Side Story: The Road of Friendship

The cicadas chirped and birds sang, the water flowed gently.

This is the memory of my birth.

Unlike other races, we Yordles don't have parents; we are formed naturally, like fruit trees. When certain conditions are met, they can blossom and bear fruit. However, the conditions for our formation are far more complex than ripening fruit.

Only when one reaches the extreme in a certain emotion or interest will the corresponding Yordle will give birth to us. For example, I was born from the will of friendship.

I didn't know I was the embodiment of friendship at first. It was an Ionian named Zhao Xin who made me realize it. It's a long story, but if you're interested, I'll tell you bit by bit!

I was born in a mysterious and beautiful place, existing within Runeterra but unknown to other races. Our size and appearance were innate, and we knew our language from birth. However, there were things we were completely unaware of, such as the fact that I didn't know what kind of existence I was at first.

For a long time after my birth, I didn't see any of my own kind. I played with small animals every day and thought I was one of them until I met Lulu.

She cheered like she had discovered treasure: "Yay, we have a new member!"

It was then that I learned I had others of my kind.

Lulu took me to see the tribal chief, an old man with a white beard and a ruddy, kind face. I later learned his name was Antiquit, the oldest person there.

Chief Antiquit named me "Poppy," meaning lovely flower.

He asked me what my hobbies were. I didn't know what he meant. He smiled and told me to walk around.

Not far away, there was a city called Bandle City, where many Yordles lived. Perhaps I would soon discover something I was interested in.

Lulu asked if I wanted to search for pixies with her. Those pixies were very interesting. I agreed, but after finding them, I realized they were no different from flying insects.

Lulu could understand the pixies' conversations and found it interesting. I couldn't understand them and wasn't interested. Then, Lulu took me to Bandle City and left.

I was indeed happy when I first arrived in Bandle City, probably because I saw so many of my own kind. But soon, I discovered that everyone had their own interests, and I was interested in nothing. I just wanted to be with everyone.

At first, people would take me to experience new and exciting things. Later, seeing that I wasn't interested, they gradually distanced themselves from me, just like Lulu. This made me feel very lonely and even more eager to find my own interests.

I left Bandle City and returned to where Chief Antiquit lived. I told him about my experiences. He was still cheerful and told me not to worry, saying I could stay with him until I found my interests.

During that time, the chief told me many stories about Yordles. Besides the people here, many had gone to another world, such as Kled, Kennen, Fizz, and so on.

The more I listened, the more excited I became. Then I decided to go out and explore. Perhaps I wouldn't feel so lonely. The chief agreed and sternly warned me never to reveal anything about our home. It was the first time I had ever seen him so serious.

The chief opened a portal for me and sent me to another world, which is now the Demacia region. My first impression was that there were so many people, and they were so tall!

At that time, Demacia was suffering from the ravages of Dark Magic. I saw people killing each other. At first, I thought it was their way of having fun. Later, as I slowly came to understand this world, I realized it wasn't the case.

The people there seemed to dislike me. Some would hide far away when they saw me, while others would sneer. Until I met the first person who didn't dislike me – Oren, a demon slayer.

Oren said his ambition was to dispel the atmosphere of terror created by Dark Magic and let people live happy and carefree lives. I was willing to help him, and so my solo mission became a two-person endeavor.

At that time, I was no longer anxious about not finding my interests. I lived a fulfilling life every day. I felt happy after helping others and angry when I saw those who were harmed. Over time, I felt that my interest was helping others dispel the darkness.

The Yordle world has no concept of time. I was the same when I first arrived here. But when Oren was on the verge of death due to old age, I realized how fragile people in this world were...

After Oren died, loneliness struck me again. I lost my motivation to dispel Dark Magic and hunt Dark Mages. It turned out this wasn't my interest after all.

When Oren died, he entrusted me with his Warhammer, asking me to give it to a true hero. At that time, the Kingdom of Demacia had just been established. The shadow of Dark Magic was dispelled through the joint efforts of aspiring individuals. Thus, I embarked on a journey to find a hero.

My footsteps took me through the towns and villages of Demacia, and later I left there to go to other parts of the Valoran Continent. Every time I heard of a Dark Mage or a monster appearing, I would rush to help, hoping to find someone to entrust the Warhammer to. But without exception, they all ended in tragedy, and in the end, I had to deal with it myself.

Searching again and again, being disappointed again and again, I gradually returned to my previous state. I even felt more lonely after making a friend.

Later, I came to the Freljord ice fields and met a terrifying person. He said his name was Ryze. He was bare-chested in the freezing snow, his deep blue, purplish skin covered in rune patterns. His powerful aura made me feel oppressed.

In my memory, apart from the time Chief Antiquit lost his temper, no one had ever made me feel such pressure. What surprised me even more was that he actually knew our chief.

Fortunately, he wasn't an enemy. After hearing my story, he advised me to seek out Sage Tabor in Demacia to ask about heroes. Then I was told that the hero would be going to Ionia.

I hadn't been this happy in a long time. I quickly boarded a large ship bound for Ionia. There were many wealthy merchants and nobles on the ship, and their extravagant atmosphere made me detest them.

One morning during the voyage, I suddenly discovered a strong man. He had long black hair and a normal complexion, but strangely, he had no breath or heartbeat.

The crew said he was dead and wanted to throw him into the sea. But I didn't think so. Although I couldn't say why, I just felt he was still alive. The facts proved I was right.

Zhao Xin was different from the others on the ship. He was more like Oren, not afraid of me and didn't dislike me. He even said he wanted to be friends with me. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, as his subsequent actions proved.

He promised to help me find the true hero. Based on what happened later, I felt he was the hero I was looking for: upright, brave, helpful, and unlike Oren, not so extreme, not hostile to all mages.

The only thing that didn't fit was that he was very fond of his spear and had no interest in the Warhammer at all.

What was strange was that he always thought I was the hero Oren spoke of. I wasn't a hero, just a Yordle with a hammer.

After getting to know Zhao Xin, I gradually stopped feeling lonely. Thanks to his inspiration, I discovered that my true interest was friendship.

Fate plays tricks on people. Although my time with Oren was short, it was still his lifetime. Compared to that, the time spent with Zhao Xin was insignificant, especially for the long lives of Yordles, it was almost an instant.

We had an accident at the Kinkou Order and were drawn into a conflict of grievances. The abbot there, Shen, was manipulated by the evil Jhin and attacked us, ultimately leading to Zhao Xin's death.

Compared to fleeting emotions like anger, sadness, I hated loneliness even more, yet I inevitably fell into it again.

To be honest, Zhao Xin's death didn't affect me as much as Oren's. But after he died, I always felt an emptiness in my heart, as if I had a dream, made a friend in the dream, and everything vanished when I woke up.

After Zhao Xin's death, I didn't stay in that world. I returned to the place where I was born. Perhaps I should find my friendship in the Yordle world. Although it wouldn't be easy, it would last longer that way.

Chief Antiquit had forgotten my name, which didn't surprise me at all. However, he remembered that I had gone out to seek my interests.

He said that compared to before, besides loneliness, I had also gained many emotions like sorrow, joy, and anger. I don't know how he could tell.

I wanted to stay with him, but he wouldn't allow it because a new being had been born. She was searching for her will, just like I was not long ago, and was now constantly pestering him.

"Oh, little one, your name shall be Tristana."

Tristana? That name sounded a bit familiar. I decided to try and make friends with her!