It sounds awful, subjecting one's self to that sort of substance, for the sake of gaining some more power, but... then again, perhaps the trade off is worth it? To some? Kain is just really unsettled by anything that can mess with the mind.

"Always," he says grimly. "No matter the world, there's no avoiding conflict. Unfortunate, perhaps, but inevitable. It seems the worst of it is yet to come here... what with that demonic figure out there..." Any of the other conflicts this world might have seem small in comparison to the likes of that.