Preservation

Stormlight

I fear that something is severely wrong.

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Kaladin stared at the ground for a moment, wondering where to begin. How did you explain Stormlight?

"Stormlight," he began slowly, "is an energy generated by the Highstorm -"

"What's that?" interrupted Spensa

"A large storm that passes over the land each month," Kaladin explained.

Spensa frowned, "Is it the same storm that just traveled around your planet, or is it a new storm every time?"

"I don't know, probably the first option," he replied, frustrated. "Can I finish actually explaining the topic before you bombard me with questions?"

Spensa gave a small grin, but fell silent nonetheless. Kaladin shook his head. She was going to be insufferable, that one.

"When the Highstorm passes over," he continued, "if you leave gemstones outside, they will be filled with a glowing white energy called Stormlight."

Spensa opened her mouth, presumably to ask another question, but promptly closed it as Kaladin glared at her.

"It can be used to power devices called fabriels, which do many things from creating heat, to attracting smoke, to even causing two gemstones to mimic each other's movements perfectly.

"Stormlight can also be used by people who have bonded a spren to access certain abilities."

"What's a spren?" Spensa interrupted again, before Kaladin could continue.

"They're personifications of an idea or concept," Kaladin growled, "and no more questions!"

"You can't just introduce new things without explaining them," Spensa argued.

Kaladin sighed, "Fine. Like I said, spren are a manifestation of an idea or concept. Their existence is dependent on our perception of them. They can represent emotions, like anger spren, elements, like flame spren, or ideals, like Honorspren.

"Spren are split into three major categories, nature, lesser, and true spren. Only true spren are sapient and are truly alive, at least that's how I understand it." He glared at Spensa, "Happy?"

"Yes," she replied, seemingly content to remain quiet trim then on.

"As I was saying before, some people are able to form a bond with true spren, causing changes in both the human and the spren. The human gains the ability to use Stormlight to control a pair of surges, the fundamental laws of how the world works.

"In return, the spren gains the ability to retain their mind in the Physical Realm, rather than just in the Cognates Realm. The realm of thought that exists alongside ours," he added, forestalling Spensa's question.

He paused, letting the other two process all of that. Eventually, Vin looked up, looking confused.

"I don't understand what you mean by Surges," she said. "Are they anything like allomancy?"

Kaladin stated at her for a second, completely nonplussed, before replying, "And what is Damnation's eleventh name is allomancy?"

Vin's mouth hung open slightly as she stared at him is shock.

"Yes, it's quite like allomancy."

The three of them spun about to find that Wit had emerged from his contemplation. He had regained some of his usual swagger, the he still appeared troubled.