[That line is incredible! It perfectly establishes Dan Heng's character in one sentence.]
[Truly, after his Luofu experiences, Dan Heng can face his past head-on. So cool!]
[Dan Heng, what a bro!]
[Dan Heng's the best, truly the Astral Express family!]
[He's so full of love!]
[Dan Heng's usually so reserved, maybe because of his personality or Blade's constant pursuit, but when this line comes from anyone else, it'd feel ordinary. From Dan Heng's mouth? Wow, I'm moved!]
[Dan Heng's a true brother!]
["My companions… are also something I can only have once in a lifetime." My goosebumps are real—this climax just keeps building!]
[I'm at a loss for words. I'm so excited for how this will end!]
— —
Three system hours before the Harmonic Gala's opening, at Penacony's Grand Theater.
Sunday stood with one hand behind his back, gazing at the empty audience seats.
The Dreammaster's avatar appeared behind him. "Only you here, child? Those Nameless are quite something—our secrets are already spreading among the Family, and the IPC's starships are converging on Asdana…
This is a critical moment. Tell me, where is the chosen one who harmonizes all voices?"
[Is that about Welt Yang?]
[Probably. Back then, Welt took the chip Aventurine gave to Caelus, so he deliberately got close to Sunday, betting that Aventurine, protected by The Preservation, wasn't dead.]
[Later, Galactic Baseballer confirmed Aventurine's still alive.]
[Foreshadowing everywhere, and now another piece is resolved.]
[Wait, something's off. What's this 'chosen one' thing?]
— —
Sunday turned slowly, feigning ignorance. "What's that supposed to mean, sir? Am I not standing right before you?"
"You know, in our plan, she was to be the star of the Harmonic Gala."
"Plans change. As her brother, I know singing for Order isn't her wish. I'm enough here."
[As expected!]
[I knew Sunday wasn't purely a villain.]
[Now I get it—Sunday chose this path because of Robin.]
[You can't just say that. If it was only for his sister, it'd make him less complex. Sunday genuinely believes in this cause. Replacing Robin was something he had to do, but it's not his core motive.]
[Sunday really loves his sister.]
[I think Robin and Sunday's ideals clashed. He didn't want to force her, so he became the chosen one himself. It's definitely not just 'all for Robin.']
[If it was just for family, it'd feel too small, too narrow.]
— —
The Dreammaster's voice remained calm. "Heh. You've been wise since childhood. You must understand the cost of your actions."
Sunday's gaze was resolute. "If you see this as a 'betrayal'… There cannot be two suns in the sky. If necessary, I'll strike the sun down myself."
[So bold!]
['There cannot be two suns in the sky'—those four words are dripping with dominance!]
[Sunday's clearly thought this through completely.]
— —
Sunday and Robin were the Twins of Order—it didn't matter which became the chosen one.
So, he relented quickly.
Before departing, Sunday asked one final question.
"Why choose to bring Order to Penacony? A world at its wits' end would've been a better choice, yet you picked this city of dreams where people hold freedom in their hearts. Why?"
"For fairness, child. Without justice in our hearts, we'd repeat The Harmony's mistakes."
"So, the one manipulating the Stellaron to control the dream wasn't you, but…"
[Wait, another plot twist?]
[There's someone else?]
[So there's a mastermind behind this?]
[What a move!]
[Who's pulling the strings with the Stellaron?]
— —
"Our words end here. Act, child. The 107,336 souls of the Oak Family have dreamed of this moment too many times…"
The raven possessed by the Dreammaster collapsed to the ground… and not just one.
Sunday stood amid a field of raven corpses.
"'I shall soar to the heavens and become the sun above.'
'All shall thrive in my radiant light, and all evil shall have nowhere to hide.'"
— —
Two system hours before the Harmonic Gala's opening, same location.
The Express trio searched the empty theater for Sunday's traces.
At that moment, Sunday's voice rang out, informing them he was behind the curtain, but before taking the stage, they must witness three pre-curtain plays.
Suddenly, a puppet nearby raised its hand, pointing in a single direction—perhaps the location of the first act.
Sunday began to chant.
The background music shifted to a symphony, grand and resonant, blending with Sunday's narration, imbued with religious and divine undertones.
"'Let us begin with the dawn of creation—'
'Since the Twilight War, the heavens were empty, the earth chaotic.'
'To bring all things to the knowable, Order—Ena—was born.'
'This was the first day.'
'They wove nebulae into a plectrum and crafted a great piano with black and white keys.' 'Striking the white keys, the sun rose; striking the black keys, the moon rose.' 'Thus, thirty-one days passed, three cycles for rest, then four equal measures struck anew.' 'Day and night were thus formed. This was the second day.'"
As his words faded, the trio arrived before a painting frame.
Countless puppets knelt devoutly on the ground.
Then, the subtitle appeared on the screen: Pre-Curtain Play, Act One: "The Prisoners' Ode".
The trio entered a bizarre, otherworldly realm.
As they walked, they gradually uncovered a fragment of Penacony's history.
In Amber Era 2147, the prisoner Hanunu sparked a massive war and emerged victorious.
Hanunu brought freedom to the prisoners but didn't know how to grant them true freedom.
Three Nameless stayed behind, attempting to impart the teachings of The Trailblaze to this frontier prison, but to no avail.
Asdana was once again engulfed in war, this time from within.
The prisoners remained prisoners until death, knowing only to fight for freedom, not to live for it.
Thus, it was clear: what imprisoned them was not external, but within their hearts.
Finally, a humanoid candelabra stood before them—"The Past Trapped in a Cage."
It swung its weapon, charging at the group.
March 7th quickly summoned her bow. "What's this? We have to fight just to watch a play?!"