### Chapter 31: Heartache Alert
Night Lan and Night Star were asleep in some deep, dreamy place.
The Gentleman and the Fraudster, hearing something stir nearby, stepped out from the shadows.
They looked at the two small girls now sleeping near the Group Leader and asked, “What’s up with the Audience Performers?”
The Group Leader gently laid the two girls down on the floor and pulled off some magic to conjure up two tiny pillows for their heads.
After hearing The Gentleman’s query, the Group Leader softly replied, “Probably saw something really heartbreaking, like a tragic play.”
Hearing this, the Fraudster stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“If they were crying so hard, then if it truly was tragic, it must have been a really good tragedy. No matter what, no one harmed them.”
Meanwhile, behind the stage, Lianhua and Book Yao had walked over, puzzled by the appearance of Night Lan and Night Star next to the Group Leader.
Singers usually rested outside, rarely showing up in theaters during this time.
Lianhua crouched down, observing the tears on Night Lan and Night Star’s faces, feeling both heartsick and confused.
“Mmm…they seem really upset… What could have made them cry so much?”
Everything was quiet around.
Even Gu Qiu and Aipar, who normally argued, were silent and worriedly staring at Night Lan and Night Star.
Aipar then burrowed into Night Lan’s body and back out again.
“Wow…looks like they cried for a long time, draining all their energy. How did they change so quickly after just arriving at the theater?”
Book Yao, knowing a secret, quickly put it together.
“They might have done something incredible.”
She gently picked up Night Star’s body and added, “Let them rest properly. Sleeping on the floor isn’t great. Puppet Master, give Night Lan a blanket.”
Lianhua nodded, summoning a Noble Lady puppet to carry Night Lan. The pair left with Book Yao.
No more words needed, the Gentleman and the Fraudster retreated into the shadows upon seeing the two Audience Performers whisked away.
But the Group Leader remained, watching Night Lan and Night Star get carried off by the Playwright and Puppet Master puppets until they vanished behind the scenes.
“The Audience Performers… you’ve seen it, right? The grandest show in history…”
His birth was an undeniable tragedy, a tragedy himself.
This couldn’t be changed.
The Audience Performer had returned in time, witnessing the tragic end of the early Rising Sun Theater Group and their final performance, giving the group members fleeting memories of sweetness before their demise.
But this didn’t solve anything.
Other troupe members perished, becoming fuel for the Group Leader’s descent into despair and chaos.
Thus, the Star Eclipses Leader was born.
After becoming Star Eclipse, the audience etiquette inherited the Group Leader’s title, obsessions, appearance, and parts of the memory. But still, he was never truly the original Group Leader.
He felt the intense obsessions of nearly a dozen people as soon as he was born, marking the start of unprecedented calamity.
Once the celebration of the Grand Performance spread across the land, some of these obsessions were somewhat fulfilled.
Only the Group Leader’s own obsession kept him going.
To fulfill this obsession, he continually held Grand Performances around the world, spreading the Rising Sun Theater’s name, spreading joy wherever he went.
He was the Audience Etiquette and the Group Leader forevermore.
Yet, his favorite audience appeared to take interest, experiencing those dark times firsthand with unique power.
In his view, the Audience Performer should have simply watched from afar.
At least that way, their sadness wouldn’t be so crippling when disaster struck.
But unfortunately, they got involved, forging emotional bonds with the cast, making the helplessness, despair, and heartbreak worse.
Perhaps this was the greatest tragedy witnessed by an Audience Performer.
As a result, the original Group Leader vanished, giving birth to the one standing here today.
Then the Group Leader removed his hat, letting black feathers float around him.
These were proof of the first generation of the troupe, kept alive in a peculiar way after their deaths.
Though useless, perhaps they could just serve as sentimental keepsakes or props in grand performances.
Maybe even leading the troupe to continue performing was part of his obsession.
Group Leader gathered the feathers, retreating back into the shadows.
…
The next day.
Night Lan finally opened her eyes, slightly confused.
“A…”
I must have had a really long dream.
Night Lan and Night Star sat up, the blanket slipping off them.
“Mmm…”
After getting clearer, Night Lan realized they were in the theater. She recalled seeking out the Group Leader yesterday.
The reason… Tragedy.
“Mm, not a dream.”
Her mood was gloomy. Clearly, she hadn’t yet recovered from the Group Leader’s tale.
Remembering the early Rising Sun troupe’s catastrophic ending, Night Lan’s heart ached.
The kind-hearted Group Leader ended up turning dark and gloomy, rivaling a supernova eclipse in power, poisoning half the country. Even the once-respected Holy Church barely survived.
If the Holy Church survived, it would surely decline fast.
They, relying on faith and strength, failed to stop the Demon King. Instead, the Demon King’s return led to their destruction. All the holy knights fell from grace, vanishing the church’s prestige.
All of this stemmed from him.
He was called the Demon King, ruling with darkness.
The Star Eclipse concept seemed destined to fit his story.
Just as Night Lan reflected, Book Yao approached.
“Woke up? You’re a deep sleeper.”
“Mm, good morning…”
“Not morning. You were out since last night until afternoon. Quite a while.”
“Sorry, probably tired,” Night Lan sheepishly scratched her head, then helped Night Star lie down.
Two minds sharing the same body.
Book Yao sat down too and casually asked, “What happened yesterday? Suddenly hugging the Group Leader and crying—so hard it scared me. I thought someone had bullied you.”
Night Lan’s mood sank, lowering her head.
“No, I just happened to witness an unavoidable tragedy…”
“You once said you were good at rewriting tragedies into happy endings.”
“But this time was different. I promised not to change it, only to witness. It ended up being much worse than expected…”
This incident will haunt her for a while.
Forget the sadness; it won’t be easy.
Moreover, this was a fixed tragedy, unchangeable.
Kinda heart-wrenching.
