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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9ZHcAlLIJ
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbjhsYNe8b
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Oee3JBhYM
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2y3gfiUFHH
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2RTsDeyw8
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDdZSyN4EY
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0UjQtAD6r
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwdy2DM6kp
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6tpxL0NDl
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTNmXm950i
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPepRLLa8b
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVur45s69MJ
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEGtMWwbFw
will say:625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqE3NP9Ksge
“And who might you be?”625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nWiAhiGvG
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gAvuTxDp5
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5NpMEVtsa
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYqprSpJ1W
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyd9oT1ou3D
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5aHYwAYKG
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdaeqlfa5R
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6H5WZRe1F
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMtUgo2XrI
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdPSExWrmE
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEI8Rl3YkQ
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc60LAnwHJ
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTofTYdjhgK
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5W1EcpBARY
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNbQy1XALR
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnOXc697NQ
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSptd9KjEr
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKM8z3ITYd
nearest tree.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQwSG54cOr
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OMoqWnMwj
“that I came here to wait for you.”625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AthJyrDpp
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuTapijS8Q
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOmWjAe0PY
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡij8PBfVbma
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ62XcTmgp2w
lot recently.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMLab1Agzz
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtmnokhi8K
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnmZkfRPnu
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrl62gSD0IT
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1BucV7sVA
all of them as well?”625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBK7aIddrG
“I did.”625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQo147RdET
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJyxynQROG
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7A1ZDgKDR
and then held them close to each other ...625Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj8E8UEaFD
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
