Chapter 145

Nine years before the present timeline, Szeth defeats a local militia and begins recruiting for his rebellion, but finds the townspeople fearful rather than inspired. Frustrated by their disbelief in the Voidbringer threat and the difficulty of building support, Szeth decides to march toward the Stoneward monastery to claim the disciplined army trained there by his father.

Szeth, bearing the mantle of Truth, demonstrates overwhelming individual power by slaughtering a line of enemy soldiers while his own troops struggle with the reality of killing for the first time. After the militia breaks and flees into their town, Szeth addresses his soldiers' poor performance with harsh criticism. He then moves through the conquered town to secure supplies, but encounters widespread fear and disbelief among the citizens regarding his message about the Voidbringer threat. A butcher refuses to genuinely accept Szeth's claims despite outward compliance. His officers, including Thal-son-Geord and Visk-daughter-Brador, discuss how the appearance of a power struggle rather than liberation will hinder recruitment everywhere. Szeth reflects on the difficulty of his position—his father is held by enemies as leverage, and he lacks the massive army he had envisioned. The Voice, an internal presence he thought he had overcome, returns and taunts him, suggesting he needs to escalate the conflict to draw out other Honorbearers. Recognizing that his small rebellion will be ignored by the other Honorbearers so long as he remains localized, Szeth formulates a new strategy: he orders his camp broken and directs his forces toward the Stoneward monastery, where an army trained by his own father over decades stands ready to be claimed.