The scryers burst into the chamber, their eyes wide with fear and frustration, their Binding Charms raised. But they were too late.
The air in the cave solidified into a visible, shimmering wall of pure, unstable Aether. Kaelen had reached the final stage of the Dimensional Lock. The seven-layered rune circle began to spin and pulse, the power of the Codex of Echoes acting as the perfect, silent engine.
The scryers stopped dead, their magical instincts screaming at the catastrophic risk of entering a fully established dimensional rift. They could see Kaelen and Elara, frozen in the center, but the space between was a swirling tempest of destabilized reality.
"Stop the ritual! By order of Prince Valerius!" the lead scryer shouted, but the sound was already being distorted by the collapsing space.
Kaelen opened his eyes. They were luminous with the sheer volume of Aether he held. He looked at Elara, offering a small, grateful nod—the acknowledgment of her successful defense.
With a final, shattering surge of energy, Kaelen completed the Transfiguration. The floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber, along with Kaelen, Elara, and the Codex, tore free from the reality of the Sunstone Caves.
The scryers watched in horror as the entire chamber—a large, geometric slice of the mountain—vanished with a soundless, sucking pop. Where the chamber once stood, there was now only solid, undisturbed rock face. The Dimensional Lock had sealed the entrance instantly and perfectly.
Elara gasped, opening her eyes.
They were standing in the exact same chamber, but everything was different. The air was cool and utterly silent. The light was soft, emanating not from the geothermal vents, but from the pale, ambient glow of the chamber itself.
There were no vents, no dust, no sound of wind—only the smooth, seamless obsidian walls of the Varr Pocket Dimension. The space felt timeless and infinite, a void where reality was suspended.
Kaelen, now free from the ritual, collapsed with exhaustion, the Echo Guard fading to nothing. He was completely spent, but alive, and safe.
"We are here," Kaelen whispered, staring at the smooth, silent ceiling. "The Varr Pocket Dimension. An absolute, unreadable shield against Valerius and the entire Kingdom of Eldoria."
He looked at the Codex of Echoes, now resting on the silent floor. "Valerius will assume I either died in the magical blast or vanished into the Wastes. He will initiate the political purge, assuming the Archmage is defenseless."
Elara looked around the silent, endless space. They were alone, separated from their world by an insurmountable magical barrier.
"How long do we stay here?" she asked.
Kaelen slowly pulled himself to sit beside the Codex. He placed his hand on the obsidian scroll.
"As long as it takes to master the Codex. We have broken the timeline, Elara, and survived the consequences. We are no longer defending; we are preparing. We will emerge from this void with a power Valerius cannot possibly anticipate."
Kaelen looked at the silent Codex, his face illuminated by the faint, soft glow of the ancient artifact. "Our war is paused, but not over. We learn the past of my ancestors so we may forge a new future."