The Peculiar Alchemist

51 || Unknowingly Close

When Kellen said he had completed his studies and specialized in wards and runes, Sammy began to grow interested in that piece of information. That was something he actually didn't know about Kellen, and while it did make sense that he'd choose that field of study, Sammy wondered why he had never heard of him when he used to attend.

Heck, Sammy even attended his old school while dead. Surely he'd notice someone like Kellen there, but why didn't he?

He watched curiously as Kellen sat there with an advanced ritual book in hand and a piece of paper beside him with an incomplete drawing of a ritual. Sammy realized he wasn't studying the rituals in the book, he was only taking inspiration from it to make up his own cursed mix. This displayed many years of experience, but Kellen didn't look that old.

In fact, he looked younger than what Sammy would have been if he were still alive.

"Just how old are you?" He wondered out loud as he looked over Kellen's shoulder.

"Twenty six."

Sammy didn't expect to get an answer, but he did. That meant that Kellen had been aware of him this whole time, but he chose to ignore him and focus on his sick rituals. "Are you keeping that piece of wood on you?"

"Yup." Kellen nodded his head at him with a grin, and Sammy stared at him in a mixture of awe and bafflement. "Been carrying it the whole time. A lot of the dead keep cursing at me."

Not surprising since he killed many of them.

"Who would willingly choose to be able to see ghosts?"

Kellen shrugged at him, returning to his ritual. Sammy couldn't help but examine him for whatever else he was carrying in his person. "Ghosts are good company – like yourself – and I really like knowing what's around me."

That did sound like something Kellen would care about, knowing things and keeping track of them, but Sammy is still convinced that nobody sane would ever choose to be able to see ghosts. They were mostly an annoying presence for the living. They're always there, roaming around the place with no goal and mostly complaining about things.

There were many ghosts Sammy encountered who spent most of their time just wandering around while muttering things under their breath. Things that were rarely significant, and if they were ever significant, it was only to a few select listeners. Still, they do have some interesting stories to tell sometimes – either from their past or something they witnessed – and Sammy guessed Kellen wanted to hear such stories.

Or maybe he was just weird.

"When did you start learning rituals?" Sammy asked curiously as he watched Kellen complete another section to it, and he couldn't help but notice how Kellen sticks out his tongue when focused on something exactly like Agnes.

When Kellen finally finished, he looked up at Sammy and pondered his question for a few moments. "I think I started a while after Agnes took me. So around twelve, maybe?"

"Twelve?" Sammy hissed in surprise. "What sacrifices did you use when you were twelve?"

His shock clearly amused Kellen who grinned at him. "Little animals and insects, what else?"

"That's gross."

"Thank you."

Sammy sighed, shaking his head as he imagined a little kid tyring out rituals. That wasn't only messed up as hell, but also extremely dangerous. Anything could have happened, but maybe Kellen was just one of those people who had a knack from these things.

The man managed to avoid death so many times it almost made Sammy believe he became immune to it the same way he became immune to all the poisons Agnes – and now Aubrey – made him drink.