Thirty-three years earlier, Dalinar—exulting in his newly won Shardplate—joins Gavilar and Sadeas in an assault on Rathalas, the Rift. As they charge, Dalinar smashes through the wall defenses, disables catapults, and revels in the Thrill while routing defenders. He notices the viewing platform’s cracks, but too late: it collapses under him and several elites, dropping them into the city below.

Badly damaged and with shattered armor on his left arm, Dalinar forces his way through panicked civilians and concentrated archer fire. He pushes across a threatened bridge while Teleb snipes saboteurs to keep it standing. Reaching a garden platform, Dalinar duels Highlord Tanalan—who wields a Shardblade—using Plate to press inside the sword’s reach. The fight degenerates as Tanalan’s soldiers interfere; the platform collapses, scattering combatants and leaving Tanalan gravely wounded.

Dalinar pursues soldiers dragging Tanalan toward a hidden, crem-disguised door. He breaks in, crushes the remaining guards, and finds Tanalan dying with his wife and young son beside him. The boy, in tears, tries to lift the Shardblade—“You can’t have my daddy”—but Dalinar takes the weapon as Tanalan expires, the victory soured by the scene.

Afterward, overlooking the ruined city, Dalinar broods over the slaughter, his broken Plate, and the weight of his new Blade. Gavilar, thoughtful and exhausted, warns that reckless raids must give way to discipline, law, and politics, proposing to conscript the conquered Rifters. He names Dalinar’s prize Oathbringer, revealing it as Sunmaker’s former sword, while Dalinar sits with growing shame despite his triumph.