a young man was sitting on the grass, right beneath an old tree, taking refuge from the harsh beams of the sun. barely any clouds could be seen as a flock of birds flew freely around the sky, their chirping filling the place. the scenery was calm, beautiful. his eyes were closed as he hummed a melody under his breath - an old childhood song his mother used to sing him before passing away of illness when he was still a toddler.

ever since his mother's death, kellan's father had been quite distant - the young man knew the other loved and cared about his well-being but he started overworking a lot, pushing kellan away in the process even if it wasn't intentional.

the young man quieted down, slowly opening his eyes. he wasn't done with the song but he couldn't do anything about it as he has forgotten how the rest went despite his efforts to remember. defeated, he made himself comfortable on the grass when he suddenly heard it.

he quickly stood up from where he was sitting and turned to look where the melody came from - the forest. it was the same exact melody. kellan knew better than to enter the forest, having heard tales and stories of weird things happening inside. but without a single thought, he ran towards it, following the tune he had been trying to remember for the past ten years.

every step he took led him closer to the melody. his heart raced faster than ever, whether it was from running or excitement, the young man wasn't exactly sure. he made his way through the thick forest, before finally arriving at his intended location. kellan stood beside a nearby tree, not wanting to interrupt the person. he silently listened to the tune and the verses of the song he had forgotten even existed.

when the stranger was done, kellan gulped before slowly approaching the stranger with cautious movements. "morning," he called out nervously, his voice soft so as not to seem like a threat. "the song.. how do you know that?" he asked as he tried catching a glimpse of the stranger's face just to see.. a mask?