He decided to try and explain, though he wasn't even sure he understood it all himself. He chose his words carefully, trying to make it sound less terrifying, less like he was possessed by some unknown entity.
"Actually," Eric began slowly, looking down at his hands, then back up at Alina, his golden eyes filled with a mixture of honesty and apprehension, "it's… it's a kind of hidden power I have. A part of me, I think." He fumbled for the right words.
"It… it seems to take control of my body whenever I'm in extreme danger, whenever I'm unable to protect myself, or… or others."
He thought back to the moment at the Baron's, the overwhelming rage and helplessness he had felt when he saw Alina captured and heard the Baron's cruel threats.
"Back there," he continued, his voice heavy with guilt, "at the Baron's palace… when I saw I couldn't save you, when I thought they were going to hurt you… I… I think I instructed this inner power to protect you, at any cost."
