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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIlPfZvw1s
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMr7NiEUVA
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQkz63bU7y
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI26MmXC3r
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFrPRXUr7e
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1Nvn3Lab4
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9Fog3nNoH
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNl8aBKbsHZ
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuqvrcSR9N
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin7T6mlza3
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfmw096LU9
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hf2KgzkP5
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrH7hJm2O6
will say:611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5qDzylRkR
“And who might you be?”611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu07bRERsU
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTwpY7fEir
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s1PuR4jum
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzdyQhoMgL
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4guzfIp42
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82ebt8Wq2w
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbzsVhj0zD
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOcifjejws
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRvR1llhMD
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae7epwHecQ
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVTsipNOrW
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7u7Over6Ct
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp70rE65iN
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntmKzG5jsZ
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRdVU5LEdS
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJlv62kvEv
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJ6jVcyXOs
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLEc8SrkiS
nearest tree.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnNf4UAUzG
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3FKpKXc8K
“that I came here to wait for you.”611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNQj1eJDpF
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWB5I9vj9ct
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaaMOxCVGl
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHZ3mHIXEX
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmo13ipf1Z
lot recently.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUJNKKm9ao
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSZZob77Px
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfHn2k02Oj
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CywBYuInn
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJqL6tqMGX
all of them as well?”611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEKSf5ByeB
“I did.”611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoa4xWVY1n
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDurYEVYlCF
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymkADnCL6A
and then held them close to each other ...611Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWzhs1AAfu
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
