[ Good that Eustace can understand him; Phantom is compelled, almost, to speak like how he does, to play his scripted role lest his identity slips from his grasp. ]

Mine is the Arts to command the shadows; in my world, this requires the expenditure of Originium, but here it appears to draw strength from the self. It was granted to me against my will, a curse now engraved upon my soul until I cease to draw breath.

[ Again, this is both true and not. While he did learn his Arts without objection, their true price was only revealed to him much later. If he had a choice, he would never have embarked upon this path at all. ]

As long as I can retain my clarity, the darkness will serve my will. Should its influence grow stronger, I would need to expend more strength to keep it at bay.