"Are we there yet?" Halilintar grunted, puffing heavily as he half-heartedly pulled his belongings up the rough, lumpy ragged rocks, one by one.

"Almost!~" Taufan chirped, skipping on his way up to the top of the hill. The boy with the ruby eyes just groaned in response as he laboriously dragged his luggage with him.

"Why is this hill full of rugged stones? Aren't hills supposed to be all smooth and shaped like upside-down cones?" Halilintar mused, mounting the last step to the summit of the hill with all his might. "Why am I here? Just to suffer?"

Taufan only rolled his eyes playfully and shook his head. "Well, every hill is unique in its own way. I thought you're smarter than that, Hali!~" He taunted, giving his friend a smug look.

"I told you, I'm just an average student!"

"Well, at least your efforts paid off!~" The wind elemental sniggered, before throwing his hands to a direction to show the breathtaking view of the area they had successfully arrived at.

The scene revealed a peaceful, brilliant, orange sun preparing to set from afar, along with a warm-toned yellow-orange sky, which gave off a warm feeling. On the horizon, puffy, translucent clouds were also visible between the mountains. Birds were softly chirping as they graciously flew back to their homes. A riverbank was also spotted in the distance, with its streams calmly running in one direction.

"Woah..." Halilintar breathed, his jaw almost dropping as he stared at the stunning scenery.

"I know right~?" Taufan giddily chuckled, making his peeved friend look at him and earned a glare from him.

The lightning elemental sighed in exhaustion, dropped his luggage by his side, and sat down on the ground for a moment to recuperate. He took his time to take deep breaths while wiping away some beads of sweat that were trickling down his face. He took another glance around before focusing on the horizon and watched as the sun disappeared beneath the night sky.

With a worn-out but contented expression, his blue-masked companion joined him in sitting down and taking in the scenery. After their lengthy hour-long journey to the hill, he heaved a pleased sigh and remained quiet to allow his friend a moment to recharge. Once again, a gentle breeze caressed their skin, giving them the feeling as though they had been greeted and welcomed by the wind to reside temporarily for the day.

'Peaceful...' Halilintar thought, as he took off his black cap and exposed his brunette hair. He wished he could just stay here and have his long-awaited peace, but they are only staying for a short time and will be leaving as soon as they have rested.

Taufan turned to Halilintar, a beaming smile hidden beneath his mask, "Let's set up the camp here after we rest." The latter gave him a fleeting glance before giving him a small nod in return.

The blue-masked teen merely blinked at his friend's calmness, before smiling sympathetically as he acknowledges that his friend is savoring and appreciating this moment before they set off for tomorrow. He mumbled softly, "You've finally found peace, Hali," and comfortably turned to face the horizon once more.

<<>> <<>> <<>>

The starry night sky took over. The brilliant moon illuminated the deep shadows. The air was permeated by the chilly breeze. The hooting sound of owls can be distinguished from afar. The crackle of the man-made fire could be heard as it provided warmth for the boys. Even so, the calm atmosphere created by the evening skies made it possible for a restful night of slumber.

"OH NO!" Taufan exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" The alarmed lightning elemental immediately turned to look at the blue-masked boy, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"My precious marshmallow got burnt!" Taufan cried out dramatically, whilst his black-capped friend only gave him an annoyed, disbelieving stare.

"What an airhead..." Halilintar shook his head, sighing in exasperation as he continued toasting his own mushroom.

The wind elemental pouted and gave him a dumbfounded look before coming up with a scheme that made him smile mischievously. "Hey, Hali!~ Can we share-"

"Toast your own marshmallow."

"Hey, come on! Sharing is caring!"

"You should've paid more attention to your marshmallow."

Taufan whined. "Ah, come on, Hali! Please? Pretty please?" He begged, giving him his puppy eyes.

Halilintar became irritated by the blue-capped boy's complaints and finally gave his whiny friend a few of his marshmallows on a stick. "Fine! Here! Just shut up!"

Taufan happily accepted his marshmallows and gobbled them up all in one bite. Unfortunately, it was still hot for consumption because the marshmallows were still freshly toasted. Before he could even stop to consider it, he burned his own mouth as well.

"HOT! MY MOUTH IS ON FIRE!" The poor blue-masked boy exclaimed once again, now desperately trying to find his water jug.

Halilintar only grimaced at his friend's ridiculous behavior and wondered why he was given such an airhead for a friend.

"You are such an airhead," he murmured in silence. But before he knew it, his lips momentarily curved while covering his mouth in an effort to hold back a chuckle.

Taufan finally cooled himself down, panting heavily and frantically fanning his scorched tongue. "Hali! Why on earth would you give me an extremely hot marshmallow?" He huffed amusingly, but his lightning elemental companion only responded with his eyes rolling.

"Your fault for eating it already."

Taufan quickly conceded defeat after thinking, 'He's right, though...,' as dramatic tears fell from his eyes. He was at a loss for words for now.

"Fine! You win, Hali!" He stated, huffing playfully once more.

Simply shrugging and shaking his head once again, Halilintar then took a small bite off of his own toasted marshmallow. After chewing on it for a while, he relished the flavor, marshmallow fluffiness, and how it melted in his mouth. On top of that, he attempted to dip it in chocolate spread and ate it again afterwards, savoring the taste of it.

Taufan sat back down on the log and looked up at the shining stars while pursing his lips beneath his blue mask. He hummed, his cerulean eyes sparkling as he was rendered speechless by the sheer number of stars. His eyes grew wide as he saw a shooting star from a distance. Shortly after, a brilliant display of the northern lights appeared, causing him to shed a tear due to the exquisite scene in front of him.

Halilintar glanced over to the teenager wearing a blue mask and wondered why he had suddenly become emotional. His ruby eyes widened at the stunning night sky that was presented to them as he turned to face where his friend was looking at. It was impossible to believe that thousands of twinkling stars, several shooting stars, and the gracious flow of the northern lights would all appear at the same time. How fortunate they were, even so, to witness these phenomenal occurrences while traveling.

"I've never encountered an aurora borealis before. I never imagined I'd get to see it in person," Taufan uttered, as he let his tears fall from his amazed, wide eyes.

"Me too..." Halilintar calmly replied, still in awe of the extraordinary phenomenon they had witnessed.

"We're so lucky..." The wind elemental remarked, chuckling as he wiped his tears away.

The black-capped teen finally expressed his true emotion in reaction to his friend's remark. His lips formed a satisfied smile, he felt happy. He was genuinely pleased with the events that occurred after he met Taufan. His friend proved to him what it means to appreciate the bright side of life despite the grimmest circumstances. He gave him the tranquility and bliss he was longing for.

Halilintar's smile caught Taufan's attention, and his eyes lit up. Was he trying to trick him out of retaliation, or was he dreaming? He smiled as he fixed his attention to his friend while internally experiencing a range of happy feelings. Relieved, motivated, overwhelmed, overjoyed, contented, and many more positive emotions.

"It's rare to see you smile like that, and it kind of brings a creepy vibe." Taufan whispered, giddily laughing from his last remark.

Halilintar only raised a brow at him. "Are you saying that I can't and shouldn't smile?" He responded, crossing both his arms over his chest. He only received a sheepish, innocent smile in return from the blue-masked teen. The lightning elemental did nothing more than shake his head and return his gaze to the dazzling night sky.

Taufan got up from his seat and walked to his tent to get something after taking a few moments to take in the natural beauty of the atmosphere. Halilintar continued to gaze at the night sky, his eyes growing soft as he took in the stunning rarities they had witnessed. He was too preoccupied with the stars to notice the blue-masked teen's absence.

Shortly after, Taufan came back carrying a cake. It was a simple cake with a chocolate and vanilla flavored combination, some frosting, and chocolate bar pieces on top. Halilintar soon became aware of Taufan's presence and gave him a puzzled look as to where he bought the cake and why he had gone to such lengths to purchase one for them when they could have simply brought simple snacks and canned goods.

"Eh? Why did you buy a cake?" Halilintar asked inquisitively after taking a quick look at the cake, then at his friend. "And where exactly did the cake come from?"

"Ah, this?" Taufan beamed, approaching the lightning elemental and taking a seat on the log beside him. "It's what was inside the box I brought earlier on our way here." He replied, chuckling softly as his friend only gave him an even more confused look.

"Remember when I said this is something worth waiting for when we get here or to the mountain? This was it." He added, now smiling genuinely at the rubescent boy.

Taufan then took a candle and a lighter out from his pocket, set the candle on the cake, and lit the candle with the lighter. "We're celebrating your birthday right now, Hali!~" He exclaimed with enthusiasm, grinning at his friend.

Halilintar's brow furrowed as he averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head in uncertainty over how he should react to the situation. "But, it's not even my birthday." He claimed, his expression dropping. "And, I don't think I remember the date of my birthday anymore since I don't really celebrate it that much."

When Taufan heard his response, he only gave a gentle smile and shook his head slightly. "Since I have the impression that you'd never have a rewarding experience or enjoyable celebration for your momentous day, I want us to celebrate the annual date of your birth together. Even if it isn't your birthday today, let me just wish you, 'Belated or Advance Happy Birthday, Hali!'" He beamed, moving the cake he was holding closer to his friend so he could easily blow out the candle.

"Airhead..."

"I might not be the ideal friend you could ever hope to have, but I can be the one person you can trust to never betray you and be there for you when things seem to be falling apart."

Halilintar felt numerous overwhelming feelings at once. Speechless, he was. He was too taken aback by Taufan's sincere behavior toward him.

His friend was too caring. His friend was too considerate. His friend was too kind. His friend was too generous. His friend, Taufan, has the purest heart and soul.

"Make a wish, Hali..."

Halilintar curved a small yet soft smile in return, feeling incredibly appreciative to have a friend like Taufan. "Thank you, airhead..." He breathed, before blowing out the fire from the candle.

That's when Halilintar thought...

He didn't choose this birthday, this birthday chose him.