Venli, displayed by Odium as a symbol, delivers a rehearsed origin myth to newly freed Alethi parshmen—now urged to call themselves singers—framing the listeners as heroes and herself as the discoverer of stormform. In envoyform, she addresses them in their tongues, calls them to build a nation, and basks in their deference even as old rhythms stir uneasy memories.

Afterward, a timid femalen singer in an Alethi dress seeks reassurance, and Venli corrects terminology and instructs her in using rhythms for emotion. Touring the town, Venli notes workform, nimbleform, and scholarform in use, resenting how easily these singers received forms her people once struggled to discover.

In the mansion, Venli meets the hovering Fused Rine and a silent, unsettling femalen Fused. Venli proposes enslaving humans to work the land, but Rine rejects the idea, fearing any human might manifest Surges. He dismisses taboos around gemhearts and declares humans must be exterminated, unsettling Venli as she briefly hears a forlorn rhythm and suspects they will soon move on.

Alone in her room, Venli admires Alethi craftsmanship, wondering if extermination can be justified against creators of such beauty. Her pouch vibrates; she releases a small, comet-like spren that has been hiding among her gemstones. As it darts about, she realizes she can again hear the old rhythms and suspects the spren is responsible. Though she accuses its kind of betrayal, the spren answers with steadfast resolve.

When the door below slams—Rine returning—Venli hastily orders the spren back into the pouch, preparing to conceal it as the Fused ready their departure.