Pride swelled in Kieran when he received Cardinal Weiss' praise.
However, he also felt conflicted and failed to understand why the praise of a fanatic incited faint delight in him. Could anyone make him happy with simple praise?
'No… no way. That must just be part of my mental state now.'
Though balanced, his mind still remained influenced by the Flame's earlier actions of corrupting his realm. So, perhaps that delight came from the fact it was another person who bore the Flame speaking.
'That could be possible. Like the Flame vicariously stroking his ego through me… us.'
Kieran nodded subtly. That line of thought sounded much more reasonable than his growing desire for others' praise. He couldn't stomach having that kind of kink.
'There are people like that, though.'
The thought of those people had Kieran grimacing. The things they would do for praise and how they would react to it were nothing short of disturbing and faintly sad.
