Chapter 118

Sigzil leads the retreat from Narak Three after Yelig-nar is defeated, preserving gemstones through deception while grappling with his new command responsibilities and dwindling Stormlight reserves. Dalinar experiences a profound vision in the Spiritual Realm where he witnesses his younger self during the night of Gavilar's assassination, confronts his past failures, encounters Gav in the vision, and realizes Honor's peace plan is fundamentally flawed—prompting him to seek power to defeat Odium directly, only to be violently assaulted by Odium's force in the vision.

Sigzil successfully orchestrates a fighting retreat from Narak Three, where Yelig-nar has been killed but enemy Fused now control the plateau. He preserves uninfused gemstones by leaving them behind, hoping the singers will assume they were depleted rather than hidden. On Narak Prime's battlements, Sigzil confronts the weight of leadership, grieving Leyten and Teft's deaths while discussing with General Winn how to manage loss and continue the defense. With Stormlight running out within a day, Sigzil calls for a planning meeting and hopes someone else can provide a solution.

Meanwhile, Dalinar enters a vision in the Spiritual Realm where he relives the night of Gavilar's assassination. He inhabits his younger drunken self, encounters Jezrien (the Herald) disguised as a beggar, and witnesses his past self's shameful intoxication during the crisis. Older Dalinar physically intervenes, slapping his younger self and revealing that Gavilar is being murdered. He then observes the aftermath—his younger self discovering Gavilar's corpse and grieving. During this chaos, Gav appears, a child seeing visions of the Desolations and future warfare. Dalinar holds Gav while promising peace will come, but realizes Honor's plan to bind Odium through contract is flawed. Humans will inevitably break any peace agreement, perpetuating cycles of war. Dalinar concludes he needs power to defeat Odium personally and end the war at its roots. Odium's voice responds mockingly, accusing Dalinar of seeking power and destroying everything he touches, then violently rips Gav from Dalinar's arms and sends him tumbling through darkness with relentless assaulting visions.