Sarkis in The Darkness Within Us: Character Analysis

Overview: The Man Who Inherited a Monster's Shadow

Sarkis is a secondary antagonist in The Darkness Within Us, yet his actions ripple through the entire plot. He is a former army comrade of Eryx Demos who accidentally inherited a portion of Eryx's supernatural abilities after a battlefield incident. Unlike Eryx, who learned to conceal his powers, Sarkis was reckless, drawing the king's attention and forcing Eryx to try to kill him. When that failed, Sarkis turned against his former friend, becoming the blackmailer who torments Eryx throughout the novel. His final act—leading a drunken break-in at the manor—ends in his decapitation, a death that reveals the only way to permanently kill someone with Eryx's powers.

Sarkis never appears as a fully developed personality; he is defined almost entirely by his relationship to Eryx and by the threat he poses. He functions as a dark mirror to the protagonist: a man who gained power by accident, used it poorly, and became a monster in a different sense than Eryx. His presence forces Eryx to confront his past, and his death forces Chrysantha to see Eryx's vulnerability in a new light.

Plot Role: The Blackmailer and the Breaking Point

Sarkis's role is established through the consequences of his actions rather than through direct scenes. He is first mentioned by name in Chapter 13, when Chrysantha eavesdrops on Eryx and his guards after her poisoning attempt. Dyson and Argus refer to him as the blackmailer, and Eryx's reaction to the poison—shadows pouring from his mouth—is directly attributed to Sarkis's ongoing campaign against him.

The outline confirms that Eryx misses a blackmailer drop in Chapter 12, and that the investigator Tomaras later reports Eryx is the legitimate duke. This timeline suggests Sarkis's blackmail is a persistent pressure on Eryx, one that predates Chrysantha's arrival and continues throughout the first half of the novel.

Sarkis's major on-page action occurs in Chapter 20, when he leads a group of drunken men into Chrysantha's bedroom. The scene is violent: the men threaten her, slap her, and cut her forearm deeply. Eryx arrives and kills most of the intruders with superhuman violence. Sarkis, possessing similar shadow-based abilities, attacks Eryx from behind. Chrysantha warns Eryx, who decapitates Sarkis. This moment is pivotal for two reasons: it reveals that decapitation is the only way to kill someone with these powers, and it forces Eryx to explain his past to Chrysantha.

After his death, Sarkis's influence continues. Eryx's explanation of their shared history—the battlefield incident, the inherited abilities, the failed attempt to kill him—deepens Chrysantha's understanding of Eryx's isolation. Sarkis is also the reason Eryx has been so secretive; his fear of being exposed by Sarkis shaped his behavior long before Chrysantha entered his life.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Sarkis's motivations are largely inferred from his actions and Eryx's account. The evidence suggests several key traits:

Recklessness: Eryx explains that Sarkis was not cautious about being seen using his abilities, which led to a warrant for his arrest. This recklessness is what initially endangered both of them.
Grudge-Holding: After Eryx tried to kill him and failed, Sarkis turned against him. The outline describes him as having been messing with Eryx ever since, suggesting a sustained campaign of harassment and blackmail rather than a single act of revenge.
Violence: His final attack on the manor is brutal. He leads a group of drunken men, threatens Chrysantha, slaps her, and cuts her deeply. This is not a calculated assassination attempt; it is a violent, chaotic act that endangers innocents.
Lack of Loyalty: Despite having served with Eryx in the army and having been saved by him, Sarkis shows no gratitude. His inheritance of powers made him feel unstoppable, and when Eryx tried to contain him, he became an enemy.

These traits are shown through action rather than stated directly. Sarkis never delivers a monologue about his motives; instead, his choices—blackmail, violence, and ultimately a fatal attack—define him.

Chronological Arc: From Comrade to Corpse

Sarkis's arc is told in retrospect, pieced together from Eryx's confession and the events of the novel. The chronological sequence is as follows:

Army Service: Sarkis and Eryx serve in the same regiment. During an incident with the enemy, both are injured. Eryx carries Sarkis to safety, but Sarkis has prolonged exposure to Eryx's shadows while Eryx's wounds heal. The shadows flow into Sarkis's open injuries, granting him supernatural strength and healing.
Discovery and Warrant: Sarkis is initially glad of his abilities, enjoying how unstoppable he and Eryx are in the army. However, he is not cautious about being seen, and the king issues a warrant for his arrest.
Betrayal and Blackmail: Eryx, worried that Sarkis will reveal him, tries to kill Sarkis but fails. Sarkis turns against Eryx and begins blackmailing him. This blackmail is an ongoing threat throughout the early chapters of the novel.
The Break-In: In Chapter 20, Sarkis leads a group of drunken men to the manor, seeking Eryx. They attack Chrysantha, and Eryx kills most of them. Sarkis attacks Eryx from behind, and Eryx decapitates him.
Posthumous Revelation: After his death, Eryx explains the full history to Chrysantha, revealing the nature of their shared powers and the reason for his secrecy.

This arc is notable for its compression: Sarkis's entire on-page presence is a single violent scene, yet his off-page actions drive much of the plot's tension.

Relationships: The Shadow of Eryx's Past

Sarkis's primary relationship is with Eryx. The two were comrades, and Eryx saved Sarkis's life. That act of salvation became the source of their conflict. Eryx's account is tinged with guilt and frustration: he saved Sarkis, but that act created a monster. When Eryx tried to correct his mistake by killing Sarkis, he failed, and the failure created an enemy who knew his secrets.

Sarkis's relationship with Chrysantha is brief but significant. He does not know her, and she is simply an obstacle in his attack on Eryx. However, his violence toward her—the slap, the deep cut on her arm—becomes a turning point in her relationship with Eryx. Eryx's reaction to her injury, his guilt, and his willingness to expose his abilities to save her all shift her perception of him.

Sarkis also has an indirect relationship with the king. The warrant for his arrest suggests that the crown was aware of his abilities and considered him a threat. This connection is never explored in detail, but it reinforces the danger that Eryx's powers represent in the wider world.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Sarkis makes two decisions that define his arc:

Using His Abilities Recklessly: After inheriting powers, Sarkis chooses to use them openly, enjoying the feeling of being unstoppable. This decision leads to the king's warrant and sets Eryx against him.
Turning Against Eryx: When Eryx tries to kill him, Sarkis chooses revenge over reconciliation. He becomes a blackmailer, using his knowledge of Eryx's powers as leverage. This decision creates a sustained threat that follows Eryx into his new life as duke.
The Attack on the Manor: Sarkis's final decision is to lead a violent attack on Eryx's home. This is a reckless escalation that ends in his death. It also exposes Eryx's powers to Chrysantha in a way that cannot be hidden, forcing a confrontation between them.

The consequences of these decisions are significant. Sarkis's death removes the blackmail threat, but it also reveals the method by which Eryx can be killed—decapitation. This knowledge is now in Chrysantha's hands, and it becomes a factor in their subsequent power struggle.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Sarkis embodies several of the novel's central themes. His story is a cautionary tale about the duality of human and monstrous nature. He gains powers that make him feel unstoppable, but he uses them without restraint, becoming a monster in the moral sense. Unlike Eryx, who struggles to control his beast, Sarkis embraces his abilities and is destroyed by them.

Sarkis is also a symbol of secrets as currency. His blackmail is based on the secret of Eryx's powers. He uses that secret as leverage, demonstrating how knowledge can be weaponized. His death does not end the secret's power; instead, it transfers that power to Chrysantha, who now knows how to kill Eryx.

Finally, Sarkis's attack on the manor is a direct challenge to the deception and performance as survival that both Eryx and Chrysantha practice. He breaks into the home where Chrysantha has been performing the role of a compliant duchess and where Eryx has been hiding his true nature. His violence shatters that performance, forcing both protagonists to confront each other's real selves.

Book-Specific Questions and Answers

Q1: How did Sarkis inherit his abilities?

Sarkis was in Eryx's regiment in the army. During an incident with the enemy, both were injured. Eryx carried Sarkis to safety, but Sarkis had prolonged exposure to Eryx's shadows while Eryx's wounds healed. The shadows flowed into Sarkis's open injuries, granting him supernatural strength and healing.

Q2: Why did Eryx try to kill Sarkis?

After inheriting his abilities, Sarkis was not cautious about being seen using them. The king issued a warrant for his arrest. Eryx was worried that Sarkis would reveal him as well, so he tried to put Sarkis down. He failed, and Sarkis turned against him.

Q3: What happened during the break-in at the manor?

A group of drunken men led by Sarkis broke into Chrysantha's bedroom seeking Eryx. They threatened her, slapped her, and cut her forearm deeply with a knife. Eryx arrived and killed most of the intruders. Sarkis attacked Eryx from behind, and Chrysantha warned Eryx, who decapitated Sarkis.

Q4: What did Sarkis's death reveal about Eryx's powers?

Sarkis's death revealed that decapitation is the only way to kill someone with Eryx's powers. This is a significant piece of information, as it gives Chrysantha knowledge that could be used against Eryx.

Q5: How did Eryx explain his relationship with Sarkis?

Eryx explained that Sarkis was a former army comrade who accidentally inherited his abilities. At first, Sarkis was glad of the powers, but he was reckless. Eryx tried to kill him to protect himself, failed, and Sarkis turned against him, blackmailing him ever since.