November 8, 1898
Yalu River, Neutral Zone — Treaty Pavilion
The morning sun glinted off the still waters of the Yalu River, casting shimmering reflections across the canvas of the makeshift treaty pavilion built on a sandbar between the Chinese and Korean sides. The river marked not only a border between two lands, but now stood as the symbolic threshold between war and peace. The structure was simple—an open-sided wooden hall draped with the flags of all attending powers: the tricolor of Amerathia, the sun-and-moon of Korea, the red circle of Japan, the Qing dragon, and the double-headed eagle of the Russian Empire.
Inside, a long table had been laid out with maps, documents, and sealed diplomatic folders. Each side sat facing one another, flanked by aides and guards, the air thick with the unspoken weight of history.