The night turned into day.
And as if the cover of darkness had veiled absolutely everything that had occurred, Damian stood on stone while staring out into the expanse around them.
The Lands had transformed with the coming of dawn.
The Ancestor Pillars that had glowed so vibrantly through the night had dimmed with the rising sun, their luminescent crowns fading to ordinary green as natural light reclaimed dominion over these lands. They still rose impossibly tall, still held that air of ancient majesty, but they no longer seemed like beacons of otherworldly power.
Just trees.
Very large trees, but trees nonetheless!
The jagged Spirit Stones that had reflected Grandmother Essun's staff light in unexpected directions now revealed their true colors in the morning glow. Deep purple shot through with veins of crystal that sparkled rather than shimmered, beautiful in a different way than they had been beautiful in darkness.
