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[POV - Rito/Link][Aman - Valinor - Gardens of Lórien]
Shimmer.
The transformation had been instantaneous. One moment I was Yuuki Rito, second-year student looking at the stars in Sainan. The next, I was... this.
Small.
Small. Young. Innocent.
Avatar.
The avatar I had created using Link as a base was perfect. Slightly messy blond hair, blue eyes that carried a depth that shouldn't be in such a young body, pointed ears that made me look like an elf.
Fitting.
Appropriate for where I was.
Aman.
The Undying Lands. Valinor. The blessed realm of the Valar. The most sacred place in all of Arda. Where the lesser gods dwelt, where elves lived in eternal peace, where...
Trees.
Where the Two Trees still shone.
Telperion and Laurelin.
Telperion, the silver tree, glowing with the light of a moon that didn't yet exist. Laurelin, the golden tree, radiating the warmth of a sun not yet born.
Beautiful.
Beautiful. Simply beautiful.
Even having created entire universes, even having seen wonders beyond comprehension, there was something... special... about these trees. Tolkien had captured something true when he imagined them.
Light on skin.
The light of the trees touched my skin — the avatar's skin, technically — and it was... unique. Like a moonbath and sunlight at the same time, but soft, gentle, comforting.
Lost moment.
I lost myself in the moment. Absorbing. Feeling. Being.
— Umm... excuse me.
Voice.
The voice pulled me from my reverie. Small, musical, curious.
Turn.
I turned and...
Elf girl.
An elf girl. Young, perhaps the same apparent age as my avatar. Golden hair that fell like a waterfall of light, eyes that shone with precocious intelligence and something more. Something... deep.
Origami.
She held something in her hands. Paper folded in the shape of... a swan? No, a boat. A swan boat.
— Hum — I let out, surprised.
Extend.
She extended the origami toward me, that shy but hopeful smile that only children can make.
— Do you want to play? — she asked, voice like a silver bell.
Look down.
I looked down, really paying attention to my body for the first time. And...
Child.
Child. I was a child.
Not a teenager like Twilight Princess Link. Not a young adult like Breath of the Wild Link. But something in between. Maybe ten years old? Eleven?
Hand.
I looked at my hand and...
Triforce.
There it was. The symbol. Three golden triangles forming a larger triangle, glowing softly on my palm.
Irony.
The irony was almost funny. I had come to Aman as an avatar, and ended up bringing a symbol from another universe with me. The Triforce from Zelda, representing Power, Wisdom, and Courage.
Fitting though.
But it was appropriate. I was technically all of that.
Smile.
I smiled at the girl — genuinely — and extended my hand.
— Yes — I replied simply. — Let's play.
Joy.
The joy that exploded on her face was... pure. Not contaminated by politics, by ambition, by fear. Just... childish happiness.
Hand in hand.
She took my hand and began pulling me toward a nearby garden, chattering animatedly about the swan boat she had made.
— I'm Galadriel — she said as we walked. — What's your name?
Galadriel.
The name hit me like silent lightning.
Galadriel. The future Lady of Lothlórien. The bearer of Nenya, the Ring of Water. One of the most powerful elves who would ever live.
But now.
But now? She was just a little girl wanting to play with a paper boat.
Answer.
— You can call me Link — I replied, deciding to use the avatar's name. — Or Yuuto Rito. But I think Link will be better.
— Link — she tested the name, rolling it on her tongue. — It's a strange name. But pretty. Where do you come from, Link?
Good question.
Good question. How to explain "I come from a multiversal fusion where multiple realities collided"?
— From far away — I replied vaguely. — Very far away. From beyond Aman.
Wonder.
Her eyes widened with wonder.
— Beyond the Undying Lands? — she whispered, as if it were an impossible secret. — But... but there's nothing beyond Aman except the endless Sea and then Middle-earth!
Smile.
I smiled mysteriously.
— There's much more than you can imagine — I said gently. — But that's a conversation for another day. Today... today let's play with your boat.
Accept.
She accepted with the ease only children have. Didn't question further, didn't investigate. Just nodded animatedly and continued pulling me.
[Lake of Lórien - Minutes Later]
Crystal water.
The lake was crystalline. So clear I could see all the way to the bottom, where colored stones created a natural mosaic. Laurelin's light danced on the surface like liquid gold.
Place boat.
Galadriel knelt by the edge, carefully placing the swan boat on the water.
— Look — she said animatedly. — It floats!
Float.
And it did float. Gliding gracefully across the surface like a real swan.
Sit.
I sat beside her, watching the boat with genuine interest. There was something... meditative... about watching a simple object floating on calm water under the light of the Sacred Trees.
Question.
— Link — Galadriel said suddenly, her voice becoming more serious — do you feel it too?
Feel?
— Feel what? — I asked.
Look at me.
She looked at me, and for a moment, those childish eyes carried a weight that shouldn't be there.
— That something will change — she said quietly. — That the light of the Trees won't last forever. That Valinor... that the Undying Lands won't remain untouched. That... that darkness is coming.
Prescient.
Prescient. Even as a child, she already felt it. Already knew, on some deep level, that Aman wouldn't remain an eternal paradise.
Truth.
And she was right. Morgoth would come. The Trees would be destroyed. The Silmarils would be stolen. War would sweep Middle-earth like fire.
But.
But not now. Not yet.
— Yes — I admitted honestly. No point in lying. — I feel it. But I also feel something more.
Curious.
— What? — she asked, curiosity overcoming fear.
Triforce glow.
The Triforce on my hand glowed softly, responding to my thought.
— That even when darkness comes — I said gently — light persists. That even when trees fall, new lights are born. Sun and moon will still come. That an end is never really the end.
Hope.
Hope. That's what I was giving her. Hope.
Smile.
She smiled, small but genuine.
— You're strange, Link — she said. — But I like you.
Laugh.
I laughed. Couldn't help it.
— You're strange too, Galadriel — I replied affectionately. — But I like you too.
Splash.
She responded by splashing water at me.
Water fight.
What followed was an all-out water war. Children being children. Elves and divine avatars forgetting weight and responsibility, just... playing.
Laughter.
Laughter echoed through the garden, mixing with the light of the Trees, creating a moment of pure perfection in Valinor.
Moment frozen.
And in that moment, I chose to do something I rarely did.
Memory.
I created a permanent memory. Not just in the avatar, but in myself. Yuuki Rito, back in Sainan, would feel this joy, this lightness, this... innocence.
Reminder.
A reminder of why it was worth protecting everything. Why free will was sacred. Why beauty mattered.
Eventually.
Eventually, we tired. Soaked, laughing, happy.
Lie down.
We lay down on the grass, looking at the Trees above, their lights alternating between silver and gold.
— Link — Galadriel said dreamily — will you stay? Or will you leave as you came?
Question.
Good question.
— I'll stay for a while — I replied. — Not forever. But long enough.
Enough for what?
— Long enough for what? — she asked.
Look at her.
I looked at her, this child who would become legend.
— Long enough to be your friend — I said simply. — If you want.
Hand.
She extended her hand, pinky raised.
— Pinky promise? — she asked with the seriousness only a child treating a childish promise as a sacred oath can have.
Pinky promise.
I intertwined my pinky with hers.
— Pinky promise — I confirmed.
Seal.
And with that simple gesture, I formed a bond that would cross ages. A friendship that would persist even when darkness came, even when wars happened, even when the world changed.
Forever.
Because some promises, even made by children in a Valinor garden under the light of the Sacred Trees...
Last forever.
Especially.
Especially when one of the children is God in disguise.