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NYQ2pWKzw
–
–
–
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXi7WSmDDO
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVgWtJHkVB
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjckd958ccH
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJliur3ZNt
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiW0yB73vV
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8UPoTQfJO
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggypfrOMoT
550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNO1S86ccQ
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.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaSsFlgvz8
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He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRYQ4PKa3e
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Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.550Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXUN8nzERT
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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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and then Add to home screen.