Scene 2
[Special edition. We have just received confirmation of an armed attack. According to initial reports, ten Elystrians and fifteen Tyrgians lost their lives in this sudden and unprovoked assault.]
— Ten civilians?! Hang on, what?! I bet it’s the Northerners, for sure!
[Elystria and Tyrgan have condemned an act of aggression of rare violence and have officially declared war in retaliation. Luserne, in solidarity with its allies, has announced it is entering the conflict. The Council of Three is planning an emergency meeting.]
[This move, which many are already calling a brutal act, has shocked the international community with its disregard for diplomatic norms. The Morvek, behind this attack and known for its brutal methods and contempt for international conventions, has now plunged us into an escalation whose outcome no one can predict.]
— Ha! I knew it, it’s the Eastians. Only they would do something like that. Besides, there are hardly any Elystrians in the North.
— "Right, Miss Know-it-all", retorted Jaren.
Serina smiled wryly at his remark and focused her attention back on the screen. Photos of the victims’ bodies were being shown. Why they were showing them was beyond her. Yet she kept watching, fascinated in the way one stares at an unsightly stain without being able to look away. The images flashed by, almost unbearable for her cousins, but in their living room, filled with the scent of hot soup and the comfort of their Talrian silk sofa, they seemed almost unreal.
"Did you see that? Those two have a strange symbol on their jackets", remarked Jaren.
— Oh yeah! What is it?” she asked, moving closer to the screen to get a better look.
It was three lines, crossed out by another. It was the first time she’d seen that symbol.
Can’t you concentrate? Help me revise, whined Anwyn.
— Yes, sorry Anwyn... But have you seen the news? They’ve just declared war.
— Yeah, well, is that going to be in the history exam?
"I don’t think so. The victims, OK, that’s sad, but the exams are still happening tomorrow. And my life isn’t going to stop. And war or no war, who cares, we won’t be affected by it!”