Alex was so focused on sorting through the pile separating the weapons from the armor, the elixirs from the cultivation resources that he didn't notice the small figure crawling toward him until he felt a tiny hand patting his foot.Alex looked down.Anna, his youngest niece, had escaped from Mia's lap and crawled across the floor to where he was sitting. She was barely a year old, her dark hair wispy and soft, her grey eyes the same grey eyes that marked every member of the Roshar family fixed on him with intense curiosity. Her tiny fingers were wrapped around the leather of his boot, and she was pulling herself up with the unsteady determination of a child who had only recently learned to stand."Hello there," Alex said softly. He set down the armor piece he had been examining and bent to scoop her up. She was light in his arms, barely more than a feather, and she stared at his face with the same intensity she had directed at his boot. "You're supposed to be with your mother, littl

The great hall had grown quiet.The servants had cleared the remains of the feast hours ago, leaving only a few covered platters of cold meats and cheeses for anyone who might wander back for a late snack. The fire in the hearth had burned down to glowing embers, their soft orange light casting long, dancing shadows across the walls. The portraits of Roshar ancestors seemed to watch the remaining occupants with patient, painted eyes.Anna had fallen asleep in Mia's arms shortly after the excitement of the sentient sword, her tiny fingers still wrapped loosely around the hilt even in slumber. The sword had dimmed its silver glow, pulsing softly in rhythm with her breathing, as if it too had decided it was time to rest. Mia had carried her to the bedroom with the careful steps of a mother who had done this a thousand times, and Martin had followed, his grey eyes still wide with the wonder of everything he had witnessed.Diana had retired as well, pressing a kiss to Alex's cheek before

The villa was quiet when Alex returned.It was a modest structure by royal standards, a two-story building of white stone nestled in the private gardens of Starlight Base's residential quarter, far from the bustle of the command centers and training halls. Alex had chosen it centuries ago, before the trial, before the war, when he was still a young prince who believed that solitude was a luxury he could afford. The servants had maintained it in his absence, as they maintained all royal residences, but there was a stillness to the place that spoke of years without inhabitants. The flowers in the garden were perfectly trimmed. The fountain in the courtyard sparkled with clean water. But the windows were dark, and the rooms were empty.Except for one light burning in the living room.He found Diana there, asleep on the couch. She had changed from her formal gown into something simpler: a loose tunic and soft trousers, her golden hair unbound and spilling across the cushions like a river

The sound of footsteps broke the silence.Alena appeared in the doorway, Anna cradled in one arm and a sleepy-looking Kiara clutching her other hand. Miara was right behind her, her silver hair disheveled from sleep, her grey eyes still blinking away the remnants of whatever dream she had been having."Sorry to interrupt," Alena said, not sounding sorry at all. "But someone refused to go back to sleep without seeing her Uncle Alex. And this one.." she gestured at Kiara, " woke up the moment she heard Anna crying and demanded to come along."Anna, who was indeed wide awake despite the early hour, was reaching toward Alex with both hands, her tiny fingers grasping at the air. The sentient sword was still clutched in one hand, its silver glow dimmed to a faint pulse.Alex rose from the couch and crossed to Alena, taking Anna from her arms. "Couldn't sleep, little one?"Anna responded by grabbing a handful of his silver-grey hair and tugging with surprising strength."She's been fussing a

The law tower rose before Alex like a finger pointing toward the artificial sky of Starlight Base. Its black stone absorbed the morning light, the same stone that had witnessed his first breakthrough to the Immortal realm, the same stone that had sheltered generations of Roshar warriors as they sought to comprehend the deeper truths of the universe. The tower had been moved from its original location centuries ago, transplanted to Blue Star on Alex's own instructions before he left for the trial, and it had become a pilgrimage site for cultivators across the kingdom. Then it was placed back in starlight base during the war.Students and soldiers filled the lower floors, their auras flickering with the effort of comprehension. Alex could feel them as he approached Law realm warriors struggling with their first spatial fragments, Immortal Generals meditating on the nature of causality, even a few Immortal Kings in the upper levels, their ancient minds probing the boundaries of what cou