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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaERvNJVBs
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVY7XllqZ0A
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv36f3RriF3
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm27xeVfjKt
Kenneth was getting distracted. He sat by a boulder and took a breath.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNISJXHUdgv
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGCumuMavR
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZR2kOs6zx
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWlfG3SuOT
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIaRAx0cAK
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcehm57c84v
"Happy birthday, Kenny."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2p85gyWrj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0nnDiHBLl
"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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5BqFTT1bR
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQu94xQjWJ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDrvec6y01
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuRn4wLfGU
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL281UDltv
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxtjIn1YC0
That was his first big day, his graduation from babyhood. Kenneth remembers it fondly.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTDYbhS1pJ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhRnvhnZ01
Then there was the other big day, maybe six, no, seven months later.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyo69xK1qBz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZeRvDwxFm
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpF7B9QyG9D
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6Gss7XRG2
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIMfZqfo0p
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8tfBTQ5Fu
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEi7DVVHuT3
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiIwo4TgSf
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDnEEoOImK
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4uOPpq2e9
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBWm3IVRfa
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSf4DNbb2K
"What are you doing, you dumb brat?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzuorlw9wC
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtvTan1xGQ
Kenneth began to tear up again. His father sighed. "Don't try this again, Kenneth," he simply said. And Kenneth obliged. For a week.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgmBxVxrkG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMM3Q1vU5A
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5ZYcUgaik
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBolNOXL2QR
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lBi7HSsiV
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqu2eUSS30
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8q2zXLHTC
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSi3Wnrh3M
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXftQkaqR74
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKSPj9RkwW
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgy69AFuDi
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU15mlGTHPc
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4cLvPS5FB
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqbpAwFD0D
"What is this, Kenny?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQdZdx56HR
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbVydYbZ1M
"Umm... it's a journal. I draw the plants I see outside in it."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQEOlODota
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ575kUE6cuQ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7T9NwYjRD
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsSiNXfdy7
"What is this? Magical plant? Killed big bad boar? Kenneth, what have you been doing in your free time!?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CdPdIoXE7
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEixlgnNwQ7
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gbHihKRpW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGyeir3LIi
"Christina, do you know what this means?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUdKdXSWmd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAKQs9oaPc
His father was at the door, crossing his arms. Kenneth was even more afraid now.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqd2LcIep4
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhfmGA8d9N
"Magical plants, the brat loves this stuff."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0clp0SExAn
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg66ABiFbef
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QRgmoMPIk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApTaXzCPBF
It was.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5PBlKBDXP
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82LSZOqy4Q
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRm8Gy10Ze1
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykfySMEPoz
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLST5a0MOU
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKfNDTqeNK
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQaBqIb5UF
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmFu4KruPq
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6GhNhZxWZ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyDKCORGZk
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIEVYqeEWi
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Kenneth ran upstairs.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBJoErdUW5
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ990VqX21RA
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8nd0MK0kd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDsJPa1MiZ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqJCVpa6T2
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cPlDSBcFh
"So son, I hear you're really liking those magical plants, right?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjvSj908da
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xNjmypRui
Kenneth nodded his head rapidly.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtB9WJXf0WE
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllwG9EDIPL
"But you don't know anything about alchemy yet."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDf5M7P45u
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaVAnGCXKf
Kenneth still didn't know what that word meant. His father puffed out his chest.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDlEhjCBnu
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xhzuMQAJs
"Luckily for you, brat, I know exactly what alchemy is. But before that, I need to teach you what mana is."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhc3R2M7ky
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2UujxGTNm
That was when Kenneth's life began.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwdF90MHwe
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QD0tYxdLm
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9pjj9sf7A
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRZP8NWgdl
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdLuNIHtp9
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl4pIQMljX
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBc01lrBL7P
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CnOsnMexo
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi9dOzigrj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwopGmlJoHm
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLHluIzUpx
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkrv7XFRqq
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmUHjIjDlc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWVAPBZwEe
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HhYujBlyc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjaddvThb0
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguZsvvae1g
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMHrsyfMQm
"S-Sorry, Kenneth. I'm sorry, your dad is just..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEcmcDvfBg
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUchL4IeSqq
Kenneth nodded and entered the home. His father was sitting at the table. His forehead was bleeding a little and his knuckles were bruised.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wLhlTHJEb
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXoLPYEsgM
"Hey brat, what do you have over there?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyuNeJRkuy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQH7ypf0O7
"J-Just some plants, Dad..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO2IZ7DlUR
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlyWoN8vON
"That's my boy. Hey, come over here."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrm5Xh0Hupg
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTqsFgN3qf
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nu4T21XBs
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CJbnWh40P
"Keep doing that stuff, kid. I'm amazed by how much you love it. Don't worry about me and your mother, alright?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfirC4vu9C
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQkY2uuLCt
Kenneth's eyes sparkled, and he nodded with a smile. His love for his parents, though still burning, felt like it had been reignited.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNvbR2uRb3
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YLOVQxfQK
Kenneth went upstairs. His room was converted into a sort of miniature laboratory.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlvgPaLtmj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndB6DDiF4X
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZdYMmzp5N
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TjoGpF63Z
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qmAi1b5SA
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqieEWaI5Cf
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5doaf4ldkj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiv0ygEyTpW
What if, Kenny thought, he could manipulate the plants?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXSc0Rvadh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2Jvn16gYp
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjx1q3j6XC
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcYfYpDDE3
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUA2ESoNjyc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarHMXJEhKA
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfDrtopI3j
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXRQVVmfpG
"...It's dead."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmEskltdX7
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP99jJBQiGA
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu91KfW3Uxc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAf5HR4N75R
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX61FCw9oMW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hzI7JYZZC
What he saw made Kenneth jump in ecstasy. The heart began to ooze the liquid, and beat.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJvKRuOSTX
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRdU0Mxmvd
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADdhbWHdmf
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGicYpOIwI
Though that month was a blur, one day did really stick out to him. It was the day his mother entered his room.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNA00z8PPIF
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjYivldbN0
"Huh? Hello, mother! Is something the matter?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhySkLoenw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVd043lCUfJ
"Oh? Not at all honey, not at all. I was just wondering what you were up to."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOGiHUWXko
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLxyKYCXYh
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–384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8ZcuPylzQ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1cMjlFqtX
**THUD**384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedP6xs7fgG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJO5mzTAuB
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHVW4iFwwZ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1QLKtQUYq
"You, Kenny. Don't you ever, ever defile flesh with your crazy, stupid alchemy bullshit!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4cozBCDXP
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7O3IXxnKs
And from there on, Kenny was disallowed to use living things.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTmsCjP6Vh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXcxIZ8jRT
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWG1hMIZEU
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgps81tnavG
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmO83oFWmt
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3fEF9rSf6
That was until Kenny looked in the bathroom mirror.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBNhdBdLGO
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8FKXYNsm9
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtyztW3pCc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjMNXQfpxO
He almost couldn't believe it. Here in the present, recollecting, he couldn't believe he actually went through with it. He continued reminiscing.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhFSWMTCPK
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3v3crjJJJ9
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCdzkSEI9q
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyS1KSIFib
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhew51jPGRh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKPWU6C40a
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsu1LfzvGGw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ328POMyYXD
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVi3JYLvSR
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEqwcQgncD
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RFWwKFSG1
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwkEBXp8zH
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lJuaLjmef
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOMsP6ZLrC
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡam5sECVySe
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjfckLJZDS
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJDmHwxzVy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYYSZA0ym6
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9nVe3r3I7
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqONNzzi2i
Kenny thought he made progress. He ate a few more for good measure, and waited.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvorWim2mg9
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YzkBdj8uV
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukOD5kJPza
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9ZbKh9pHa
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3asGHWrjQf
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e6WefRlPS
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DcqLYCcEx
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQdl3jaHHm
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrQTiOsYgG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho0Kx4CQfQ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgh853BojXz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpysYLWbs7
Kenny fainted.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6t7gpo26GJ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcONZugYgF
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuz3fNSbEOs
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwifB5KJpJu
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9zupY5v0L
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB3EGuvDGJ
"...What in the world?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQUR8UIGAy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmMvokRQXK
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEUSpJxZ7oz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3cQciCeIe
"But how do I get rid of this tendril?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawag0oEa5y
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0oOdVvEQp
The utterance of the sentence made the tendril swiftly retract back into his chest. Somehow he didn't get any splinters.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryAexbBoiT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rZ3GNsyRT
"Is that it? Do I just need to say tendril?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCk6sRQn4K
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOmRDhsaDZ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoSmTJJSJO
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOw8JUr9QmR
"So that's what it is..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcZYHYuJgi
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaoCkTgAkX
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSkA5gevM0
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlpepDjkvy
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuohJwt64X
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMo275lmeDo
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51ANBGJTUW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpVzTo4Lnq
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKXeLNBcD5
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8u0bIfK3q7
"Haaa... How do you like that? Can't give me shit and hell looking like that now, can you?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBhT0dPw8u
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbooTK1tSR2
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzzSoO1zxd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVXNHErV0M
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAou5zNMQ0Y
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdUDjUWfzW
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnxA7KiHAQ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvKkA35oQT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYJqaYttOH
"...Dad–"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVPI2xRO29
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFZJuDNOcE
"Huh?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpFmvfjzD4
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ehRJU70BB
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmN4AV7YlN
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3N8qGuCaM
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAwtkC0Bvy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5v57xPkj0
"K-Kenny! It isn't– it's not–"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7QlZbCIIJ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06iNTAFRwO
"...W-Why? Mom, why?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq7ozdYeXA
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fqF7ignNL
But her mother didn't respond. She began to cry, to wail. Kenny didn't understand why.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7vVnAd2ov
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhg0tFGTKs8
Kenny just didn't understand why.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaXJKaevVu
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6Os8Ftnck
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡht2uEayEIj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCU5nXzLBAw
Mother was arrested that day.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQOu3HBa3h
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj66CJogKY
–
–
–
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdKFzD4Hav
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9GIZbaYc1
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVkWTrL8N3
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BxoTs3InT
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaBxHgOhpG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pLBn6SjLU
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymfh0GtiOs
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuv0rejj50T
His mother was hung with a rope around her neck. Kenny didn't know what to feel.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6yWgeQfsI
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMj4svEAz1m
Kenneth didn't know if he could anymore.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZir80lhzlI
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBTqS1OkOk
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXwOBjj4Mc
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFW0wxR42L
All the while, Kenny could do nothing but stare at the ground.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhmm4oIlCU
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyOcAqKPta
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEc787YEP2
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDYP9ltQm5
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIocdortTm
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26dtYDBcL5
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUULUN1NCy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedjmVyZERu
It went on for another month.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbwXCBftV0
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROifbUP4aO
Then another.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7ueYmlmDA
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllRnSxxL8B
Then another.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DeidegURQ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0K4GPLEMn
Kenneth couldn't get the picture out of his head.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvf91t1Lvvk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBKIu1reOo
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYh1ySc9T5
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7Z1YFK2Pk
Kenny couldn't get that image out of his mind.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6ZRoCJMUd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNF940LLT2D
The image of his mother, of her horrified face.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGiykdtPtj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8Z4epNFaX
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtgm4bEXpW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0E5KBURZZ
But of course he did. Kenny was a smart kid, he knew what it was all along.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoH4sGg9YI
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeu7OIdP9h
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfLPPvU90z
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODysVAuVbL
And Kenny reminded himself of this.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGEfTlX3P2
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeJotxOoi5
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvXAnZo6RM
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEyE13f6fL
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEvSCs4V9o
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpnBJIlFFo
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbwxgOiRtk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrqQlfPIKD
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FXP6VOFrQ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2h2tIONeF9
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZZEdsM1lk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4yAiZygFt
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uBh5YAcBP
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7AFTdpruE
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPC2mnQJIiT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEgLbREcQl
Over and over.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtHe0S02p9
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeG2u4xR7cC
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUN3XGgp7A
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4l4bNtACp
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU59kDr9JKi
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGM7GS35XK
–
–
–
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cMH3PZlmW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqB2qCESFM
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm8avxxcRL
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJUisRHnDQ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQDmJHM9x9
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOebRIN0FoS
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZNz4LPPDj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsBLnWn4qz
"What's the matter, Dragon-Maw?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvFiZx762y
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dcbtU9NiQ
The plant shook its head no. Kenny didn't really understand.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUSyy9inrG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVOzXsgrj3
"Come on, I know it hurts but it's only for a little bit. Just let me–"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K7kq7tFfd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1ydijMecd
Dragon-Maw opened his face and yelled at him. Kenny fell on his butt.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3FanwjKJz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPEbtPRiZZ
"H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLYfXIOrTg
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqZ8mG8pqp
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUDJuAGpJR
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp26taUjipY
"If you keep resisting, I'll just knock you out."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSmeXG26lD
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8xPxnXgKC
The plant resisted anyway, and thus, Kenny did good on his words. He took a quick sample and returned home.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKTp6suCP0
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTUNBiNSCl
It seemed like Dragon-Maw's behavior wasn't the only strange thing today.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtl1ZhqIISG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVB6kf47pS
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHLmWxs7nz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhw0dA58xa9
It was an invitation.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeq7PDsR7Gw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2LfiMBgaf
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GByQ4ggwu
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9o2BinS9NO
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVx4atGYp8g
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5kN3i0P9X
"What am I supposed to do?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXlls7HF2y
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCvEDWbH6s
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfYldfsu1U
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBKeIfuaCS
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ569ZmWtHfQ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoTN89n9hx
How long had it been since he did any experimenting? How long had it been since he went back to the Blooming Biome?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzU1GnmHPLH
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Rca0AJNw8
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdUR5CggAnh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EIEQWXScx
–
–
–
Dragon-Maw went missing.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ed3DeyRqo
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcQRFBhMdd
The stationary plant went missing.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡir1XJY3ZsS
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhz3nFUvZ61
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVSTXQCss8
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2G7sab23Iw
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEK67k8dQFo
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9QUERRGrb
Dragon-Maw went missing.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJPkkOOK8Y
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMqAKX8zNq
Kenny asked, though he already knew. He fell to his knees.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuIlAxKzVC
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0pWqzde6v
"...Why?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoW3M7ffsFo
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtonF5nZ1I
Didn't he see his face? That terrified face of disgust?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthPF0Z9zXu
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQh5SLUlw6
And still, Kenny took his essence.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCU3tng3he
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUbfh9dOer
Of course he would leave.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktxZLWRh2M
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdPq5RhSTK
And Kenny wouldn't let himself forget that.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lkuIsjzLw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrCOS29o2H
–
–
–
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzaIu5UCHW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15iz8vwInB
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–384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9uL5KfoQ6
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwjrnJ6cAU
**Knock knock**
A sudden noise. It was likely Anabelle. She usually visited to bring him food.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3TlymHdE4
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzvqSmYonV
"Kenny. Come out here."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ1QSpFvFC
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nJ0FkRmUp
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XP9WXy4vw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGTVmknJln
"W-Woah!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbl0xssQQi4
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg5vEg0DlT
"Come on, this is no way for an eleven-year-old to behave!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUl1AbVT9KD
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyenw9ClGB
Kenny couldn't resist. The pull jangled his body to the point of nearly fainting.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKy902Ei24H
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsljunetFqC
"Just look at you. Sheesh, I'm surprised you at least have your normal haircut."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfu5gN9nLe
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHDFq8HzhL
Shortcut red hair. And yellow eyes. Kenny remembered how distinct it was from his mother.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIYyZyIoZZ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYthKd8X43
"Now go out, you dumb kid!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lltQjTBp1
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTl8BIq7zD
And then Kenny was shoved out of the house. He slowly rubbed his head and got up.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgDJmaznJj
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksB8s8NNRQ
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKbQeMBEnd
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYbkQKghb7
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx5kmTyr2J
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWpYF3eBNM
Kenny didn't get it.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzXHJX4y2A
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBBUCEkNUh
Don't they understand that it had only been a year since an incident? Why were they all so cheery?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0QBHUdJtk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWm5lQwZsG
"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!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzDkoH7tcy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmV6lmLgqJ
"I... whaa?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUtkKZ0wDH
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0rQfNy41T
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?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk8huiqUWn
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5h288srDW
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGVoV28Jig
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxbR2G8zzB
Something truly was strange. In the seven months that he stayed indoors, this town had changed.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprsucSjeXn
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGA7KySrmx
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuvg2lwHER
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4IB6DO4vq
"Ah, it's Uncle Kenny!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNXenNcNR7
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbENE70K8e
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–384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrKmXQyH16
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9PvGW2ZmC
"Huh?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjMd5oaK1Zk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdPupEUgAk
Kenny suddenly felt her arms wrap around his back. Her cheeks were against Kenny's belly.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xANkjUPmI
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKOpx8tGeQ
"I'm so glad you're finally out. We all missed you."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKpfCtwnQV
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLhJyiOrrP
The girl let go. Kenny couldn't speak.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxKwDtH7um
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pSKmwVSiL
"Oh, and um, thank you so much for making that one potion for Mommy! She's so much better now!"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FChCioNyW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8mSTwpqK9
"Uh... sure?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3B8S3xXbp
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6pJMQLEqK
The girl bowed and ran away, and kept playing games with the other kids.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvicM5CSTWG
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTCLw1sBCe
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I5OngHpra
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5R1OUit9Wb
No, Kenny couldn't still.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AYu8QBiyp
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0zhSoIZTX
He still didn't know what was going on.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIXVnh6qiu
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXNABppPBb
So he kept wandering. The same sight as before, but this time, someone he knew stopped him.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzkPlOJf9j
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pZk30764U
"...Big Brother."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hiVeVy9xq
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zunkNQZEM
It was the kid, Jackson. The kid that was supposed to be Kenny's new little brother.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyhSRXv5GZ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIRlWzlF0Y
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpVKRfzlFL
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ47kwoLsk
But then he smiled.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwYZ1moKi5
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsq9m9kcuz
"Look at you. You finally moved on?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczxK0Jt41k
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMvqsDVAJM
Jackson reached out a hand. Kenny didn't understand at all. So he just swiped it away.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbttRBVGQF5
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSp7tuDAvtP
"N-No, move on? Move on? What the hell are you talking about, 'move on?'"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OWbVVwQfw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKqhZ1twVL
Jackson just sighed, but Kenny didn't stop.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a181ZYY0B
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVVP7SAGqv
"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–"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bvX3yqHqk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48UMP3aTNc
"Listen, Kenny, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but it's been a long time now, hasn't it?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3muhvGqqb
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTcWx0jRJb
A year and a half, right? Is that really long?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡml0Qa5XZLB
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY5IcHR7qI
"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?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡen8osUDoBz
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq0MkRtSjf
"W-What? Huh?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX3PytYoGU
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXz2jGZsth
Kenny didn't understand. No, this made no sense.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgwylveVwg
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2JtYPKhjo
This was insulting.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BZRpcEUp3
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t6FisSuiZ
This was just insulting now.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFHHlteHRh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWx516UenFN
But Kenny didn't have a chance to accuse Jackson of that.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKj4Vfyqli
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5md8ASNkHq
"What in the world is going on inside your head to make you so hung up over it?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfevxcZGZMZ
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxB0CsBMluH
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfrjZNcNDT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFATZgu7Id
And then something shattered in him.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QVj5OWCDV
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YDNlm3Zl8
What was making him so hung up?384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5f4TpvDCI
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2pMSebnXB
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!**384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX5tSxdmTW
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeToUf0KaQs
"...Huh?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTg26KsSHB
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfx9IbAdBTJ
And then Kenny was smacked on the head. But it wasn't like the other times. This one was soft.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWLH5Bd9bL
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPH3aM4ZCj
"L-Listen, Kenny..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUR955dXAGh
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtDZBAmSfr
He looked up. Jackson was looking sad.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFkX5Wp7lb
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6RUJW87LV
"Don't tell me that you think... you're to blame, right?"384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPy7jGzXtpe
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4jxHlZ0lf
"..."384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcVgxzSXQy
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pwXCputOe
It was the first time Kenny cried since the incident.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKGK5ZwgMT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzJm2io16T
–
–
–
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTdmkbXMtT
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLf3tFakNr7
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh3GpZsPYw
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLg0Rh9iWC
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhy8I6jtEs
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlKKguuury
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvWBHecCnk
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuN8Iq5vE1
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.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Xi7F5JhZB
384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDTv6wZWnM
He wasn't perfect, no, but now he was ready. He was ready to go somewhere new and finally make some progress.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXo71DCfy4
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Kenneth Buffalo Chambers. That's who he was.384Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwqxY8RqRx
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That's what he remembered. All of that. Not all of his questions were answered, but he was glad he remembered that much. He got up from the rock and scratched his head. He wished that he remembered how exactly it came to this, though. Kenny was in a rocky field. His carriage was totaled, the horses were missing, and his driver was dead on the ground.
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and then Add to home screen.