76. Harmony

Adolin observes the growing congregation of deadeyes outside Lasting Integrity's walls from the fortress battlements while awaiting his trial, while Shallan's fractured personalities search for Restares within the fortress and discover he is not among the identified humans living there. A confrontation with Pattern over his lies triggers Shallan's emergence as a dominant persona.

Adolin climbs to the top of Lasting Integrity's walls with his honorspren guards Vaiu and Alvettaren, marveling at Shadesmar's unusual weather patterns and the fortress's enormous hollow structure. He observes a sea of churning beads, the reflected image of Tukar, forests of lifespren, and his camp in the distance where Godeke, Felt, and Malli await the trial's results. Most notably, he discovers approximately two hundred deadeyes gathering silently on the nearby coast—a phenomenon that has grown over two weeks. Vaiu explains they sense the connection to justice being administered at the fortress, and Adolin notes that some of these deadeyes vanish into mist, revealing they are Shardblades whose owners are summoning them. Vaiu insists Adolin focus on legal studies rather than watching the deadeyes.

Meanwhile, Veil/Radiant navigates Lasting Integrity's disorienting interior geometry, where multiple surfaces hang impossibly in the air. Shallan remains withdrawn due to Pattern's past deceptions, with a dangerous persona called Formless emerging alongside her. Veil and Radiant have been searching for Restares, the phantom leader of the Sons of Honor, among seventeen humans living in the fortress. They have systematically eliminated candidates: traders from Nalthis (another world), Horneaters, and wanderers. Only one remains—a reclusive man calling himself "Sixteen" who emerges exactly every sixteen days. While waiting in the statue garden to observe him, Pattern approaches Veil and confesses he has been lying to them for years and spying using a cube Mraize provided. He also attempts to introduce a dark, twisted figure—another Cryptic in shadow.

This confrontation causes Shallan to emerge fully, pushing Veil and Radiant deep into her consciousness. Shallan, now dominant and aggressive, confronts Sixteen as he leaves his home, grabbing him and spinning him around to see his face. The man is revealed to be Shin with pale skin and childlike eyes—completely unlike the description of Restares (a short Alethi man with thinning hair). Shallan releases him and he flees. Pattern notes the failure of his intelligence, and Shallan declares they must report to Mraize that Restares is not in the fortress, while refusing to engage further with Pattern's explanations. Shallan indicates she has made a difficult long-standing decision, positioning herself as the dominant persona.