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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEJJ7Y13wg
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuzyNDZtB7
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmtYyn8iZa
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhTFHwMAEy
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcASIpIeV7Y
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVYfFhzeIM
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyf2uPBt9c
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMmr0wEznG
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOR6UVJYrV
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Lo7gPrwLB
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlEl064b9U
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOVopMQcrS
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXaaQGO2JK
will say:639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3uNYZvupI
“And who might you be?”639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAEEY4GY3U
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s8KX8PrTk
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObI6NWm8iA
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPsIwXya3m
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZe1t6RYJN
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPcLNTqzW0
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpibIfojg0B
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KFs7gYkFS
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2YmZgVm9p
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkICoUQ2OeU
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoAfA9fYIY
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTghzZNnc4L
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmErxfWItWU
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvfwKrerrg
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke2FLQl5U3
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4GaGda6n4
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7UROjfi6Y
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOGjYhxzMq
nearest tree.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P7XLM5FhZ
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64QGzeHFsV
“that I came here to wait for you.”639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGUlw9YDMnj
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lOTJMU5PD
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnUaRD1t8W
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5xJJmLMTB
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlvtFR1pzZ
lot recently.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRHnUfGu3U
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMod47C0h58
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dcJBT3M3r
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3EFxlNgjd
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHqhCnlQjs
all of them as well?”639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVX9ktt0nt
“I did.”639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPERUzjh2jW
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBg4wtvxxsC
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hjcdN6o7q
and then held them close to each other ...639Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaPWQjTvKV
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
