[Aaron, try to snap out of it and control yourself,] the system advised, its tone urgent now, cutting through the haze like a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters.
It sensed the shift in him, the way his shadows twitched eagerly at his feet, responding to the intoxicating allure of the fear before him.
But Aaron was already too far gone, the craving wrapping around his thoughts like insidious vines.
First off, his mood had been messy since the day began, soured by the system's earlier words of uncertainty, not knowing when his soul would be restored had left a bitter knot in his chest, a frustration that simmered and boiled over now.
The weight of his unhealed soul pressed on him constantly, a dull ache that made every delay feel like an eternity.
And secondly, his origin bloodline was creating the hunger within Aaron, awakening instincts buried deep in his lineage.
It thrummed through him like a second heartbeat, urging him to indulge, to reclaim what was his by right.
