Unknown shattered shard?

[Haelbarde]

"This isn't just about you either," the figure said, raising his hand into the air. A light winked out in the sky, one that Dalinar hadn't realized was there. Then another winked out as well. The sun seemed to be growing dimmer.

"It's about all of them," the figure said. "I should have realized he'd come for me."

"Who are you?" Dalinar asked, voicing the words to himself.

The figure still stared into the sky. "I leave this, because there must be something. A hope to discover. A chance that someone will find what to do. Do you wish to fight him?"

"Yes," Dalinar found himself saying, despite knowing that it didn't matter. "I don't know who he is, but if he wants to do this, then I will fight him."

"Someone must lead them."

"I will do it," Dalinar said. The words just came out.

"Someone must unite them."

I will do it."

"Someone must protect them."

"I will do it!"

This quote, to me, must refer to the Shards. Honor's focus is on the sky when he says them. This is then accentuated by the fact he says that 'he' (Odium) is coming for him (Honor). So the first they is the Shards. I would assume then that the lights disappearing are Shards being shattered by Odium, before coming for Honor. However, we've only seen one shardworld where Shards have been shattered (Sel). I'd say one light would be from Sel.

Though there were two shards shattered on Sel, I would have thought that the lights would be of shard worlds.

Thoughts?

Are there any WoB on this?

[Oudeis]

The entire vision is a potential future, as both Dalinar and Tanavast clearly state. People have speculated endlessly that the winking stars and specific numbers all mean something concrete and definite. Maybe, I suppose, but Tanavast basically flat-out says, "this is what I fear will happen." So it's not an exact "this is how many worlds/Shards have died", it's just "this is our destiny if Odium isn't stopped, including other worlds."

Just one man's opinion.

[Haelbarde]

The entire vision is a potential future, as both Dalinar and Tanavast clearly state. People have speculated endlessly that the winking stars and specific numbers all mean something concrete and definite. Maybe, I suppose, but Tanavast basically flat-out says, "this is what I fear will happen." So it's not an exact "this is how many worlds/Shards have died", it's just "this is our destiny if Odium isn't stopped, including other worlds."

Just one man's opinion.

There is that, but to me, I feel that his discussion changes topic after the ground has fallen away. As in, the destruction of everything was the potential future. After showing it, he talks about whether or not anyone will see this, but then remarks: "This isn't just about you either." Dalinar was shown his home city, and by extension, his country, destroyed. He was shown that there were dire consequences for him and his people, if Odium was not opposed. The comment about it not just being about him is warning that there are others in grave danger.

Also, he points out the two disappearing lights before essentially saying, 'and now its my turn,' with the comment "I should have known he'd come for me." At the end of the vision, he is either dead, dying, or resigned to the fact that he will soon die. In that context then, I see the disappearing lights as events happening pre-Honor's death, rather than a possible future.

Thanks for your opinion though

[Arook]

There were 2 shards on Sel so if each star is a shard that still matches up to what we know. Its not like Odium destroys the solar system when he does it.

[Swimmingly]

He didn't on Sel, anyway - we really don't know his activities very well. Given that the scene took place in the desolated wasteland of a dead god's last words to the world, a heavy degree of symbolism and metaphor is apparent.

[Vortaan]

We have no WoB on any Shardworlds being destroyed, just the Shards themselves. Which is kind of interesting, actually. If Odium can shatter Shards, why does he leave the Shardworlds around? Would destroying them recoalesce the Shards he destroyed? 

[name_here]

Probably just a waste of energy. Once the Shards are totaled the world is largely out of the fight. It wouldn't take much of his power to destroy the solar systems completely, but as the whole multilayered gambit on Scadrial indicates relatively small differences in power compared to the total can decide fights between Shards. I expect he might swing back around and finish them off if he succeeds in killing all of the Shards.

[Shardbearer]

Probably just a waste of energy. Once the Shards are totaled the world is largely out of the fight. It wouldn't take much of his power to destroy the solar systems completely, but as the whole multilayered gambit on Scadrial indicates relatively small differences in power compared to the total can decide fights between Shards. I expect he might swing back around and finish them off if he succeeds in killing all of the Shards.

 

I think the people of Sel are going to give Odium a run for his money if that's what he thinks.

[name_here]

I think the people of Sel are going to give Odium a run for his money if that's what he thinks.

 

Possibly, but only if they can get their Shards reassembled or provide advice to other intact ones. While Shards possess a finite amount of power, it's on a much grander scale than humans have access to. Then again, Sel is pretty well-informed on Cosmere mechanics and that information could prove decisive. So leaving them intact was definitely a miscalculation on his part.

[Arook]

I don't see any reason that he would want to destroy planets Odium is not like ruin. I think Roshar is more of an exception for odium taking any interest in men. I think he would need men if for nothing else to create hate. 

[Chromium Compounder]

I like this.  I don't think Odium would have any reason one way or the other to destroy planets or stars, but I also don't think Honor would really care about stars either.  He does however care about Shards and people.  

 

I think the stars they were looking at weren't literal, but metaphors, or perhaps that's what it looks like when viewing shards from other shard worlds from within the cognitive or spiritual realms.  Either way I think the stars represent shards, and the two stars winking out would be Devotion and Dominion, which conceivably happened before Odium shattered Honor.

[Elementalist]

I always figured that it meant that after Odium finished destroying Roshar, he would go after the rest of the Cosmere as well (or at least the inhabited parts.) Odium means "that which invokes strong hatred" and in my opinion nothing would evoke hatred better than destroying all life. While he could do this without destroying the planets, after he kills off all the other Shards there's no reason not to have some planet-busting fun.

[Dros]

I always figured that it meant that after Odium finished destroying Roshar, he would go after the rest of the Cosmere as well (or at least the inhabited parts.) Odium means "that which invokes strong hatred" and in my opinion nothing would evoke hatred better than destroying all life. While he could do this without destroying the planets, after he kills off all the other Shards there's no reason not to have some planet-busting fun.

 

But then there's no one left to hate anyone. A tortured man hates a lot more than a dead man...or presumably so.