After a deeply satisfying moment of intimacy and acceptance with Adolin, Shallan lies under the shower feeling, for once, briefly whole. The calm is interrupted by creationspren and Pattern, and then by the reminder that Testament still cannot be drawn through to her side despite their restored bond. That absence darkens Shallan’s mood and sharpens her resolve to keep working, both on her own healing and on the danger facing her.

Dressed as Veil, Shallan meets members of the Unseen Court who have been watching for Ghostblood activity around her rooms. Gaz reports that Wit has taken Shallan’s brothers somewhere safe, though he refuses to reveal where, and Stargyle brings sketches of Ghostblood operatives, including two dangerous offworld reinforcements. Looking at Mraize’s image forces Shallan to confront the pain of once again opposing a mentor who both understood and manipulated her, but she lets Radiant take over and reframes the problem strategically: the Ghostbloods need information from her about Ba-Ado-Mishram’s prison, so their need creates an opening.

Radiant explains that if the Unseen Court can reach Mishram’s prison first, they may gain leverage over the Ghostbloods. The group also discusses Shallan’s new Shardplate, earned with her next Ideal, and tests whether she can lend it out the way Kaladin reportedly did during the tower invasion. Shallan’s armor can form around Red, but it leaves him completely immobile, which reveals that her Plate does not yet function like Kaladin’s. During the attempt, Shallan reflects that healing has not erased Veil and Radiant, but instead has begun to let Shallan integrate their strengths without losing herself.

With the experiment finished, the conversation returns to the larger threat. Radiant argues that Mraize’s greatest advantage is hidden knowledge, so the only effective counter is to take that advantage away. The Unseen Court therefore commits to a more aggressive plan: rather than waiting to be attacked, they will locate the Ghostbloods’ base and try to steal the secrets Mraize thinks are secure.

The chapter then shifts to Dalinar, who catches up to Cultivation inside Urithiru and learns that she has come in person, unnoticed by almost everyone. Cultivation refuses to solve his problems directly, but she gives him a crucial revelation: Honor’s power was not destroyed with Tanavast, and the substance of the visions Dalinar has been receiving is tied to that surviving power, which may be seeking a new Vessel. She tells Dalinar that defeating Odium will require more than force; he must use his Bondsmith abilities to reach the Spiritual Realm and experience the deeper history of the Heralds, the Radiants, and Honor. After she vanishes, the Stormfather confirms the danger of such a path and reacts uneasily to her interference. When Dalinar returns to the strategy meeting, Jasnah tells him that Wit has only just remembered an encounter in which Odium altered his memories, raising the alarming possibility that Odium is exploiting loopholes in the contest agreement even while Dalinar prepares war plans for the monarchs.