At the top of the Surging Brightness Tower, cold light from the deep sea shone down. The pure white Red Spider Lily flowers were cast with fragmented shadows by the broken light spots. The oppressive atmosphere made Phrolova feel suffocated.
Noah deleted the contact named Selene on his terminal, then raised his head. His gaze was deep and complicated:
"You speak first."
"Okay..."
Phrolova lowered her head, removed her eyepatch, shed her disguise, and returned to her original appearance. Her voice forcibly suppressed trembling and unease.
"As you can see, actually... I am Phrolova."
She had imagined that after she admitted her identity, he would become furious, or pretend to be calm, or directly draw his weapon against her. But none of that happened.
Noah only curled the corner of his mouth into a cold smile, his tone light and indifferent:
"Not pretending anymore?"
Hearing these words, Phrolova slowly raised her head in a daze. All the prepared lines she had rehearsed were completely forgotten. Her eyes, covered with a layer of mist, gazed toward Noah:
"So you already knew... Then why..."
"Because I promised you."
Even knowing she was a Fractsidus supervisor, he still chose to fulfill the promise he made to her false identity...
In an instant, guilt and gratitude intertwined into a complex net, almost suffocating Phrolova. Yet at the same time, a spark of hope ignited in her heart—she had been prepared to be punished.
Since he knew her true identity and was still willing to help her, then... perhaps he was willing to listen to her explanation.
Perhaps he was willing to give her a chance to make amends.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have deceived you." Phrolova urgently took a step forward, her eyes full of pleading:
"And all the wrong things I did before, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. I've already withdrawn from the Fractsidus. Can you give me a chance to make up for it..."
Facing her approach, Noah took half a step back, drew Bloodpact's Pledge and pointed it straight at Phrolova's throat, his expression cold:
"What compensation are you talking about? How are you going to compensate those who died? What qualifications do you have to compensate them?"
"The people in Jinzhou and Mt. Firmament who were killed by the Fractsidus, the Midnight Rangers soldiers who died in the Void Plenilune and Retroact Rain and the Tacet Discord tides—how could they possibly accept your compensation!"
"Phrolova, as long as you are part of the Fractsidus for one day, you will be part of the Fractsidus for your entire life!"
Truly being pointed at by Noah's blade and having her crimes listed by him, Phrolova felt anxious and afraid, aggrieved and unwilling:
"Listen to my explanation. The Fractsidus is actually an organization that wants to save the world. I can let you understand the Fractsidus——"
She hadn't finished speaking before Noah impatiently interrupted:
"Why would I want to understand the Fractsidus? I'm a human!"
"The Fractsidus is also..."
Phrolova suddenly fell silent, not knowing how to continue.
"You want to say they are humans too?" Noah snorted coldly:
"If they were humans, they wouldn't conduct human experiments using civilians' lives in Jinzhou City, they wouldn't organize Tacet Discord tides to invade Jinzhou, and they certainly wouldn't help Threnodians revive in Ragunna and Septimont!"
"And you have always been their accomplice."
"No, that's not it..." Phrolova's face grew even paler. Mist gathered in her eyes as she desperately tried to explain:
"The Fractsidus wants to select capable people and grant them the qualification for ascension. For this, the Fractsidus set up challenges. Everything in Jinzhou and Rinascita is for researching Resonance..."
"I don't care about any ascension." Noah interrupted Phrolova's words again:
"I only know that the moment I first saw the cruel experiments conducted by the Fractsidus in Jinzhou City, I was determined to eliminate all Fractsidus!"
"But I..." Phrolova felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife. Her defense was pale and powerless:
"I withdrew from the Fractsidus."
"Keep pretending. Keep on pretending. From beginning to end, other than admitting your identity, have you said a single truthful sentence?"
Noah didn't listen to any of Phrolova's defenses at all, his expression still cold:
"Setting aside the grudge between the Fractsidus and me, just that time in Ovathrax's Domain of Sound—you dare say that you didn't manipulate Hecate to appear in order to kill me!"
Hearing this, Phrolova's composure completely collapsed. Her lips moved weakly, but she couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
In the [Statue of the Crownless] domain, she had indeed intended to kill Noah.
If only she could have met Noah earlier, she definitely wouldn't have done such a thing. If only she had known earlier...
But there were no ifs. Everything now was her own fault.
Regret. She regretted it so much.
Phrolova only felt sadness surging uncontrollably in her heart. Her eyes turned red as she held back her tears and pleaded bitterly:
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I really know I was wrong. Please, forgive me."
What responded to her was only a sneer.
Noah switched to the Phrolova character. Resonance ability activated. Hecate stepped out from the void, holding the Threnodian gem in both hands.
"Hecate... you..." Looking at Hecate standing respectfully beside Noah, Phrolova felt her mind go completely blank.
Why would Hecate suddenly appear beside Noah and even obey him?
Even when she tried to control Hecate, it was like trying to scoop the moon from the water—she received no response at all.
"You copied my... Resonance ability..."
Phrolova felt as if she had been struck by lightning. When she saw Noah reach for the Threnodian gem, she snapped back to her senses and begged repeatedly:
"Don't, don't do this. Don't take the Threnodian gem. Without the Weave, they in the beyond cannot return to the present world. You can kill me, but don't drag them into this!"
In the next second, Noah's outstretched hand only sped up. He snatched the Threnodian gem from Hecate's hands and tossed it into his backpack with a backhand motion.
Buzz——
A heavy rumble echoed throughout the entire hidden sea testing ground. Phrolova turned back in horror. She saw the entrance to the beyond behind her becoming irretrievably illusory.
The pure white Red Spider Lily flowers regained their original color, red like blood from the heart, and were also turning illusory bit by bit.
Without the Weave, The Lost Beyond had already severed its connection with the present world.
"Why... why are you doing this..."
Phrolova's legs went weak. She collapsed to her knees, her whole body turning cold as despair filled her heart.
"These days I spent with you, I thought I was the happiest person in the world. How can you be so heartless——"
She finally became angry. She turned her head and glared at Noah, her gaze filled with grievance and pain:
"Since you are determined to break with me, then you are not allowed to use my Resonance ability!"
"Sure——"
Noah snorted coldly:
"Spit out the Astrite, and I won't use your Resonance ability."
Phrolova, spit out my Astrite!
"What Astrite? I don't understand."
She slowly stood up from the ground. The Red Spider Lily baton pointed straight at Noah as she said hatefully:
"I hate you. Why did you have to pass through Jinzhou at that exact time?"
If only, if only Noah hadn't taken action for Jinzhou, the Fractsidus wouldn't have directly formed a grudge with him. She wouldn't have engaged in a life-and-death battle with him in the [Statue of the Crownless] domain either.
As long as he hadn't taken action for Jinzhou, there wouldn't have been any hatred between them, and they wouldn't have ended up in this hostile relationship.
A terrible situation that was almost salvageable, an eternal parting that was almost avoidable, a beautiful ending that was almost achievable.
Why? Why was it only almost!
"The Fractsidus harmed them, not you. What does that have to do with you? Can't we be soulmates to each other? Why did it turn out like this?"
"...Phrolova, do you know?"
Noah spoke in a deep voice:
"After that battle at the Statue of the Crownless, a heavy rain caused a mudslide in Taoyuan Vale of Jinzhou."
"An old father, just like you, lost his home. His son had already died long ago."
"He lost everything just like you, and grieved just like you."
His words were interrupted by Phrolova before he could finish:
"That was caused by the mudslide! What does that have to do with me!"
"It has everything to do with it!"
Noah suddenly roared:
"His son, a Midnight Ranger officer, participated in that battle to resist the Tacet Discord tide."
"He died one minute before the war ended. If only Ovathrax had left one minute earlier! Just one minute and that old father wouldn't have lost his son forever! I was only short by that one minute!"
"Tell me, why was I short by that one minute!"
His speech became faster and faster. With every word, the fury on his face grew stronger. Phrolova had never seen Noah so enraged:
"You who harmed others—what difference is there between you and the meteorite that destroyed your town?!"
The final questioning struck like a heavy hammer, leaving Phrolova dizzy. Her anger instantly extinguished.
Her whole body trembling, she lowered the Red Spider Lily staff. She completely lost all strength and knelt on the ground with a thud. Covering her face with both hands, her voice choked with sobs:
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
It was her. It was her in the [Statue of the Crownless] who had delayed countless "one minute."
She really knew she was wrong.
Bloodpact's Pledge was thrown heavily. The sharp blade pierced through Phrolova's chest. Crimson blood slowly flowed down.
Pulling out Bloodpact's Pledge, Noah lowered his head to meet Phrolova's miserable and sorrowful gaze and said coldly:
"Before, you gave me Cristoforo's script. You probably wanted to save me. This time—I won't kill you. Consider it me repaying that favor. The next time we meet, we will still be enemies."
"Cough, cough..."
Crimson blood was coughed out by Phrolova. With every breath, the pain from the wound became even more agonizing along her windpipe.
"Showing mercy... really isn't your style."
She only felt bitterness and pain in her heart. Lowering her head to look at her bleeding wound, she felt utterly hopeless:
"You took the Weave and made my family unable to return to reality. You might as well just kill me..."
Noah turned his back, silent for a moment. He hadn't wanted to reply, but he still spoke:
"Using the Threnodian gem, the beyond cannot truly reach reality. The well next to your house—the violin inside it is the perfect Weave for the beyond."
"..."
Phrolova slowly raised her head. A sudden gleam appeared in her tear-filled, hazy eyes.
Why tell her this... He clearly didn't have to say anything.
Seeing a white light unfolding beneath Noah's feet, Phrolova called out to stop him:
"Wait——"
"I want to know, how exactly do you see me."
"Why help me and also hurt me? Please, tell me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Noah's back pause for a moment.
"Phrolova, you are a pitiful person."
He didn't turn his head:
"But after you raised a deadly hand against others for your own obsession, you also became a hateful person."
Hearing these words, Phrolova's pupils shrank sharply. She felt a pain in her heart that made breathing impossible.
Pitiful and hateful... Her family had already been revived. Her pitifulness was gone, leaving only hatefulness.
So their past relationship ended here. The next time they met, they would only be enemies.
Selene, sinking gaze at the moon, once gazing at the moon, floating falling... Noah pondered these words in his heart. Finally, in the flickering white light, he left the hidden sea testing ground.
[Main Quest: Dreamcatchers in the Secret Gardens Completed.]
[Currently owned: Radiant Tide20, Lustrous Tide10, Astrite1640, Shell Credit9,100,000.]
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