72: VERISTITALIAN

In a critical conversation, the mysterious symbol-headed creatures in her drawings are revealed to be spren related to the Knights of the past, and an even more disturbing truth emerges: the legendary

Having survived poisoning, S hallan presses her mentor for answers about her uncanny abilities and the strange beings she sketches. After discussing the mechanics of S ou lcas t in g—which J asn ah uses directly without fabrials unlike other ardents—S hallan shows sketches of symbol-headed creatures that appear in her work. J asn ah reveals these are spren and mentions they are connected to ancient Knights of the past, noting she will explain further when S hallan has greater knowledge. S hallan confronts J asn ah about why she pursues myths of the V o id bring ers when other scholars dismiss them as fabrication. Rather than retreating from the question, J asn ah articulates her philosophy: while religion ascribes supernatural causes to natural events, she seeks natural explanations for supernatural phenomena. J asn ah has compiled notes suggesting the V o id bring ers were real beings—ancient enemies described in metaphor with imagery of ash, fire, and terrible darkness. However, she reveals the most unsettling discovery: humanity did not destroy or repel the V o id bring ers as legends claim, but rather enslaved them. As S hallan looks out at the P arsh men being lowered on a lift—their black and red skin reminiscent of ash and fire—the horrifying implication becomes clear: the P arsh men may be the enslaved V o id bring ers of ancient legend.