6dc5455c____The_Coppermind___17th_Shard__Entry
[Chapter] 71 [Entry] 
There is something special about the number sixteen. For one thing, it was Preservation's sign to mankind. Preservation knew, even before he imprisoned Ruin, that he wouldn't be able to communicate with humankind once he diminished himself. And so, he left clues—clues that couldn't be altered by Ruin. Clues that related back to the fundamental laws of the universe. The number was meant to be proof that something unnatural was happening, and that there was help to be found. It may have taken us long to figure this out, but when we eventually did understand the clue—late though it was—it provided a much-needed boost. As for the other aspects of the number . . . well, even I am still investigating that. Suffice it to say that it has great ramifications regarding how the world, and the universe itself, works.
The Hero of Ages/Epigraphs - The Coppermind - 17th Shard
Entry