Back Then

A door opened in some of the more luxurious apartments above Ealdwic, as Richard Sonnac entered his home. As he did, he let out a long, drawn-out groan that he had been keeping in for almost the entirety of the day.

Because what a day it was.

Lilith.

Gone. Sealed away.

The Old Guard?

Chomping at the bit for an excuse, any excuse to harm him and those he guided. And he didn't have the luxury of supernatural powers. At least. Not anymore...

The leader of Orochi?

Turned out to be a Fallen Angel.

Speaking of whom....

They've returned. The Nephilim returned.

Because of course they did. He knew from experience that when big events happen, it almost never comes alone. It was his responsibility to react to this. To come up with a plan.

"But not tonight." He told himself. "Tonight I rest." With that he went to the bathroom, discarding pieces of clothing as he went. He usually was more neat about this, but at the moment he just didn't care. So tired.... He hadn't felt this tired since... well, back then. And considering the body he currently inhabited was so much more fragile, that was quite a feat.

That said, today he was once more reminded of that fact quite harshly. Looking into his bathroom mirror with most of his clothes removed, he discovered a rather large amount of bruising on the left side of his abdomen.

"You'd think Pendulum was the one with a mean swing." He muttered, wondering if he should see a doctor. Despite having it for a few decades now, he still wasn't quite used to this body and how he should take care of it. It was just so... limited compared to back then. "Should have suggested scales at some point." He mused, before putting on some pyjamas. Once he reached his bed, he threw himself on it with quite a flourish.

A small meow, another one and finally, a third. Despite his current mood, Sonnac smiled. His three familiars. They had been with him for as long as he could remember and had been through almost as much as he did. Probably the only beings that knew his true nature. His true name...

Radueriel, they used to call him. The Heavenly Register. One of the Eight. Died at the hands of the Nephilim when the Divine Archives fell. Well, not died. Though he preferred that story to the truth. Some would say he ran. Others would sympathise with him being tired of the War and wanting to live on Earth as a human, though question why he joined the Templars if war was something he disliked. As if he would completely abandon his duties to Gaia. He could simply not find it in himself to do that. Perhaps he was 'programmed' that way so strongly that even as a human he couldn't resist it. He didn't much mind. He saw so many humans go through life without meaning. Without goal. It seemed... hollow to him. Even though his job was far from perfect and even boring at times, it didn't make him feel hollow. In fact, it was fulfilling. It was rewarding. It was... human.

And that was the best thing to ever have happened to him.