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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDaSZD6tjm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YSKwaTNNa
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx3VMOOLRK
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIzevx75Id
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoQPoGZ5US
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6i3Jntfd3
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFaepMXXTm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHXbJoYnAR
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGSR1j5Jyu
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRec6yOiYH6
"Happy birthday, Kenny."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxEUbboFA8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGf7Xi4DZq
"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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY615jxoU5G
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSeY1P5c5n
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XFr55gJy0
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv4ylQELkF
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Jd0fOuwFP
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOGQxn2pMm
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xhCAcLiv8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTD6GLFNKwF
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshniS1CsLa
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaFIsGLLUv
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCn1RFQFh4r
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0slOVuHpko
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5HlcZgHPS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8lD8VF1mw
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGQxsNJKph
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNKeDOt2OR
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYDytvmR57
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH78rxOUu5x
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlhqPM68vE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtikj15ijt
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UAD8a3rXR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfnlarRwEt
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxf3XCxazY
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhCjExQseg
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFMqLiMnuz
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hfEnMTFc8
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyLBRqYHvH
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtJRkhiNAd
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFjAyOTqJt
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdF5GMWKqgC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKaGz1kOcf
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEr3PxfYZP
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtZtnwvfNo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN3oCvb6WA
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq88j7BG0WD
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleC6IAOr99
"What is this, Kenny?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDcmQKcFXh
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyZ08iG4gK
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcGX8E9ild
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfagkZfO6M
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcVCxFhd4A
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Cjh5YJq3S
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakpDQxhQjC
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IyBOaXtri
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGVpaJN6Zv
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZKJoTde6S
"Christina, do you know what this means?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQf9ifI0mL
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7p0xB0cXaR
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGSuzanMc3
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0z5bdU872S
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc5uYk1VfN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49UzQjvhXC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjCufNUdPf
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulFpGpo4Gl
It was.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX424DrujJg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ktHWeU28B
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOLe8a7lA6
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMymXRkFV7m
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyY6NQgZMm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AW4m1MHeU
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxYCHNtKbn
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbezyyajSNO
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVv2aV0kkyn
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw04CDFwRU6
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnQigJE1jJ
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Kenneth ran upstairs.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sTS3mEF2w
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8G7HREcct
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPTXbj4PXg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhOxhzJpp2
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqH3WLjiDn
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI7MNxvrlL
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hER6Q5NKO
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvIwElBhRQ
Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdOweuH2f4
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqiiFZp6cV
"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYOWBw2w1P
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviZJc1mMO4
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshpOSoDCtc
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CK4SO9QSO
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgH3qzHgPWE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYgtkbmsgb
That was when Kenneth's life began.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfKtPCd4r2
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnL0UgB69X
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8zSee1CLt
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksEA4FEdak
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ0yxEjb9r
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP19HPQBo3O
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3IR5EnnIo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uaDCZUan5
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEMWhDOI7G
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mIQAlS4OK
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhHNziisRX
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3lPd9wpeI
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVrHX4whum
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL8Lv2SJbn
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpByol5Bw4M
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwn7cfv1F4
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzt212jyz0Z
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDSO8P4Hsj
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJg2uTqOT15
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMopXy2nfZ
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoJyc0ZnTq
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsENcFtgOs
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2RbDoy2a2
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6kBQfD2RO
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEFgWANMK8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnvSocszk0
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPsuURuYat
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1dN8avce3
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKGsRdrLMY
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7dHEZkvcX
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFc9QCTRJEQ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLAGfalpWX
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRg7zdugC8y
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOy6TxdBJEA
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzJAIbH0Rf
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWr5Ew3DL1
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvXOvvXWbD
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9RLNToHlz
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzLUHNXF6Z
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnk0GMYQZon
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOsnIe3LqQ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYNJdZ9T0T
What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrkbYsEZOE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSGdc6Sw2L
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTQuvOMItG
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikAk6nPyqX
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuv51Zkcru
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33J510dZWE
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjESYYl9Vu7
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx5WH9eIRH
"...It's dead."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeXp3yNKtg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIbJvwF4Nw
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCmhi8RN4V
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyHiIzS1Xl
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWMaOTGOvN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEAgr1FL8a
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9l3hoXJVn
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9MJiaPfRC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTo7Bqk1K5
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxbeNdeRsa
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3l1AFil9K
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhk8psxKbdC
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgiCE4M0Ew
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWBucPltj7
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGt5L1cHPh
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lkRmPbVrA
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–548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNXJgKps5e
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnrVDn7ohA
**THUD**548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdUeAgk3aW
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27lFwTZkto
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j7nch0a0P
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpJM47a0Ki
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyatGewvXtb
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYDH7sQRnE
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCCZEOtBjs
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEwie0AQXK
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAFkUo5cQp
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fgKJvmdDl
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19UT0LiyzF
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFPtaslOnP
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9ckR4nUP6
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNwryFXeaV
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYv2rVmAvIS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nIjAEOw3R
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FwaKJQDb7
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHy29lDXiYX
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hD80axUyX
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkMq2MGIEy
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7D8MjmyoJC
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaRAGFEwPI
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CyuhBX956
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YUPmTxOK5
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqloT69xgZc
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9TFLL9yNC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRV0BxJp92E
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwxek9zx3l
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNKInZYSiO
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJdxLSke50
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdlnjfoMz0B
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXxArzLZ23
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq1zKG212q
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FwkBSB72Q
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8S5w698AS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxT9vlKJyX
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXecwBw8WZZ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD58akLqzY
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalUkdfEhlK
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXg33iq2kF8
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2wKHGFD7t
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj4dXDwTqD
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyOfRkd7yp
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqt3knE8ECt
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nJotBzItN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpTG79dhjb
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12gSxwb949
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwBhIyVJ4k
Kenny fainted.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QDuTWANSX
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCU0FQ2LJUT
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWUsKBZcoW
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3as0kN9Vf6
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPT3E7tL5m
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBJDyXdmqq
"...What in the world?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NcRpnScqS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZp09AQJhVO
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozzj8TYRUi
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUtGQrkckQ
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNPUJRLAkE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GUSr0QDdA
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7c8piqEI6
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyI6yt9iiHN
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEb7xRVaPq
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5o34hf3ei
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9z7AGw5ib
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjtmt5Hmgm
"So that's what it is..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoY4WuX2j8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QZN5i0vlq
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXj9Sm8fqy
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0KzOOEHxA
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZP2FaBemz
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIhI7BJRJt
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEMh5VlpWD
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTMmMXVYce
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6XyjSKDdM
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrZ87FjSGo
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprvc2niJwi
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbbaHczzO9
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3szD4Geqe4
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMVhvezNBC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxl8suVvPd7
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8Pbe8qoa0
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwGTiuooAu
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6YQSMEj5i
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ARWO2p9Mm
"...Dad–"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xtP9LVMLz
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg8JrLhdH5
"Huh?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EYTtQKokQ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrY8Dgqkhf
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZ8tiTZbDB
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbYW2YprCG
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvkHG3r3mB
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAf35Rd97H
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO59E0YTr7U
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrDhRZ5l7t
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTCba5xolge
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWILhKYFmD8
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLOcTSaR77
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDM2wgYMhF
Kenny just didn't understand why.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDeqvzdfye
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIAJwpyzRU
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ03gbSdyOs
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2V0EMD2dHR
Mother was arrested that day.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO0gcdlmw9
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2aZYkNdnp
–
–
–
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yyOf3jY3i
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAyoFwNikc
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6twP1cJqeE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTWNPkdAHC
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNQHTChl97
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8DuJGd9mt
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoOzHQHl58
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtNyZnd9DF
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pO4VpJVk7
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAJd2weSA5
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJY9rAF4An
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3q6vpPdMmP
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvMm2SWfyb
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Wq2UJpDLY
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUW22DaeF8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhj9uVHAyG
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ2CNwpZsU
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJNOFUQTOq
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvfHZlv9QU
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw40eEJgxeu
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0hf3bh4Xx
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgHQsONNOM
It went on for another month.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLwQLWDbj8
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkATBylSbv
Then another.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpIzefQMFZ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW88YePVOBu
Then another.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HXbo6jdvR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkuW0AGikf
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXi6EgZT8i
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNZ5w9qsHq
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJjBVQTsPC
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxv2knPNtqK
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflS6Zaa1Jd
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWu6pD9Sea
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOaeKon5dD
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOUni9v5JI
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfcH8VA6H2
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1hn6BfWfl
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTZFB5byk0
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVxddhMYoF
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNA80ztLdI
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVThjWBQep
And Kenny reminded himself of this.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfzeVFXpzh
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwA6cDtf6lK
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqL1YufVUH
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mseWFjQFM
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKw73Lt5jx
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLUWA8gdWp
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckEhsC4HLk
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgBu08mzsG
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutvRrQ5V2n
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKu1yEbyZjY
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5otqFSLE1E
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAknseJmrP
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWaQNivDYX
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwV56tlJmm
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H2o9j31tH
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXip7kPgIeQ
Over and over.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlM48o15kyk
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeB2BvsHWk
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD21U3Zbw3g
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfU2ukUBzM
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4yNI5vtsI
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKTGVNeHor
–
–
–
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrj4hRTWdgQ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucsL5BHcVL
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAImfLk9AXO
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvOIj3gOSp
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5t4EXvDMX
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnpAMJwIE7
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGoZMDe3Tb
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBEJapBWQr
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8c6DUbCMk
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOhmMYTUTX
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsTJljIeoa
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQ6JHdckXP
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwQgnR3rQU
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQNgw3kDyb
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO4ApTnaoq
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88XaFXbS7Q
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMUTNgGbXy
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwKBQ6rPwJ
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWFWCJR2nL
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3xay6sBg7
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSveoc3IvO
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTPjCtAl2L
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWNe34qk4z
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQgiBqrpat
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSDS3B7ERN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlbYrz9iTz
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSmEmPR6OP
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARLLkWztIY
It was an invitation.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCL5RNQp8iz
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdeAQPu2U4
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhvOFAVelQ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaheseiZTa
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfC3w4VomPR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq542P1KVxg
"What am I supposed to do?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgvIKYUMKF
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bRVwBwLFs
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6eQNQOaTf
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmlG4oLy8u
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4FRIxYJyo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMhnd1eFFh
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbI4PGhgxx
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBdxcUxUEr
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Xe01siHA
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFw3CFb5i4w
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgnxukRF5i
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP89bu1esSd
The stationary plant went missing.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvs9YPttqC
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjH8tI4R91E
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ0SPurd0f
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGMCQZd0G3
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzrIjIqa0Y
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9yOAdrpes
Dragon-Maw went missing.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCF4XFVPaK0
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbEmPwxt4t
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttirhqzeNR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xiBw1QHRl
"...Why?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG9TXOcwYu
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWNZjSXSe5
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQx0KlOqWT
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qMkqQXIrA
And still, Kenny took his essence.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4muwAF28Bg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3Qf2NGsi1
Of course he would leave.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdweT8V8KbI
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1dQUycKxq
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjXzq5CkgZ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu78YgALw97
–
–
–
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MKf94j6ud
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZCWPTUuHv
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–548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDoGj5CCKp
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1COBhEiTW
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKr1Fe5dETF
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQHendMzMf
"Kenny. Come out here."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1I1EeYHDj
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUm01lUKo9
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIPJlAiqUE
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5nqTVVGQa
"W-Woah!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlcCdgbmg5
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8pw3c7VGv
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyLuvpXJJz
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4UUFIyoid
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMtCGFNrWT
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpxrQciPwa
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkKOY8a5pL
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmrlCocdTA
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYsyFAw9e0
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLY9nJDssN8
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7AwTz3lyc
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtEJr0LD7U
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESbZDJylYA
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjSQ3iI2IJ
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoljPyyztV
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBl1kc2ESLY
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo2QWD57Ml
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GdJ90fIdA
Kenny didn't get it.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkiJP3O3oY
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC6iHBlSWK
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡte6yZyWT06
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyN8y2Upqlb
"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!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36cbaidsEH
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9fDydlFu6
"I... whaa?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBFaR7SohG
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuPyYEhZ9Q
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?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IR9Vg1bQt
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXBrviHbYg
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKKrSZpzP4
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfQFQC1Wbr
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgB3X0YBM7
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfouqc2lt4X
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgLciyBmfv
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfgkJkmFoF
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHlgVqmNDx
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JFwaBE7Bm
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–548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3j0jqzREN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdi4XUz5rp0
"Huh?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUwuAQLXmb
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUXpZd0uHq
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXqBPgBf4Z
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKN7OO4kq2b
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73izbJiNqs
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlnCFKRKLl
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhnG3apb3Q
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkurGceyMdK
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5Rs6VB4Df
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQWKncylMo
"Uh... sure?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0molY4TK2
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdLGwN45HV
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLoTnAGcmm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJeUMLrzPY
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho9i65X5Ll
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToFfvRATJT
No, Kenny couldn't still.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0gMSHzmnM
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3ayhzbCh7
He still didn't know what was going on.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZHK45n1oR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FeoCI1u1U
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aUqkZd3mg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzmChb26Wt
"...Big Brother."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fSWjUap4T
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaVcr5Anql
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnvd5X2Dfy
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDPQ9ILh8R
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoHk4oiiRx
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgf4SvC2Yt
But then he smiled.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfAyVX8yiW
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jbIcvqezZ
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFcFogPvAS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a3iiqj5hM
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZsyGwXpxV
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQNccqNtRd
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOaPrW155I
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC3TKw7uzV
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfM7fh1M7X
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1h1637aPlW
"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–"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjoPbXJbNO
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpBrhrE8Et
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHO1hLgnVQe
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DVoEkGxRu
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hxPvuSm5z
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUsN9O3sfe
"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?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirD3W9DQKp
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgW6cccpAc
"W-What? Huh?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJemj6IgFIo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZ526pqawU
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08tSthbbsf
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJ6twuAdPi
This was insulting.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmagdDmRg4v
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1c0F17PWg
This was just insulting now.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEoVg9ZbDdN
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9awFVaM9U
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgMcIrlNsS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEGGt8s8jK
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcsSLdhVWm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSR220nYnb
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rE5uCpbhg
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Z1MTib7i5
And then something shattered in him.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaRxha6xcq
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQMGV6o9vB
What was making him so hung up?548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3t9NBcd10l
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwvKGk24gV
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!**548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rGSjD6Z62
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8zOscPPOs
"...Huh?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5EsoYzVxo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqGFpSXxcL
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeXv1t41Jm
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTjXJULZeQ
"L-Listen, Kenny..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMGp1B2k8U
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf33aUSB5n
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUIz2jAQuJ
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAuuLz9sp8
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueOtgF3XZr
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiA0AMcmDx4
"..."548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1Yj0qGhPo
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvWvpAQOe9
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj1Ah4soUj
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdA0SmT4Jws
–
–
–
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHrJJsU9qV
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyb9g9kGq9F
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe8nTCWF60
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqGdHRE9TF
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygqalmseqR
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8mjdf1To6
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQOVdNwtlI
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRkxFSc55L
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.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXBeeHdMdk
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWQwVwOZWp
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NW7DzBneS
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKZTgAynN4
Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQj5TPmVFv
548Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLY1uvwxBtD
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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.