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"You do it," Vin said "You're still worshipping the Lord Ruler"

"He's not gone," Yomen said

Vin paused

"No," Yo her confusion "I haven't seen or heard of him since his disappearance However, neither do I put any credence in reports of his death"

"He was rather dead," Vin said "Trust me"

"I don't trust you, I' Tell me precisely what happened"

So Vin did She told him of her imprisonment, and of her escape with Sazed She told hiht the Lord Ruler, and of her reliance on the Eleventh Metal She left out her strange ability to draw upon the power of theelse--including Sazed's theory that the Lord Ruler had been ih the clever manipulation of his Feruchemy and Allomancy in combination

And Yomen actually listened Her respect for the man increased as she spoke, and as he didn't interrupt her He wanted to hear her story, even if he didn't believe it He was a man who accepted information for what it was--another tool to be used, yet to be trusted no more than any othe1r tool

"And so," Vin finished, "he is dead I stabbed hih the heart e what happened"

Yoators--who still sat on their benches--had grohite in the face She knew that her testiht have damned her, but for some reason she felt that honesty--plain, blunt honesty--would serve her better than guile That's how she usually felt

An odd conviction for one who grew up in thieving crews, she thought Ruin had apparently grown bored during her account, and had walked over to look out the

"What I need to find out," Yoht it necessary for you to think that you had killed him"

"Didn't you listen to what just I said?" Vin demanded

"I did," Yoet that you are a prisoner here--one who is very close to death"

Vin forced herself to be quiet

"You find my words ridiculous?" Yomen said "More ridiculous than your own? Think of how I see you, clai to have slain a man I know to be God Is it not plausible that he wanted this to happen? That he's out there, still, watching us, waiting"

That's what this is all about, she realized Why he captured er to speak with me He's convinced that the Lord Ruler is still alive He just wants to figure out where I fit into all of this He wantsfor

"Why don't you think you should be part of the skaa religion, Vin?" Ruin whispered

She turned, trying not to look directly at hi into empty space

"Why?" Ruin asked "Why don't you want the toward you for hope?"

"The Lord Ruler must be behind all of this," Yomen mused out loud "That means that he wanted the world to see you as his killer He wanted the skaa to worship you"

"Why?" Ruin repeated "Why be so uncomfortable? Is it because you know you can't offer them hope? What is it they call him, the one you are supposed to have replaced? The Survivor? A word of Preservation, I think"

"Perhaps he intends to return dramatically," Yomen said "To depose you and topple you, to prove that faith in him is the only true faith"

Why don't you fit? Ruin whispered in her head

"Why else would he want the!" Vin snapped, raising hands to her head, trying to stop the thoughts Trying to stop the guilt

Yo about me," Vin said "They don't worship me, they worship what they think I should be But I'm not the Heir of the Survivor I didn't do what Kelsier did He freed them"

You conquered the up "You're looking in the wrong direction, Yomen The Lord Ruler won't return"

"I told you that--"

"No," Vin said, stand1ing "No, he's not co back He doesn't need to I took his place"

Elend had worried that he was beco another Lord Ruler, but his concern had always seemed flawed to Vin He hadn't been the one to conquer and reforge an es submit

She'd done exactly as the Lord Ruler had A Hero had risen up, and the Lord Ruler had killed him, then taken the power of the Well of Ascension Vin had killed the Lord Ruler, then taken that saiven up the power, true, but she'd filled the same role

It all ca her their savior, felt so wrong Suddenly, her real role in it all seemed to snap into place

"I'm not the Survivor's Heir, Yomen," she said sickly "I'm the Lord Ruler's"

He shook his head dismissively