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*Seven thousand years ago.* The vision moves forward. Tanavast and Kor make art together; the unique tones of the planet harmonise with them, and they sing the ground into beautiful sweeping vistas — stone made liquid until it freezes into shapes they imagine. He experiences her as their powers mix, harmonising. *Stay here with me,* she says. *Continue to create.*

But Rayse is moving again. *Let him be,* she says. *He will lead them all to destruction. Every person on this planet, including the spren we made. He will bleed them, turn them into his own army, send them into the cosmere to war.* *We can take steps. Careful steps. Quiet steps.* Their tones grow discordant. She never wants to act directly. He needs to. The accommodation with Rayse only prevents the worst; to actually stop him he must act against him through followers. *The people need a god.* *You think,* he says, sensing her disappointment, *that Rayse is smarter than I am.* *I think he is more ruthless. He gives power to the singers, creating those Fused, knowing you will respond — which lets him go a little further.* He insists there are no other options; her way leads to too much loss. Peace at home, destruction abroad. *We cannot go too far. Your wise limits on what we can give to our followers will prevent the planet from falling.* *There are holes in that covenant. I know you have seen them.* He has. If one of them dies, the followers can draw the power without being bound — the will of the dying god is what kept the covenant. More — he and Rayse are not forbidden from clashing personally. *I will not go that far,* he whispers. *Tell me I am wrong. Tell me that if I do not act, Rayse will not seek to destroy the cosmere.* She cannot. He senses her acknowledgement and her pain. *At least seek the help of the others,* she says.

He reaches out to the powerful Shards of the cosmere, each in their own place. The agreement not to interact, made as mortals, is silly in the face of divinity. Their powers, concentrated on their systems, sweep through the whole; they can sense each other. All except a few — like Euridrius, holder of Reason, who has vanished; or like Ambition, who was destroyed. He calls on the strong ones — Leras, who has always had a strong nature; Ati, perhaps kindliest of them, who had boldly taken up Ruin; Edgli of Endowment, the most compassionate woman he had ever known; Bavadin, shrewd and capable; Chan Ko Sar of Invention, who travels the cosmere creating great marvels. Each rejects him. They are afraid of Odium — and now that he is bound on Roshar, they prefer the caged dangerous animal undisturbed, even if Roshar itself must be sacrificed to keep him so.

He is not. He makes one final attempt to locate Valor — the great dragon god, a warrior who would surely join him — and cannot find her. He fears Rayse killed her as he killed Aona, though Valor would not have died easily; her death-ripples through the cosmere would have reached him. Defeated, he returns and decides to resist Odium alone.

*Stay with me,* Kor whispers again. *This could destroy you.* *I know,* he says. He senses his own potential fall in the permutations. He goes anyway. He leaves her, knowing he breaks her heart. He has told the people he is their god; they are crying out to him, and his Honor insists he answer. He meets the struggling humans in one of their tents and speaks with Ishar and the others who had been allowed to Surgebind on Ashyn — they still carry the seeds within them, and their Connection to Odium is a pathway to binding a god; *we could not give of ourselves without exposing ourselves.* He offers to bestow their Surges again, if they will obey and accept the rules he places on them. They have already been thinking how to regain their powers, and Ishar has a plan: a good one, involving the distant world that can collect souls. So they have an agreement. They swear to him, and he gives them the largest portion of himself he will ever grant. Giving birth to Heralds.