Bai Yu had no idea how much time had passed before he slowly opened his eyes. The sky was dark, devoid of stars, sun, or moon. He could not sense the passage of time, and not even a breeze could reach this deathly stillness.
A moment later, a face appeared before his eyes.
"Bai Yu?"
"Ah, all right."
Bai Yu sat up. The fog in his mind had cleared considerably.
He patted Ymir's head beside him. He did not know why she appeared as a little girl within Paths. Perhaps it was because she had first come into contact with the Spinal Worm at that age.
He took the book from her hands. She could read its words, having learned them while watching Bai Yu's memories.
Bai Yu did not rush to read to her. He slowly opened the cover and asked a question.
"Ymir, why can't you control the Titans?"
A faint ripple stirred in Ymir's lifeless eyes beside him. After a very, very long time, she slowly spoke.
"The Titans don't listen to me."
"Can you tell me why?"
"..."
Ymir did not answer again, and Bai Yu stopped pressing the question. After all, she was invincible in this world, and he had no way to force her to speak. He did not believe she would obey him unconditionally. Communication was possible, but anything beyond that was out of his hands. He did not have royal blood.
Bai Yu asked no more, knowing she would not answer.
Pages rustled as he turned to where they had left off. Bai Yu took a moment to compose himself, then resumed his narration.
Ymir listened quietly beside him, though she occasionally asked questions.
"What's the difference between a king and an emperor?"
"Well, roughly speaking, a king is someone respected who