Fourteen months earlier at Narak, Venli moves through a battlefield of rain, red lightning, and confused stormform singers. Many—including Faridai—stand entranced, singing the summoning while humans press in. When a human spearman finds Venli, she begs for mercy and is spared, shaken by his choice and her own mixed rhythms.

Venli notes how erratic stormform’s lightning is and how drained it leaves her. She spots Eshonai—recognizable in altered Plate—dueling a human Shardbearer along a chasm. Venli watches as Eshonai is shoved over the edge and, disturbingly numb, rationalizes she will find her sister later.

As the Everstorm builds, Venli senses a growing presence that delights in death and strong emotion. Seeking shelter amid ancient, crem-coated ruins, she finds a chamber freshly cut by a Shardbearer. Outside, red and white lightning alternate as the Everstorm and a highstorm converge, tearing at the landscape.

The storms collide, ripping part of the building away and exposing Venli to the tempest. Crushed by terror, she wedges herself between stones and confronts her self-deceptions: her “discoveries” came from Ulim, her ambitions ignored her people, and her power is insignificant before the storms. Stripped bare, she names what she is: “A coward.”