It is. It's been like that for hundreds of years. No one knows exactly how it got started because history books were the first to be--taken care of.

[but the various places she's visited, some had old books about various subjects squirreled away and Ajei told her to read them, so she'd know what had been and what was worth fighting to get back.

earnestly] I am. I know that how things are, they're not how things were. But [she looks troubled] the world needs saved first.