Chapter 30

Kaladin and Szeth travel through the frozen forests of Shinovar, where plants do not move or respond to stimuli. Szeth hints at a dangerous Unmade present in his homeland connected to his past. Meanwhile, Dalinar confronts the Stormfather about seeking Honor's power, and after an intense vision-conversation, decides to enter the Spiritual Realm with Wit's help to seek answers, using a synchronized clock mechanism to prevent time distortion.

Kaladin enters Shinovar's forested lowlands with Szeth and Syl, marveling at a world where plants are docile and unafraid, frozen in perpetual stillness. He attempts to connect with Szeth about his trauma and mental scars, but Szeth refuses help, insisting he deserves to bear the weight of his killings and that he will not be 'saved.' When Kaladin shifts tactics and asks about their mission, Szeth reveals that one of the Unmade has been awakened in Shinovar and has corrupted his people. He mentions this began in his youth with an event involving a rock, but offers no further details. In a separate scene, Dalinar meets alone with the Stormfather in a tower garden. The Stormfather expresses rage at Dalinar's consideration of taking up Honor's power, calling him arrogant like his brother Gavilar. Their confrontation escalates into a vision where Dalinar challenges the Stormfather's vague instructions and the inadequacy of Honor's plan, arguing that the enemy will outmaneuver them unless he finds a new edge. The Stormfather eventually relents, admitting he cannot control what happens in the Spiritual Realm and confessing he has lied about what occurred with the previous Vessel, Tanavast. He permits Dalinar to enter the Spiritual Realm to seek answers but warns against directly attempting to claim Honor's power. Wit appears afterward and offers to help Dalinar enter the Spiritual Realm safely by creating a temporal anchor using synchronized clocks—one grounded in the Physical Realm and one for Wit—to prevent excessive time passage during Dalinar's journey. Dalinar agrees and plans to bring Navani and Jasnah to monitor him.