Silence. That word alone is rare to hear, let alone for it to be observed in the Borderlands of the Western Gates, a section of land that has become a regional hotbed for skirmishes from the Reformists of East Arcadonisia in recent years. Now as the night begins to fall, lights from border checkpoints can be seen from miles around, clearly marking the boundaries between the two countries with precise limits. Various warning signs can be seen posted all along the concrete walls, reading "WARNING!" "UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY IS FORBIDDEN" "TRESPASSERS WILL BE IMPRISONED AND OR DETAINED WITHOUT REPRESENTATION"
Soldiers could be seen patrolling the grounds, anxiously watching the horizons for any sign of trouble, which had become predictable as of late as Agents of the East Arcadonisian Government were known to poke and prod the perimeters for signs of weakness in ever increasing numbers. But tonight, the borders were silent and devoid of any activities over the Walls, causing an overwhelming sense of anxiety among the staff garrisoned behind the towering walls.
As the hours passed, the sense of calm deteriorated as movement could be detected not five miles from the DMZ, as infrared could detect a mass of bodies moving westward, stemming from the northeast. Flashes of lights and gunfire shattered the veil of silence as the mass of soldiers moving in began to open fire on the soldiers atop the Walls, breaching the integrity of the Neutral Zone and hustled into Western Arcadonisian territory, setting the entire area on high alert. Before the enemy could react, the field erupted in flames as land mines went off, killing or disorienting the members of the scouting party that approached the Wall. As the smoke cleared, Soldiers entered the field, searching for survivors to take into custody and found that none had survived the retaliatory strike.
Unfortunately, such instances were becoming commonplace, with regular skirmishes that claimed lives on both sides. The fragile veil of a truce between the two Arcadonisias was waning as accusations were being thrown. As a last resort, the Grey Order of West Arcadonisia reached out the Eastern Government in an effort to come to a peaceful conclusion to ease tensions and rid the haunting spectre of War between them. Reluctantly, Officials of the East agreed to attend a Peace Summit and negotiate terms to cooperate with the West, but as both sides prepared for the talks, the armies of both countries were being prepped and armed for an eventual conflict. Even if an agreement could be found in the talks, both sides knew that war was inevitable. Still, both sides it was better to try than do nothing, as war was an all consuming beast that was well known to all Arukkai.
With the date set, both sides sent delegates to meet in the small border town of Levellan, hoping to avoid war, even if it was just for a short while. Secretly though, something more sinister was about to unfold, an event that would lead both nations on the brink of total open war.
