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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqraBf6ZYQQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmS0NzzeE2
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinMQPm36DE
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREKK8iltaO
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNopmDtnUb
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GIP6Q6IJd
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYoeZMl952
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMp4e467PTz
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfm0whQ6WDR
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"Happy birthday, Kenny."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgmkKSn7rz
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"Mm?" Kenny hummed with a slice of bread stuffed into his mouth. "Mm! Thank you!" Though it was hard to hear, her mother smiled. She was a nice lady, brown hair and green eyes. Kenneth loved her. He loved how her mother made great food. But Kenneth always thought that she looked too old to be his mom, maybe his grandmother.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueRAIBQF3G
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfHQ0kVHLX
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUNyKLFLtg
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrzH0248za
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsvq3LQ7BL
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That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ40UktYNC5
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HzH65c49W
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpyVPdR1oW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJEL61DKMd
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzpmliy2XO
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWW8P5nIg2u
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUb84zwxG7
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4sqF3xqyl
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9RwLKdKs5
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1vokeZRe0
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RCiMNwKIQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpGGfFJk0e
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68n8XT3Wzd
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrJZv4mGgg
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6YkKns4WK
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZoqWbqmSy
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZvYQfK3yN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhbIpmCZ3D
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1HfHfD73d
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNA69HRCizb
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVl45PZIld
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOGjrLtnq9
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuySqJ2tA3E
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKo2j0hefe3
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowLZZ5QrWI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkjFojh8tD
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKC5VLZYsQ9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdhZC8Vg8N
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX8GGiSGn4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5iFMKyVlb
"What is this, Kenny?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhuNj6jXl1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrPMfOVwSH
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEic51HddTz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOHp4dwZLW
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUbf2FnzoY
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4Ak9v4dkZ
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR62hfHlNSc
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoKZpuG3tx
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpsi3GbFa7
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdenlcBHXp
"Christina, do you know what this means?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1E1Nvirvx
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His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSFiAByjtH
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkHz8ukD9r
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyslwR6RFEm
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVOqIi7HCb
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2HKIRxxBh
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It was.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkByTyDkGHW
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A week later, Kenneth's father presented him with what could best be described as a tome. Kenneth didn't ask where they got it, because he was having a hard time even lifting the thing. His father explained to him that it was a book of magical plants and alchemy. Kenneth had no idea what the second word meant but he didn't care. He just received a big new book to read.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCZIswHE1w
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Kieb8YbIj
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlClePu9Itk
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR38mkbwfKz
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUBo2mS4Nx
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVcO7DdFoy
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbgLbowNYZ
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"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnaqcuIZFN
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Kenneth ran upstairs.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2fWD6ljkK
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Kenneth spent the next week experimenting with the liquid. He relocated it to a small glass cup and tested it out. He didn't want to taste it quite yet since he knew that was dangerous, but he did touch it. It felt cold, even after being in his room for so long. It amazed Kenneth. Kenneth then spent time putting different things into the cup. Grass, food, a few of his clothes, sometimes his own urine, metal, and by some miracle, fire. Nothing ever came of it though. It satisfied Kenneth for a while, but ultimately, he thought it was a dud. He kept the glass around. It made him feel nice.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzpWKHIvE5
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PpF6wjeLC
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1mHV37il1
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"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqW8m4rjKq
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Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6lbwSU1Bo
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"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XHqJJG161
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Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52LmR5UHxt
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04Z6SMOGmx
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDTFmbuPmW
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That was when Kenneth's life began.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUhJz0AgmI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMujUCAUNBh
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9oQxz5rS2
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfhkffeknL
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMgZYzzlFw
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsabxDDdDQ9
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ANZoTmcGX
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPoOUU1373
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeXQU0Ias9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQZuhaNJc8
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqRqn870qD
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQe7HYw0DHi
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrqJn03Iaq
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHDZfUye60
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefEYQNpskI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a3brHZkkJ
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiVnIovImo
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"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDDiAm7H9s
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Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6oyEtTvsB
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"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3gky2IoRI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsxQDJmrMZ
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8lmEDkrXyQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby4v1kiPqw
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49EwbQPgTp
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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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm8ZfItpKk
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQS94ZjPaB
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCy908mlSFq
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3al79zVqR
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDCC5ZQhDJ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUJfWje1w9
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuHfGC3Rcz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPoUCigcMY
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtOr4lkW2O
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzxB2yCevY
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexq3VRzKo4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjhwmP36Dh
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQhDjxdlgp
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What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvj57MYUMe8
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1TF23Lh1L
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3viOtBz874
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmls9vTeL3t
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUG8dQMX0u
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwo2D2V7WE
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSYZFUBh2y
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOH0xYKgkj
"...It's dead."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKE1yVsKrZs
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDvDtY1Xn6
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6LDMFOV8K
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbYFi23OAw
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvv8laW5wAo
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo3Qe32QzE
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYSb3pxI6d
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgbIFMLONu
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtfG4jB0I8
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCAKA3Ohhy
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFpwAYYcR6
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2i0A4kGqFI
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QNibIOnVc
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBe5dFv5X8
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBbW4q0lp1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxSxwc49P6
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–240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhPIB26cx8
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb5RzAOrr5
**THUD**240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aKVECH1RC
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PT07SLQvo
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVZd4dp8Lb
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OKhxZfKQw
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqX3Dcbbww
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAUfDBB1Eo
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNA88wq7by
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJx5PfVrGn
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOUXbkeyqd
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDis3y2IQD
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLc7oAJsrV
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX2ativ9vF
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XJVCniRlg
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5A0ooagC4
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdqzW0gGLF
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfTwOYrqYj
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsG8ipxS1n
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyLfgNhoMh
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmvoGmSCfh
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7PhK4ltJv
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAieVOucDPB
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVS5uxKuSl
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkFU1ZIpWk
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wJbmiufLX
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0TUyglhxK
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLir5Q9dYYp
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7IPh3RqtB
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kGxMzlPs8
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8qPu9vrVQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKs1d9IevL
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqMUACRVWs
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sWDtMkB5T
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXvy1ijRvJ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrbNVSfaSF
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxysMiM6nV
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4agcgU8J5v
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0FNWwmvqF
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcV41ufWAY
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRtbyar5DW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFqQX7Z5AU
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSy0v4NGKz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVXsFpif1o
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSuKF1f1Fw
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYL4xCk3rf
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6e0FgJiXd9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡml1RcatG6d
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6f9B5mWBH
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeESg5HCBrA
Kenny fainted.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3efshLcRD
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZqy0INpSv
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMO99CeookQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIvw3i4kmE
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGDN4mLju9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdRcQi4xhi
"...What in the world?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4qupHFajK
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1hVLtDtNJ
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVUhspIblN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGMtz4HwWa
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mP5uvBdkb
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcMCkqEH77
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EsGQ5YqGq
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD8ytpXkD9
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg270wpcnTT
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ssEsGslPo
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAg71mdYFY
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgTwT0z4JN
"So that's what it is..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmi7JWbHcb
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYTIFLF358
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgP1XwYpnd
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRyM3BuyAc
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEeacnWV0n
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyrJLt5yiX
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgG56IoHnq3
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYEEKGJ1Mq
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREo0IvM0y7
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbFYTi3hJC
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oCrRhfIXx
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGCTlRom1F
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxZGFDKl4p
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjgyvtwehO
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmINtWkYOU6
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgksUuh6tXv
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVel1JzITF1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTW2yAUyzk
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSQE7cp0VT
"...Dad–"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpVOGonwpi
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxyWFJc6Jz
"Huh?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOc3uPsB49U
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuheuPkhban
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCKbArKjNH
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzil6XnN9tK
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpdsgQPMj5
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5MYTUctaG
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YI9NbdVq4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTS7R9xJDdP
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DiNXC9t3x
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7GnrNXrL1
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡui7GPyAznQ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2GRJW3C2I
Kenny just didn't understand why.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDE0Q56RoBN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSoJDoS6Jn
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡev8hVnCDog
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rJTgLRLyI
Mother was arrested that day.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFcyNj8WaJ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcACY6UNyH
–
–
–
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJePPg4Piw
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jIZamGq8z
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7w7RhgyTqx
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLFEOYtAJP
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKlIsKQLva
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIgGzk3p57
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDd6VQiM1C
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhjRfoRLmF
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRDslx0Bf3
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90kvpUGu5e
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomDfNFuJLN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5lV4qKyew
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsa4o2d8Fh4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKdtb7zfHu
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmwuxmV9Lk
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRic22x3XG
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTuxesUEOL
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzkxScy2Qx
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5DSHdfoYr
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKK8NGiOJc
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt3bXYU1Mn
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQahEBZ9Fn2
It went on for another month.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauJMCz1a3R
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqRzumVkAO
Then another.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AwdXl2BSb
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTX8DG4JgB
Then another.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeyrK0sdac
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8g97dpWEf
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmduHQPFstf
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudHheUfoUd
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHs7CFmavi
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLG9X7HrCK
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlIC9AaNz1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v9Lo9NVZL
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRgPLiGtIz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJpuovq0lD
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2aHMMl9cH
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPff9N2eSG
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0LjjjO5Y9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGEMCbAZXq
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmkuXoFwcZ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb83Ft00bbz
And Kenny reminded himself of this.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbuKy60gpW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT9DqZbyt2
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCpT3gO6ll
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAbfVAhYsy
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmqyIXDg4q
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLd8wWkOHsp
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRGPBHXxt8
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRlACc0P2m
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPVMFZF8cr
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eVuSy5iOk
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo00UzaZAdN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYiGQl7Hua
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVMdsHgQ17
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngrUAoVrPe
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR1MShuoWB
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWPP5vxIoV
Over and over.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTxKJvSqYI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4kWPaKaIg
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4CWqrlTqA
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi39ROiKAnT
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahV9XEzYbO
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuKTggaMaT
–
–
–
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFA42uMOWI5
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSkmxc60Pt
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsF8kt1Myp
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtLcQcJjja
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNbo1yArMU
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKwYnpOkTM
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF1F5xWtKd0
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ndRebYo82
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyqQGLQbAc3
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQmgzerhlF
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BEMjwxzh7
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjJJPg6CcC
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbS2GKVLRng
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKwDdlHuQE
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh1ozB5dS1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbw0BWkOz5o
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8XA9oRnEL
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPqv2P4mIC
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nnrYLBLiN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnz9YtnavS
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQE7lpY2zD
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCY9WyKv8K
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQ4cHrUuBh
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP1k382q08
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpXcBDdEs4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgTZsOPM9T
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqNTdeIuOg
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufXp056TZj
It was an invitation.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9meLfeF1GN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu1LvaG8uv
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDRnTYvlyI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKuVBwZhHs
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTMJAcyUXT
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxroGYKVLlu
"What am I supposed to do?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66BeCMHmlr
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGl5kPVI1Y
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhI6kcQjqY
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVXH6cGYXm
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcbh4yH0eu
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EP3O5nzOF
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXiidWqoww
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9hNkLLCq0
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH1dpZ1qgs
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5plNuEyqct
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYmxanS4sC
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzYP6Fqu8o
The stationary plant went missing.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqnPSnA79I
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytHvrgLOa8
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqOcAr3Sjy
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYwI5PJY8r
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OOc0eC8Kx
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxs7Cgyjg6r
Dragon-Maw went missing.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyvvrfr9Oe
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2d909XxuL
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4apdMEhuV
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmn2R4ZrGB
"...Why?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPIyhOy0bI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1lQC2DWzi
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZgkQRCGE1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBmHuRSa5m
And still, Kenny took his essence.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXPOdWJuhM
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yoz4yWHLK
Of course he would leave.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCuktkQ5hB
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wBi3pJT5G
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfcVMKoh2p
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsInQpPR7ya
–
–
–
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS28YVfZBIK
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTcUiCoAUH
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–240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmMFD8WSAP
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikLfkqxSHl
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLUVCCq3aW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1Mpmn2VBQ
"Kenny. Come out here."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzkG6sew7v
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2Pxs0BsQq
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6darrmRWi
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkl8umN3I3b
"W-Woah!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnOX1fuSpcW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcIBrPq2rk
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUezI3QaCI
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s69bGIyde
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQRb3YB1aa
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECQtRtk6tK
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7NMDsdcnr
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXHGb9bMRa
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsWgtZvXQY
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL47lPtanO
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNJtd2Gcdt
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyR9UOdsrG
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHoQm3sT29
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykX2PwXmjT
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXbZ1s0jpf
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oDeM5mXSL
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVYxdZ72tu
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnb40XSRUC
Kenny didn't get it.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aMZo2hCTN
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsZNB07N0K
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TBW9g7sFL
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SbaJRd6IP
"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!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebqkkFlCaZ
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ZbPsv0lOZ
"I... whaa?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutdFv7qrJG
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vSmxvyrFd
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?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDrLZJAmk1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvB1cXkNMb
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKycyJ17nO4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0k5RCe1SH
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQep4RSwqYu
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1uOT0HDeo
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2jzpjfEWM
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNb2tpIxtI
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9cD18hvEG
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5uYnR3jBa
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–240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVakanozVl
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eeLb2zBYn
"Huh?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgkTKUVEYX
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMlFOEPg6z
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZiqL2CivX
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gQiA5Rkon
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQiK2THV4R
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVtufrTVxQ
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnwxzJVyvW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWl8aQ0L5r
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdzlBuzuXM
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7ypCNR45m
"Uh... sure?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwP233uBdx1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRStAlKEux
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBqTv6aqJ0
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOKXN2cCNs
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6hI2jKPUO
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNqwklu7gS
No, Kenny couldn't still.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRh4a8qybo
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBM3EANUns
He still didn't know what was going on.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFyYXrB6S9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMAGapkpO4
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau0NwQALBY
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBalVFemMx
"...Big Brother."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfva8haTYU
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9pLFoYvLl
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBcKDxew4W
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNgWCh584b
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6YexyDOG9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcuGIaoE2X
But then he smiled.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbLb6BVEFr
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBTkUKlmB0
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtAGGTZf2D
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLtmR0P9Wv
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡND5v9T2TCH
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uzN14TJJq
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhrTU0vQ3t
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkzdaDgQkO
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg70QNDtQC1
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBEbDICSxF
"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–"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonUaEqPXnx
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9QPl42Dua
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxFIre55QG
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxe8gaQeUF
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgeist37lm
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtNplFrwxg
"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?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2whd2bWSjz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLk9ZmclUBU
"W-What? Huh?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBBoIxBf1R
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkkrgHf5xE
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGKcCL4YTe
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURX4Quxb8R
This was insulting.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqEGQFdq18
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGdrEPAFOi
This was just insulting now.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfuApQeVuz
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBM5zTaDj0
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWN43xEfC2m
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGx3CQFYX9L
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcFUxeK83e
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSx0TWKmjj
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTkhJOggpi
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyhWdAt7jf
And then something shattered in him.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hGc1Sy9cs
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7oSsNZE6V
What was making him so hung up?240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg81ANwW3Pj
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvHM6cQjDt
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!**240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVpnvqVf6c
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SvEdaCQsG
"...Huh?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0L8y4ScYY9
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBjhfde93t
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNm8ngJ23K
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLW9euE6m5p
"L-Listen, Kenny..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mlAe1DBQ4
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTN0eRNKLJ
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv32Yamf7sp
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpBT2zDWny
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDPiDi0JTW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlxUzUsJJn
"..."240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEolRWHX9Vi
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDIvQeu5dH
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKzbgbVGkF
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5AoH8L6MX
–
–
–
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCnID5whTR
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiDnI4YQzs
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIiyccFrkW
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2BjHCOjQN
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnC4uAUg0I
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBDo28Lo1S
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCFP5cRUGc
240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWnWKrfUaM
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.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsArXpu4jyj
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He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlR8PUhuVJq
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Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.240Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAfrt0Toro
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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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