Chapter 43: Forget-me-not
In the vast theatre, only the singer and the Night Star remained.
At this moment, the two sat in the audience seats.
“Hmm…”
Night Star looked obedient, a bit curious about the help the singer needed.
What could a star eclipse possibly need from such a tiny mascot?
Curious indeed.
The singer sat next to Night Star, appearing perfectly calm, as if in no rush at all.
Night Star assumed it was some trivial matter.
Probably just wanted a new melody or something, and she thought a little feedback would suffice.
But then, the singer finally spoke.
“Audience Performer, do you think I should keep singing?”
Night Star almost didn’t get it.
“Eh? Why wouldn’t you? Your singing is so beautiful! If you stop, it would be a huge loss for the world! Like me—I’d be really sad if I couldn’t hear your voice anymore.”
Honestly speaking, the singer’s voice was truly delightful!
Even without lyrics, it had a relaxing effect.
If they got closer, Night Star might even ask her to cover some songs with lyrics, imagine the vibe!
She was quite excited by that idea.
But why now did the singer consider stopping?
Night Star gave her a questioning look, and the singer answered right away.
“Because, the more I sing, my presence will fade. In the end, no one will remember me. Even if that’s the case, should I continue singing?”
“Wait, what?! How could it be like this?!”
Night Star was stunned.
She was stunned, then deep in thought.
Come to think of it, when Night Star first met the singer, she seemed rather ethereal.
Unlike the ghostly Eypar, who couldn’t be touched, the singer had an even lower presence in Night Star’s eyes.
It wasn’t always so bad; Night Star could still observe her constantly in the beginning.
But now, it was different.
After entering the theatre, she almost failed to notice the singer on stage!
That’s not normal!
“Hmm…”
Night Star took a close look at the singer’s state and sensed her presence had drastically declined.
She was only still aware of the singer because it was just the two of them there.
Like White Fish and Eypar—the moment White Fish zones out, she might miss Eypar entirely.
What’s going on?
“Existence Interference…”
For some reason, Night Star connected it to the singer’s Star Eclipse nature.
In her knowledge, certain stars have weird traits, and even when they become Star Eclipses, their traits remain.
Could the singer’s Star Eclipse’s trait be erasing her own existence continuously?
And perhaps, it activates only when she sings?
“How can this be…?”
Night Star suddenly could not accept it. Her mood quickly turned gloomy.
A singer who loves singing won’t be able to continue because of this—what a ridiculous plot twist!
“Mmm, singer… What does singing mean to you?”
“That’s… my purpose. But…”
If nobody could hear her anymore, nobody would remember her, making her singing meaningless.
Her inner obsession, was it singing or being remembered by others? Unclear, both might be essential.
But it created a paradox, forcing her to choose one over the other.
Yet losing either means incompleteness.
“I see…”
Even though the singer didn’t finish, Night Star got her meaning from her gaze.
“If you’d rather keep singing despite disappearing from everyone’s memories, I’ll be your anchor in this world. You mind?”
“Wait?”
“If you keep singing, there’s a chance you may only have me as your sole audience member who hears you and remembers you. Just me.”
Upon seeing Night Star’s serious expression, the singer was taken aback.
Would she still be remembered even if she keeps singing?
Only one audience left.
That was enough.
The audience performer wished to give her existence meaning, so the singer decided to sing for her forever.
“Audience Performer, will you please remember my existence?”
Night Star nodded earnestly.
“Alright, can I take this as your wish?”
“Yes, it’s my wish.”
Night Star blinked and smiled adorably.
“Then let me fulfill your wish.”
Then, the singer sang a transcendent melody. It seemed to convey her joy and courage and gratitude towards Night Star.
“Ah~♪”
With the audience performer promising not to forget her, there was no fear.
Night Star watched intently, listening closely, feeling the song resonate within her.
Her voice played repeatedly in her mind as she drifted off to sleep.
By evening, Night Star left the theatre.
Left alone in the theatre, the singer stood on the stage, her presence seemingly fading away.
She felt herself fading, understood that singing one last song would erase her completely from memory.
But so what?
She believed the audience performer would remember her.
The night passed.
Inside the theatre.
After standing the whole night on stage, the singer descended. This wasn’t a group activity; it was her personal move.
She wanted to go to the stage shown to her by Night Star.
Different from the theatre stage, she imagined performing before many people.
Following an elusive guide, she navigated through the crowd, unseen and unheard.
Finally, the figure with the milky-white hair stepped into the stage, slowly walking through an empty audience and climbing a massive stage, much bigger than the theatre’s.
Standing at the center, deliriously she saw many cheering for her, praising her.
Every shout pierced the sky.
But reality returned, showing an empty cold scene.
The singer looked up, gazing at the hazy sky, slightly opening her pink lips to sing her heart out.
“Forget-me-not…”
At the same time, in the Night Watcher Base, the ‘Know Star’ lit up intensely.
“Alarm! Alarm! Supernova Star Eclipse [Existence Interference] outbreak!”
In the next second, ‘Know Star’ short-circuited, its light dimming, as if the legendary Supernova Star Eclipse never appeared.
Not only that, all Night Watchers showed no reaction.
Whether online or offline, information about the singer was vanishing, leaving vast blanks.
Is the singer still existing?
Who knows?
