Ares was the first to hear about Elena heading to the Tower.
As a General, he knew exactly what that place was. The Tower housed one of the Empire's most problematic and least talked-about "assets."
He pieced it together almost instantly. The Empress shoving Elena into the Institute was probably always leading to this. If those warriors could be cleaned up even a little by her abilities, it would give the Empire's military power a huge boost.
Realizing this, Ares felt his usual cold sneering fade away, replaced by something messy that he didn't want to dig into.
He hadn't expected her to say yes. The Tower was a brutal, soul-crushing place, dealing with the most unhinged and dangerous bunch you could imagine. The mental strain was insane.
He stood at his military office wi
