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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f4uY2ACSh
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn092WiKvYJ
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ADYfdA0iL
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBIT0FLNtW
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ5B2EQcP6
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNpSwYD4om
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5RC0iJeQ6
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwfrr0zRwF
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0PGigTzR4
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgA2NgLTMA
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMa7ZCMhfQ
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuajrEWdrE
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05fy1wNXsj
will say:711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVX4S3kKdPR
“And who might you be?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JIK5mRecN
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLiqNj4oKeG
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTbGVRL78d
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWxqUX2hvc
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nQZJFy0zo
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuSVae9YQr
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdSENrRUni
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRkQgbYqvC
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mEvRsPBE1
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjTvjRU7gt
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1JjzHRa4e
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonJenvSbxW
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxwuGDeC55
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgc5FiP0bYk
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdHUykc6h8
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3saNOIwHr
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yHgYRuPSd
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ltpgRlxAk
nearest tree.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwtJ9YKxta
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZKbeivQGf
“that I came here to wait for you.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwC8ogwbO5
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFGmNL0qmb
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1OKTXVgn5
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAz61lvQqII
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fY5QtaF8Z
lot recently.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NswDPpmc0
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaQ0bvs1ts
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmYaikmfW9
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsjLN82o7g
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1tU8kDHJG
all of them as well?”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryFcCI0Fki
“I did.”711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnt4xMwpN8s
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbII1tTXF7K
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JmKZIfdts
and then held them close to each other ...711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt7xC6GjhP
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
