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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr76QXLahH
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Hqgp7yCKv
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaozwCDai5Y
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GXG18c8v5
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6I9UJDAHA
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1z5HlSbR3
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRhiCWIP0z
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKy5V3FWi3
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6GZsJFXok
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp2YzTem58
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRokMw9in3
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZGk1ZqZ8v
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHKjvGLycJ
will say:503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0v7Idxfur
“And who might you be?”503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBN63uJ4Z0
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4kEDnHQZF
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4VOyRY58P
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEydoeHS9vM
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrYLlLepE3
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyL25z0qC5
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjidXFPgEaV
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjIqW1ywmk
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5r5ANwuBx
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wO8Kr91xV
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLb6Heo2FlE
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXDskhjnQ4
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvBxCBAIW7
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4FvF6QKYo
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCGGuqlM40
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrAzhlDdz3
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFftog6pXSf
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgItK1EdEuW
nearest tree.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3kwgfqbk4
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvDuuzsKt8
“that I came here to wait for you.”503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡajCTdGGYxp
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjd1PQuMrj
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiZQ7T5rp2
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiYK8BivUQ
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHB6Ni0End8
lot recently.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZ7gUXH5i2
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigqGvzeEX5
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdN33Xo5meU
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ8oMvpH2e
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESbIppYzMT
all of them as well?”503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6MDAlV1c6
“I did.”503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIibQr2pUP0
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBloos5gOLO
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Bxdfk6f6V
and then held them close to each other ...503Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADagaENTR9
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
