An Extra: The Path of Friendship

Cicadas shrilled and birds sang as the water murmured on.

That was what I remembered of the moment I was born.

Unlike other races, we Yordles had no parents. We came into being naturally, much like fruit on a tree: when certain conditions were met, we blossomed and bore fruit. Only the conditions for our birth were far more complicated than those for a fruit to ripen.

Only when a certain feeling or interest reached its absolute peak would the corresponding Will of the Yordles give birth to one of us. I, for example, was the embodiment of friendship.

At first, I had no idea I was the embodiment of friendship. It was an Ionian named Zhao Xin who helped me realize it. It's a long story, but if you're interested, listen and I'll tell it bit by bit!

I was born in a mysterious and beautiful place that existed in Runeterra, yet remained unknown to other races. Our size and appearance were innate, and we knew how to speak from birth. But we were completely unaware of certain things. For instance, at first I had no idea what kind of being I was.

For a long time after I was born, I never met anyone of my kind. I played with little animals every day, thinking I was one of them, until I met Lulu.

She cheered as if she'd discovered a treasure. "Yay! We have a new member!"

That was when I learned that I had others of my kind.

Lulu took me to meet the clan leader, an old man with a white beard and a kindly, rosy face. I learned later that his name was Antiquit, and that he was the oldest person here.

Clan Leader Antiquit named me "Poppy," meaning "lovely flower."

He asked me what I was interested in. I didn't understand what he meant, so he smiled and told me to go explore.

There was a city not far away called Bandle City, where many Yordles lived. Maybe it wouldn't be long before I discovered something that interested me.

Lulu asked if I wanted to go with her to look for pixies. They were really interesting, so I agreed. But once we found them, I realized they were no different from flying insects.

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

When I first arrived in Bandle City, I was indeed happy, probably because I saw so many others like me. But I soon realized that everyone had something they were interested in, while I had no interest in anything. I just really wanted to be with everyone.

At first, everyone took me along to try new things. But when they saw I wasn't interested, they gradually distanced themselves from me, just like Lulu had. It made me feel lonely, and I wanted more and more to find something I cared about.

I left Bandle City and returned to where Clan Leader Antiquit lived. I told him what had happened. He was still smiling cheerfully and told me not to rush; I could stay with him until I found something that interested me.

During that time, the clan leader told me many stories about Yordles. Some lived here, while many others had gone to another world, like Kled, Kennen, Fizz, and others.

The more I heard, the more excited I became. I decided to go out and see the world. Maybe then I wouldn't feel so lonely. The clan leader agreed, but sternly warned me never to reveal anything about my homeland. I had never seen him so serious before.

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

At that time, Demacia was plagued by Dark Magic. I saw people killing one another, and at first I thought it was something they enjoyed. It was only as I gradually learned more about this world that I realized that wasn't the case.

The people there didn't seem to like me. Some ran far away when they saw me; others looked down on me. Then I met the first person who didn't mind me—Oren, a demon hunter.

Oren said his ambition was to drive away the terror created by Dark Magic, so people could live happily and without worry. I wanted to help him, and so one person's mission became two.

I no longer worried about not having an interest. Every day was fulfilling. I was happy when I helped people and angry when I saw them being harmed. Over time, I decided that my interest was helping others drive away the darkness.

The Yordle world had no concept of time, and it was the same for me when I first came here. But when Oren was on the brink of death from old age, I realized just how fragile the people of this world were...

After Oren died, loneliness came over me again. I lost my drive to dispel Dark Magic and hunt down its mages. It turned out those things hadn't been my true interest.

As he was dying, Oren asked me to give his Warhammer to a true hero. The Kingdom of Demacia had only just been founded, and thanks to the efforts of many determined people, the shadow of Dark Magic had been dispelled. So I set out to find a hero.

I traveled through Demacia's towns and villages, then left for other parts of the Valoran Continent. Whenever I heard that a Dark Magic mage or monster had appeared, I rushed over to help, hoping to find someone worthy of the Warhammer. But every time, things ended in tragedy, and in the end, I had to take care of it myself.

I searched again and again, and was disappointed again and again. I gradually became the way I'd been before. And after making a friend, I felt even lonelier.

Later, I came to the icy wastes of Freljord and met a terrifying man. He said his name was Ryze. He was bare-chested in the freezing snow, his deep blue-violet skin covered in runic markings. His powerful presence made me feel oppressed.

In my memory, the only person who had ever made me feel such pressure was Clan Leader Antiquit, once when he'd lost his temper. What surprised me even more was that Ryze knew our clan leader.

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

I hadn't been this happy in a long time. I hurried aboard a large ship bound for Ionia. There were many wealthy merchants and nobles on board, and I hated the extravagant atmosphere.

One morning during the voyage, I suddenly spotted a strong-looking 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. I couldn't explain why, but I just felt he was still alive. It turned out I was right.

Zhao Xin was different from everyone else on the ship. He was more like Oren: he wasn't afraid of me or bothered by me, and he said he wanted to be my friend. It wasn't a passing whim, because he continued to act that way afterward.

He agreed to help me find a true hero. After everything that happened later, I thought he was the hero I'd been looking for: upright and brave, always ready to help others, and not as extreme as Oren. He didn't hate all mages.

The only way he didn't fit the bill was that he loved his spear and had no interest in the Warhammer.

Strangely, he always thought I was the hero Oren had spoken of. I wasn't a hero, just a Yordle with a hammer.

After I met Zhao Xin, I gradually stopped feeling lonely. Thanks to him, I discovered that friendship was what I cared about.

Fate could be cruel. Though the time I spent with Oren had been short, it was still a whole lifetime to him. Compared with that, the time I spent with Zhao Xin was nothing at all—especially by the standards of a Yordle's long life. It was little more than a fleeting moment.

We had an accident at the Kinkou Order and got caught up in a feud. Shen, the abbot there, was manipulated by the evil Jhin into attacking us, and Zhao Xin ended up dying.

More than brief emotions like anger or grief, I hated loneliness. But once again, I couldn't avoid falling into it.

To be honest, Zhao Xin's death affected me far less than Oren's had. But after he died, I felt empty inside, as if I'd had a dream where I made a friend, and when I woke up, everything had vanished.

After Zhao Xin died, I didn't stay in that world. I returned to the place where I was born. Maybe I should look for friendship in the Yordle world. It wouldn't be easy, but at least it might last.

Clan Leader Antiquit had forgotten my name. I wasn't surprised at all, though he still remembered that I'd gone out to find my interest.

He said that, compared to before, I now had not only loneliness but also sadness, happiness, anger, and many other emotions. I didn't know how he could tell.

I wanted to stay with him, but he wouldn't let me. A new fellow had been born, and she was searching for her own will, just like I had when I was newly born. Now she was pestering him every day.

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

Tristana? That name sounded a little familiar. I'd see if I could make a friend!