The Sunlit Man
by Brandon Sanderson
Contents
85
Overview
In the storm outside Beacon, Nomad retrieves a secretly stowed rifle and wrestles with whether to flee or commit to helping the city. He chooses to stay, rejecting both his past rigidity and current apathy. Then a familiar, impossible sensation draws him to a glowing light—and he encounters Wit.
Summary
Nomad walks into Beacon’s storm seeking solace but finds only painful memories of who he was and who he has become. He notes the storm is fierce but nothing like Roshar’s tempests, and his ragged clothing leaves him chilled more from inner turmoil than weather.
Reaching the concealed hovercycle, Nomad confirms the ember woman is gone and retrieves the rifle he had hidden beneath the vehicle using Auxiliary as a latch earlier. Auxiliary needles him about obtaining a weapon he cannot fire, while Nomad considers removing the panels and fleeing.
Nomad weighs escape against the fragile trust Beacon’s people have shown. Observing their inexperience with violence, he recognizes their cohesion and respect for life, concluding that allies here would be better than any bargain with the Cinder King. He decides not to run, implicitly choosing to help Beacon.
Suddenly, Nomad feels an impossible, Roshar-like inner tug as the storm slackens. Drawn by a distant glow, he follows the light along the city’s rim, fearing madness yet hoping for familiarity.
He calls out “Kal?” to the figure he sees, but the man turns with a hawkish face and wry grin—revealed to be Wit. The chapter ends on Nomad’s shocked recognition, signaling an unexpected reunion with deep implications.
Who Appears
- NomadProtagonist; retrieves a hidden rifle, debates fleeing, chooses to aid Beacon, then follows a strange pull to a glowing figure.
- Auxiliary (Aux)Nomad’s spren companion; offers sardonic commentary on Nomad’s plan to retrieve a weapon he can’t fire.
- WitMysterious figure revealed at the chapter’s end; meets Nomad in the storm after being mistaken for Kal.