It was a very young childhood memory.
One night when I was not even nine years old… Master took me to the place where Zephia was visible, at the World Tree for the first time.
Since I hadn’t learned flight magic yet, I clung to Master, and we arrived at a beautifully picturesque spot overlooking Zephia’s night view.
“Master, where is this place?”
“This is the center of the World Tree, my disciple Yuren.”
I sat next to Master, who looked youthful as he gazed at the sky.
“Yuren, do you know? There’s a legend about this World Tree.”
“A legend?”
It felt like he was reading a fairy tale, as Master spoke. Under the moonlight, his shining figure seemed like a scene from a dream, and I continued to listen closely.
“That’s right. Very long ago, when the world was in crisis, a sage sacrificed their life to save it at the World Tree.”
Master spoke plainly, with a very nostalgic expression.
“That sage who entered the World Tree has become one with it and is still striving to protect the world. And someday, when the world is truly at peace, they will return.”
“Wow, sacrificing one’s life for the world sounds incredible.”
“Indeed… they are a great sage.”
Seeing Master’s nostalgic face piqued my curiosity.
Who could this person be that Master misses so much?
“Master, do you know that sage?”
“I know them very well. They are someone precious to me.”
Though I didn’t know the details, it was evident that Master was very close to this person.
Intrigued, I asked about the sage.
“Then do you know when that sage will return?”
“I don’t know exactly, but it won’t be long now.”
Master turned to look at the heart of the World Tree.
It seemed like there was something invisible to me that was visible to him.
“And we agreed to meet here.”
“Here?”
Master’s words made my young heart race.
I might get to meet a legendary figure, and seeing the expression on Master’s face, he said,
“Would you like to meet them, Yuren?”
“Yes, I want to meet them, Master.”
With a longing gaze, Master smiled at me.
“Well then, when that day comes, let’s meet here, Yuren…”
“Yes! Master!!”
Looking back now, it feels like that message was directed towards my present self, not the young me back then.
My body began to rise.
The time of our promise was approaching.
I felt the magical energy of the World Tree throughout my being.
It felt as if a strong current was pushing me away.
I began to see that dazzling place.
I felt my arms and legs.
Now all that was left was to swim.
I swung my arms with all my might.
My body was starting to rise towards the dazzling place.
Getting closer, I could hardly keep my eyes open because it was so bright, and finally…
“Ha!!!”
I returned to the world.
I opened my eyes.
It felt like my whole body was shining with the magic of the World Tree, and in front of me were familiar faces waiting for me.
“Yuren!?”
“Yuren… is that really you?”
“Yuren, my lord?”
Sylvia, Julia, and Sora looked astonished to see me.
My heart began to warm as I saw the faces I had longed to see after 500 years.
And then…
“Yuren! Is it really you?”
Master rushed towards me.
The Master who had returned as an ordinary elf from 500 years ago jumped into my embrace.
“Yes… it’s me. I’m Yuren.”
I felt Master’s warmth after 500 years.
Master spoke to me with a quivering voice.
“Yuren… I really tried hard. I really worked hard to meet you.”
“I saw everything. Master, you are indeed my proud Master.”
Master had truly put in a lot of effort.
Even when lonely and difficult, he believed in me and tried for my sake.
I just had to hug such a lovable Master.
“I missed you! Even though I was watching, I missed you!!”
“I missed you too, Master.”
Master embraced me as well.
I confirmed multiple times whether I was really me.
I felt it at the World Tree.
Looking at the young me, Master felt happy that he’d arrived at a bright future but was troubled that I hadn’t returned yet, leaving him alone.
Our Master was so kind.
He could have enjoyed that time a bit more comfortably…
But now, that long, painful time had finally ended.
“Now it’s okay. You’ve worked hard during the time I was gone and even now, Master.”
sniff “It was nothing much. It was you, Yuren, who really had a tough time.”
When I was savoring the reunion after 500 years and 11 years and 2 days, everyone was looking at me from behind.
“Yuren, can you tell us what happened?”
Sylvia’s words made me feel like crying.
Hearing their precious voices after so long was like awakening my brain cells.
“I’ll tell you everything, about the past 511 years and 2 days.”
“500 years? But Yuren, only 2 days have passed since you went missing.”
“Yuren, could it be that you took a big hit to your head or something?”
Their confused faces looked so lovely.
With Master and the girls, I returned home.
*
Returning home after 500 years was familiar yet new.
It felt surreal.
So very familiar, yet I remembered the experiences of watching over the world for 500 years.
Is this how elves perceive the world?
I began to understand Master’s sense of time a bit.
I told them everything.
I shared how I was sent back 500 years in time, became Karuga there, and saved the world along with Master.
Naturally…
“Yuren… haven’t you played too many games?”
“It’s true though…”
No one believed me.
But that was okay.
The world was peaceful, and I returned safely to my family.
With that, nearly everything I wanted was resolved.
With the information I gained while looking over the world from the World Tree, I handled the duties of the head of the Magic Response Agency at lightning speed.
Maybe it was because I absorbed the magic of the World Tree for 500 years?
I felt a bit god-like.
I could feel all the magical energy of the world and handle it as if it were my own.
At this point, I felt I could take on divine beasts and come out victorious.
With this incredible ability, I created a game.
“Yuren’s Execution, what kind of game is this?”
“The best game.”
On March 3, 2017, a game was released worldwide.
A game released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series, one of Nintendo’s masterpiece game IPs, along with Super Mario.
Even before its release, it garnered attention in Japan as a new open-world game.
That game became a legend, as its name suggested.
It received a perfect score from numerous game magazines, sweeping the GOTY awards, and it was praised by gamers from the East and West for opening a new chapter in open-world gaming.
Backed by that acclaim, it sold 10 million copies within a year of its release and became the title with the most sales in the Legend of Zelda series, totaling 31.7 million copies sold.
This is the 19th installment of the Legend of Zelda series,
the game where the protagonist in green clothes goes into others’ houses and breaks their belongings,
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.”
This game was the last one I played before I died.
I became Link, the protagonist who had lost his memory, wandering around the kingdom of Hyrule, experiencing an open world full of adventure and exploration.
Climbing massive towers,
clearing numerous temples,
traveling around the world to find recipes while cooking various dishes,
and in the end, simply wanting to climb a snowy peak that was visible just because it looked nice, doing so without any winter gear and surviving only on cooking to make the ascent, finally gliding down with a paraglider—it was an exhilarating experience.
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” offered such adventure and freedom; it was truly the most fun game I ever played in this world.
Reflecting back, I thought about how I could make something based on this, inspired by the adventures I had as Karuga 500 years ago while flying around and traversing icy paths with Master.
With all my tasks complete, I started developing a game on my own.
Had I been sleeping for 500 years?
No matter how many nights I pulled, I never felt tired at all.
Everything I imagined was implemented instantaneously within the Crystal Ball, and just a week later, I completed my best masterpiece, “The Legend of the World Tree.”
Of course, the game turned out to be ridiculously fun.
When I revealed it, everyone naturally became engrossed in “The Legend of the World Tree.”
“Let me try it, Jiren, I’ll clear it!”
“Just a little more! I think I can clear this temple if I try a bit longer!”
“Jiren! Try flipping this over and rolling the ball!”
I watched everyone gathered in front of the screen playing “The Legend of the World Tree.”
It felt like I had lived until now just to see this sight, and it filled me with happiness.
And then Master quietly walked over to me and sat down.
Since coming back, Master seemed even more reluctant to leave my side.
“Yuren, let’s stay together from now on.”
“Yes, Master.”
I couldn’t predict what fate the World Tree would choose from now on.
But one thing I know for sure is that
we will continue to be happy.
