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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQJ7OLmn7x
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXBF57DlhB
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVkzml7kuN
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLuccTsnMR
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqBlyUgn9f
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSbhqYEfOc
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZymgLMvLx
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkwjjmLT2I
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrXMXoJIUe
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoO5wVo6NoD
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVP51cOvCO7
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVsTh3IsAp
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXa5WPHhuhw
will say:685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnn7OlXfM0W
“And who might you be?”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ajxq6Fnkb
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIbgYbNCE8
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iVh78oLiC
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASmMPfg33S
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xjp9hG0ah
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWnpSPktpG
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTmul8BnRs
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpbAedIEQy
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkCu4RN4Zp
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcwmwezqHJ
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWriMuE2XFT
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuAXOk25sh
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGkZjsbeej
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARa7I3DorI
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r0HlgNw7E
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakuRRmEz9u
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9WQveXyMh
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP65yEXDPVv
nearest tree.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxHHalGnRf
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Uhn2W6bMZ
“that I came here to wait for you.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwmFf982SM
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSUc44dOfl
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzM5nyb3zpZ
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIVYkK2aoy
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoxE2uTGZz
lot recently.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikG5O1o9n9
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5B7DwzYkg
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOqBi4Xsxr
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8hH7fZaWa
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQR6dpkZJjC
all of them as well?”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpeqbI9Oji
“I did.”685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNtj584KSG
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NbjhK7736
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuAJelfZs4
and then held them close to each other ...685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1ca82fKGJ
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
