Leon's mind flickered with amusement as the Governor's words settled.
'He's taking a gamble with me…'
A crooked smile tugged at his lips, the kind that came not from arrogance, but certainty. He glanced up at the older man, eyes sharp with something that didn't belong to a teenager. Something that had seen endings and chosen to fight them anyway.
"Don't worry, Governor Akira," Leon said, voice steady, alive with quiet fire. "That bleak future you saw? It'll be nowhere in sight… as long as I'm around."
There was no thunder in his words, no need for it. Just a promise. One that rang louder than prophecy.
Akira didn't know what it was, whether it was Leon's voice, or the unnatural calm behind it, but it moved something in him. A weight shifted off his shoulders, just a little.
'So this is the anomaly time could not touch.'
The Governor stepped closer, the edge of command returning to his expression. "Then tell me, Leon… do you accept my offer?"