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"And that is?" Sazed asked, still packing

"That the end has arrived"

Ruin tried h some of what happened ain control of people, it really was not

Sticking the ht time--was incredibly difficult, even for a subtle creature like Ruin For instance, he tried very hard to spike both Elend and Yoed to avoid it each tie that contained the next-to-last storage cache

Ruin did actually et a spike into Yoot a firet a hold on people ere passionate and iical and prone to working through their actions in their minds

63

"WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND," Vin said, "is why you chose me You had a thousand years and hundreds of thousands of people to choose from Why lead me to the Well of Ascension to free you?"

She was in her cell, sitting on her cot--which now lay legless on the floor, having collapsed when she renored

Ruin turned toward her He ca hi As he often did, however, he ignored her question Instead, he turned to the east, eyes seeh the cell wall

"I wish you could see it," he said "The ashfalls have grown beautiful and deep, as if the sky itself has shattered, raining down shards of its corpse in flakes of black You feel the ground tremble?"

Vin didn't respond

"Those quakes are the earth's final sighs," Ruin said "Like an oldfor his children so that he can pass on his last bits of wisdo itself apart The Lord Ruler did much of this himself You can blame him, if you wish"

Vin perked up She didn't draw attention to herself by asking ain, she noted just how huht he could solve the problems himself," Ruin continued "He rejected me, you know"

And that happened exactly a thousand years ago, Vin thought A thousand years has passed since Alendi failed in his quest; a thousand years since Rashek took the power for himself and became the Lord Ruler That's part of the answer toliquid at the Well of Ascension--it was gone by the ti Ruin It must have disappeared after Rashek used it too

A thousand years Tienerate its power? But as that power? Where did it come from?

"The Lord Ruler didn't really save the world," Ruin continued "He just postponed its destruction--and, in doing so, he helped me That's the way itthe world, they actually do ood Just like you You tried to help, but you just ended up freeing lanced at her, then smiled in a fatherly way She didn't react

"The ash landscape, the broken people--those were all Rashek's The twisting of men to become koloss, kandra, and Inquisitor, all his"

"But, you hated him," Vin said "He didn't free you--so you had to wait another thousand years"

"True," Ruin said "But a thousand years is not much time Not much time at all Besides, I couldn't refuse to help Rashek I help everyone, for e"

It's all ending, Vin thought It really is I don't have ti Ruin to glance toward her as she walked to the front of the cell "Guards!" she called Her voice echoed in her own chamber "Guards!" she repeated

Eventually, she heard a thuh voice demanded

"Tell Yomen that I want to deal"

There was a pause

"Deal?" the guard finally asked

"Yes," Vin said "Tell hiive hiuard's response, since it was si away, but without tin, she couldn't tell

Eventually, however, the guard returned Ruin watched her, curious, as the door unlocked and then opened The customary troop of soldiers stood outside

"Come with us"

As Vin entered Yomen's audience chamber, she was immediately struck by the differences in the ard than he had the last ti without sleep

Buthe's Mistborn, Vin thought with confusion That ue out of his eyes

Why doesn't he? Unlesshe can't burn it Unless there's only one ht that there was no such thing as an atiu that the Lord Ruler perpetuated a lot of misinformation to keep himself in control and in power She had to learn to sto1p depending on what she'd been told was true, and focus on the facts as she found theuards surrounding her She could read the expectation of a trick in his eyes--yet, as always, he waited for her to act first Hovering very close to the edge of danger see her standing in the middle of the room

"No manacles?" she asked

"No," Youards tell me that you've offered information"

"I have"

"Well," Yo you to me if they even so much as suspected a trick Apparently, they didn't believe your pleas that you want to deal I wonder why" He raised an eyebroard her