Daily training with the Fiends was grueling work, but it was a rewarding struggle. Though he had been accepted by the Fiends with the Red Welcome, he had yet to face any of them in combat prior to the beginning of the training.
What they achieved was akin to forging bonds through adversity.
It wasn't precisely that, but it followed the same logic. Each Fiend fought like they were fighting to the death, and Kieran reciprocated that sentiment, largely embodying the Way of the Fiend.
His faith in the Flame couldn't be compared to the supreme trust of the Fiends, but because he had begun to understand the meaning of Manic Integration, it grew easier to mimic or, at times, assimilate their behaviors as his own.
All of the followers carried the Mark of the Maddened, which Kieran still questioned. How could they bear the Mark that belonged to Argexes? Unless… was Argexes the Flame?
But that didn't seem right.
