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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25WlZuijMG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4lLrCTKA3
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhEONmKTiX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsZUbQT3kE
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLdf1QVkBi
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogBrL7sy5b
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapcety0A8x
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5Fd4qhB1N
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00UWTTrsRV
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMZPHM5WT8
"Happy birthday, Kenny."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHnxKPvVEc
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlAK0BMN2E
"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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl06zcYhHHz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxL8kaadOgN
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKRpgsTnVO
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLn6qV8bYv
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVLG3eRj7S
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW7BZutPM4
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcM92x32sD
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZr5OxsCKhB
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNgMGbrZ1N
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1rWBmdDtN
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTTSWSVzKm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVYJCprGoP
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWbOM8aOx7
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡns7x9Kro6c
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG0YTsRuNI
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFSEqCbTrI
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQvedP7Nkd
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XzZGjHfMx
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemk4HNpmPu
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHu79R5KFnF
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yk95f3Cmx
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1ppSwq3W9
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8s9hEwSy4
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYbq10SCPs
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMKmhSKXTl
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33YOJdifMx
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0n3V3qKpH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO0kM6LnfD
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2CRbWrOXb
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7sR89VJsS
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1a0h6gWwl
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxI903UmfK
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYnSDUOtcZ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAD9ZM3AWt
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaswBjLWSgS
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNEQEG01zD
"What is this, Kenny?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6hqcZeAgS
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbm91lXSXBq
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQnZ0x0A9R
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvgDT1ErBC
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOeChcX9Rq
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHs7zreSpbb
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9DcXLFmbL
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjfFF4aNNk
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9B52VqCTT
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgISCdboOOL
"Christina, do you know what this means?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbIDhCYL9C
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XfCFLuw1n
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozpj9VhLqE
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ563tJ5USdH
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo31BzNamtW
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaoCRFrOWl
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexti1kp8Ap
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqofIW45u8T
It was.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEsFSARtHa
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7xIt20Aak
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4WuFUKpVr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0y1MrdBit
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR775TyksQL
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2WeyRFCJY
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJwrLNyvGQ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQHUOH6i95
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINJufKswaP
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4N8vuz3gaE
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmaWYfGzDd
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8ENKGqUjJ
Kenneth ran upstairs.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kGaWyBgU0
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fh42ADj0y
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDFryG93Sr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsZvZZHE4w
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYEuQr2aX9
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOpvhDK49N
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEso3yrdeJ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEDEJxdKgZ
Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG4QFE1U0S
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8dpmU18Hj
"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnPiPQSckZ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCtYNNkSgo
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0FHOSer26
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13tIHKYFB5
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbDfMmsDJr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2BIRRFQb4
That was when Kenneth's life began.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgn5oeWE3pJ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJG6hnP47hL
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoimnv4Bud
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz95KzdeaJW
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsGOMNdMT2
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcxsO03jth
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnPIgTjBVE
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LpzAu3oRJ
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQA796AyyI
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoJiv8gd0b
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVP6JkA2gl
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe02FaSJdsJ
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW0ztyZH8v
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5OtNdydtI
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRueJXs2sXh
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiYRxIWBhb
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YTFEg6YXX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrryYIMvNYf
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzvTlGnPfH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIal74I932o
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHTEYNb8wu
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfviyvMH2t
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKP3ymuQM99
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF6VcRjlBM
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzh8WNese6F
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeFATfAtIi
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0TFWQE2iw
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEz9spuigSZ
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho4iS9RX3K
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMBSTApQUK
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYlCzp3Mdm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49ee41N9Zq
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0ze8ZB5qf
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWC6U9UpTf
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpc8Ha12D9
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgY090IImDd
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZChYWGFNie
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApUPWbaiK6
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOOgsd5uji
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnL0blRxh5p
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanTsArRAj0
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIIU0yFywx
What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFucVgTipkm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jEtdM1ycm
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeqep0R2PpV
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNaNu7bSS0
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KMjgYV9vd
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahRXgenEVD
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYrxTcyrv5
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmI5JTTc1J
"...It's dead."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ot80QPFPR
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6xkn5lY4H
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uVNUruyZE
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoDUe5hcrv
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxZd4Rzf6l
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4UCDhpkML
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLhHT64mFK
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiXfYDFl8S
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6kyX4ee2v
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQmnCva2JC
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF7jOoJnvq
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVMxeD7eW9
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIztiNeAzG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69L1rEZCHv
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXsBLRB62Q
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yJlhcbQ78
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–341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgXpvXMxAR
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpoUhpxF8q
**THUD**341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tESbz2uTJ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffpsm2A8Yx
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklR8aGFnk5
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteaPZKWqUY
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheAq74ttHk
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSUv6zkqKO
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKX4XCtQEBr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ204Dg3tf5G
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pV3KLjiVS
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPxUqzPd1I
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzCZhZ3dai
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCvBTXKpDZ
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3qKtJ2h6d
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEsCU7jah7
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVi543OqeCe
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49oWQXgWZo
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNptkHGx8cj
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNdJE3VKIX
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkal8rtP7C
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc43UI7CYi8
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeWh9tkAeQ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLz7H3AN88
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujCeg3kj4j
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxRu9QRwXa
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkgrR9duRZ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3PAj3Ao0p
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBi4drJyZo
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmGmbxpHuo
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQjdaiqZti
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSWAu8lvaX
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2LQoHNt1n
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcWC8oXs0t
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvflQC8Y9Eo
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB7bfMn63P
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdeWkf5lLo
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivDWa5oIKX
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylDSsI20T2
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fC5AZFevn
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavKly8UbQV
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrbfw1zViO
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWp2V7Oqgt9
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTII8rCNsv
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPy0YaINBB
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnlq0m1wVy
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrT2y5Pimm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KOtbgdqQh
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKiUgY9OK6
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme6B1YqYgS
Kenny fainted.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Axf3Tn3Fp
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSF077ZZC0
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSccvN2DoAG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQR2hDB7gl0
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSum6q8VqP
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81WZqq7bTn
"...What in the world?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zDnPJGbSs
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOoY5SL6oM
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2Bf5I9xlr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBroOArQDxA
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdgFzQeKmW
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEL0oFYFwj
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4P9zl66Dp
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGG8oz4DaG
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMZseSko3g
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarzW7j6JiO
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0Bww8LCtz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtYjy1Hjxw
"So that's what it is..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1x1MBZKhz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6xKXDfofd
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBpLYrLm8Q
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohz0GzzSPp
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwiQ7VuvIr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ytiP4ZF32
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXkiql6FPG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkX9d3xEqyb
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qrrhZj7WR
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2oKvjQDAH
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf6IdeglpT
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFZgJIze0R
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlNzvbJcZp
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKazGy54P14
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPm4auca1v
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaUnMaPbPx
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFYv5egbRy
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNs4rK1h3T
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBG23Bznh4
"...Dad–"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLnmu3C7NC
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciU8PZXvKG
"Huh?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ4xpGPKc2
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mq5yiHq15
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBAPLhYYS3
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCtZ0CISq1
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyyECOA3jb
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHFTKrFL7L
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVuyc44OpZ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgpqQSJ11D
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMKGruP1dy
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtqO8CVyCp
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRyxBxKOdH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsdhRsOBKC
Kenny just didn't understand why.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84CqZhAskl
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVXpVgr0ZV
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RzplNKKfZ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7skkgPL6Vf
Mother was arrested that day.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUedRoPpnCr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj57y8lAF6
–
–
–
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbxfqWmLVe
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcb5Gdddrn
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3G74PStICF
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyF3TNqFxAH
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBaUyVbRg8
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpX8ZEkgL1L
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusN2pBzMxF
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ELGg0PRNG
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifyEpkiJWR
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tEWCMzg9M
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilTUEAPoHT
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0utMdHraMC
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFtkIS23F1
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhCTaDVKiV
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcJfRmn0qm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKT5ebqV4kH
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrieSPNR5vU
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZZfxjQct6
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKz25aMvaP
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAV0tbZRSNG
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpGMF4Jh4D
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gYAsIcpI2
It went on for another month.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKY91nhEUX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjLqrEic1g
Then another.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIzPFfwOtG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmBRfGT8p5
Then another.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU9FdlnEH6
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTF6XI2VQS
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD30v27Q3m7
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUf44V3k492
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqr1SKbxChd
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucdLvKAice
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABjmmY34Ze
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLcwIM6TSj
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkQfjoYajy
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEeCW8cKbUC
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlUqlEeNK5
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2erMco0yI
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkNKDYorhb
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirpPaCZZUx
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotmS1WtH9L
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zgeovu2z7
And Kenny reminded himself of this.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELrZ0DVIqh
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdert5rVpE
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahpRH1rHoq
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsP7rP91lg
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Os614mHfw
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bm3mbpbys
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmD0wcEdXG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97S76SqIFu
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlt7cA80Xy4
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsYLU0W9Eu
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmT4yEo3Mzn
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHKfonER2h
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl15iR8HDgj
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyscP5MEz5w
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvBQEQXSjC
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlomQvH08j
Over and over.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfWoeTQSuz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2XebBTb5s
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7fmDdcTew
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqpGuxQemv
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Dk7T7dmZF
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwScclBGOo
–
–
–
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtgPpPaVpy
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wpPHTr276
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQoavx3pTIz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXLNsWH9kd
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUquKG59LF
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtsQjqEYSF
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewpheYeC2f
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6v3feenPl
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszKtvRURXp
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4wVnwBzk3
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtHCtCEgNH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wfQbpdxW5
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYKjeE3yal
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOlZqzUpZl
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRYGBza4RT
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOw2QGxlGG
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4UtMA4LlJ
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VpKWs75rz
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbY2wZx1pkj
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx721GrB1QU
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3V91gxOcg
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspsGvLd55O
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqTTEi72R8
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQrqk5FH4p
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEMb7BlcNN
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4pVlIO2fJ
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJXBJYO9rP
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡed7slG4K0Z
It was an invitation.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5PWVL2CGI
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCVRjkeZ5f
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G0HQz5rBm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVBMOykWMN
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiteUDkQJm2
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlSo9HnDb2
"What am I supposed to do?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4KhFlNB87
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFg156p1IW
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSVSsCVGGr
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9Cmlcb4VW
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJyWExOOmG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKfO8z7ctJ
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sbHeYQFgG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf55u1NzegC
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9SJi5096x
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28uFiIW8bO
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9feTxTTud
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqajmIWerbV
The stationary plant went missing.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq6stREcp4
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKpCvZfr1i
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KcbItaKzN
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDI0QAvNpC
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrRLZgHRyo
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5TCVsb7fu
Dragon-Maw went missing.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJOW9im69h
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJY3hxJB1hd
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t3ctPa0F4
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0r9WMnkF0
"...Why?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfG5Bf4cmSg
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCG4vcdGjb
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiaYpkPFnh
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2WS7fU2lf
And still, Kenny took his essence.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxczIilngK
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdTdvEqCkb
Of course he would leave.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGTrsHfqKX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RVO0BIMyW
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ246pYLSLFe
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLraFsyjaug
–
–
–
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPazDHW28vK
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6S2IEgpJT
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–341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIqQ4qOHvu
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡriXrHkQEza
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡylgmemSnoI
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94p0Oy5Ek7
"Kenny. Come out here."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnfZSajvuI
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxHHZuZeEI
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUHJStH7mn
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0S2RILokx
"W-Woah!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTwDfWJksj
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi22Curb4r
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpqwesy3cV
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHABbwX8SKa
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ97RYSZB6T
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKNbbhiqM3
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A7IfIGz27
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIn5DyJfQL
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhvOvi2Mcj
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2VfSO0UIH
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXWZhZ7x4p
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJFVOc5p42
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkHhMnfQ6K
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0wtqcso9Q
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYGffWQpw9
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdU5rKUvxZ
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVSr65kl5U
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHktleXVXk0
Kenny didn't get it.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9Ket1GY40
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPSBBRY2E8
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAlP4RwbD7
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXg0VcBTTDj
"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!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MUDfGtPMf
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UKbi9JKuV
"I... whaa?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGChm8X96w
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRfiOvn4rE
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?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwfBGd8mB6
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tE8Cbmljo
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoDCVxGL2r
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ82DJmfkKG
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEY05Peml5M
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIE5QJaa01
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkIH3SVFma
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1BhpBVJWU
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyEqmxKrpqK
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fnTYnKJ6B
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–341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qQ5Vn7R7p
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvh26IqX7g
"Huh?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetixf54WgH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NDOhTCIGQ
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRr8e8cgZb
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEdFEGmb6Y
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7vdwE5Ll5
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOrSQrd96H
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoYAJs3cd7
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEObnLrnxU
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQdAAVL0Uu
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4IFz4nToP
"Uh... sure?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpAMpYK9xg
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLx5dYWuRy8
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbarCVO3wH
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHhxgIAkIf
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO38YTvhRx
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbTbuLyLTb
No, Kenny couldn't still.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcUHzd4cVX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILL9T1ANJ4
He still didn't know what was going on.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiRJwocrLb
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N7z9ChzEL
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLVaDJMcag
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54sp50rC4i
"...Big Brother."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkILtFGJ4A
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhwPFnbisK
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFjP1GIPtv
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUina4pZYp
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmMMp6soz9
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42kfuUvDbr
But then he smiled.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwfK40HXvM
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXivPXjTiUF
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZGxJaHv1c
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktT6zG7Kyf
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNmCIxWyQn
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedl80v2yNl
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMI00amNams
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcVx1KbhWFL
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xWsOLPvfV
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojhjMVkAcz
"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–"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbHGFB0hNU
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rcYGqTRvs
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJFTBJZ6pq
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyatVNbCWW
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYXeEhG04x
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbKJt0llq2
"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?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQULx6DAmMk
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR8lVd0Znr
"W-What? Huh?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHPd9bsSey
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKz9Zd4afL
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAOqBrpNJR
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKb2ai2GQyQ
This was insulting.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Gec7YOxG1
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Hhg53WnbN
This was just insulting now.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYTUV0GzGx
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJtAGKQ3uN
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpzUqpQZGS
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXsBJVMQts
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tBHbHF1Od
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxb2oJaoBX
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpecg4WWfDE
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhXAc2AGGr
And then something shattered in him.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmfUpyPhfG
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnQ0Aoxm53
What was making him so hung up?341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2QdKKij2Z
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09xlbn9diO
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!**341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wfmaMN2Pz
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHZO35w1zQ
"...Huh?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKLjNMwQHl
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fGA6IaPKE
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkhTuQLuJ1
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7FzVHSUDk
"L-Listen, Kenny..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp06SDEBPY
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYupCamgoh
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLr1qn409g
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9wEJ3nPak
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ELpqeF6ht
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVAADJbEYE
"..."341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUt69wUCSY
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77PmArptfg
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexOmOgJTvm
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dY30pr5YI
–
–
–
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhJjJxQhze
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0Tw2dMaCo
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyYVTiAcKP
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQV2Ah9N11d
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MBH733j2J
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNL2o2CWE3R
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9ORFJcIcE
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWvYbUAtZy
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.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7XmqNMpxX
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qs1ZNnFXR
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjRdHfGr3j
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1MldFqTtw
Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnACrSjs2fT
341Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXTHSNtDqM
–
–
–
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.
ns216.73.216.25da2
