30. Mother of Lies

Shallan confronts and fights Re-Shephir, the ancient spren responsible for creating the midnight creatures, in a battle that exists partially in the physical world and partially in some deeper spiritual realm. Through drawing on her darker impulses and wielding Stormlight, Shallan defeats the creature by exploiting its fear of imprisonment, forcing it to flee deeper into the tower while she maintains her illusion of propriety before Adolin.

Shallan finds herself in direct contact with Re-Shephir, the Midnight Mother, a splinter of some greater evil created long ago to sow chaos through spawning violent creatures. The spren is ancient, driven by instinct and alien curiosity rather than emotion, and attempts to sever Shallan's bond with Pattern to replace him. In their confrontation, which occurs simultaneously in the physical world and a deeper spiritual space, Shallan accesses the violent, murderous aspects of her personality—the frenzied child who killed her mother, the woman who stabbed Tyn—drawing on these dark impulses and Stormlight to push deeper into Re-Shephir's essence. She discovers the creature's fear stems from a previous imprisonment, supposedly impossible, performed by another Lightweaver who understood it. When Re-Shephir begins to uncover all of Shallan's secrets, Shallan lies about her fear and commitment, projecting an illusion of unwavering resolve. This breaks the creature's will; Re-Shephir flees in terror toward a tunnel descending deeper into the mountain. The midnight creatures dissolve, and the tower itself feels changed. Shallan, still maintaining her illusion of wearing her proper havah despite her safehand exposure, insists against pursuit, believing the creature will not return. The group discovers that Re-Shephir was guarding a central pillar filled with thousands of cut gemstones worth more than most kingdoms.