x
Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Z8Bn5atZU
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHIvG453bs
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Gqb8JhhHK
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcfMEQgB6g
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXaCmVdGLS
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMF7SbWGeW
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1zDHJ0a6r
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9cA4s2OWr
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMoZENDh28
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiZytpJdzn
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiw9y4lOkU8
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9jTVLWH52
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY30E0X1ZFO
will say:666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxmesdPQpz
“And who might you be?”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ms0xE5OxC
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVE3OhJYEd
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7yCjycpZO
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP8zLDF0MX
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqm1GvUIvFo
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZX7P2TIZY
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnX6A3szsxR
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEq5PHG5mQY
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡou95nmmPXB
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucMVrTpAWv
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf48jQOZux
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzwQctUOrj
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AnRz1wtAn
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItEIXOwuTv
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTWql1set9
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs9OjHviHg
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KEZBW8a5s
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJR74xTuJT
nearest tree.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeuoCWw1VK
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOq3VikQAi
“that I came here to wait for you.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXcUEYiMWm
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uxBH8HRP1
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHBjc3W2KC
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWFpNZKKxr
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiqW2J0SZm
lot recently.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD7d1XJeRW
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPw9inwlMqv
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQ5WAdKCDI
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXQlv8HmHc
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3R4wHD7wl
all of them as well?”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsnX1U2N8a
“I did.”666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaou1t9kr0L
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzfxs3uI9n
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1xVqX10HC
and then held them close to each other ...666Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6K1pqPtNc5
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
