80. Oblivious

Veil distributes food to street children in Urithiru's marketplace but discovers that her well-intentioned aid has made them targets for local gangs. She finds Grund brutally beaten by thugs who have been extorting food from him, and arrives too late to save him. The chapter reveals the dark consequences of her charity work and shatters her confidence in her ability to help the city's vulnerable population.

Veil arrives at Grund's usual spot in a broken shop to distribute food, but finds him acting strangely withdrawn. After leaving, she uses Lightweaving to disguise herself as a market guard and returns to observe Grund, suspecting something is wrong. She discovers a group of thugs beating Grund, having been extorting the food she brought him. When she confronts them, they scatter but not before delivering a fatal blow to Grund's head. As Grund dies, he reveals the bitter truth: the gangs have been watching him since Veil's first visit, forcing him to wait for her daily deliveries. Other street children have been killed for resisting. Shallan (revealed when she breaks character emotionally) then rushes to check on Muri, another aid recipient, only to find her fleeing with her children. Muri explains that the Grips, the local gang, have been monitoring all of Veil's contacts, and she is abandoning the area to avoid the gang's attention. Shallan is left alone in Muri's empty room, holding the bloodied cloth, confronted with the devastating unintended consequences of her charitable work.