Wind and Truth Chapter 140: The Fifth Ideal and the Storm Released
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Kaladin speaks the Fifth Ideal of the Windrunners, and the Wind accepts. A surge of power floods through Ishar via the Bondsmith tether, forcing black smoke—Odium’s corruption—out of the Herald. Kaladin senses that eight other Heralds also feel the release, though the ancient wounds remain. Using Nightblood, Kaladin severs Ishar’s tethers, freeing Syl, Nale, and Szeth. Nightblood tries to bond Kaladin, but Kaladin instead tosses the sword to Szeth, who receives renewed Lashings. Szeth faces six Honorbearers, now seeing their pain rather than anger. Meanwhile, Dalinar opens the perpendicularity at Urithiru and attempts to summon Honor’s power, but it hesitates, recalling humankind’s betrayal. Elsewhere, Renarin and Rlain shatter a gemstone containing a dark storm, releasing it despite Shallan’s protests.
Key Events
- Kaladin speaks the Fifth Ideal and the Wind accepts his Words.
- Power surges through the Bondsmith tether from Kaladin to Ishar, ejecting black smoke that had infected all Heralds.
- Kaladin severs Ishar’s tethers with Nightblood, freeing Syl, Nale, and Szeth.
- Nightblood demands to be wielded, but Kaladin gives the sword to Szeth, sustaining them both with his Stormlight.
- Nightblood restores Szeth’s Lashings and prepares to fight.
- Szeth confronts the six Honorbearers, noticing grief and apology instead of rage; Neturo weeps and apologizes.
- Dalinar expands the perpendicularity, trying to call Honor back into the world, but the power rejects him.
- Renarin and Rlain ignore Shallan’s cries and smash a gemstone, releasing a dark storm.
Character Development
- Kaladin: Achieves the Fifth Ideal, internally resolving his struggle with self-worth and purpose. He willingly gives up Nightblood, trusting Szeth to finish the fight.
- Szeth: Transforms from a puppet of others to a willing actor. He sees past his father’s anger to the pain underneath, showing newfound empathy. His soul is not consumed by Nightblood because Kaladin supplies the Stormlight.
- Ishar: Forced to release centuries of Odium’s corruption, he collapses, barely conscious. The tether severing ends his control over Szeth and Nale.
- Dalinar: Stubbornly reaches for Honor’s power despite rejection, embodying his role as Bondsmith. His plea reveals his desperation and the fractured state of the shard.
- Taravangian: For once left speechless, seeing Dalinar’s unexpected gambit.
- Renarin & Rlain: Act in unison and resolve, breaking the gemstone against Shallan’s wishes. Their bond and trust in each other override external warnings.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Light Versus Darkness: Kaladin’s Fifth Ideal radiates pure light that pushes black corruption from Ishar and echoes through the Heraldic bond. The metaphor of a drain flooded in the wrong direction emphasizes reversal.
- Cleansing Through Sacrifice: Ishar’s expulsion of Odium’s taint does not heal the Heralds but opens a path. Kaladin risks his Stormlight to sustain Nightblood for Szeth, a form of self-sacrifice.
- Free Will and Choice: Szeth chooses to fight on his own terms, not as a Skybreaker puppet. Nightblood’s lust for destruction is redirected toward restoration by Szeth’s will.
- Oaths and Honor: Kaladin’s oath is accepted by the Wind itself, and Dalinar’s attempt to summon Honor reflects the core power of oaths—but Honor’s refusal highlights humankind’s broken promises.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks the culmination of Kaladin’s arc in the Windrunner ideal—the Fifth Ideal is spoken, and his power cleanses the Heralds of Odium’s ancient infection. It also hands the narrative torch to Szeth, who now wields Nightblood without being consumed, and sets the stage for a final confrontation with the Honorbearers. Dalinar’s failed summoning of Honor raises the stakes, while Renarin and Rlain’s decision to release the dark storm introduces a wildcard that could alter the battle for all sides.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Kaladin choose to give Nightblood to Szeth instead of using the sword himself?
Kaladin recognizes that his own role is complete; he has spoken the Fifth Ideal and cleansed Ishar. Szeth needs the sword to defeat the Honorbearers, and Nightblood agrees to draw power from Kaladin rather than Szeth, allowing Szeth to fight without being drained.
2. How does the cleansing of Ishar affect the other Heralds?
Kaladin hears gasps from eight other Heralds through the failing bond. The black cloud had been infecting all of them since the time Ishar absorbed Odium’s power. While the immediate darkness is lifted, their millennial wounds remain; the cleansing only opens a potential path to healing.
3. What does Dalinar’s failure to summon Honor suggest about the state of the shard?
Honor’s power hesitates because humankind has broken oaths, and the power itself rejects oathbreakers. Dalinar’s inability to draw it into himself implies that Honor’s will is fractured or unwilling to return, forcing Dalinar to find another way to confront Taravangian.