Bridge Four is revealed as the deadliest crew, its members dying at an extraordinary rate. Kaladin sits apathetic in a gentle rain, reflecting that bridgemen cannot escape the warcamp and face execution if they refuse to run. He reframes his father’s lesson, concluding he belongs to the helpless who exist only to be killed or saved.

Working in the lumberyard, Kaladin ignores growing doubts about the war’s wasteful tactics. Syl tries to rouse him, mentioning hazy memories of watching him fight, but a taskmaster’s lash and rigid punishments reinforce his resignation. New recruits arrive; Gaz and Laresh funnel a particularly hopeless batch toward Bridge Four.

Among them, Kaladin notices a boy who looks like Tien, stirring a reflex to protect that he suppresses as pointless. Syl, distraught by Kaladin’s collapse, decides to leave despite sensing she might lose herself if she goes. Kaladin begs her to stay, but she departs, promising to try to return.

On the next run, with Parshendi ready, casualties are severe. The Tien-like youth is killed, as is the last other survivor from Kaladin’s first bridge run. Kaladin finds their bodies; blood dripping onto the boy’s eye evokes haunting, crimson tears, underscoring the futility and dehumanization he feels.

That night, a highstorm batters the barrack. Kaladin admits he is dead inside and, for the first time in a year, he breaks down and cries—an emotional nadir that hints at a turning point born from utter despair.