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Prologue
I have already learned the true nature of this world; every single language spoken by721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeB0D5o9s9
all the miscreated, bid farewell to all those that I ever met, and just finished predicting721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4eIVMlQSM
most outcomes - not bad for someone born only a day ago.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDaox3fpXA
And now I must wait here for him, atop such a generous outcrop of stone; one so721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYHXkIOXdJ
easily protruding from the most graceful display of running water. A creek, I think it721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3Upnypmzi
is called, that much like me, seems to always be running but never getting anywhere.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjLp06EFA0
I cannot think of a better example of the flow of time and design working perfectly721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXxvFhO4YG
in tandem. Yet another sample of what can be expected in this world above, I suppose721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzRDCy9Apt
and hope; an example that for so long has dared to cross these woods that the one721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxnm4Nv8nr
I am waiting for, sometimes calls his own.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXso3vsMz1e
He should be here any moment now; my inherited memories keep assuring me721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZBGg3eDcQ
that he comes by this exact spot every day to make his crossing, and today will be no721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZAc1l42JP
exception. He will come. He will come and he will find me; he will find me, and he721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJ1dMz1V4s
will say:721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5Vxw7Pg52
“And who might you be?”721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Uz49PKBpG
After I turned around, I was greeted with a weird-looking old figure, much more so721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tvs8afXYf
than I was expecting, with an uneven pair of glasses barely hanging from his slightly721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKR0AuuWKI
twirled nose and a long set of grey hair cascading, knot after knot, from the top of his721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8c2d2iaQX
head. Several pieces of mismatched armour were strapped to his tall if a bit hunched,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuB9IYafqG
body. They had been collected over a long period of time and from all kinds of sources.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmELlN60nQ
His right hand held a solid piece of armament; he tried to disguise it as a walking stick,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8H5VvVohm
but it was most definitely a good weapon. A haversack hung from his other shoulder,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglAgQ72SfW
it was half open and mostly filled with all sorts of plants and a few samples of fungi.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWgkLSZouR
Then I noticed behind him followed a beast of burden; great of size and with quite721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdGq8qZRqR
the relaxed jaw hanging under its corpulent nose. And if all the satchels covering its721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjGMj6D6TZ
blue and green skin were not enough to define its purpose, its mellow eyes surely did721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu1aQmbISk
the trick. Also, between its massive shoulders and the middle of its curved back, rested721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD32BznmWDN
a large, purple saddle. One that was just big enough for two.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo5yplWXh5
“I was waiting for you,” I steadily revealed to him.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUfZ9fwVw0
“It would certainly seem that way.” The old man replied quite unpreoccupied,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh50ur1Wsde
“Please tell me then, how is it that I am fated to find a little one such as yourself out721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jzXBsCaTV
here, in the middle of these woods?” He asked as he began tying that beast to the721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcB26tNwIqd
nearest tree.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmdDCLduo1
“I just said,” I repeated without taking my eyes from all the papers I was holding,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohRGmizma6
“that I came here to wait for you.”721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGgzLYH9b6
“Quite right.” He stared at me for a moment, and then finally wetted his boots as he721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOZoSyVg1v
ventured into that running water to make his approach. He did so slowly and carefully,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4GKIWm5LD
as to not frighten me, which caused me to smile in appreciation. All the dirt and rips721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTOrdy24cf
in my mostly white clothes easily conveying to him that I had gone through quite a721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAoRrkCm5B
lot recently.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuHM0jIbKA
“It’s alright. You can come closer.” I told him unabashedly.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSfMT9bbPu
“Oh, were you writing?” He was quick to notice when close enough, “And at such a721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHL5tXelLAS
young age as well. Remarkable.” He then quickly followed that with a high opinion of721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybSRoHC4vL
my scattered drawings, before picking one up: “And what about these? Did you draw721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80Inpo82Tg
all of them as well?”721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2EijKsRuq
“I did.”721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKrUHECvLp
“I know this man...” The old man confessed, “and this woman as well.” He added as721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IFZpPhiIo
his eyes caught glimpse of another half-finished sketch. He picked up that one as well,721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjUBFmgSot
and then held them close to each other ...721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNdqbw0mhZ
“I know these people.” He insisted, without taking his eyes from those two pictures...
