The journey back to the Sunstone Caves was slow and cautious. Kaelen was recovering from the Phase Shunt's energy drain, and Elara remained vigilant for any sign of Valerius's final, desperate attempt to confirm Kaelen's demise. The destruction of the Executor, while tactically brilliant, would send the Prince into a state of calculated paranoia.
Once inside the geothermal shelter, the reality of the next ritual set in. The Dimensional Lock was the highest-level Transfiguration spell in the Varr arsenal—a technique used only by the Archmage in times of absolute existential threat. It required four continuous days of Aether infusion and absolute, uninterrupted concentration.
"The Lock is designed to displace a fixed area of reality," Kaelen explained, using his Staff to draw an intricate, seven-layered circle on the cave floor. "We are isolating this chamber and transporting it into the Varr Pocket Dimension—a space where time and Aether flow differently. It's safe, but utterly empty."
"The Codex of Echoes must be the anchor," Kaelen continued, placing the obsidian scroll at the center of the array. "It is the only object with enough stored Varr lineage Aether to stabilize the dimensional fabric."
Elara's role was now more critical than ever. Kaelen would be unable to move, speak, or defend himself for four days.
"You must maintain the perimeter, Elara," Kaelen instructed, his voice low and serious. "The ritual will create a massive, controlled siphon of Aether from the geothermal vents. The resulting disturbance will be an unmissable beacon to Valerius's remaining scrying specialists. He will send them here."
"I am Zero Rank; I have no magic," Elara stated, recognizing the impossible task.
"Your strength is prediction," Kaelen countered. "I need you to use the small, mundane tools we salvaged: the Smoke Potions and the Flare Runes from the lodge. We need to create diversions that misdirect Valerius's scryers, buying me time. He will be looking for a final magical struggle here."
Kaelen began the initial stages of the Lock—a soft, pervasive hum filling the chamber as he began the controlled siphon of the Sunstone Caves' raw energy. He positioned himself at the center of the rune circle, closing his eyes, committing his entire consciousness to the complex, temporal geometry of the Dimensional Lock.
Elara moved to the cave entrance. The outside world was now their enemy. She knew exactly which two passes Valerius's scryers would monitor, thanks to her memory of the novel's final, failed assault on the Archmage's hidden base.
She planted the small, improvised Flare Runes—simple, motion-activated devices—at the entrances to the two most obvious escape routes, knowing that the resulting flash would momentarily divert any scryer's focus, allowing her to buy critical seconds of concealment for Kaelen.
The clock began its four-day, relentless count down. Kaelen was frozen, radiating a massive, yet controlled, energy surge. Elara was alone, armed only with her foresight and a few mundane distractions, standing guard over the ultimate arcane retreat.