Frozen Flame of Dawn - Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Chapter 24: Decision Woven in Fire_1

Ghost carefully tightened the last set of bindings, which held the rest of the soldier brought by general Karep in place. As the barrier enclosing their victims radiated with silent energy, Tommy stood close by, his hand blazing dimly.

Aiden stood at the center of it all, his figure motionless, his sharp gaze fixed on the distance, as though waiting for something—or someone.

For a brief moment, the air grew still, a fragile kind of peace settling over the scene. Then came the sound of marching boots—many, many boots.

Ghost tensed up, his both hands moved involuntarily in the direction of his blade and gun. As the noise got closer and louder, a hundred soldiers with their weapons drawn surrounded the three of them.

Inside the barrier, Tommy leaned casually against a broken boulder, his face calm and unbothered. “Well, this got interesting,” he muttered, glancing at Ghost, who looked far less composed.

“Relax,” Tommy said with a smirk. “We’re in my barrier, unless I let them they’re not getting in.”

Ghost didn’t look convinced, but he nodded and gripped his weapon tightly.

From the ranks of soldiers, a figure emerged, her steps unnervingly silent despite the chaos around her. She was tall, almost as tall as Aiden, with blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail.

She wore two shiny daggers around her waist, and her cold, calculating eyes looked around the scene with the precision of a hunter.She moved carefully and made a strong impression with her presence.

She stopped just outside the barrier, folding her arms as she addressed Aiden. “Major General Aiden,” she began, her voice calm but edged with steel, “I don’t know what this mess is about, but I suggest you drop this barrier and release General Karep with everyone else, and leave the camp immediately.”

Her gaze sharpened as she continued, “If you don’t, you won’t be able to leave. I can assure you, no matter how strong you are, you can’t defeat all of us. Maybe you take a few of us down, maybe even more than a few, but not everyone.”

She paused for effect, her tone growing colder. “We just want General Karep safe and sound. Release him, and we’ll pretended it like this never happened.”

Aiden’s eyes met hers, unblinking and unreadable. He didn’t say a word, and the silence only made the atmosphere more oppressive. The soldiers around her shifted uneasily, their fingers tightening on their weapons. The tension in the air was suffocating, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

Tommy, however, broke the tension with a loud, amused laugh. “Ghost,” he said, glancing at his comrade, “do you know who she is?”

Ghost, still tense, glanced at Tommy. “No,” he said absently, not taking his eyes off the soldiers. “Should I?”

Tommy smirked and sat back on the boulder, folding his arms as though settling in for a good story. “That,” he said, gesturing toward the blonde woman, “is Annie. You know, the infamous traitor? She’s the one who sold out her own team, the Phoenix Unit, for a better position. Got her captain sent to the detention center, and the whole unit disbanded.”

There was a ripple of shock among the soldiers. Even Annie’s own team, the Panther Unit, exchanged confused glances. Most of them hadn’t known this part of her history.

Annie’s expression didn’t change, but the way her hand tightened around the hilt of one of her daggers betrayed her anger. She looked directly at Tommy, her voice cold and controlled. “Say what you want,” she said flatly, “but I’ll only count to five. If General Karep isn’t released by then, we’ll attack.”

“Don’t bother waiting!” Karep’s voice rang out from within the barrier. The man was still tied up but managed to bark his command with fury. “That’s an order! Attack now!”

Annie turned toward her soldiers, raising her hand to give the command, but before she could speak, a new voice cut through the tension.

“Oh, this should be fun,” the voice drawled. “Let’s see how the newly hyped Panther Unit fares against a real challenge.”

Heads turned as Ezzie strode confidently into the camp, flanked by fifty elite members of the Dragon Unit. Her presence was as commanding as Annie’s, but where Annie’s felt cold and calculated, Ezzie’s was sharp and electric, like a storm on the verge of breaking. Following her, Yvonne grinned widely, cracking her knuckles as she surveyed the scene.

“This,” Yvonne said with a gleam in her eye, “is going to be entertaining. I could use a good spar.”

“Save it,” Cole said dryly, rolling his eyes as he followed behind. “We’re not here for your amusement.”

The Dragon Unit laughed, their camaraderie a stark contrast to the rigid formality of the Panther Unit. Ghost’s face lit up with relief at the sight of their reinforcements, while Tommy just smirked.

Annie’s expression hardened as she took in the new arrivals. Aiden finally broke his silence, his voice calm but edged with unmistakable authority. “You want a fight?” he said, his gaze locking onto Annie’s. “Fine. But if you think your half-trained team can handle my Dragon Unit, you’re even more foolish than I thought.”

He stepped closer to the barrier, his presence towering. “Every one of my team members is an experienced awakened fighter. Yours? Half-baked amateurs with no real combat experience with their powers. Back off now and let the grown-ups handle this. Or try your luck and watch your team crumble.”

The weight of his words, combined with the arrival of the Dragon Unit, made Annie hesitate. She clenched her daggers tighter, her jaw working as she fought to keep her composure. Finally, she exhaled sharply and signaled to her team. “Stand down.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from her soldiers, though some of them exchanged uneasy glances. Annie turned to one of her lieutenants. “Send word to the Vice-Chancellor.He needs to know what’s happening here.”

Her cold gaze flicked back to Aiden. “What you’re doing is dangerous,” she said quietly. “You’re challenging people far more powerful than you think and by doing this you and your team won’t get away.”

Aiden didn’t bother looking at her as he turned and began walking toward the camp’s exit.”I’m not your old captain,” he said, his voice calm but cutting. “And I’d love to see them try.”

His unit followed him as he walked out their while leaving Annie and his team member stunned in silence.

*****

It was painfully quiet in the Dragon Unit headquarters when Aiden and his team came back to their headquarters with the bodies of their fallen comrades.The weight of their lost friends and teammates was heavy on their shoulders.

While the captured members of the escort team from Rienfeld were unceremoniously dragged along, a stark contrast that spoke volumes about the team’s sentiments as other prisoners were transported with some lenient treatment then them.

As they mourned their losses and began preparations for their fallen brothers and sisters, while they informed their families and planed for ceremonies but their somber faces betraying the pain they were trying to hide.

While other group, however, focused on interrogations, their resolve sharpened by the loss they’d just endured. Every question they asked, every answer they extracted, was a step toward justice.

In his office, Aiden sat in his chair, leaning back with his eyes closed. His posture was deceptively relaxed, but his clenched fists betrayed the storm raging inside him.

To an outsider, he might have appeared asleep, dreaming, or lost in thought. But those who knew him well would see the weight of the decisions he was turning over in his mind.

Chancellor Helen’s Office

Meanwhile, across the capital, Chancellor Helen sat in her office, her head resting in her hands as she listened to her guard recount the events at the military camp. She had already been overwhelmed by the recent stabilization efforts in the city, and this news felt like the final straw.

When the guard finished speaking, she sat in silence for a long moment. Then, she exhaled deeply, sitting up straighter. “I knew this would come back to haunt us,” she muttered, her voice laced with exhaustion. “Henry will never let this pass quietly. He’ll use it as leverage in the council meeting as a chance to restrain and control dragon unit like he always wanted. We need to get ahead of this.”

She turned to her guard, her tone sharpening. “Deliver notices to every council member. There will be a conference meeting this evening. Make it clear they need to prepare for a full discussion—not just about the situation in the capital but the stability of the entire federation. We’ve put out the fires here, but we need to address the ones still burning everywhere else.”

The guard saluted and left, leaving Helen alone with her thoughts. She began drafting a list of key points for the meeting, her mind already racing with the strategies she’d need to counter whatever move the Vice-Chancellor might make.