The question arrived almost immediately.
Mira looked around the open plains, then at the river, then at the sky slowly darkening above them.
Then she asked the obvious thing.
“…How exactly are we supposed to sleep here?”
Cassian raised a hand.
“Yes, I would also like the answer to that.”
Shin stretched his sore legs and dropped onto the grass.
“We’re in the middle of an open field. Beside a river. With no tents.”
Valen folded his arms.
“And night is approaching.”
Elira quietly glanced around the plains.
The tall grass moved gently in the evening wind.
The sky above them had already begun turning darker shades of orange and purple as the sun lowered beyond the horizon.
“…We didn’t bring camping equipment,” she said softly.
Everyone slowly turned toward one person.
Rei didn’t look up.
He had already crouched beside his pack.
From it he pulled out a small metal container, a compact foldable stove, and a small pot.
Cassian blinked.
“…Of course you did.”
Rei calmly set the small stove on the ground and began assembling it.
Shin rubbed his face.
“I’m starting to think that bag might actually contain an entire house.”
Mira watched him carefully.
“You’re not even surprised, are you?”
Rei lit the stove.
A small controlled flame appeared beneath the pot.
“No.”
Valen shook his head slowly.
“You planned this entire journey.”
“I prepared for the worst.”
Cassian muttered something under his breath.
Hale watched the interaction quietly.
Then he spoke.
“If we are staying here for the night, we will require food.”
Shin raised a hand lazily.
“We already ate.”
“That was lunch.”
Shin lowered his hand.
“…Right.”
Hale gestured toward the river.
“There are fish.”
Everyone turned.
The river flowed calmly through the plains, its surface reflecting the fading light of the sunset.
Mira tilted her head.
“You want us to catch fish?”
“Yes.”
Cassian looked horrified.
“With our hands?”
Hale shook his head once.
“No.”
His eyes moved toward Mira and Elira.
“You two.”
Both girls looked up.
“You possess the most suitable affinities for the task.”
Mira sighed.
“Water magic.”
Elira nodded slightly.
“And wind blades.”
“Correct.”
Mira stood slowly.
“Well… that makes sense.”
Elira followed her toward the riverbank.
Meanwhile Hale turned to the others.
“Shin. Cassian.”
Both of them groaned immediately.
“You will gather firewood.”
Shin stared at the dark forest behind them.
“You mean that forest?”
“Yes.”
Cassian looked deeply offended.
“We just escaped that place.”
Hale remained completely unmoved.
“Then you know where to find wood.”
Shin sighed heavily.
“Great.”
Cassian glared toward the treeline.
“This day is never ending.”
The two of them reluctantly began walking back toward the forest.
Hale’s gaze then shifted toward Valen.
“And you.”
Valen straightened slightly.
“Yes, Professor?”
“You will maintain the fire.”
Valen blinked.
“…The fire.”
“Yes.”
Valen looked down at Rei’s small stove.
Then back at Hale.
“I am the stove.”
Hale nodded calmly.
“You possess the most stable fire affinity here.”
Valen sighed.
“Of course I do.”
Rei adjusted the pot calmly.
For a moment the group scattered into their assigned roles.
Mira and Elira knelt beside the river, carefully manipulating the water’s surface.
Shin and Cassian disappeared back toward the tree line, complaining loudly the entire way.
Valen stood beside Rei and Hale simply watched.
The plains slowly darkened as night began settling across the land.
Rei remained beside the small stove, occasionally stirring the pot resting above the controlled flame. The faint smell of broth drifted through the air.
Hale sat beside him, watching the group work with quiet interest.
The first ones to return were Mira and Elira.
Or more accurately—
They stumbled back from the river completely soaked.
Water dripped from Mira’s sleeves as she carried a bundle of freshly caught fish tied together with a strip of grass.
Elira followed beside her, equally wet but holding several more fish carefully in both hands.
Mira dropped the catch onto the grass beside Rei.
“There.”
She pushed wet hair away from her face.
“That river is freezing.”
Elira nodded.
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“But the fish were easy to catch.”
Rei glanced briefly at the pile.
“Good.”
Behind them the sound of branches snapping echoed from the direction of the forest.
A moment later Shin and Cassian emerged from the treeline carrying armfuls of wood.
Shin dropped his pile dramatically.
“There.”
Cassian dumped his beside it.
“If I see another tree today, I’m burning the entire forest.”
Valen stood nearby, arms folded
Mira turned toward him immediately.
“Oh perfect.”
Valen looked at her.
“Yes?”
She gestured toward herself and Elira.
“Warm us up.”
Valen blinked.
“…What?”
“Fire magic,” Mira said. “You know. Heat.”
Elira nodded politely.
“We are very cold.”
Valen stared at them for a moment.
Then shook his head.
“No.”
Mira frowned.
“No?”
“That would be a waste of mana.”
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
“You’re serious.”
Valen remained completely calm.
“I will need mana to cook the fish.”
Mira crossed her arms.
“So you won’t warm us up.”
“No.”
“You’re just standing there with a fire in your hand.”
“Yes.”
“And you refuse.”
“Yes.”
Mira stared at him for a second.
Then a grin slowly appeared on her face.
“Oh.”
Valen immediately recognized that expression.
“What.”
She pointed at him.
“Stove.”
Valen froze.
“…What.”
“You’re the stove.”
Shin looked up from arranging the firewood.
“Wait.”
Cassian slowly turned.
Mira repeated it proudly.
“Valen the Stove.”
Elira covered her mouth as she started giggling.
Valen looked deeply offended.
“That is not—”
Shin suddenly appeared behind him.
“Hey.”
Valen turned.
“Yes?”
Shin leaned slightly closer.
“…Stove.”
Cassian joined them.
“Stove.”
Valen closed his eyes briefly.
For a moment it looked like he might actually lose his composure.
Then he exhaled slowly.
“…I hate all of you.”
Mira smiled brightly.
“Stove.”
Valen said nothing.
Accepting his fate.
Meanwhile—
Rei continued stirring the pot calmly.
He filled two small metal cups and handed one to Hale.
Both of them began drinking the warm soup.
Cassian noticed first.
He stared.
“…Wait.”
Shin followed his gaze.
Then Mira.
Then Valen.
All five of them slowly turned.
Rei and Hale sat beside the stove calmly eating warm soup.
Again.
Shin pointed.
“You two are eating already?”
“Yes,” Rei said.
Cassian looked suspicious.
“…You had soup ingredients too?”
“Yes.”
Mira narrowed her eyes.
Hale calmly took another sip.
“You are welcome to share once the fish are cooked.”
Valen stared at them both.
Then slowly spoke.
“…I am beginning to suspect something.”
Cassian nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Shin folded his arms.
“This whole trip.”
Mira pointed between Hale and Rei.
“You two planned this.”
Elira tilted her head thoughtfully.
“…It does seem possible.”
Hale looked genuinely amused.
Rei simply continued stirring the pot.
Neither of them answered.
Which somehow made the suspicion worse.
Shin finally shook his head.
“This is a conspiracy.”
Cassian sighed.
“I knew that bag was suspicious.”
Valen muttered quietly while maintaining the flame.
“…Stove.”
Mira immediately corrected him.
“The Stove.”
Valen accepted his destiny.
Silently.
Night settled across the plains faster than expected.
The open sky that had looked so beautiful at sunset now stretched endlessly above them, dark and cold. The wind that moved through the tall grass carried a sharp chill from the river.
The temperature dropped quickly.
Very quickly.
Mira and Elira had positioned themselves almost directly beside the bonfire.
Not close.
Almost inside it.
Both girls sat with their knees pulled to their chests, arms wrapped around themselves as they shook violently.
“I hate this,” Mira muttered through chattering teeth.
Elira nodded rapidly.
“I did not expect it to be this cold.”
Their clothes were still damp from the river.
Which made everything worse.
The fire crackled as the fish cooked slowly over the flames.
But the heat barely reached beyond the immediate circle.
A few steps away, the night air felt freezing.
Hale sat slightly apart from the group.
His posture was relaxed.
A faint shimmer surrounded him.
A thin layer of mana flowed quietly across his body like a second skin, shielding him from the cold air.
Cassian noticed.
“…You could do that the entire time?”
Hale nodded calmly.
“Yes.”
Cassian stared.
“That would have been useful information earlier.”
Hale didn’t respond.
Meanwhile—
Rei had already disappeared into his sleeping bag.
Not lying down.
He sat upright, leaning slightly against his large pack, the bag somehow propped up behind him as support.
The thick fabric wrapped around his shoulders and legs.
Only his hands were visible as he calmly held the small metal cup from earlier.
Between the sleeping bag and the wind protection from the pack, he looked… comfortable.
Suspiciously comfortable.
Shin stared at him.
“…You brought a sleeping bag.”
“Yes.”
Cassian rubbed his face.
“Of course he did.”
Valen glanced over while maintaining the fire under the cooking fish.
“You packed an entire campsite.”
“I prepared for the worst.”
Mira groaned.
“Stop saying that.”
The three boys attempted to sit near the fire.
Attempted.
Because Mira and Elira had taken almost the entire warm side of it.
Shin leaned closer.
Mira immediately shoved him away with her foot.
“No.”
Cassian tried the other side.
Elira instinctively leaned toward the heat, blocking the space.
“Sorry.”
Valen, still maintaining the cooking flame, stood slightly behind them.
Even the stove was not allowed near the fire.
Shin pointed at him.
“This is your fault.”
Valen looked genuinely offended.
“I am cooking.”
Cassian pointed at the flame in Valen’s hand.
“You literally generate fire.”
“And it is currently occupied.”
Mira pointed toward the fish.
“Priorities.”
Shin sighed.
“This is unbelievable.”
Valen continued holding the steady flame beneath the cooking rack, staring into the distance like a man contemplating his life choices.
“Stove,” Shin whispered.
Valen did not react.
He had accepted his destiny.
The wind moved across the plains again.
Colder this time.
Mira leaned even closer to the fire.
“We should have stayed in the forest.”
“No,” Shin said immediately. “We should have packed like Rei.”
Cassian pointed at the sleeping bag.
“That thing looks warm.”
Rei sipped his drink calmly.
“Yes.”
Shin stared.
“…I hate you.”
The fish began to crackle softly as the skin crisped over the fire.
The smell drifted through the camp.
Everyone’s attention slowly shifted toward the food.
Even Mira stopped shivering long enough to stare at it.
Cassian exhaled slowly.
“At least the food will be warm.”
Rei looked toward the dark plains beyond the firelight.
The wind moved the tall grass gently.
Beyond the circle of firelight—
The plains were completely black.
Silent.
Too silent.
But for now, no one noticed.
They were too cold.
And too hungry.
Eventually the fish were finished.
Valen finally allowed the flames beneath the rack to fade slightly while the group divided the cooked pieces.
Nobody complained about portion sizes.
Nobody complained about seasoning.
Nobody complained about the fact that the fish were almost completely flavorless.
Between the cold wind and the hunger gnawing at their stomachs, the simple roasted fish felt like the greatest meal they had eaten in weeks.
Shin sat close to the fire, holding the fish in both hands like it might try to escape.
“This is incredible.”
Cassian nodded with complete seriousness.
“I cannot taste anything.”
“Same,” Mira said.
Elira nodded.
“But it’s still good.”
Valen quietly finished his portion, still sitting slightly behind the fire.
Even the stove had finally earned a moment of peace.
Rei finished eating without saying much.
Hale calmly cleaned the bones from his portion before tossing them into the fire.
For a few minutes—
There was peace.
Warm food.
A steady fire.
The cold wind felt slightly less cruel.
For a brief moment the group even laughed at a few of Shin’s complaints about jungle insects.
Then the silence returned.
Slowly.
Uncomfortably.
Mira was the first one to say it.
“…Okay.”
Everyone looked at her.
She gestured toward the open plains around them.
“So how exactly are we sleeping?”
The question landed like a rock.
The group slowly looked around.
Tall grass.
River.
Open sky.
Cold wind.
No tents.
No blankets.
No shelter.
Cassian slowly pointed at Hale.
“Well he’s fine.”
Hale sat calmly with his thin mana layer still flowing across his body.
Unbothered.
Shin pointed at Rei.
“And he’s basically living inside a sleeping bag.”
Rei was still leaning against his pack, half covered by the thick bag like a small fortress.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Annoyingly prepared.
Mira pointed between them.
“That leaves the rest of us.”
Valen crossed his arms.
“We cannot sleep like this.”
Elira quietly hugged her knees.
“It’s very cold.”
Shin looked up at the sky.
“This is how people freeze.”
Cassian rubbed his temples.
“I refuse to die because Takeda packed correctly and the rest of us didn’t.”
Another round of arguing began.
Suggestions were thrown out.
None of them worked.
“More fire.”
“Not enough wood.”
“Sleep in shifts.”
“Still freezing.”
“Dig holes.”
“We are not animals.”
Eventually the discussion devolved into half-serious accusations.
“This is your fault.”
“No it isn’t.”
“You mocked the bag.”
“You mocked the bag too!”
“Everyone mocked the bag!”
Finally—
Cassian looked at Rei.
Reluctantly.
Carefully.
For the first time that night…
Hope appeared in his voice.
“…Takeda.”
Rei looked up.
Cassian hesitated.
Then forced the words out.
“Do you… have something in that bag?”
The entire group turned.
Five exhausted faces stared at him.
Shin leaned forward slightly.
“You have something, don’t you?”
Rei slowly unzipped the top of the pack again.
“Yes.”
Cassian exhaled with relief.
“Finally.”
Rei began digging through the bag.
Cloth.
Metal kit.
Folded rope.
A small lantern.
Shin leaned closer.
“What is it?”
Rei finally pulled something out.
A tightly folded bundle of dark fabric and metal rods.
He placed it on the ground.
Mira blinked.
“…What is that?”
Rei answered calmly.
“A tent.”
Silence.
Then everyone moved closer.
Cassian crouched beside it.
“You packed a tent?”
“Yes.”
Shin looked impressed.
“You absolute genius.”
Valen nodded slowly.
“That is excellent planning.”
Elira looked genuinely relieved.
“Thank you.”
Mira stared at the bundle.
Then her eyes narrowed.
“…Wait.”
She looked at the size again.
Then looked at Rei.
“…Takeda.”
“Yes.”
“This tent…”
She pointed at it slowly.
“…is not big.”
Rei nodded once.
“Correct.”
Mira stared at him.
“…Do you actually think—”
“Yes.”
Rei answered before she even finished.
She blinked.
“You know what I was about to ask.”
“Yes.”
Mira pointed at the tent.
“You think five people can fit in a tent made for two?”
Rei looked at the group.
Then at the freezing plains.
Then back at her.
“Yes.”
Cassian looked at the tent.
Then the sky.
Then the wind.
Then the tent again.
“…You know what?”
Shin nodded immediately.
“I’m in.”
Valen sighed.
“It will be unpleasant.”
Elira raised her hand slightly.
“But warmer than outside.”
Mira rubbed her face.
“This is insane.”
Rei had already started assembling the tent.
“Help.”
Within a few minutes the small structure stood beside the fire.
It was simple but sturdy.
Two sleeping spots.
Two.
Everyone stared at it.
Then slowly looked at each other.
Cassian pointed.
“This is not happening.”
Shin pointed back at the dark plains.
“Look around.”
The wind moved across the grass again.
Cold.
Sharp.
Cassian immediately turned back toward the tent.
“…Move.”
The five of them crouched near the entrance.
Mira pointed.
“Okay, rules.”
Cassian shook his head.
“There are no rules.”
“There are absolutely rules,” Mira snapped. “I am not sleeping next to Cassian.”
Cassian looked offended.
“Why me?”
Shin raised a hand.
“I refuse to sleep near Mira. She kicks.”
“I do not!”
“You kicked me during training last week!”
“That was an accident!”
Elira quietly looked at the tent.
“…Maybe we should organize positions.”
Valen rubbed his forehead.
“Yes.”
Cassian pushed the flap open.
“Or we stop talking and get inside before we freeze to death.”
Shin dove in first.
“Move!”
Cassian followed immediately.
“Don’t push!”
Mira shoved both of them forward.
“Stop blocking the entrance!”
Elira hesitated before carefully squeezing inside behind them.
Valen remained outside for a second.
He looked at the tent.
Then at the sky.
Then at Rei.
Rei had already zipped himself fully into his sleeping bag and leaned comfortably against his pack.
Eyes closed.
Peaceful.
Valen stared at him.
“…Unbelievable.”
Then he crawled into the tent.
Inside—
Chaos.
“Move your elbow!”
“That’s my foot!”
“Why are you sideways?!”
“I am not sideways!”
“Mira stop pushing!”
“I am not pushing!”
“Elira I think I’m sitting on your arm!”
“That is not my arm.”
Cassian groaned.
“This is a disaster.”
Shin tried shifting position.
The entire tent moved.
“Stop moving!”
“I have nowhere else to go!”
Valen’s voice came from somewhere in the middle.
“…I regret everything.”
Outside the tent—
Rei slept peacefully.
Completely unmoving inside the thick sleeping bag.
The fire crackled softly nearby.
Hale remained seated beside it.
The faint mana barrier still shimmered quietly around him as the cold wind moved across the plains.
He watched the tent shake slightly with each argument inside.
For nearly twenty minutes the muffled chaos continued.
Eventually the sounds faded.
Complaints turned into tired muttering.
Then silence.
Hale glanced once toward Rei.
Then toward the small overstuffed tent.
“…They will learn,” he murmured quietly.
The fire continued burning softly beneath the dark plains sky.
And the first night of the journey passed slowly under the open stars.
