Whoosh.
Whoosh.
The dawn was burning fiercely on the horizon; at the same time, emotions were also burning fiercely in his chest. The blood that hadn't completely cooled down was boiling again. It felt like he could see the shape of his soul in the orange-red sky, radiating boundless light.
Duncan's footsteps slowly stopped. He stared at the scene before him, dumbfounded, his soul once again receiving a baptism from nature.
Words had completely lost their meaning at this moment; only melody could truly interpret the fluctuations of the soul.
"Can anyone hear me?"
The performance from just now echoed in his mind again. Reliving it now had a different flavor: could anyone hear their singing?
Or rather, could anyone hear his voice?
Duncan had been tied down by work and life, just like a frog being boiled in warm water. His vitality was disappearing bit by bit, and a desperate cry for help was coming from the depths of his soul, but no one could hear it, including himself, who had ignored those voices—
The dreams and passions hidden deep in his soul, on the verge of disappearing, were withering and dying. They tried their best to cry for help, but he had never noticed.
So, when he heard the King for a Day band perform at the Noon Bar, he decided to come to the Full Moon Party, subconsciously grabbing at a lifeline. So, when he was about to leave, he inexplicably returned to the Old Blacksmith Bar and encountered the band again, his subconscious sending out another alarm.
He had heard the band's singing, just as the band had heard his cry for help.
They had heard each other's voices.
Not only that, but there were likely many, many more listeners in the bar who truly felt the energy of the music. Placed in their own darkest hours, they needed a little bit of strength to allow their exhausted, struggling selves to find the power to continue moving forward.
They were waiting, they were searching, they were exploring, all for that ray of dawn, the dawn that would tear through the darkest moment.
Just like now.
The sunlight poured down, slightly dazzling. Duncan couldn't help but close his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his cheeks. It was warm and comforting, and he could almost smell a refreshing scent of sunshine. Then, his sore and tense muscles relaxed, his body seemed to finally unload its burdens and pressure, and a light smile returned to the corners of his mouth, slowly curving upwards.
When Duncan reopened his eyes, he noticed that quite a few people had gathered around him. Looking around, there were ten, twenty, thirty... scattered around on the street at the bar's exit. None of them were in a hurry to leave, but stood there blankly, basking in the sunlight.
It seemed like everyone was waiting for this moment.
Having gone through a long night of revelry, an exhausting party, and the test of a darkest hour, their physical and mental strength had reached their absolute limit. They were all waiting for a moment of breakthrough, and then, the sunlight broke through the darkness and poured down.
Smiles appeared on every face.
Like Duncan, they had all heard the band's voice; similarly, their voices had been heard by the band. This was their secret.
"King for a Day."
Duncan reopened his eyes, carefully savoring the band's name. He seemed to understand something, but after thinking deeply, he realized that he still hadn't completely sorted out his thoughts. The main reason was that his energy and physical strength couldn't keep up. It was almost six o'clock. After a whole night of partying and the second burst of energy just now, Duncan felt like he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. How could he possibly have the energy to use his brain?
What's more, he needed some time to sort out his thoughts, about the band, about himself, about life, about family. These things couldn't be sorted out in just a few words. He needed time and space. It wasn't surprising that he couldn't completely figure things out right now.
But Duncan wasn't worried, because he truly understood the band's stage presence and truly heard the heart of their melody. This meant that he just needed a little time to sort things out and then make a choice. That would be enough.
Duncan took a long, gentle breath. He really, really hoped that he could see this band again in the future, not just live performances, but also albums and singles. He hoped to be able to listen to their music on his phone.
If the day before yesterday had only sparked some curiosity and interest, then today was different. Duncan truly liked this band, especially the last song. From the overall quality to the emotional resonance to the arrangement and songwriting, it fully demonstrated the band's broader potential.
He liked them a lot.
However, that wasn't the main point right now. He needed to go home and rest, otherwise he might really just lie down on a park bench by the street and fall into a deep sleep.
Duncan turned around and started walking, stepping into the sunlight on his way home. Behind him, the noise was still going strong, and the area outside the Old Blacksmith Bar was actually getting more and more lively.
A small group of audience members had just left the bar, and then, one by one, they all stood at the exit as if by agreement, basking in the sunlight. They looked like vampires from "Twilight" who weren't afraid of the sun at all, but were actually using the sunlight to replenish their energy. This sparked the curiosity of others.
Even more audience members were entering the bar one after another, because they could feel the fervent atmosphere emanating from the bar, a kind of energy that definitely couldn't be displayed at five or six in the morning. This made them curious, and they all embarked on a journey of exploration.
Gradually, rumors spread through word of mouth:
There was this band that ignited passion and exploded on stage during a five o'clock performance. Their brilliant performance was absolutely top-notch, not inferior even to the peak times of the Full Moon Party. Their moving performance successfully gained countless fans, even making the bar crowded again.
At its peak, around 5:25 AM, the Old Blacksmith Bar had gathered nearly six hundred audience members again. Although it couldn't compare to the earlier prime time, it surprised countless people and drew continuous exclamations due to the special time slot, further fueling their curiosity.
Later, the rumor said that this band was temporarily recommended by the Shining Band and joined the performance list at the last minute, so the scheduling was very unfavorable. This further sparked discussion: what kind of band could be recognized by the Shining Band? What was their performance style like?
Unfortunately, due to the special performance time, more audience members missed this performance, and in the end, they could only catch glimpses of information from the rumors, which invisibly added a legendary and mysterious color. The discussions also carried a hint of exclamation, becoming almost mythical.
King for a Day, this was the first time the band's name spread among the professional and seasoned music fans of New Orleans.