Navani and Dalinar witness a portal opening from Ashyn to Roshar. Ishar, much younger than Dalinar remembers, strains to hold the way open while thousands of ash-covered refugees flee a burning world with their remaining animals and possessions. Navani is horrified by the destruction and immediately recognizes the event as humanity’s arrival on Roshar.

As they move closer through the mud, Navani and Dalinar discuss why this moment matters. They came seeking answers about why Honor’s power will not bond anyone, and Navani realizes this scene may reveal how humans once used Surges before the Heralds became Heralds, before the Oathpact, and long before the Knights Radiant existed. The refugees’ condition, the absence of carts, and the lack of spren reactions all emphasize how ancient this moment is.

Near the refugees, Navani identifies Jezrien and then Chana, while Dalinar is shaken to realize that the younger Jezrien is also the same man he once knew as the beggar Ahu in Kholinar. They also spot a young Ash in the crowd, which confirms that the future Heralds are present but not yet immortal. Because Navani and Dalinar seem to be imprinted as singers in this place, they cannot understand the humans’ language, and Jezrien reacts to them with open suspicion when Dalinar tries to approach.

Dalinar considers using Connection to communicate, but Jezrien responds with his own Light, showing that these humans already command dangerous power. Navani connects this to the ancient knowledge that Ashyn was destroyed by unchecked Surges. Hoping for help, they turn to Wit after he comes through the portal, but Dalinar’s attempt to Connect fails when Wit instead learns their language. This version of Wit behaves like an unstable imitation, speaks of not being real, and reveals only that the true Wit saw Ashyn’s fall as one of his great failures.

With Wit useless and the language barrier still largely unsolved, Dalinar notices a place where he senses the Stormfather’s presence and decides to confront him alone, hoping for clearer answers or a way home. Navani chooses a different path: she will remain among the refugees and try to learn what she can directly from them. The chapter ends with the two separating, each pursuing a different source of truth about the origins of the conflict and the nature of ancient power.