Interlude 14

O dium turned from Sja-anat’s rats in the Spiritual Realm, and focused his attention on Dalinar. All the while, he accepted his sorrow at what he’d done to Kharbranth. Proof must be given of a conviction, or it was no conviction at all.

First Roshar, then the cosmere. The destruction of Kharbranth would be his greatest sacrifice, its loss evidence of commitment. Cultivation had stopped arguing with him, or trying to persuade him. She had made her plays, and had failed.

Now a chull of a man was all that stood in his path. Dalinar’s future was cloudy to him though. Just as he hadn’t been able to foresee Cultivation’s attack on Kharbranth, Taravangian couldn’t see this man’s choices. Interacting with someone who was tainted by one who saw the future made it more difficult to see—especially in the short term.

As Dalinar trembled, huddled and isolated in the Spiritual Realm, Odium recognized something. His plans would be a grand kindness to this man—a way for Dalinar to obtain his potential. First, though, he needed Dalinar to acknowledge that Odium’s way had been the right way all along.

Odium would win the contest, of course, because either outcome served him. But the end he truly needed was the one where Dalinar joined him. How to make the man see? How to get him to accept the correct future?

The answer was simple. He had to break his old friend down so he could be rebuilt. Fortunately, Odium had experience at this. Both in hurting Dalinar, and in handling the subsequent pain of being forced to do so.

Indeed, he was growing to be quite expert at it.