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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYuCDVSTmp
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0SXXwqCRy
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmAIQLzrpN
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQ00K0aQ5F
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAsVQcCsS0
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18X2ayKPWF
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg23nlgMtsl
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAB1qxu3dg
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFfxTB5rEcc
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9QOu4wFTn
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAC0CRonbLq
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59ZfZ3wWam
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9l2eX9L8W3
will say:612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JFeg5y5za
“And who might you be?”612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCTbjEOwo0
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2biCT1KtQR
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLz5E4BoyP
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZg7AxuRXut
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1qvxxpexl
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTfhHiIxdM
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fPTkmn6jL
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI68OKoImgC
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe49EXteKaY
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoqLSApU0j
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH4bBPHe8Z
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTx96R5P5S
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIEFppPzhj
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72GyHF1iOA
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANSxdanxEv
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjDTaOj6Mi
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4JH3mLjwX
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHu6hqXyya
nearest tree.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVAxLZMuU6
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Q5pT0lJwI
“that I came here to wait for you.”612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hzBnbWuAE
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqK3XxwUyEs
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKtAjrlroM
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMJViulvw5
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCSUSE6jO3
lot recently.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG90eIV393j
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUq0REcan5
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4933eAaGGm
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnF7jJ7KKA3
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZohI1NLYW
all of them as well?”612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC4af04tx1
“I did.”612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjBQM4RZaq
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnX7yOtO1vz
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJoy3Q4Yc5
and then held them close to each other ...612Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSiFMfq953
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
