Mark knew that James was a good kid. He was trying to gain power without using his blessing because he thought it was evil. But the truth is that James was just misguided. He only looked at things in a one-dimensional way and his perspective on what was good and what was bad was too narrow. So, it was up to Mark to teach him that there was no such thing as good or bad. Everything depends on how you use it.
"You know, if it was that easy, then anyone out there would be the strongest. There are a lot of people that work hard every day and they all try their best to get stronger, but it's not enough to just work hard. It's about how you use what you have. No matter what it is. If you can learn to use your blessing properly, then maybe you can be the second strongest."