The Hero of Ages

Vin, realizing that the person in the cache with her can’t actually be Reen, grows suspicious. She tests him with emotional Allomancy, but it has no effect, which rules out the possibility of him being a kandra. She then attacks, only for him to evade her with Mistborn-level agility. Despite her efforts, the impostor continues to act like her brother. She then notices that the Allomantic pulses coming from the figure feel like those that come from the Well of Ascension, and she realizes that the figure is a manifestation of Ruin.

Ruin reveals that it has always been with her, as it was the source of the inner voice she had always attributed to her brother. It claims to be an inherent part of the world, necessary for balance, as destruction allows for new growth. Vin tries to reject its reasoning, insisting that the world’s end is unnecessary. Ruin counters that endings are inevitable. Ruin is neither moral nor immoral; it merely fulfills its purpose.

Breeze, Sazed, and Allrianne wait for Spook to return. They speculate on how he managed his dramatic escape, and Sazed notes that he may have somehow become Mistborn, though they are unsure how.