The crowd went quiet the moment Dayo dropped the mic.
No music, no claps, just pure silence.
Everyone expected him to wait for the judges' comments, but instead, he turned and walked off the stage without a word.
At first, people thought it was part of the act. But when the lights stayed dim and the host looked lost, murmurs began spreading around the arena.
"What happened?"
"Did he forget the ending?"
"Why is he walking off?"
The whispers grew louder. Some people stood to see better. Others just stared at the stage in confusion.
The host quickly rushed forward, holding up a hand. "Everyone, please calm down! Please let the judges speak."
The noise slowly dropped. The judges leaned toward their microphones. You could feel the tension — nobody understood what had just happened.
One of the female judges took the mic. Her eyes looked a bit red. "The performance you just witnessed was beautiful," she said softly. "Truly emotional. Even I'm still shaking."
