In the underground command chamber of Project Eden, the hum of machinery echoed endlessly. Rows of scientists monitored screens, analyzing supernatural energy signatures from the Xul Academy attack. Soldiers moved in silence, their faces grim, as the footage replayed over and over: wings of black, lightning wrapped in blood, and the massacre of the Second Choir.
At the heart of the room stood a single man — tall, sharp-featured, his suit immaculate, his presence commanding. His hair was a striking silver, his eyes a piercing gray that seemed to carry centuries of weight. Unlike the others, he did not stare at the screens in awe or fear. He stared at them with hunger.
The generals referred to him only as Director Kain, the mysterious founder of Project Eden.
Later that night, the command chamber emptied. The only light came from the monitors glowing against the dark.
The shadows shifted.
A tall figure emerged from them — Azrael, the Angel of Death, his wings folding behind his shoulders. His daughter lingered at the doorway, watchful but silent.
"You've gone too far, Kain," Azrael said coldly. "Spying on battles that do not concern mortals. Dragging mankind into wars they cannot comprehend."
The silver-haired man turned slowly, and for the first time his human disguise faltered. His gray eyes flared with faint golden light, the remnants of divinity long stripped away.
"You speak of restraint, Death-Bringer," Kain said with quiet bitterness. "But you forget — I know what Heaven fears most. Humans with knowledge. Humans with power."
Azrael's gaze sharpened. "You haven't changed. Still whispering secrets you should have left buried."
Kain smiled thinly. "Of course I haven't. Do you think I've forgotten why I was cast out? I gave humans fire — steel, sorcery, the stars themselves. I taught them to look up instead of bow down. And for that, God branded me a traitor." His voice hardened, trembling with fury. "While you… you sinned in silence. You broke Heaven's law and fathered a child with a fairy, yet you were forgiven."
Azrael's wings spread faintly, his aura sharp enough to chill the air. "Because I repented. Because I accepted the judgment. You never did."
Kain's hands tightened behind his back, his tone venomous. "Why should I repent? I gave mankind greatness. They were meant to rise beyond being Heaven's slaves. And now, they will. With Project Eden, humanity will stand above angels and demons alike. They will be the gods they once feared."
Azrael studied him quietly. "And when your creations burn you, Kain? When they look at you not as a savior but as another relic to dissect?"
Kain's smile twisted. "Then I'll burn with them, so long as Heaven suffers first."
As Azrael turned to leave, his daughter stepped closer, her cold eyes fixed on Kain. "You will doom them," she said.
Kain leaned forward, his expression calm but his voice laced with venom. "No, child. I will free them."
The monitors flickered, displaying endless streams of captured data: vampiric blood signatures, demonic energy bursts, angelic residue from the battlefield. A single message glowed across the main screen:
PROJECT EDEN – PHASE TWO: CAPTURE AND CONTAIN.