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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6z8KtCo66d
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtQxctMDnT
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTZyJsPM82
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRICcDxsRA
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtmlyDzdQZ
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBxQYKK3L9
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XzZzceDbi
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14Yp533zL0
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEIzeBIRgz
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcen6GjwHMI
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9wZkMiOna
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqPl9jh0dp
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXCL0xcKQr
will say:703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLTQv1VLQR
“And who might you be?”703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG3Yc7r2H9
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAJp3jbo7R
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDJv7eDrzE
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNmYxGnuFQ
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxv1ovAyhLp
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRGQV6jKY9i
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3T03HvGnF5
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBeVVk2hjj
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR08KniXkz
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sWzjXhMX6
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡds11VXqpRd
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWXGvsPwGT
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq57PLpJbd1
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsqBDrL6OI
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jJ50q6DFp
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySzCWKrrFE
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyTrtHAOBE
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80v7crUizk
nearest tree.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQHSlT2RcT
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdD6bPvJ3KE
“that I came here to wait for you.”703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBo0qNgJ4gd
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMaOG4zvFz
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYauFMjqWrg
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAQavEiMKb
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWTQFXJSUe
lot recently.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG69gvRewis
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF6U6XERlM
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ6s7BQp2V
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDRxuOb102
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRsulAQUvf
all of them as well?”703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIkhcEdwBZ
“I did.”703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgdp9qPJ7Q
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2gAvtVy0f
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQ6orskMFp
and then held them close to each other ...703Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgjd4mCcHT
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
