The fire stabilized quickly. The flames grew to a size sufficient to illuminate the clearing without consuming too much material. Warm light extended in irregular circles over the ground covered with leaves, projecting shadows that moved with each spark. The shelter, leaning against a small terrain elevation, offered basic protection against wind beginning to slip through the trees.
Students finished organizing around that nucleus.
Bīng Xuě sat near the fire, legs crossed, feeding the flames with small branches he placed with almost distracted precision. His expression was calm, as if all this were part of a long game.
"Not bad," he said, looking at the result. "Could be worse."
Gerald dropped onto a nearby stone, releasing air with a heavy sigh. He removed his glasses a second to clean them with his sleeve before putting them back on.
"I still think this is crazy..."
"It's training," a voice responded from the other side.
