Chapter 40

Dalinar opens a perpendicularity to the Spiritual Realm while Shallan faces off against Ghostbloods in Shadesmar. As Dalinar and Navani begin crossing into a vision, Mraize throws an anti-Stormlight dagger at the portal's center, causing it to collapse catastrophically and severing their connection to the Physical Realm.

Dalinar creates a glowing rift between realms using power flowing from his clasped hands, forming a pillar of light that tears reality apart. He and Navani enter together, holding hands as they push toward the Spiritual Realm, beginning to perceive visions forming around them. Simultaneously in Shadesmar, Shallan and her group—including Windrunners Breteh and Isasik, Renarin, Rlain, and the spren Radiant, Pattern, and Testament—discover three disguised Ghostbloods: Mraize, Iyatil, and Lieke. Combat erupts immediately. Radiant manifests as a separate, fully armored Lightweaving entity in Shadesmar, engaging Iyatil while the Windrunners clash with the other Ghostbloods. During the fight, Iyatil wields an anti-Stormlight dagger and uses a blowgun, hitting Shallan in the eye with a dart. Isasik is nearly killed but healed by Renarin. An honorspren soldier assists in killing Lieke. The Ghostbloods reveal they have taken guards hostage at the pillar's base, threatening execution; this causes both Windrunners to abandon the fight and rush away. Shallan gains the upper hand with Iyatil trapped and Mraize pinned to the ceiling by Breteh's Lashing. However, Mraize still possesses his anti-Stormlight dagger. Realizing Shallan's dread, he asks if she has ever seen a perpendicularity collapse on itself, then throws the dagger directly at the center of the portal. The anti-Light strikes the perpendicularity's core, causing a catastrophic blast that shatters the room in Shadesmar while simultaneously severing Dalinar and Navani's Connection to the Physical Realm as they cross into the Spiritual Realm.