Shallan wakes in a guarded hospital room, unexpectedly healthy except for her cut. She recalls returning Jasnah’s Soulcaster and worries over Kabsal. A guard watches coldly until Jasnah arrives and dismisses him.

Jasnah confronts Shallan, demanding to know who sponsored the theft. Shallan admits she acted alone to save her bankrupt family after her father’s death. Jasnah condemns the scheme as foolish, ends the wardship, and says passage home to Jah Keved is arranged for morning.

Jasnah then explains the poisoning: Kabsal dusted bread with lethal backbreaker powder and used jam containing the antidote to keep Shallan functional while trying to reach Jasnah. He overused the powder in this final attempt, likely hoping inhalation would kill Jasnah; it killed him instead. Jasnah’s investigation finds no clear ties for Kabsal among the ardents, and her Soulcaster work saved Shallan’s life.

Believing guilt drove Shallan’s apparent suicide attempt, Jasnah offers no comfort and departs. Shallan, too frightened to ask about her strange experiences, is left alone, devastated—without Kabsal, without the fabrial, and without her future.