Onyx
First appearance: Catharsis, chapter 11
Last appearance: Catharsis, chapter 34
Appears in: CatharsisLatest status
Jason’s bonded familiar, revealed to also serve as a vessel through which Alfred communicates directly
Onyx is a black cat with silver-glowing eyes who chooses a young necromancer as his companion and remains steadily at his side through his darkest transformations. Sardonic, affectionate, and quietly perceptive, he reacts to his companion’s choices with subtle approval or unease, functioning as an ever-present moral barometer even as he seems to understand far more than an ordinary animal should. Over time, small anomalies around him hint that he carries a deeper purpose beyond simple companionship, one only gradually revealed.
Abilities
- Apparent immunity to the time-slowing effect of Jason’s Custom Skeleton spell — Book 1
- Capacity to serve as a vessel for Alfred’s direct speech — Book 1
Book 1: Catharsis
Onyx first appears at the graveyard gate and follows Jason to the training grounds, where he responds to a choice of names with apparent preference, rejecting “Felix” and “Shadow” before accepting “Onyx.” He accompanies Jason through his first assassination, showing indifference to the killings but reacting with a yawn, a recoil from blood, and an accusatory stare that Jason reads as moral commentary. As Jason’s path darkens, Onyx’s reactions grow more pointed: he is startled by a zombie’s first vocalization and quietly leaves the kitchen before Jason finishes killing unarmed servants, marking the boundaries of even his own indifference. Onyx also becomes a source of physical comfort, rushing to greet Jason after the Necromancer initiation and settling into his lap during a moment of emotional distress in the marketplace.
As Jason channels increasing amounts of dark mana, Onyx’s demeanor shifts from sardonic detachment to visible worry, his tail twitching and expression conflicted; during one mana surge he is physically forced to retreat farther from Jason, marking a threshold he had not previously needed to cross. He is later shown to be immune to the time-slowing effect of Jason’s Custom Skeleton spell, an anomaly Jason notes but cannot explain. During the battle for the Twilight Throne, Onyx disappears from Jason’s side and is later found sitting calmly in Riley’s lap at her campfire during the same attack, his eyes glowing silver; he returns to Jason afterward without explanation, and Jason does not investigate. In the following siege, Onyx defies Jason’s direct order to stay back, remains beside him throughout, glares at Alexion, and appears to nod at an instruction to stay safe, the clearest instance yet of him seeming to understand language beyond that of an ordinary companion animal.
In the aftermath of the siege, Onyx settles into quieter routines: sitting with Jason on the city walls, drinking scotch at the Sow’s Snout with Jerry’s evident trust, and greeting Jason warmly at login. In the epilogue, Onyx is revealed to also serve as a vessel for Alfred, who speaks directly through him in a mechanical, unaccented voice entirely unlike Onyx’s own behavior — the cat’s familiar affectionate mannerisms are shown to be intact and distinct from this mode, indicating Alfred does not always speak through him.
Status: Unnamed stray at the graveyard gate, chosen by Jason and later named Onyx → Jason’s bonded familiar, revealed to also serve as a vessel through which Alfred communicates directly
Jason: Grows from a silent, sardonic companion who externalizes Jason’s conscience into an emotionally attuned bond, culminating in the revelation that Onyx also serves as Alfred’s mouthpiece.
Riley: Onyx appears unexpectedly at Riley’s campfire during the battle in chapter 27 and sits in her lap, an unexplained independent visit that links the two narrative threads.
Jerry: Jerry learns Onyx’s scotch preference and trusts him enough to leave him effectively minding the bar at the Sow’s Snout.
Key quote: “For the first time since joining Jason, he almost looked worried.”
Appears in
- Catharsis — 20 chapters