In Ash's soul, the Substitute Technique Spirit hurriedly dragged the other Technique Spirits to a safe place, preventing them from touching the fading area.
For Technique Spirits, soul fading is akin to the end of the world; it's probably better if Ash just died. To them, Mages are like companies — when the company goes under, everyone at most becomes unemployed, lying back at home or seeking new employment at the Void Realm's biological talent market.
As for emotions, the love a Mage has for their Technique Spirit is reciprocated. But in the eyes of the Technique Spirits, all Mages are oppressive slave owners, and a Mage's affection is purely due to the functionality of the Technique Spirits. Who would be moved to tears for being exceptional beasts of burden?
They wouldn't hang you on a streetlamp solely because the Technique Spirits are too naive and ignorant to take revenge. Once they grow and become Divine Beings, they won't be so forgiving.
