The tone of a disconnected call echoed throughout the spacious laboratory. There were panels of monitors hooked up on every wall, and random pieces of equipment lay sprawled on the floor. The ground was concrete, and the environment felt like a blend of a military base from the 1940s and a modern-day laboratory.

Thaddeus Dameson placed his cell phone back into his coat pocket and limped further into the lab. The sound of his cane resounded off the ground with each step he took. He then found what he was looking for, and limped towards the feminine figure in the corner of the room. A chill crept up on him, and he shivered from the cold and frosty environment. However, whether he was cold from the atmosphere or the aura of the female figure in front of him, he did not know. A dim light was cast beneath the two, and the female figure had a torch in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. She continued to tinker on her machinery and said,

"After being a businessman for over 300 hundred years, you still mix up your business terminology. It's a hostile takeover, not a hostage takeover, you idiot. You know after nearly 18 years of watching him, I almost feel bad for that boy of yours, Thaddeus."

Thaddeus chuckled and said,

"You were the last person I would have ever expected to grow a conscience, Ellie."

"When we're in my lab, it's Doctor Lumen. Just because we have been acquaintances for over 30 years, that does not mean that you can undermine my authority."

"Acquaintances? I thought we were at least companions since you spoke to me on a first name basis", said Thaddeus

Doctor Lumen then paused her work and placed her tools onto her desk. She then stood up from her stool, and with a stoic expression she said,

"I don't think you would take time out of your day for idle chit chat, so what is it that you need, Mr. Big Shot Ceo."

Two figures were standing in front of an array of technological inventions set aside on a table. One of the figures was Thaddeus. He was middle-aged and had streaks of gray hair blended in with his brunette strands. To support his legs, he was using a cane with the handle being crafted to look like an angel's wings. He was dressed in semi-formal attire, and despite his age, he still had a good built. His shoulders were broad, and his arms were burly, but they were hidden underneath the coat that he was wearing.

The figure standing beside him was Doctor Elaine Lumen. Despite her old age, she did not like a day over 24. Her body was draped over by a white lab coat. She had long black hair and sickly white skin. It was known that she never knew how to crack a smile and had as some would call it, a resting bitch face.

She earned her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering and was currently employed by Thaddeus to design and build Inventions for his corporation. However, that was only a cover-up, for her more important duties. In actuality, she was the sole inventor of the equipment used to stop the Over Shadows. Thaddeus entrusted the secrets of the angels and dark angels to Doctor Lumen, and now she was trying to study the angel's magic and incorporate it into her own inventions.

"You always do know how to get to the heart of the matter Doctor Lumen."

Thaddeus then tightened his fists, took a deep breath and said,

"It's been over three attacks in one week, and over 100 of our men have been killed. The Over Shadows have been more aggressive as of late."

Doctor Lumen's face did not waver, and instead, only a long sigh came out. She placed her hands into her lab coat's pockets and pulled out a lollipop. She unwrapped it, stuck it in her mouth, and then said,

"What about Mikhail? Oops, I meant Mikaoru. I forgot that he had changed his earth name. Are Yuu and Mikaoru safe?"

Thaddeus then pulled out a stool from under the work desk and sat on it. He rested his arms on the table and said,

"Of course out of the three attacks, they were the only one of our troops to come out alive."

As Doctor Lumen twisted her lollipop stick, she said,

"Well, what did you expect? Mikaoru is an Angel, and Yuu is his human buddy. Pretty soon that boy of yours will have to join the fray too."

Doctor Lumen hesitated for a moment, as she stared listlessly into the depths of her laboratory. She then walked towards her other desks and returned in less than a minute. She then placed the item she had went to go retrieve on the table, and Thaddeus's eyes widened.

"It's finally ready? After 18 years, have we have finally created our own Angelion ?"

The Angelion was the gold bracelets that all angels used to tap into their magic. It also helped them share their magic with humans if the humans were deemed worthy by the Death Watcher Council. The Angelion was pivotal in the fight against the Over Shadows. Therefore, Thaddeus knew that if he could mass produce his own, the threat of the Over Shadows could finally be eradicated. Thaddeus stared at the golden Angelion on the table and gulped as he picked it up.

Doctor Lumen then bit into her lollipop, and the cracking of hard candy sound broke the silence of the laboratory. She did not want to be the bearer of bad news, but she had no choice. Despite seeing Thaddeus so hopeful, she had to let him know the truth. She swallowed the remaining bits of her candy and said,

"It is ready. However, the Angelion cannot be used by a human, because its side effects are too dangerous. Prolonged use will turn the wearer into an Angel himself. We can't replicate the angel's way of sharing their magic, and as of right now it seems we can only make our own angels."

Thaddeus' eyes did not change, nor was there any noticeable reaction. In response to that, Doctor Lumen clicked her tongue and ground her teeth. Her stoic expression turned into an angry one as her eyebrows frowned. Her small hands quaked, and she stared daggers into Thaddeus's eyes. Her voice was calm, but her there was fire lingering in the words she spoke,

"You may be able to force that boy of yours to turn into an angel, but I won't let you drag the rest of humanity into your so-called holy war."

The tension in the air was so thick that a knife could slice through it with ease. Thaddeus then placed the Angelion into his coat pocket and didn't even look at Doctor Lumen as he trudged past her. Once Thaddeus had reached the doorway exit, he only said,

"I will spare humanity from my cause, but the boy I will not. I have raised him for the last 18 years for this sole purpose."

As Thaddeus's cane echoed in the hallway's corridors, Doctor Lumen stood there in silence and looked up at the ceiling. Finally, she sighed and said,

"Thaddeus You have lived for over 300 years. In that time, have you ever learned how to love even once? Have you ever loved that boy even once?"