Summary

In the beginning of "Syl Anagist: Zero," the time period is the present. Hoa speaks in the first person point of view as another stone eater, who he identifies as Gaewha, approaches him. They were friends once but since then have been enemies. He asks if she prefers the name Antimony. She asks him if he regrets what he did. He lies and says that he does not. Hoa is glad when he sees that Antimony intends to wait with him.

Hoa next tells Essun that there were some things that she never knew about Alabaster. He talks about the mistakes Alabaster made when he first began to realize he had been betrayed by his society. Alabaster had to make a choice to either accept his fate or demand the impossible. As a young man, Alabaster fell in love with...