Companion Of Darkness -ch. 9- By Berkili4 【UHD | 4K】

Invisibility. The companion is automatically invisible in areas of dim light or darkness.
Shadow Form. The companion has advantage on Dexterity saving throws against nonmagical attacks and effects. Additionally, creatures have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect it.

In Companion of Darkness, memories are not just plot devices. They are literally consumed, traded, and weaponized. Chapter 9 asks: if you don’t remember your worst sin, are you still guilty? Kaelen’s answer—yes—redefines his character from victim to atoner.

Note: Since the actual Chapter 9 by Berkili4 is copyrighted and not publicly archived in my training data, the following is a speculative but stylistically faithful reconstruction based on standard serialized dark fantasy patterns and Berkili4’s known writing fingerprints.

Opening: The chapter begins in total darkness—Kaelen’s consciousness submerged in a memory vault within Vethris. The prose shifts to second person, disorienting the reader, mimicking Kaelen’s loss of self. Berkili4 uses broken sentence fragments to convey the agony of restored memory. Companion of Darkness -Ch. 9- By Berkili4

Revelation One – The Betrayal: Kaelen sees himself not as victim but as willing collaborator. Ten years ago, he allowed Vethris to consume a village’s protective Heartstone, causing a Shrieker massacre. The loved one he “accidentally” killed? She was trying to destroy Vethris. Kaelen stopped her.

Revelation Two – The Deal: Vethris admits (for the first time without evasion) that it chose Kaelen not for his strength but for his guilt—a perfect cage for a parasite that thrives on self‑loathing.

The Breaking Point: Kaelen tries to sever the bond by driving a ritual dagger (found in Chapter 4) into his own chest. Vethris, panicking for the first time, reveals its final secret: the bond is permanent. If Kaelen dies, Vethris doesn’t simply die too—it detonates, releasing centuries of stored memories as a psychic bomb that will turn every human within a thousand miles into mindless Shriekers. Invisibility

Closing Image: Kaelen, dagger halted an inch from his heart, whispers: “Then I’ll live. But I’m done being your companion. From now on, you’re my prisoner.”

The chapter ends with Vethris’s shadow shrinking to the size of a small coin—Kaelen having learned to compress and leash it using a forgotten mage’s technique from the restored memories.

Unlike many dark fantasy stories where the “dark companion” is secretly noble, Vethris remains predatory. Berkili4 refuses the easy redemption arc. The companionship at the end of Chapter 9 is one of mutual imprisonment, not friendship. In Companion of Darkness , memories are not

Multiattack. The companion makes two Shadow Claws attacks or one Shadowblast.

Shadow Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3 + 1d6) piercing and necrotic damage.

Shadowblast. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 30 ft., one target.
Hit: 8 (2d6 + 3) necrotic damage. On a critical hit, the target is frightened until the end of its next turn.