My lungs were still on fire when we finally reached the rendezvous point. After several minutes of sprinting across the shattered slopes, the forest opened up into a clearing where the light filtered through in golden shards, almost soothing after the hell above. Before us lay a small base camp, firmly established among the trunks: stretched tents, braziers, and nearly a hundred moving silhouettes.
The students of the Azure Pact bustled back and forth, some carrying crates, others inspecting the perimeter or busy at the writing posts. No one stood still. Each seemed to know exactly what to do, where to go, who to help. The murmur of orders, reports, and rapid exchanges formed a constant hum — a pulse of organized life at the heart of chaos.
Shaliel stopped dead beside me, her eyes wide with astonishment.
— "W-what… is this place?"
I gave her a brief smile, wiping the sweat running down my neck.
