The news of Valerius's ascension shattered the silence of the Varr Pocket Dimension. The stakes had just multiplied exponentially. They were no longer fighting a prince; they were fighting a newly crowned, consolidating King.
"The timeframe is critical," Elara analyzed, counting the consumed rations. "We've been here perhaps four or five months. Valerius would have used that time to eliminate all remaining political opposition and seize all the Varr assets."
Kaelen, fueled by renewed determination, returned to the Codex of Echoes. The time for subtle training was over; he needed to master the high-level, offensive magic necessary to challenge a King.
He focused on the chapter following the Echo Weave: Temporal Foresight—the most powerful, non-chaotic form of precognition in the Varr arsenal. It allowed the caster to project a precise, controllable awareness into the immediate future.
"Temporal Foresight gives me the ability to see Valerius's next move before he even conceives it," Kaelen explained. "It relies on absolute stillness of mind. The dimension is the perfect place to master it."
The ritual was intensely difficult. Kaelen had to separate a part of his consciousness and launch it forward in time, a process that felt like being stretched across a wire.
He spent the next three cycles in this excruciating effort. When he finally achieved success, the sensation was less a vision and more a sudden, cold certainty.
He sat bolt upright, his breath catching in his throat.
"I saw it," Kaelen declared, his voice firm, echoing in the quiet void. "Valerius's greatest mistake, the cornerstone of his eventual downfall, is already laid. He seized the throne, but he cannot sustain his power without two key things: the Royal Scepter and the Sunstone Aether Bank."
"The Scepter is the symbol of the King's authority," Elara said. "But the Sunstone Bank? That was our family's primary financial holding."
"It's more than financial," Kaelen revealed. "The Sunstone Aether Bank holds a residual charge from the original Archmage's elemental forge—a continuous, low-level power source that stabilizes the entire capital's Aether Grid. Valerius is draining it to fund his military expansion. If it runs dry, the city's magical infrastructure—and his political stability—will collapse."
"If we sabotage the Bank, we cripple his power and his finances simultaneously," Elara concluded, seeing the path to victory laid out clearly.
Kaelen picked up his Staff and the Codex. His eyes held the cold, calculating look of the master he had become.
"Our training is complete, Elara. I am ready. I have the power, and you have the knowledge of his weakness. We have less than a month before Valerius completely drains the Bank. We exit the void now, and we take the fight directly to the capital."
Kaelen stood in the center of the silent chamber, ready to reverse the Dimensional Lock. Their time in the void was over. The Archmage was returning to challenge the King.