The Hero of Ages

Vin stands alone outside the camp, contemplating the mists. Since she released the power of the Well of Ascension, the mists have become hostile and alien to her. She feels frustrated and uneasy, sensing that something fundamental about the mists has changed. Despite Sazed’s rationalizations that the mists’ deadly effects could be natural, Vin can’t shake the feeling that the mists are sentient.

The army is preparing to march, but Ham—a former member of Kelsier’s crew and now a leader in Elend’s army—and Elend debate whether to expose the soldiers to the mists to make them immune. Elend insists on moving forward despite the risk, as waiting could cost more lives and delay their siege of Fadrex. Vin agrees, noting that staying dependent on mistless mornings would leave them vulnerable. She then checks on Human, who has been wandering around the camp and scaring the soldiers. Human says he longs to be among humans and questions why he must stay with the other koloss. He also tells Vin that she is like them because the mists hate her, just as they hate the koloss.

Spook ventures into the streets, posing as a blind beggar to gather information. He meets Durn, a local thief lord, and together they watch Quellion execute a group of skaa with noble blood by locking them in a building and burning it down.

During a public gathering, Spook approaches Beldre, Quellion’s melancholic sister, with whom he had formed a connection. He speaks out against her brother’s violence and says he plans to kill him. However, Quellion spots Spook and orders his guards to capture him. Spook fights off the guards with his enhanced reflexes and senses, only to learn that Quellion and his soldiers are Allomancers. One soldier stabs Spook through the chest, and he loses consciousness.

Elend orders his army to be exposed to the mists to build immunity. He rallies the nervous forces with a speech, invoking Kelsier’s name to inspire courage, but privately struggles to cope with his wavering faith. After the speech, General Demoux challenges Elend’s sincerity, explaining that Kelsier was more than a man; he became divine after enduring the Pits of Hathsin.

The mists then arrive, and soldiers begin to collapse. To Elend’s shock, Demoux, whom he believed to be immune, also falls ill.

Sazed and Breeze, accompanied by a small force of soldiers, continue their journey toward Urteau. Sazed releases their final horse, as the animal is too malnourished to be of use. Breeze offers Sazed a place in the carriage, but Sazed chooses to walk instead. As they pass some farms, Captain Goradel tells Sazed that he finds hope in the fact that skaa now work the land of their own volition rather than under the Lord Ruler’s oppression. With new clarity, Sazed leaves the group and travels alone to the Pits of Hathsin, now repurposed as the home of the remaining Terris people. They have made a new life for themselves, maintaining their traditions of herding and simple living. As he arrives, Sazed is greeted with reverence.

Spook awakens in a burning building, injured and disoriented. His tin reserves are gone, leaving his senses dulled and his body weak. A voice urges him to get up and crawl to safety, guiding him through the building, and Spook obeys. As he moves through the burning house, the voice instructs him to go to a study on the second floor and search the desk. Inside, he finds vials of the kind used by Allomancers. He consumes one of the vials and instinctively burns it, only to discover that it was pewter, which restores his body and clears his mind. The voice reveals himself as Kelsier, who explains that he has given Spook the power to burn pewter to survive and seek vengeance. He commands Spook to escape through the building’s roof and use his new strength to fight back against those who left him for dead.

TenSoon sits in a cage of iron and steel constructed to contain his shifting form and display his disgrace to the entire kandra community. Kandra of various generations pass by to gawk and sneer or to express their pity. MeLaan arrives and says that the Seconds are neglecting their duty by ignoring the signs of Ruin’s return. She urges TenSoon to challenge their authority and lead the younger kandra, who are willing to fight. TenSoon, however, maintains loyalty to tradition and says he cannot rebel against his people or their leaders. At MeLaan’s pleas, TenSoon begins to reconsider, though he outwardly remains unwilling to act.

Vin and Elend continue their journey down the canal with their army, which is recovering from the recent exposure to the mists. Demoux survived, along with most of the affected soldiers. Elend worries about his ruthless decisions, fearing he is becoming more like the Lord Ruler. Vin, meanwhile, compares Ruin’s destructive force to a natural law, similar to Allomantic principles, where every action has a consequence. She recalls Kelsier’s philosophy of breaking down complex problems into manageable parts and resolves to uncover the rules that govern Ruin’s actions. Vin also revisits Alendi’s logbook, reflecting on the idea that the mists might possess a form of sentience and a will to destroy.

Noorden, a former obligator and now one of Elend’s aides, reports his findings about the sickness. Exactly 16% of those exposed to the mists become sick, regardless of demographic factors such as age or health. Vin thinks that the unnatural consistency indicates that there is a logic or rule governing Ruin’s influence.

The Terris elders express their gratitude for Sazed’s presence, but also their disappointment that he doesn’t wear his metalmind bracelets openly, as he once did. They encourage him to take on a leadership role, as the Terris people need guidance following the decimation of the Keeper Synod. Sazed admits to feeling disillusioned and unworthy, which disappoints the elders. Despite their pleas, he remains adamant that he cannot take on the mantle of leadership.

During the conversation, Sazed inquires about mist deaths. To his surprise, the elders tell him that they regularly send their people to work in the mists, and no one has died, which contradicts the patterns observed elsewhere. Although intrigued, Sazed is too weary and apathetic to press further. In the end, Sazed decides to move on rather than stay with his people, realizing that to remain would be a form of surrender.

Spook has feverish visions of his childhood in the Eastern skaa settlements during the Final Empire. When he was caught using Allomantic abilities, his father and the other skaa adults debated what to do with him, fearing that turning him in would result in their deaths at the hands of Inquisitors—the Final Empire’s powerful police force. Ultimately, they decide to kill him to avoid the risk of being accused of associating with an Allomancer. As his father prepared to kill him, a man named Clubs intervened, offering a bag of copper coins in exchange for Spook’s life. Clubs insisted that Spook come with him to Luthadel, threatening to report the skaa to the obligators if they refused. Spook’s father reluctantly agreed. Spooks followed Clubs out of the shack.

MeLaan’s words continue to haunt TenSoon, challenging his decision to leave his people to their fate rather than fight for what he knows is right. As he contemplates his next move, a group of Fifth Generation kandra, led by VarSell, approaches his cage. They bring a sack containing bones and inform him that he is to wear them. The Second Generation plans to punish him in a public display involving breaking his bones, intending it as a punishment and a cautionary example to younger kandra. When TenSoon inspects the bones, he realizes they belong to the wolfhound body he had used while traveling with Vin. His plan has worked: He had previously spoken disdainfully about the dog bones, hoping that the Seconds, who find animal forms degrading, would take the bait. While they believe forcing him to wear the animal body will be humiliating, in reality, it provides TenSoon with the means to escape.

The army arrives at Fadrex, where the defenders have prepared for the invasion by cutting down surrounding trees to create a killing field and digging moats that block the narrow entryway. Despite these obstacles, Elend is determined to find a way to reach the storage cache. He holds a strategy meeting with Ham, Lord Ashweather Cett, and Vin to discuss their approach. Cett suggests attacking the less fortified surrounding cities first to secure resources and weaken Fadrex’s support, but Elend rejects the idea and insists on attempting diplomacy first. He assigns Ham to set up camp and increase patrols. Vin will sneak into the city to scout for information, and Cett will provide a list of potential informants. As Vin prepares for her mission, Elend offers to accompany her, but she tells him he’s too noisy.

Spook wakes up in his hideout after nearly dying. His stab wound is healing, but a small fragment of the sword remains. When he tries to remove it, Kelsier’s voice tells him to leave it as a symbol of his survival.

Later, Spook leaves to gather information about the state of Urteau. He wanders through the Harrows, a cramped slum that Quellion largely ignores, and enters a rundown tavern. There, he learns that Quellion is planning to establish a new social order where those proven to be pure skaa for five generations will have the privilege of serving in the government, while anyone with noble ancestry will be marginalized. Spook mulls over his guilt for running away during the battle where Clubs was killed, but his thoughts are interrupted when he realizes that some patrons recognize him. Realizing he’s been exposed, Spook quickly leaves the tavern.

Vin conducts a reconnaissance of Fadrex at night. Using her Allomantic powers, she bypasses the guards and explores. Despite Elend’s previous description of the city as provincial, Vin finds it larger and more fortified than expected.

Her primary objective is to gather intelligence on Lord Yomen, the ruler of Fadrex, and locate the storage cache. Following Cett’s instructions, she seeks out an informant named Slowswift, who tells her that Yomen is a competent and honorable leader who maintains stability by blending old traditions with new authority. He even hosts balls to reassure the populace, keeping the familiar social structure intact despite the worsening condition of the world and the impending siege. At Vin’s pressing, Slowswift also says that Yomen’s wealth is connected to the hidden atium cache.

Vin leaves to seek a second informant, a beggar humming to himself, but unease stops her from meeting with him. Instead, she chooses to scout for locations of the cache. Along the way, she senses another Mistborn is following her. Despite using Allomantic pulses to track her pursuer, the presence vanishes. She suspects it was the mist spirit she’d encountered before, and she returns to Elend’s camp.

Vin and Elend discuss her belief that the mist spirit followed her while she scouted Fadrex. They debate whether it is responsible for the mist deaths, which Vin believes isn’t. Vin also worries over how she will fulfill her responsibilities as the Hero of Ages and eliminate the ash. Elend agrees to support her, but when he asks how he can help, she says she can’t tell him because Ruin is listening.

In response to the issue of diplomacy with Fadrex, as Elend has thus far been unable to speak with Yomen, Vin proposes that they crash one of his balls. Yomen is known to attend every one, and it would provide them a venue where the king would feel compelled to engage diplomatically rather than violently.

Sazed, Breeze, Allrianne, and Captain Goradel arrive in Urteau. They are greeted by Quellion’s soldiers and immediately brought to him. During the meeting, Quellion calls Elend a tyrant who gained his throne through violence and coercion. He also denounces the nobility, including Elend and Vin, and blames them for exploiting the people. Sazed warns of the worsening mists and ashfall, but Quellion dismisses him and says that Urteau will survive because they follow the Survivor’s teachings. Quellion allows Sazed and the others to remain in the city but warns them against causing trouble.

After the meeting, they run into Spook. He leads them to his new base in the abandoned Ministry Canton of Inquisition building. The building is safe from Quellion, as he avoided tampering with Ministry structures out of fear of the Inquisitors. From there, Spook leads them to the underground supply cache. They also find an underground lake, which holds the water that once filled the city’s canals.

Elend and Vin attend the ball, leaving Cett in charge in their absence. They use Allomancy to jump through the city and arrive at Keep Orielle, where the ball is being held. They pass the stunned guests and servants to enter the ballroom, where they then split up to mingle and gather information. Vin goes to Lady Patresen, the leader of a prominent social clique, and asserts her dominance by warning the other women that Patresen plans to abandon them when the army attacks, and that they should support her instead. Most of Patresen’s followers abandon her and flock to Vin instead, offering to introduce her to others at the party.

Sazed and his group settle into the cavern beneath the Ministry building in Urteau. They discuss strategies for dealing with Quellion, who refuses to negotiate. Breeze suggests undermining Quellion’s rule rather than assassinating him, as killing him would probably lead to another fanatic taking his place. Sazed struggles with the morality of overthrowing Quellion at all, noting that his rhetoric mirrors Kelsier’s own anti-noble stance. Breeze insists that securing the city for the greater good is essential, but Sazed continues to question their right to impose change. Spook later tells Sazed that he believes Kelsier’s spirit is still watching over them and seeks religious validation for this idea. Sazed, however, admits that his faith was shattered after losing Tindwyl. After Spook leaves, Sazed resumes his research.

At the ball, Elend is surprised to run into Telden, a former friend from Luthadel. While they catch up, Telden questions whether Elend is becoming another tyrant like the Lord Ruler, but Elend explains that he’s just trying to bring stability to the fractured empire.

Elend then approaches Yomen to negotiate. However, despite Elend’s attempts to reason and an offer to let him continue ruling under his own terms, Yomen refuses to yield, convinced that dying to protect the city is better than submitting to Elend. He also refuses to acknowledge the existence of the cache, or any instructions the Lord Ruler left within it.

Meanwhile, Vin is shocked at how comfortable she is amongst the women at the ball. Just as she finally accepts that she truly belongs in both the world of the nobility and the streets, Elend interrupts and leads her to the floor for the dance they never got to have. As the music starts, he briefly pulls out the same book he was reading when they first met and pretends to read. They then dance properly and reminisce about the people they once were. Afterward, they plan to attend the next ball at the Canton of Resource, which they hope is the location of the Lord Ruler’s storage cache.

Paraded before the kandra community in his wolfhound body, TenSoon notices the shift from curiosity to scorn among the onlookers. The Second Generation, led by KanPaar, has successfully portrayed him as a traitor, and the community now views him with contempt. Before the assembled kandra, TenSoon accuses the First Generation of cowardice for ignoring the world’s deterioration and the signs of the impending apocalypse. He implores them to prepare for the Resolution, the final order that would dissolve the kandra into the world. KanPaar sentences TenSoon to ChanGaar, where he will be beaten, then imprisoned and starved for centuries. Just as the guards move to take him, TenSoon uses his canine agility to escape them. He charges at KanPaar, shattering his crystalline body before fleeing.