Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by311Please respect copyright.PENANAGitQfxdUgO
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting311Please respect copyright.PENANAHJBsnonr1i
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.311Please respect copyright.PENANAGHfrhRJubc
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so311Please respect copyright.PENANAVvBtpLmpnv
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it311Please respect copyright.PENANAEjO1pjkksl
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.311Please respect copyright.PENANAjOURGgmrre
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly311Please respect copyright.PENANAmBaK5HjIRP
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose311Please respect copyright.PENANAqRlNYhvaUD
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one311Please respect copyright.PENANAkiOfAwJJK9
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.311Please respect copyright.PENANAbC8bNaXN6m
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me311Please respect copyright.PENANAB59jEaCsY9
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no311Please respect copyright.PENANAQxwwbjK5Kr
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he311Please respect copyright.PENANA6WSU21u3Mo
will say:311Please respect copyright.PENANAFdtgZ9YrkR
“And who might you be?”311Please respect copyright.PENANADhKofKOA1h
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so311Please respect copyright.PENANAfBE5FD2Euq
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly311Please respect copyright.PENANALTeZHhZxE9
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his311Please respect copyright.PENANABkKRFzALzy
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,311Please respect copyright.PENANAH8kGB8JaNn
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.311Please respect copyright.PENANAMYkLgo7k9h
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,311Please respect copyright.PENANAq6IEMnPDNB
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,311Please respect copyright.PENANAgjf5IUlLXB
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.311Please respect copyright.PENANAmiPJDVdNBX
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite311Please respect copyright.PENANAL4cUfyilyb
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its311Please respect copyright.PENANARslBGxJCk7
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did311Please respect copyright.PENANAr7uUNRstjo
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested311Please respect copyright.PENANAzfntJmX32l
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.311Please respect copyright.PENANArWF1hMd5MU
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.311Please respect copyright.PENANAyfRI8FN7bz
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,311Please respect copyright.PENANAwBFTGdql50
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out311Please respect copyright.PENANAVK020apZbn
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the311Please respect copyright.PENANADqpnHsd6g0
nearest tree.311Please respect copyright.PENANAdqW7QhaUtx
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,311Please respect copyright.PENANAHMjgx6G59o
“that I came here to wait for you.”311Please respect copyright.PENANA4IlQqS4bV9
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he311Please respect copyright.PENANA2UjATjBP2k
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,311Please respect copyright.PENANAaKWs976ft9
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips311Please respect copyright.PENANAqqD8ztYXRJ
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a311Please respect copyright.PENANA8S551UWnG0
lot recently.311Please respect copyright.PENANAYW6CTiSsrT
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.311Please respect copyright.PENANAWrb3aqVHKi
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a311Please respect copyright.PENANAH67V52WF18
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of311Please respect copyright.PENANAtoGTfp9NxC
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw311Please respect copyright.PENANAbOqPylcfr6
all of them as well?”311Please respect copyright.PENANAZNmObm8fPE
“I did.”311Please respect copyright.PENANAmWzC0yD9Wm
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as311Please respect copyright.PENANAmejrfjAuvK
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,311Please respect copyright.PENANAe0vaTCTshy
and then held them close to each other ...311Please respect copyright.PENANAzptw8sYH4A
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...