chapter 35: Did I catch a cold?

"Maria... that's a good name"

"is... is it?" she asked,

(cute) Ymir thought,

"Yes... it is"he replied,

Maria smiled happily because not only was she treated nicely she was also complimented It was such a great feeling since noone complimented her during her time in the cell,

Ymir saw the girl's eyes of honesty Ymir just smiled and gently patted the girl's head,

after that he stood up and lifted the girl and gently put her on his shoulder,

Maria was surprised but was fascinated by the scenery, she held on to Ymir's furry mane so that she would not fall,

(Ymir created a mane from Leon the king of the poisonous thunder lions who killed 50 Shinobi leaders during the war and died while fighting the brother of vulkan Kai, which died right after slaying the beast due to his sustained injuries from their fight)

(Ymir ate Leon's flesh and core and also created materials from his bones only leaving the mane behind, ymir liked the mane and decided to keep It so he wrapped it around his neck making him more terrifying which can help him have the upperhand, even though he already is THE 'upperhand' at least there should be a little fashion... right?)

Maria looked around and saw different kinds of animals moving, a herd dryeers around running, shadow hyenas hunting prey, birds of prey flying ,large behemoths eating trees and all types of beasts big or small alike, it was a wonderful experience for her as she finished looking around she then turned her head and looked at Ymir,

(A.N: yes dryeer is a weird name but just hear me out okay, info: dryeers are relatives of dryads but a lesser version since they're the dryads who failed the transformation forcing them to become the animal counter part of the original ones but just because they're lesser doesn't mean they're stupid, they still possess higher level of intelligence compared to other species except for the original dryads and they can travel anywhere they want to go but at the cost that they cannot speak but no worries they have telepathy so... there you have it, bye)

"so this is how it feels to look at other creatures from a Giant's perspective" she said,

Ymir heard the girl's words and proceeded to listen,

"but it feels... lonely like I have the whole world under my control but... I have nothing to use it for other than oppress others," Maria continued,

after hearing this Ymir grabbed the girl and placed her in the palm of his hand, he looked at her and said,

(A.N: Ymir's voice is echoing based on a small sized species perspective and hearing, just a reminder hehe...)

"yes, it is indeed lonely but without power you cannot bring peace, power with no purpose is like living in an extravagant life having everything you desire but no longer find the value of spending it since you have everything,"

"while power with a purpose is like fighting in a war since you have to protect the ones you love and to keep evil at bay justice may be absolute but there are loopholes, so to me there is no perfect law unless you use your power to oppress others and bring fear to them, creating even more enemies for you to face"

"it's a neverending cycle even if you do not desire any kind of power, sooner or later you are forced to look for it to protect the people you hold dear and you also need allies to help you get through it... but let me tell you this no matter how long you know them never show your back to them or welcome them with open arms even your family, because the most dangerous enemy you have is not the one against you, but the one who knows all about you. you never know they might have a knife ready to stab you, people with power tend to have traitors among his or her allies waiting for the right moment to seize the opportunity to take everything away from them,"

"so heed my advice be powerful enough or even stronger so that no one can defy you and show no weakness so that they cannot use it against you, it's better to be feared than to be respected but only respect the people who respect you wholeheartedly" Eren said while looking at maria with cold eyes and serious eyes,

those words caught maria by surprise but Even though Ymir is looking at her coldly she felt warm and happy instead of being afraid,

"I see... I understand no matter what I should be strong not only to survive but to protect those who are close to me but never truly trust anyone outside my family not even my relatives now I understand" maria replied,

"close but not close enough" Ymir said as he patted her head once again,

"what do you mean by that" maria asked,

"you'll understand someday" Ymir answered,

the girl tilted her head in confusion about Ymir's answer but shrugged it off thinking it was just a trick,

Ymir smiled,

(children are always children) he thought,

"how old are you maria?" Ymir asked,

this question took maria by surprise but she still answered,

"13 m- 13 years old" she answered,

Ymir lifted one of his eyebrows wondering if he heard that right, cause he heard the sound of M but just shrugged it off but he noted himself to keep an eye on her,

(it seems she's older than expected ,heh, good to know but still she is still a child and who knows maybe she just said munchkin or maybe months but it's good to be a little cautious right?) Ymir thought,

"I see 13 eh... hmm... I would like to have a word with those people if I have a chance to meet them someday," Ymir said while rubbing his chin covering what he had said,

Maria felt a sudden chill down her spine feeling somewhat uneasy and cold Even though Ymir's palm was warm,

(did I catch a cold?) Maria thought,