Kaelen and Elara made the treacherous, silent journey back to the Sunstone Caves, taking advantage of the darkness and the still-active Ironwood dampening field that confused any distant tracking.
Once inside the geothermal shelter, Kaelen moved quickly. He pulled the Codex of Echoes from its hidden vent. This time, he didn't study it; he used it.
"The Codex is connected to the Varr family's main Aether Storage Bank—a massive, generational reservoir of raw magic," Kaelen explained, placing the obsidian scroll directly onto the most powerful geothermal vent. "By placing the Codex on a primary energy nexus like this vent, I can force the stored Aether of the Varr lineage to flow into my core."
He placed his hands on the scroll, closing his eyes. The geothermal energy of the cave, amplified by the Codex, surged into Kaelen's body. The process was not comfortable—it was a painful, accelerated recharge that felt like being struck by lightning multiple times.
Kaelen endured the forced influx of Aether for over an hour, his body shaking with the sheer volume of power. He was preparing his core for the single, overwhelming release required for the Phase Shunt Rune.
Finally, he pulled his hands away, breathless but radiating an undeniable aura of Blue Rank power—fully restored to his Peak.
"We have enough Aether," Kaelen confirmed, his voice now strong and resonant. "But we cannot fight the Executor here. The Cave walls are too brittle, and the collapse would bury the Codex. We must lure the Executor back to a more stable location, one that gives us the necessary line-of-sight for the Phase Shunt and the space to implement the 1.7-second timing."
Elara considered the terrain they had crossed. "The only suitable place is the Weeping Stone Crossing. The riverbed is dry, giving a flat, open arena, and the distance to the surrounding cover is perfect."
Kaelen nodded grimly. The site of Gideon's demise was about to become the site of their final, terrifying gambit.
"The Executor will be sent to the Crag first, detect the absence of the magical signature, and then backtrack to the last known point of significant Aether activity—which was the Temporal Echo Rune's launch," Kaelen predicted. "That path leads directly to the Weeping Stone Crossing."
He rolled up the Codex of Echoes and secured it within the warded satchel. He stood, meeting Elara's gaze.
"This is the end of the offensive phase, Elara. We have the Codex, the Echo Guard defense, and the knowledge of the Phase Shunt. Now, we prepare for the battle where timing is the only weapon."
They moved out of the Sunstone Caves, heading south toward the dry riverbed, the final, desperate arena for their conflict with Prince Valerius's machine of execution.