Mizaak stopped, and looked at her with his head tilted to one side.
"...Amaya. Don't worry about me, please. Trust me, I do what I do for more reasons than simple duty." His golden eyes blinked at her. "Yes, I was created to serve you. Yes, I was created to be your friend and your guardian. But there's more to it than that."
He turned his head, looking back toward their path. "In all the world, there is not another like me. All over Thanatos, I would be shunned, despite my purpose. But in you, and your family.... I feel as if I belong."
He glanced at her again. "And not for one minute would I forsake that. I know what I am. You know what I am. Look at you, your mother and your father. Then look at the villagers, with their distrust. That's why I do what I do."