Odium considers whether he can destroy the power of Honor that is protecting Dalinar. While part of his attention remains on other opponents he is trying to occupy and break, his main focus is on the problem of reaching Dalinar through Honor’s defense.

Odium concludes that Honor’s power cannot truly be destroyed, only handled in other ways. He reviews examples left by his predecessor: imprisoning the power of Shards in the Cognitive Realm caused catastrophic consequences, and directly attacking another Shard led to devastating destruction and left the attacker wounded. Odium then considers Splintering Honor’s power so it cannot gather into a resisting force, but he rejects that option because striking first would violate his oath and leave him exposed to Cultivation.

Because Odium wants to survive and ultimately conquer the cosmere, he restrains his power’s desire for open conflict. At that moment, Honor releases Dalinar back into the Physical Realm. Odium feels intense relief because Dalinar’s timely return means events have proceeded as planned and Dalinar’s absence cannot be blamed on Odium.

With that immediate danger passed, Odium reflects on Roshar, its rhythms, and the singers’ long abuse. He feels that both Odium and Honor are aligned in wanting these people to have more, and Taravangian convinces himself that he is not merely using them but genuinely caring for them, much as he cared for Kharbranth. That feeling expands into a vision of helping the abused across the cosmere, but it hardens into a messianic conclusion: the universe should be united under one god, and that god should be Taravangian himself. Having embraced that purpose, Odium decides it is time to act.