Prologue

"Hey Paul, today is September 1st, I want you." said the girl in a direct tone, soft voice yet it delivers a confident feeling in every word, her brown hair and hazel matches perfectly on her, along with a white dress fitting her small and delicate appearance, she shows a natural classic girly beauty, akin to a morning sunrise that was simple yet beautiful.

"Want me?!" The guy named Paul was flustered, making his cheeks red, averting his eyes into another direction.

Paul appearance was quite higher than average, aside from his simple wavy hair that was complimenting his dark hair and hazel eyes, he also had a delicate nose and pale skin, he was tall, almost a bit higher from the town's normal height of 5'7 for male, but the thing that stands out on Paul was his aura like he was always had this wall around him but easily approachable, like a man of profound calm, yet rushing, knowing him is like watching a river in the middle of the forest, calm and slow pacing.

"Yeah, I want you to be my partner for the September Fest Concert!" The girl said, widely grinning from ear to ear.

Paul was a little bit dumbfounded and immediately brushed up that embarrassing idea that had just come upon his head, he asked.

"What partner are we talking about, 'Serina'?" Paul asked her, emphasizing the last word, his lips then slightly curved upward, a smirk came out on his face.

"Hey! Paul Edward Simons, don't call me with my complete first name." The girl named Serina glared at Paul, looking like she would beat this guy any moment later, while the other was smirking at her.

"Alright, Seri, I'll help you on that," Paul said, like the change of a day goes to her mood, Serina smiled, the glaring eyes turned into a sparkle.|

Then both of them gaze into each other's eyes, then both quickly look toward the opposite direction.

Serina giggled and said.

"Hey, Paul, I want to sing in front of the masses at the end of September fest." Seri looked at the far distance, on the wide grass field sitting on, under the shade of a single tree, looking at Paul's silhouette and said in a low tone.

"Make a promise to me, okay, we will be performing together." She then sat upon the grass, leaning her head on her knees.

Paul silently looked at the figure of Serina, a girl he cherished, sitting under a single tree in the middle of a giant grass field, which is the perfect scenery for him.

The sound of the blowing winds that hit the leaves making them rustle, a warm climate that lifts up the colors of green grass, and a single oak tree standing alone in the middle of the grasslands, and under it was Serina, like a watching angel silently gazing at Paul. 

"Yes, I promise," Paul affirmed, committing that single word in his mind, A promise.

Serina smiled and got up from the rough grass, smilingly raising both of her hands, then she quickly hugged Paul.

"Thank you, Paul Edward Simons." Serina giggled, Paul frowned a little bit from that teasing and immediately retorted back. 

"Yes, Serina Green, my childish friend." Paul said, then Serina looked at him and said.

"I am two months older than you." She stated a fact.

"As a superior senior, we needed to make everyone on the stage lift up their butts!" She energetically said, raising both of her hands on the sky, widely opening both of the palms.

"Geez, dream big." Paul looked at Serina and laughed.

"Hey, I'm serious!" Serina tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at Paul.

"Fine, fine, I'll help you practice your song, and I'll do the guitar part." Paul raised a thumbs-up and nodded at Serina.

"Haha, that's good. So it's a promise?" Seri said

"What promise?" Paul acted to be confused.

"You have Alzheimer's? Of course, we will perform together!" Serina flicked her finger on Paul's forehead.

"Okay! Fine." Paul said, then added. "I will remember it."

'Shall we go now?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, let's bring our best at the end of September Ends." Serina firmly said while Paul nodded at her, promising that this must happen, at whatever cost that hinders on the way.

Then both of them walk out together from the shade of the oak tree.

"It was a promise witnessed by this century-old tree."

"I doubt that tree is that old."

"K-Town had lots of history and myths!"

"Yeah, I know...kinda weird on how non-sense some of the myths are."

"The tree witnesses us, so you better do it, unless you want to be buried." 

Thus, the promise at the first of September started at the grass field, below the oak tree were two people that had bonded deeper than tree roots, made a promise unto one another...

But do all things go in our favor? Not all things end in our favor, even knowing what future lies ahead of us.

September 27th, Year XXXX

"The festival will be starting on 30th, Glad I am done with all the preparations," Paul mumbled while checking the calendar, the rain was pouring so hard outside, and it seems that it will stay till tomorrow.

Then, he checked his guitar, finding if it needs fixing.

Despite the rain pouring from the roof, the atmosphere was oddly quiet, only the sound of thunder and rainfall enveloped the whole area. Paul also noticed this, but in his defense, it was normal.

The September End Fest will be starting on 28th and ending on the 30th. Three-day time of the festive atmosphere will be a hustle, that's why most people at this time were busy, same goes to Paul and Seri who will be performing on the 30th for the final event of the festival.

While busy checking all the pieces of equipment, only the sound of the guitar's strings was vibrating throughout the room.

Creak! Step.

Suddenly, the sudden sound of the door reached his ears, it came from the ground floor, while his room was located on the second floor, around the corner of the stairway. Paul remembered that his mother will not be staying at home tonight, the K-Town General hospital will be a bit busy due to the upcoming September End Fest, the masses and tourists will be increasing and the place can be chaotic if not controlled.

Paul immediately grabbed the steel-baseball bat that he bought 1 year ago online, for self-defense purposes, and a bit of motivation on action movies he watched on television.

He silently opened his door on an adjacent angle, overviewing the gloomy dark staircase and the first floor below, clenching his cold-steel bat ready to smack any head that will pop-out on the dark areas of the staircase, yet the silent evoked, the sound of rain and thunder is the only thing that was heard.

Until the flash of the thunder on the windows created a shadow, it was a figure of a man standing near the window, it was seen on the ground of the staircase, at that time Paul seen it, he knew,

He was not alone.

He clenched his hands, tightly holding on to the cold steel bat, he dashed quickly from the door, creating momentum to reach the ground floor in an instant, to create a surprise attack on the trespasser.

The figure below twitched and immediately tilted its head to look towards the sound of running footsteps created by Paul.

Only to notice that Paul’s arm was already raised upward, ready to smash the bat into the head.

“Wait!” A terrified male voice echoed on the ground floor, he immediately plops to the ground, after seeing Paul ready to bash his head.  Paul immediately took a step back, the voice seemed familiar to him, then gazing at the figure of the person, one person came into his mind.

“Elliot?” He asked.

“Damn man, you almost delivered me to my death!” It was really Elliot, he was Paul’s best buddy, a friend, and also his partner in crime. They knew each other from the start of high school till now in their first year of college, the relationship between these two can be called more than a brother to each of them.

Elliot had curly hair that was drenched because of the hard rain, his dark eyes and visible eye bugs were showing on his face, his heavy-lower lips was matching his unique appearance, but it was wide open at the moment due to being in shocked by Paul's action, skin that was tanned was fitting for his personality, like a busy wave that always makes you refresh.

Elliot looked at Paul but his face was blank, instead of anger because of Paul’s action, the fact that Elliot was showing was that of sadness and sorrow, and even a pity on his face.

Paul immediately knew there was a problem, he knew his friend's behavior, he asked.

“Elliot...why are you looking at me like that?” Paul’s heart immediately started to beat faster, like millions of running steps were surfacing in his heart, trampling it more quickly.

“Paul, you need to see it yourself…” Even Elliot cannot tell Paul, he only came to the house to fetch Paul and lead him to the tragedy he knew that will cause a lot of sorrow for his friend. He will only be guiding Paul, he will be just there, starring, cannot find a way to comfort him, and even as a friend he will feel useless.

“I’m sorry Paul, I was useless…” Elliot drops his head, looking at the floor.

Only the silence takes place again, the sound of rainfall only makes it empty.

“What do you mean? Hey! Don’t be like that man…” Paul started to Panic, but doubts still filled his head, until Elliot said a word he does not want to be involved in.

“Serina....she was at the hospital,” Elliot said, then took a step forward unto the door leading to the rainy road outside.

“What?!” Paul's heart’s immediately unshackled, all of the nerves and motors in his body acted on their own, he dashed through the door in fast-paced steps, even though that Elliot was still calling and chasing him on the back, Paul world was silent, only the drops of rain in his ears and steps on his foot is the only thing that can be heard….

“Serina!”