Max considered the question for a few moments before he answered. "Yes and no," he replied. "Ever since I was very young, my parents and my aunt taught me about the dangers of magi who abused their powers. They told me of the philosophy of magi - that to become a magus, you have to abandon your humanity and concepts like 'right' and 'wrong', all in the name of power and progress. I still don't understand how anyone can buy into that and not see that it's a philosophy designed solely to justify abhorrent acts."
He shook his head, grimacing as he continued. "When I was old enough, I was trained to fight and to use magecraft against other magi. My family were mage hunters, but we only targeted those who had committed criminal and vile acts. Experiments on living subjects, murder, sacrifice... I saw so many horrors caused by magi in the name of their craft that they blur together in my memory. The things that they could justify... there were no limits. One moment that stands out to me most clearly is the first time I encountered a homunculi farm."
His expression darkened and he glowered down at the ground. "Homunculi are mimicries of life, created by magi to bear magic as servants, for experiments, or to use as fuel for their rituals. Their lifespans are short, and in most cases lack a strong sense of identity, but aside from that... they're just like people. Humans. They can feel pain, and fear, and any number of emotions if given the chance. They can grow to be indistinguishable from normal humans. And these magi were growing them by the dozen, kept locked underground in a facility designed to drain their magic from them for power, killing them. It was horrifying, yet these magi saw nothing wrong with it. These homunculi simply weren't people to them, weren't even animals. They were just tools. Those are the kind of attitudes and morals that magic creates in people. They throw aside their humanity in pursuit of perfection."
Letting the statement hang for a few moments, Max looked up, his glower fading somewhat to a more contemplative frown. "My parents died when I was still training. My aunt completed it, but died not long after. It's like I said before. Eventually all mage hunters die at the hands of the monsters they pursue. And so to break that cycle, I want to strike at the source. And if I fail..? I don't have much to leave behind without my family. Mage hunters don't make many friends. The kind of magi we deal with would never hesitate to use innocents against us. Risking everything is a lot less daunting when you don't have all that much to lose in the first place."