James POV
James's boots pounded against the stone floor as he ran through the narrow corridor.
The dim lights lining the ceiling flickered with every step, casting brief shadows across the walls.
His chest tightened.
He had been Governor Marcus' hidden ace, the fourth SSS-rank awakener no one outside their circle knew existed.
His skill wasn't brute force like the others, but the subtle power to manipulate perception and bend public opinion with words alone.
Where the others were weapons, he was a scalpel, careful and precise.
But now his mental link with the three SSS rank awakeners who had gone to kill the Sword Empress had been severed.
"They were defeated," James muttered under his breath, trying to keep his composure as he reached the reinforced steel door at the end of the hall. "I need to warn the Governor before it's too late."
He pressed his hand against the scanner.
The lock clicked. The heavy door slid open to reveal a quiet office.
