Frozen Flame of Dawn - Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Chapter 50: Unveiling the Path Forward_1

The word cut through the air like a blade as the former Dragon Unit captain exhaled sharply, looking down at the table, as if processing a loss he never expected to feel. “So that’s it, then.”

Not a question. Just a statement of fact as Yenna let the silence linger before finally speaking again. “Even though she will not help us… nor stand with us in the future, she still left something behind.”

Her voice was measured, controlled, but it shifted the weight of the conversation.

Helen’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Yenna tilted her head slightly, looking at the former Dragon Unit captain. “She gave me a cultivation method.”

There was a visible reaction from everyone in the room even former Dragon Unit captain straightened immediately, his sharp gaze narrowing. “The same one she explained in the broadcast?”

Yenna nodded once. “Yes, but the version she gave me is much more refined. It contains a more detailed breakdown, every key point, every necessary step to ensure that we don’t misstep in the process of cultivating our abilities.”

“A complete guide,” the old man murmured, understanding the weight of what she was saying.

Yenna leaned back, arms crossing over her chest. “She told me I can do whatever I wish with it.”

Helen stared at her, still processing what this meant. “And she just… gave this to you?”

The former Chancellor, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke, his tone skeptical. “Why would she give something so crucial so easily?”

Yenna met his gaze evenly. “Because she doesn’t want any more innocent lives to be lost and that’s the only reason.”

Helen let out a slow breath, nodding slightly. “Then that means she still—”

But Yenna cut her off, her tone sharp and final. “No, Helen. This is the last thing she will ever do for us.”

Her words rang like a closing door. “This is the last time I will help anyone here, too.”

A thick, suffocating silence followed while Helen’s head snapped up, her eyes narrowing. “What?”

Yenna’s expression didn’t change. “I’m resigning from my position as Elder of the Federation.”

Helen’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips parting slightly, as if she wanted to refute, but the words refused to come. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a mix of frustration and disappointment. “This is about her, isn’t it?”

There was something raw in her voice, something that bordered on hurt as Yenna’s gaze flickered, but her expression remained unchanged. “No, Helen.”

Her voice was firm, steady—absolute. “I never wanted this position to begin with.”

Helen exhaled sharply, shaking her head, trying to regain her composure.

“If this is because of what I said earlier, then I apologize. I was frustrated. I shouldn’t have—”

“This has nothing to do with you, Helen.”

Yenna cut her off again, her tone sharp but not unkind.

She let out a slow breath before looking around the room, at the people she had once fought beside, debated with, and protected for years. “I have spent years defending and protecting the Federation and its people. But unlike many of you, I was never meant for politics. I was never meant for bureaucracy.”

Her icy gaze swept across the room, unwavering. “I am, and have always been, a soldier first.”

No one interrupted her, even Helen, who bit the inside of her cheek, listening. “And after everything that has happened, I refuse to waste another second of my life tangled in the Federation’s endless political games.”

The former Chancellor’s expression darkened. “So what will you do now?”

Yenna let a small smile slip—a smile that carried no humor, just resolve. “I will leave the capital city and take my team with me.”

“And?” Helen pressed, her brows furrowing.

“And… I will open my own martial sect—a training school for anyone who wants to cultivate their strength, learn how to survive, and protect others.” Yenna’s tone was calm, yet filled with certainty.

The room fell into stunned silence.

Most of them had assumed she would join Amira, maybe create her own faction or lead a rebellion, but this?

This was entirely different.

Some of the officials, who were previously wary of her decision, relaxed slightly, realizing that she wasn’t abandoning the Federation outright. Instead, she was choosing to help in her own way—not through politics, but through action.

Helen let out a slow breath, visibly relieved. “So… you’ll still be supporting the people?”

“Indirectly.” Yenna confirmed. “But I will not answer to the Federation. My doors will be open to everyone—no politics, no alliances, only strength and survival.”

Helen’s fingers tightened into fists, but she nodded stiffly, accepting it, even if it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear.

Just then, the former Dragon Unit captain, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke. “If that’s the case… is there a position for me in your school?”

The room collectively turned to him, stunned even Yenna blinked, momentarily thrown off.

But then, realization settled, and she exhaled softly, shaking her head with the smallest hint of amusement. “You always were persistent.”

The reaction from the rest of the officials was mixed. Some looked shocked, some confused, and a few, like the old Chancellor, looked as if they had been expecting this.

The Dragon Unit captain leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, unapologetic.

“You all know me.” His voice was firm, steady. “I was never a politician. I never cared for these discussions. My life was spent fighting, protecting, and training soldiers to be strong enough to defend themselves and others.”

“Even my own unit’s motto was: Our citizens’ lives before all else.” He glanced at Helen and the rest of the council. “What Yenna is doing—he gestured toward her—is giving me another chance to do what I do best. Train the next generation, prepare them for what’s coming.”

A long pause.

“So I’d rather be out there making a real difference than sitting in this room debating politics.”

Then—

“So? Am I in?” Yenna chuckled lightly.

“There’s always a place for you.” The old man, who had been watching everything unfold, sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as if he was dealing with children. “Fine, fine. If you both want to run off and do what you love, I won’t object.”

A wry smile crossed his face as he shook his head. “Though I can already tell this is going to cause us more problems than you two realize.”

Yenna smirked slightly, but her eyes held no regret. “Then that’s for you to deal with, isn’t it?”