The wind was breezing through Kelter Park, more so than in the summer months before. The chill in the air hit directly on Nate's exposed skin, causing his body to become frigid and form goosebumps on top of his raised hair.
Nate wondered why he still had his same clothes that he wore for the summer. It was only a green and gray T-shirt and slim jeans with light fabric. It was practically the antithesis of wearing overalls for the sheer coldness of the upcoming fall and winter months.
But for him right now, Nate should be able to endure it as his mind was focusing on other things, like taking a walk through Kelter Park. Maybe the familiar terrain, like the grassy slopes, would cool his mind.
He didn't know why he chose this area to begin with. Perhaps because it was veering right on the edges of Vivid Forest, the place where it all started? Even so, the memory of that place where it first took the memories of his friends, the Quad Four, added to the fact that almost everyone present after school, during that day when the Fadens attacked, was effectively wiped out.
September 19, 2996.
That was the date when Pallnem led the Fadens to attack Standart High, the monsters indiscriminately attacking everyone who was alive nearby. It was horrific, as the damage seemed to be overwhelming.
And then for someone else to manipulate Pallnem like he was nothing, it really made Nate feel like he was just a bystander of things going on around him.
When he was way past the entrance to the park and currently on the paved dirt route to see the waterfalls pouring over the overseeing cliffs, Nate noticed that there were little see-through paper scraps littered all over the ground, most of them multicolored and being swept up by the breeze.
Nate looked more closely at the colorful paper pieces that he picked up on the ground and realized that they were actually familiar to him, like he had seen them in a store before.
"Hey, this thing... No, I remember now, so that's where it was."
And then the realization finally hit him: the paper pieces on the ground were actually specific small party streamers that were primarily found in the department stores within the market district.
There must have been a large party for a very special occasion if there was this amount lying on the ground. In fact, these streamers that Nate first found looked like they were part of a trail that went around a specific place in the park called the Verdaria Hillslide, a section of the park where the wavy grass seemed more lively than the other patches of green.
As Nate tracked the pieces, they grew closer and closer until he saw what was really happening.
In his view, he saw that the party streamers were not the byproduct of a celebration that had only finished recently but rather early preparations for a birthday party. However, the theme seemed to be a little mismatched, as one half of the party area was filled with sports-related decorations, while the other side was leaning more into being a rock stage.
Now, right in front of the stage, Nate could hear two distinct voices arguing with one another. One guy and one girl were in a heated conversation, almost at the point of pure yelling.
"No, it should be a sports-themed party! She would be more uplifted and motivated if put in all kinds of sports for the whole schedule. If this was my birthday party, I would be fired up and amazed with so many sports games for people to do, so butt off."
"Why can't you understand how stupid that idea is? Obviously, she would be more into the rock stage theme. Chicks love good ol' rock 'n' roll, with sources cited as the superior expert in total partying, so give it a rest."
"Sporty Dumbass!"
"Party Pooper!"
Those voices. Upon listening to them more closely, they were actually people that he knew, specifically Aliana Augero and Brandin Fiborr.
"Those two?" Nate scratched his cheek as he felt an itch. "I wonder what both of them are doing here. Maybe I should check on these guys just to make sure they're doing okay, since their party streamer trail covered a concerning distance away from the party area. It's not like I'm in a hurry to do anything at all today."
Nate went behind the stony stage and went through the curtains, where he would finally see Aliana and Brandin, their eyes glaring at each other so much that he thought both of them were going to burn each other's pupils into mush.
"Aliana? Brandin? What's up with the makeover of this place? It's really... something."
Aliana turned towards him and jumped up with arms outstretched to give Nate a crushing hug.
"Oh, it's you, Nate! It's you! You have no idea how much I had to endure being next to this guy for a long time. I was wishing every second that there would be someone else who would come by and talk to us, and I am especially glad it was someone like you, Nate!"
"Aliana," Nate began to say. "You don't have to be overly excited every time you see me. I mean, it's just me after all..."
"Yo, what's up, Nate?" Brandin came between them with his chest puffed up through his black shirt. "Came to admire my proficient party skills, and before you say it, I do, in fact, shine like a star, more than that phony movie star, Tom Stardom."
"I... didn't really think of half of what you thought you would predict of me saying anything, Brandin," Nate admitted, then he pointed to the mismatched decoration sprawled all over the stage floor and beyond in an unfinished state. "But I do want to ask, what's up with the birthday party thing going on here? Is it for someone we know?"
Aliana and Brandin exchanged looks with each other before turning to Nate.
"Well... since you're already here, I guess we could let you in on our secret," Brandin stated.
"But please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeeaaaase don't tell anyone about this whole party. It would definitely ruin the surprise, especially when more and more people get to know more about it," Aliana pleaded.
"And the special person who will be the star of this celebration will be?" Nate asked, growing curious about who it might be, but he had a feeling that he should already know by now since the clue to who the party was for was probably said out loud somewhere in school today.
Brandin chuckled with a sly grin on his face.
"I'm glad you asked, Nate," he said, still with a grin. "Because this is for the one and only person who is in our first period class, the one in need of a celebration of birth!"
"It is Kylee! Kylee Herb!" Aliana loudly announced. "She's the birthday girl!"