[ it came with the territory. his knowledge on the workings of the heart didn't come to him with ease, they came after suffering and work put in to help others. the cognitive world worked in metaphor, exposing vulnerabilities and ugliness that the real world painted over and let dry—doing it over, and over again.

for the mess that his face is, he looks momentarily contemplative. ]

The desires of the person become twisted if they grow out of control. [ he says carefully, but there's no reason to cloud the truth. ] The Shadow effects the person in the real world. In the Metaverse, the distortion materializes into a Palace. It's like the corruption of the Shadow becomes the person.

[ the rest doesn't need to be said. ]