Noah finally found his heart knot. It had always been there and wouldn't untie just from a few days of leisure.
That desperate fight with the replica in Sonoro sphere wasn't the knot—it was merely the fuse that ignited it.
As a professional player who knew the plot from the start, he clearly understood the Threnodian was the greatest threat to everyone's lives.
But in Wuthering Waves' worldview, as long as civilization existed, Threnodians would recur like coastal waves—impossible to eradicate.
To eliminate a Threnodian required sacrificing civilization in mutual destruction.
Facing a powerful enemy that constantly sought your death, where killing It meant suicide—how despairing.
Thus, the Threnodian became a thorn in Noah's heart. As time passed and he failed to find Rover, the thorn dug deeper.
Finally, when Noah first faced the Threnodian and was forced to trade lives with Its casually created replica—
The thorn first caused pain, driving him mad like a cornered beast—extremely sensitive, full of aggression.
That was his first brush with death in two lives, his most desperate moment. The direct source was the Threnodian.
Pain of injury, oppression of despair, hopelessness of the future...
All emotions nearly tore him in half, creating another fearless, battle-joyful, uncontrollable mad Noah.
In his mad state, he only wanted to kill kill kill kill kill—Tacet Discords or humans, anyone. Kill them all, and Threnodians wouldn't exist.
Baizhi was right—it was a psychological barrier, an almost unsolvable one.
To untie this knot required eliminating the Threnodian. Otherwise, one day it would consume him, harming others.
Forget eliminating the Threnodian—he couldn't even save Jinzhou from the impending time freeze caused by the Sentinel.
Truly... bewildering.
"I once resembled you, him, those wild grasses and flowers."
"Despairing, longing, crying and laughing ordinarily."
On Pingting Mountain, Noah put away his guitar, lay in a flower bed, raised his hand to gaze at the blue Serenity Bracelet on his wrist, and sighed faintly.
Golden sunlight filtered through his fingers onto his face—an expression of confusion and helplessness, like a lost child.
He truly didn't know what to do.
"Hello, could you please not lie here? Flowers and grasses feel pain too."
A crisp, childish voice rang out. Light footsteps gradually clarified.
Verina stepped into the flower bed, wanting to persuade the person inside to rest elsewhere.
This was a flower field she specially opened for Grandma Lin. Grandma Lin's flower shop needed these flowers—they couldn't be crushed.
The white casual figure gradually cleared. Verina finally saw the person in the flowers.
It was—the hero of Jinzhou!
The instant she recognized him, Verina covered her mouth. Her eyes widened suddenly, her breathing halting for a moment.
Had she just tried to drive away the hero of Jinzhou? This... this was too improper. How should she apologize? What was Huanglong's apology etiquette again?
"Don't be nervous, Verina. I'll compensate for the damage to the flower bed."
Noah spoke without turning, plucking a star flower beside him and handing it back:
"This flower is for you. Be happy."
"Th-thank... thank you, hero of Jinzhou."
Seeing Noah didn't blame her and was rather casual, Verina calmed down.
She obediently sat beside him, eyes wide with curiosity, asking:
"Hero of Jinzhou, what are you doing here?"
"No need to call me hero. If you don't mind, call me by name or big brother."
Noah exhaled, sitting up from the flowers and gazing at distant Jinzhou:
"Whenever someone calls me hero, I feel ashamed. I just got a bit of fortune, did some small things within my power, and was deemed a hero, receiving endless admiration and favors."
"But those who strive desperately for life live ordinarily, rarely praised, and even face more hardships."
As he spoke, a trace of dimness appeared in Noah's eyes.
If he were truly a hero, how could he be trapped by such a strange psychological barrier?
"In truth, I'm just an ordinary person. My actions aren't perfect, morally no better than others. I don't deserve the title of hero."
Listening to Noah, Verina gently placed the half star flower back onto its broken stem.
"Big brother, are you troubled? It's okay—you can confide in Nana."
Warm, healing Resonance power activated. Fine fibers quickly grew from the broken stem, reconnecting and revitalizing it.
Verina cupped her chin, tilting her head slightly. Her bright eyes looked up at Noah from below, full of encouragement:
"Grandma Lin and everyone in Jinzhou make wrong choices, cry inexplicably, collapse while walking—but if you open your heart and speak, troubles halve."
Two sentences shone like light into Noah's heart, moving him.
Would speaking troubles halve them?
He always kept everything inside—even when diagnosed by Baizhi, he asked her to keep it secret.
Some things, spoken, only worried others with no benefit.
But this time, though useless, he wanted to speak.
"Verina, do you think the people of Jinzhou live happily?"
===✧✦✧===
On the other side.
"Pingting Mountain is so big—where could Noah be?"
Jinhsi checked messages on her terminal, somewhat troubled.
She had wanted to meet Noah personally and console Taoyuan Vale's disaster victims.
But en route, she received word that Noah left Taoyuan Vale for Pingting Mountain.
After thinking, Jinhsi had Sanhua console the villagers in her stead while she went alone to Pingting Mountain to visit Noah.
Jinhsi knew her days were numbered. She wanted to repay the hero who saved Jinzhou twice in her remaining time.
Jinzhou was vast and rich—whatever reward the hero wanted could surely be met.
Moreover, for such a noble person, any request would be deserved.
Thinking thus, a faint smile appeared on Jinhsi's pale face.
Following star flowers' guidance, she delved deeper into Pingting Mountain. In the quiet ridges, she gradually heard voices.
That voice—Noah!
Jinhsi slowed her steps, quietly approaching.
Though eavesdropping was immoral, she truly wanted to hear what Jinzhou's hero discussed privately.
"My time in Jinzhou hasn't been long, yet I've witnessed its people face crisis twice."
"They are simple and kind, yet always endure hardship and pain—watched by Threnodians, invaded by Tacet Discords, living in fear."
"I think, living in such a rotten world, they must feel it's terrible."
The clear words pierced Jinhsi's sensitive heart like sharp arrows, making her tremble.
Even knowing Noah's words weren't aimed at Jinzhou, merely sympathy for the people.
Yet it still pained her deeply.
Did he think she, as Magistrate, was incompetent?
At this thought, Jinhsi's already pale face grew whiter. Her heart ached, blood surging up, blocked in her throat—vision darkening, breathing difficult.
She clutched her chest, biting her lip hard. Her gaze dimmed utterly as she turned and hurriedly left.
Not far away, Jinhsi could no longer hold back. A mouthful of congested blood sprayed out, staining a pure white star flower by the road glaringly red.