Leaving the War Angel's mark on this teenager was absolutely not just to protect him from the Church's judgment; Elias had his own deeper calculations.
He needed an anchor in the mortal world to keep himself from getting lost in chaos, and the pure, unconditional trust of this teenager was the strongest thread holding onto his humanity.
He had to find the lost authority tonight. That thing was wandering outside, carrying the destructive power of War. Without a suitable vessel to restrain it, what kind of disaster it would ultimately cause, how many lives it would destroy, and how many people it would turn into monsters was completely unknown.
But the curse wasn't fully lifted, making it impossible for him to be too far from Alex; that invisible bond was like a chain locking his steps, and the weak human teenager absolutely couldn't endure the things he was about to face.
