The Hero of Ages

Fatren, the leader of the small town of Vetitan, anxiously prepares for an impending attack with his brother, Druffel, and the town’s ragtag militia. An army of monstrous creatures known as koloss is approaching, and Fatren knows Vetitan is outnumbered and ill-equipped. Just as he and the others prepare for the worst, a lone rider approaches: Elend Venture, the emperor and a powerful Mistborn (someone who can acquire superhuman powers by burning metals, a process known as Allomancy). He immediately takes command. He plans to attack the koloss before they can fully set up camp, capitalizing on their fatigue and disorganization from the march. Despite knowing victory is unlikely, Fatren reluctantly agrees to follow the plan and rallies his forces to charge the enemy.

TenSoon, one of the shape-shifting kandra, is imprisoned in a small, dark pit. The kandra can take on a body only if they have the body’s skeleton. Imprisoned without bones, TenSoon is powerless. He reflects on his actions, knowing that he is being punished for breaking the First Contract and, worse, for revealing a dangerous secret that could threaten the entirety of the kandra.

The grate to his pit is finally opened, and he is forcibly dragged out. A skull is dropped in front of him, allowing him to speak in his defense as the First Contract—an ancient constitution that governs kandra society—requires, but his captors also immediately begin pouring acid on him to kill him. TenSoon quickly takes the skull to form a mouth and vocal cords around it, barely managing to request judgment before he is burned, invoking his right to a public trial. Despite the guards urging him that death would be better than the prolonged suffering of a prosecution, TenSoon chooses to expose the truth, regardless of the cost.

Elend leads his ragtag army in the assault against the koloss camp. Despite being outnumbered and inexperienced, his troops exploit the koloss’s confusion to gain the upper hand. Elend uses his Allomantic abilities to enhance his strength and bravery while strategically manipulating his soldiers’ emotions to bolster their resolve.

The battle turns when the koloss enter a blood frenzy, overwhelming Elend’s troops. Just as defeat seems inevitable, Vin arrives, dropping into the heart of the koloss horde. She uses her Mistborn powers to manipulate them into attacking each other. As the tide of battle shifts, a Steel Inquisitor arrives. Vin and Elend fight it together, using a controlled koloss to crush the Inquisitor’s head. Elend then uses his Allomancy to calm the koloss horde, ending the battle.

As Elend Venture’s chief ambassador, Sazed is in Lekal City, waiting with Breeze to see if King Lekal will sign a treaty to make the city a vassal to Elend’s empire. Sazed analyzes religious texts to pass the time, attempting to recapture his past dedication to religion and find solace in spiritual answers. However, he increasingly dismisses these ancient faiths as inconsistent and unreliable. He has systematically analyzed over two hundred religions, but none have provided the answers or comfort he seeks. Breeze attempts to distract Sazed by urging him to teach him about one of the old religions. Sazed refuses, saying he can no longer preach beliefs that do not satisfy his doubts. Breeze thanks Sazed for helping him to move on and reassures him that he will eventually find his faith again. An aide arrives with the signed treaty, as King Lekal has conceded to Elend’s terms.

Elend and Vin assess the aftermath of their battle with the koloss and the Steel Inquisitor. Vin deduces that the Inquisitor had an additional pewter spike through its chest, giving it enhanced speed. The discovery worries her, as it suggests that the Inquisitors are growing stronger, directed by the force they unleashed at the Well of Ascension: Ruin. She also wonders if there is a third power besides Allomancy and Feruchemy.

The pair, accompanied by Fatren, explore a hidden Steel Ministry storage cache within Vetitan stocked with supplies, which the Lord Ruler had prepared in anticipation of a future crisis. A plaque inside the cavern, inscribed by him, reveals the location of the final cache in Fadrex, where Elend and Vin hope to find his hoard of atium, a metal they could use to secure their empire’s survival. Vin also finds an ominous message on the plaque: “It can hear what you say. It can read what you write. Only your thoughts are safe” (48). Vin realizes that Ruin can manipulate not only people but also written words.

Marsh experiences occasional moments of lucidity but remains powerless to resist Ruin. He moves through a koloss camp, surrounded by other Steel Inquisitors who, like him, are under Ruin’s complete control. The other Inquisitors have new spikes in their chests and ribs, making them even more formidable. The Lord Ruler had deliberately withheld some powers from the Inquisitors to keep them in check, but Ruin has changed that.

TenSoon is given bones to form a new humanoid body following his year of confinement. Despite his weakened state from imprisonment and acid, TenSoon’s experience allows him to create a body faster than his captors expected.

He is escorted through the kandra Homeland by VarSell, a member of the Fifth Generation, and three guards. As they walk through the corridors, TenSoon reflects on the contrast between his long years serving humans and the sheltered lives of the younger generations who rarely leave the Homeland. After a year of reflection, he steels himself to convince the First Generation that his actions were justified not for his own sake, but to protect his people from enslavement and destruction.

Vin and Elend travel north, moving the townsfolk of Vetitan with them. The people are forced to stand outside in the mists, which have become increasingly deadly since Vin released the power from the Well of Ascension. The mists now kill roughly one in six people exposed. Despite knowing that exposing the townspeople is necessary to make them immune, Vin and Elend feel guilty as they witness the deaths. Fatren struggles with the decision, questioning whether they did the right thing.

As they march onward, Vin notes the strange nature of one of the captive koloss she’s brought with her, Human, who shows a surprising degree of intelligence. In a brief, awkward conversation, Human says that the koloss aspire to become human by taking over cities. Vin attempts to learn about koloss reproduction, but Human’s vague answers don’t help.

Eventually, they reach a large military encampment by the canal, where they reunite with General Demoux. Elend directs his forces to secure the supplies left behind in Vetitan and safely escort the townspeople to Luthadel. Elend tells Demoux of their plan to find the final cache in Fadrex, and Demoux tells Elend that Sazed and Breeze are also expected to arrive soon.

TenSoon is brought to the Trustwarren, the most sacred place of the kandra, for his trial. He is made to stand on a central platform to face the Second Generation, the ruling class among the kandra, presided over by their leader, KanPaar. The First Generation, considered the wisest and most revered, watch silently from alcoves above. As the younger generations file in, he spots MeLaan, a younger kandra he raised. KanPaar formally opens the trial, and TenSoon realizes that KanPaar sees the trial as a chance to assert control over the more independent-minded Generations.

Sazed continues his search for truth by examining the religion of Larstaism. Unlike other faiths he has studied, Larstaism eschews spiritual doctrines and instead focuses on art as a divine pursuit. However, he struggles to reconcile the religion’s optimistic view of art with the harsh reality of their decaying world. As they travel through the ash-covered landscape, Breeze and Sazed discuss its ongoing destruction. Breeze tries to offer some optimism by recalling Kelsier’s stories of green plants from the past, but Sazed remains melancholic.

They reach the army and are greeted by Breeze’s lover, Allrianne. Vin later visits Sazed in his tent, and he opens up to her about his struggle to move past the death of Tindwyl, feeling that he is weak for not being able to let go of his grief. Vin admits that she needs Sazed’s guidance and wisdom, but she is unsure how to help him. After Vin leaves, Sazed finds a drawing of a flower she left behind, which once belonged to Mare, Kelsier’s late wife.

TenSoon is put on trial for the crime of killing a fellow kandra, OreSeur, and for breaking his Contract by helping Vin rather than his master, Zane. KanPaar interrogates TenSoon, who defends his actions by explaining that he was following orders from Zane. He insists that while the Contract forbids killing humans, it does not explicitly prohibit killing another kandra, a loophole that KanPaar and the Seconds exploit to paint TenSoon as a traitor. TenSoon then argues that his betrayal of Zane was justified because he served a greater Contract: the First Contract with the Lord Ruler. Since Vin, as the one who defeated the Lord Ruler, took his place, she is now the new “Mother” of the kandra. TenSoon claims that the kandra must adapt and serve Vin to survive. KanPaar rejects this as blasphemy, condemns TenSoon as a traitor, and says he will receive his punishment in a month.

Vin is worried about Sazed’s despair and Breeze’s overcompensating cheerfulness, both of which signal that they are losing hope. Elend acknowledges that as emperor, his role is to improve things and inspire confidence in their fight for survival. During a strategy meeting, Elend covers the dire situation: the mists are spreading, decreasing the daylight needed for crops. Elend decides to march to Fadrex to secure the final cache, but the city is well-fortified and ruled by a rival king, Yomen. While they plan, Elend asks the group to share memories of Kelsier, trying to recapture the spirit that once united them.

Marsh is left alone in a koloss camp, covered in ash, as Ruin’s attention has shifted elsewhere. Marsh contemplates his lack of control, noting that resisting Ruin’s commands only brings its focus back to him. He also reflects on his past in the skaa rebellion, when his brother, Kelsier, overthrew the Final Empire and killed the Lord Ruler. While Kelsier defeated the tyrant, this victory did not improve the world.

Marsh decides that he will wait for the right moment to strike rather than continue to resist Ruin. If he can catch Ruin off guard, he will pull the spike from his back, killing himself and denying Ruin one of its most powerful tools.