It takes a lot of willpower not to reach for Vahvuus, not to drop the subject at that strained warble in his tone, at the way he clutches at his chest. Is Sorey hurting him by insisting like this? Is he being selfish? But the alternative, to tell Vahvuus that he is just a tool that Sorey will discard as any other exorcist should would be to lie.

No, this is the ring thing. This is the right thing to do, Sorey's sure of it. No living creature could want to be used like that.

"I won't die," Sorey promises, just in case his obligation is troubling him. "You're going to protect me, and I'll be protecting you. And if we get into a situation that's too dangerous, we'll run." It's idealistic to an extreme; if there are civilians in danger, Sorey can't just run, but in that case they'll just have to manage somehow.