Ymir was a slave living near the area where the King of the Eldian people resided. Like all other slaves, regardless of age or gender, Ymir's tongue had been cruelly cut out by Eldian soldiers. According to the ruling class of Eldia at the time, slaves or tools had no need for their own voices.
Ymir felt indifferent about it. Although cutting the tongue was painful and caused much bleeding, in addition to the inability to speak, the pain was gone after a few days. She had no family left and was not close to anyone anyway.
Ymir was used to it.
It could be said that, both physically and spiritually, she had been subdued like a slave.
Even so, she was still human. Although naive, deep down in her heart, the little girl still yearned for something, though she didn't know what it was.
On the wide dirt road, a small girl slowly walked, clutching a large water jug to her chest.
This was Ymir.
Her body was small, her clothes made from rough, abrasive fabric that was worn and frayed, the kind most slaves here wore. Ymir had pale, lifeless blonde hair, with a tattered cloth tied on her head. She had no shoes or anything similar to cover her feet, so her feet were rough and calloused. Her slender arms, due to too much work, had also become hardened.
The surrounding scenery was quite rudimentary. On one side was the slave quarters—houses or huts made only of wooden frames with tied bundles of straw covering them. On the other side were the Eldian residences, where houses were made of wooden planks and earthen walls.
Walking down the road, Ymir suddenly stopped, looking to her right. Not far away, she saw a wedding ceremony of the Eldian people. Everyone gathered around the wedding wore silk fabrics and soft leather clothes, things that wouldn't chafe their skin every day and cause soreness. When the man and woman exchanged a kiss, all the surrounding Eldians raised their cups in celebration, drinking a beverage Ymir had never imagined.
The little girl looked at the newlywed woman, and then back at herself. In her heart, that "slight yearning" seemed to grow a bit larger.
Would a slave like her ever be able to become like that woman?
The thought had just surfaced when it was immediately cut short by a voice—an Eldian man annoyed to see Ymir standing still for too long. He yelled at her, ordering her to continue working.
The moment of contemplation was extinguished; she could do nothing.
After fetching the water, Ymir headed toward the pigsty.
Being a child, and a girl at that, her work as a slave mainly consisted of trivial chores, such as fetching water, sweeping, or, like now, feeding the pigs.
After a short walk, the small pigsty appeared before her eyes. There, only a single pig remained.
It looked dejected in the sty, having lost all hope of life. It seemed to know its predetermined fate was to become part of a feast, just like its predecessors.
Normally, no one would pay attention to how a pig was doing in its sty. But today, upon seeing this sight, Ymir felt a certain discomfort in her heart.
"What... should I do?"
In the dark space of her mind, she retreated, thinking about this question.
Suddenly, something brightened in her mind, and Ymir made a decision that even she couldn't have predicted.
She stepped forward, put down the food, and opened the gate. Then, her small body pushed the pig outside. Even the pig itself was slightly confused, not understanding what was happening. It quickly regained its senses and ran into the adjacent forested area.
The pig was free.
After a series of incomprehensible actions by herself, Ymir realized how great a mistake she had committed.
After all, she had never seen a slave make a mistake and live. Just last week, Ymir personally saw a slave who spilled water on an Eldian get brutally murdered.
While standing frozen in confusion, a white light suddenly appeared in Ymir's vision; a figure stepped out of nothingness.
White, of salvation and hope.
...
After piercing through the form of the Founding Organism, Asahi fell into an extremely strange place.
It seemed to be a deep well, and he was falling down at the center of it.
That's right, he was falling.
In the surrounding darkness, Asahi seemed to hear countless voices howling toward something, but when he listened closely, there was nothing at all.
Before he could understand what was happening, he felt his falling speed increase suddenly. The sensation of his entire body being torn into shreds appeared, stretching his consciousness like a piece of rubber.
This feeling was very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had encountered it. But he currently wasn't free to search his memory, because Asahi was now devoting all his energy to keeping his pure will-body from being torn into small fragments.
"Damn it!"
He didn't know how long it lasted—perhaps it was very short, perhaps a very long time—but just as the tearing sensation was about to reach his limit of endurance, it stopped.
When Asahi regained his composure, he found himself standing in a completely different place. The place he was currently standing in was a world... very real. Sky, trees, birds, houses... everything was there. He was currently in what looked like an empty animal pen, and in front of him was a little girl.
Even more astonishing was that his form of existence was still that of a pure will-body.
What is happening?
He turned toward the little girl, realizing that she was staring intently at him.
"Hey little girl, can you see me?"
Asahi waved his hand in front of Ymir. The little girl nodded. The confusion she felt after letting the pig go escalated to a new level. She didn't know why a person appeared without footsteps, why that person was completely white and glowing, and could even speak?
For a little girl whose daily routine consisted only of carrying water jugs and feeding pigs, this truly surpassed imagination. It was like showing an ant a light bulb.
"Little girl, where is this place?"
Ymir nodded, then shook her head in a very confusing manner. She wanted to say Eldia, but unfortunately, her tongue had been cut out, and she had even partially forgotten how to speak.
Asahi noticed this, and he asked again.
"You can't speak, right?"
Ymir nodded, then she opened her mouth and pointed to her severed tongue. Asahi saw a brutal cut that seemed to have healed long ago. He frowned, pushing aside all the questions circulating in his mind.
"Are you still in pain?"
He knelt down on one knee to lower himself, asking gently. Ymir looked bewildered, perhaps surprised, perhaps unsure how to answer. After all, she had never known the word "concern" before.
In the little girl's heart, something was slowly awakening.