Chapter 023: Past

"Hiss..."

Rayan gasped, feeling the sharp pain of flesh being torn apart, each breath of white mist intensifying the agony.

"Roar... roar..."

The wolf's sharp teeth had not fully pierced through Rayan's arm. Rayan hurriedly struck with his other fist, but the wolf was nimble, dodging several blows.

"Die!"

At that moment, Krista rose from the ground, clutching her dagger and stabbing toward the wolf's chest and abdomen. Yet Ymir moved even faster, leaping up and kicking the wolf away before driving her dagger into its left eye.

The sudden pain forced the wolf to release its bite. Rayan, suddenly freed from the tearing force, staggered and nearly collapsed, but Krista caught him just in time.

Ymir, eyes fierce and wild, pounced again, appearing even more feral than the beast itself. She thrust her dagger deep into its skull, ending its life.

The three wolf corpses now lay scattered on the snowy ground. Blood splattered as Ymir pulled her dagger free. She turned and walked back toward them, glancing at Rayan's bloodied arm, her lips pressing into a thin line.

Krista, wiping away tears, fumbled through her backpack and took out cloth to bandage him.

"I am sorry, I am sorry..." she repeated, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Ymir sighed, knelt down, and gently took the strips of cloth from Krista's hands.

"Let me do it," she said.

Krista raised her hand to cover her face, guilt overwhelming her.

"It is all my fault..."

"It has nothing to do with you," Rayan said, gritting his teeth against the pain. "It is the fault of those wolves.

Hey! Ymir, be gentle, it hurts!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ymir muttered. "It is my first time doing this for someone." She glanced up at him, surprisingly serious. "Tsk. Did not see that coming. You are actually kind of reliable, you know."

"..."

Rayan stared deeply at Ymir.

Just a little more...

He had just seen Ymir about to slash her own hand with the dagger. If he had not shielded Krista with his arm, Ymir would have undoubtedly transformed into a titan to save her.

If that had happened, it would have been catastrophic.

No matter what, the secret of her titan powers could not be exposed now. Once revealed, she would never be able to stay in the training corps, and it would cause massive changes in the future.

"I am sorry, Rayan..."

Krista, sitting beside him, still could not forgive herself.

"Just now, I, I, I originally..."

"Just now, you wanted to die, did you not?"

Ymir cut in suddenly. She had clearly seen Krista lose the will to resist after falling. Krista could have easily defended herself with the dagger, but she had done nothing.

"..."

Krista opened her mouth, wanting to lie, but the words caught in her throat. Even though she had prepared an excuse, she could not speak it. She simply lowered her head, silently admitting the truth.

Ymir glanced at Rayan, as if confirming something, and continued speaking.

"When I lived in a church in the inner lands, stealing money and food just to survive, I heard some dangerous things," she said.

With each word, Krista's face grew paler. She gripped the corner of Rayan's clothes tightly with both hands, but she did not stop Ymir from speaking.

"I heard that the child of a concubine had become a high-ranking heir. Some people were discussing whether to just kill her," Ymir said quietly. "But if that child agreed to live hidden away, they would spare her life."

Rayan looked at Krista, who remained silent, her head bowed.

"So" ,Ymir continued, "that girl living in hiding eventually became a trainee soldier. Do not worry. I have not told anyone else about this. And I will not sell it as valuable information."

Rayan thought to himself:

I did not expect Ymir to reveal this much in front of me.

Did this mean she was willing to tentatively trust him?

After all, Krista's identity was incredibly important. Even if she was a concubine's child, she was still royalty. Her surname was Reiss.

And royalty in this world was not just an empty title. It held the power to overturn everything.

Krista slowly lifted her head, looking at Ymir with shock and confusion.

"Then... did you become a trainee soldier just to find me? Why?"

For a moment, Ymir's pupils shrank slightly. A flash of distant memory flickered in her eyes, but it quickly faded.

"I do not know," she answered. "Maybe it is because our backgrounds are very similar."

"Just for that..."

"I am not sure either," Ymir said, her voice growing more restrained and tinged with frustration.

By now, she had temporarily bandaged Rayan's wound, but it was only a rough job. Blood quickly seeped through the cloth, staining it red.

Rayan caught her hesitation and suddenly said,

"If you and Krista have similar backgrounds, then have you also lived in hiding?"

"No!"

Ymir retorted sharply. His words seemed to strike a nerve. She suddenly stood up and looked directly at Krista, emotions roiling in her eyes.

"I am different from you," she said fiercely. "I only accidentally gained a second life. I did not hide my name. If I denied the name Ymir, it would be the same as denying my own existence."

"I will not give up. I will live proudly under this name. That is my revenge. And compared to me, what are you?" she demanded. "Is it over if you die? Will that make the people who hate you happy? If you have the courage to die, can you not use that courage to change your destiny?"

"I..."

Krista faltered, her pale face contorted in pain.

"The venomous tongued woman actually said something reasonable," Rayan suddenly chimed in, turning to the sorrowful Krista. "But I do not want to advise you too much, Krista. I do not know exactly what happened to you. But running away will never solve anything."

He looked at the fallen wolves lying on the snow.

"Even those mindless creatures fight to survive. As humans, why should we give up so easily?"

The heavy snow in the sky gradually lightened. The howling of the wind softened, becoming almost gentle.

"Many times," Rayan said, his voice low but firm, "if you just persevere a little longer, you might see a completely different scenery."

The two girls followed his gaze.

In the far distance, through the thinning snowfall, a dim yellow light flickered — faint but warm, like hope beckoning to them through the cold.

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