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Ymir Fritz's POV

After living for hundreds of years while watching over numerous worlds that are on repeat and never-ending, I noticed one peculiar thing.

It happened during the period when Eren had already sacrificed himself for humanity. As someone who was supposed to disappear in this period, a sense of foreboding immediately washes over my younger self, questioning whatever may pass through me on why I haven't been freed yet. Hasn't Eren already done that? 

So why am I still here?

With that question lingering inside my head for years after the rumbling, I wandered to the lands where peace had finally befallen as I emotionlessly watched every human in their endeavors. Some were reading the daily newspaper, while others were going to their own set of destinations. Politics are still a mess, but the civilians who survived the calamity brought by the power of the Titans were at least trying to live in prosperity.

It left me bewildered to see such a thing, but then again, why am I still here?

Then, after living in an unknown situation for years, I eventually stumbled upon a certain family on the outskirts of Marley, which eventually changed my whole perspective on life. They aren't exactly known by a lot, and I would most likely have forgotten about them if ever they came in the scenario – which never happened – but because of the simple phrase that was uttered by their youngest child after hearing my story, I could never even try to erase them from my memory.

"Ymir Fritz must have loved the King!" His amber-colored eyes blazed in wonder, curious as to how his parent would react to that statement. "After all, she never left him!"

"Cyrus!" His mother, both horrified and worried, immediately rushed towards him and grabbed onto his shoulders. "I do not know how you came to that conclusion, but don't even think of saying that out loud, especially if you aren't at home!" 

"But why?" He tilted his head, making his brown locks fall on his right shoulder. "I was sure that I got it right. Sorry, mother. It won't happen again."

"It better not…" She mumbles and proceeds to coax him onto the bed, leaving me stunned for days.

Love.

Such emotion could either become our downfall or salvation. And in my case, it was probably both. That's why I continued to blindly follow him as I chose to shackle myself in a place where I continued to create more titans.

Until he came.

His sacrifice should have ended my story. My life of oppression should have ended there.

And yet… for some unknown reason, I am here.

To all the worlds that contain one Ymir Fritz, here I am, transcending all of them as I continue to watch over the destruction that the devil is causing. My naïve and gentle self eventually wore itself out as something far more disgusting arose within me.

Jealousy,

Greed,

Cruelty,

And selfishness.

Being alone in an empty land for centuries will drive a person to insanity. It's something that I always think about whenever I feel isolated and caged.

Until she came. 

Initially, I hated her. The peaceful life that she experienced was something that I always detested. Her smile and laughter were nothing but pure torment to my ears as I wished nothing more than to end such a nuisance. But when the devil had chosen her as his next toy, I felt an emotion that I hadn't thought of associating with her: guilt.

I honestly would have preferred her annoying laughter instead of those horrendous screams. 

Then, finally, after hours of listening to her agony, something clicked as the final piece of the puzzle was set in place. The reason why my existence has still yet to vanish is the unknown variable that Mikasa Ackerman caused in the young Yeager's original world.

Someone has to end the devil, once and for all. No matter what happens to me, in the end, all I wish is to free myself from this repulsive world.

So, when I finally chose her to become my weapon in eradicating the devil, I originally intended to become distant while making her hate me. It's sadistic of me to do so, but it's the only way for me to protect myself from feeling that complicated emotion again.

But fate, as cruel as it is, always has another plan in store.

After seeing the young Yeager's devotion to her parents, I couldn't help but waver. Such dedication and ferocity in wanting to give her parents a peaceful future is what did it for me.

As such, after much contemplation and meditation, I finally relented.

What was once revolting to my eyes now became my beacon of hope in reviving the world's prosperity. 

That is why my heart begins to ache as I watch the young Yeager's gaze drifting towards the direction where the armored titan had run off to, successfully claiming the younger version of her father.

It's been a while since I last saw that expression, one so terrifying that someone as ancient as me has trouble staring at it. Her figure evokes an air of superiority and confidence, even if she's wounded so badly that the first thing that is noticeable in her features are the bandages wrapped around her hand and neck.

Yet it only takes one look at her face – her eyes – for everyone to understand how she's currently feeling: anger. 

With her occupying the body of 'Mina Carolina,' I admit that the ferocity she's currently emitting is still unmatched if I start comparing it to her actual mother. However, nobody in this world has seen how the young Yeager would look if she's determined to kill someone just because a certain enemy of hers had bested her.

No one except me. 

I can still vividly remember it, her gaze filled with maliciousness and vengeance, making her green and ferocious eyes emit an aura so deadly that soldiers nearby would even request to be stationed elsewhere. Contrasting her small build is how she presented herself as someone who represents both the confidence of a Yeager and an Ackerman. No matter how many wounds she had nor the burden she had shouldered, the young Yeager stood with her chin held high, eyes blazing with a ferocious flame. She's a fighter, a human who's used to bottling everything within her until it one day… explodes.

Once that happens, all hell breaks loose.

Going back, unlike those ignorant humans who assume that the young Yeager is angry at their traitorous comrades, someone like me, who has followed, watched, and guided her for years, is the only one who can understand how her current thoughts are running about. 

'I'm useless.'

'What kind of daughter allows this to happen?'

'If something happens to him, I'll-'

"Calm down," I pulled my spiritual state near her ear as I hovered above the ground, invisible to everyone, including to my 'chosen' one. It seemed like the right time to interrupt her thoughts, sensing that whatever it was was eating away whatever sanity remained within her. "You'll eventually get him back. It's his fate to return, whether you're here or not. So, stop scaring everyone away and get it together." 

Due to how close she was to a group of people, the young Yeager could only groan, frustrated at their current predicament. She lifted her lesser injured hand and used it to cover her face as a deep and vulnerable sigh came from her lips. 

The frown on my mouth only deepened. I swear this girl is so protective! Just like her mother!

Infected by her annoying sigh, I eventually landed my gaze on the fallen soldiers nearby. After the whole debacle against the colossal and armored titan, numerous survey corps soldiers now lay on top of the wall, exhausted and defeated. Most are currently sleeping due to the impact that the colossal titan has caused after he fell on top of the two titans, successfully claiming their target.

But not the young Yeager.

Even though her fingers were now wounded due to how harsh her grip on the trunk of the tree was, she still stood there, angry and regretful. Unlike what originally happened, Mikasa Ackerman was also awake. If not for Mina Carolina's intervention, she would be sleeping along with the other fallen soldiers.

"Are you okay, Mina?" Breaking the inner turmoil that was forming inside her head, the young Yeager's gaze eventually landed on a young boy named Armin. He's one of the reasons why my 'savior' started his treacherous and painful journey, so, in a way, I consider this brat as useful too. "Everyone near the blast fainted from the impact it caused, and yet…"

"I'm okay." 'Mina' responded as she lowered her gaze to stare at the wall beneath them. "I told you; I can't feel any pain." 

"Yeah…" His voice cracked just when his eyes wandered at her bloody fingers. He must have wanted to ask her how she even got this kind of ability and how much pain she must have endured to reach this point of disorder, but certain matters need more attention. He lifted his hand, which was filled with bandages and ointment, showing the young Yeager what he wanted to do. "Let me patch you up. It's the least I could do."

I couldn't help but lift my eyebrows. What a good lad, both young and naïve. With his humanistic ways and idealistic dreams, he's probably one of the easiest to manipulate. 

But I doubt that the young Yeager would do that. He is, after all, the best friend of both her parents.

Reluctantly, the young Yeager could only comply as both of them eventually sat down. Armin Arlert gently took her hands and winced upon noticing how one of her nails was cracked as blood continued to slip out. Noticing his hesitance, the young Yeager took it as a chance to pull her hand, alerting the naïve boy. 

"You don't have to do this." 'Mina' spoke, knowing full well that her current wound wasn't exactly nice to see.

"No, it's just," Armin sighed before eventually pulling Mina's hand once more. The young Yeager lifted her eyebrow, making me notice how his hands trembled while holding hers. "Why are you like this…?"

"…"

I want to ask the same thing.

However, in my case, such redundancy isn't needed. After all, I'm one of the reasons why the young Yeager became like this: broken and self-sacrificing. 

***