37: SIDES

In a flashback to five and a half years before the main events, fifteen-year-old boy (still called "boy") confronts his father about attending a dinner at the mansion of the new citylord, where his father secretly meets with the despised brightlord and reveals a shocking secret. The chapter shows the boy's transformation into a young man of determination and moral conviction.

The chapter begins with the boy watching his younger brother, thirteen-year-old son, examine a rock with the boy's mother in their home. The boy has secretly decided to become a soldier, but when his father is invited to dine with the new citylord, he impulsively insists on accompanying him. The carriage takes them to the grand mansion. During the meal, the boy is sent to the kitchens, where he witnesses an interaction with the new citylord's son that shames him into reconsidering his life path. After returning home in the carriage, the boy confronts his father about whether he capitulated to the citylord's demands. His father reveals a shocking truth: he had stolen spheres from the former citylord, ensuring they would go to his intended bride rather than to the new citylord. The boy realizes that the citylord's persecution has been justified, yet also recognizes his father's moral courage in defending his family's interests. This realization catalyzes a transformation in the boy. He decides to pursue surgery instead of soldiering, to learn the ways of the lighteyes through education, and to reclaim his full name: "I want to start going by my full name. I want you to call me "son. "I'm going to use the spheres to travel to the city of the university and learn. This chapter sets the foundation for his future identity and purpose as "not a darkeyed farmer, but a lighteyed lord either. Something in between." He leaves the chapter determined to eventually return and prove himself to those who dismissed him.