95. What She Truly Was

Adolin faces his final trial before the honorspren judges, but a new judge presides after Shallan's secret attempt to influence Kelek. Maya, a deadeye, is called as the final witness—apparently to condemn Adolin—but she unexpectedly speaks, revealing that the spren chose their bonds with the Radiants and willingly accepted the consequences of the Recreance.

Adolin arrives at the trial forum for his final judgment, troubled by Shallan's absence and the replacement of Kelek with Sekeir as High Judge. Adolin learns that Shallan attempted to influence Kelek in secret and is now being held. Sekeir conducts a lengthy opening speech before revealing Maya as the final witness. Rather than allowing Maya to testify traditionally, Sekeir uses a legal provision to speak for her, deliberately causing her distress to demonstrate the harm humans inflicted on spren. As Maya's anguish crescendos, Adolin feels a connection to her and urges her to take his strength. Maya suddenly speaks two words—"We chose"—stunning the courtroom. Despite her damaged voice, she reveals that the spren chose their bonds with the Radiants and chose to break them, contradicting the narrative that humans murdered innocent spren. She declares her sacrifice as her own, not something taken from her. The honorspren elders are shaken and begin to leave, their condemnation of Adolin undermined. Blended, the only spren to remain, reveals she engineered the use of Maya as a witness to test whether a true bond exists between Adolin and Maya. Blended suggests that the true trial was Adolin's treatment of Maya over time, and he has passed. She departs to inform the inkspren that deadeyes may be able to return, though she notes that critical questions remain about why the Radiants and spren were so frightened during the Recreance.