The announcement came during morning assembly at Ashmar's Crownspire Academy, delivered by Headmaster Kelvan with all the enthusiasm of a man reading a death warrant.
"Effective next month, twenty selected students will participate in a joint educational exchange program with the Republic's Sparkshire Academy."
The reaction was immediate and divided.
Some students leaned forward with barely contained excitement—the chance to study at the Republic's most prestigious institution, to learn from elites, to see Central with their own eyes. These were the pragmatists, the ones who understood that opportunity mattered more than pride.
Others sat rigid in their seats, jaws tight, eyes burning with thinly veiled contempt. Patriots who'd been raised on stories of Ashmar's independence, who viewed the Republic not as an ally but as an arrogant neighbor that believed itself superior simply because it controlled more territory and resources.
