"Don't be stupid," was Otis's response to Iraleth.
Unlike the elven paladin, the Strigidae hadn't put the ring on. He had wanted to take a few moments, while he still had control of his essence, to analyze the curse of nullification. Who could've predicted that it was in those few moments that Raja would slip up and let the shadow-imp go?
Well, it had been a busy, chaotic evening, and the matter of an Umbralist was certainly something that'd weigh more heavily in the minds of those with tragic pasts than himself. The principal looked like she would destroy the entire room (why didn't she stick the imp in a box?). The doctor didn't look terribly flustered, but she didn't seem to be the emotive type to begin with (another point for Doctor Sylv). Ciara was curiously silent, outside of the wide-eyed look of fear in her face, and Iraleth, as previously noted, was being stupid.
Sure, Otis
could activate his Ethos and call forth a hammer, but why do that, when he could instead see how this ring works against amorphous creatures and their unwilling hosts?
“Temples and pyres, embalming and cremating.
Whether buried or scattered, we remain beings of air and earth.
When the last leaves our lungs, our coffins are prepared.
But for the living? Return to her embrace, struggle in despair.
Earthbind.”
As the gargoyle stumbled and thrashed, the floor of the hospital warped, tiles, stone, and wood surging upwards in the form of a hand to grasp upon its extended arm. Otis acted quick, seizing upon the stone construct's hand next, then pulling upon a finger wreathed in shadow, before jamming his own ring of nullification into it.
Now then, in the case where two souls dwelt in one, whose essence would be sealed away?