Within the span of an hour, the crisis stabilized. The Crimson Cloaks, now loyal to the political stability of the kingdom rather than the traitorous King, secured Valerius and began communicating with the few remaining independent nobles.
Kaelen stood on the steps of the central fountain, the Codex of Echoes resting at his feet, the Mass-Scryer Rune finally fading to a gentle, pervasive glow. He was still exhausted, but the exhaustion was tinged with relief. The kingdom was safe, but the political future was a chaotic, empty page.
"The civil war is averted," Elara said, standing beside him, her shoulders slumped with fatigue. "The truth won. The timeline is completely rewritten. You survived the purge, prevented the war, and exposed the tyrant."
Kaelen looked out at the crowds cautiously emerging from the alleys, drawn by the incredible light display and the subsequent silence. They were confused, but beginning to understand.
"We did," Kaelen agreed, placing his hand on the obsidian scroll. "The Varr lineage was never meant to rule with a scepter, but with knowledge. The Codex holds the blueprints for a stable future, not a political one."
He picked up the scroll and turned to Elara. "You are the co-architect of this survival, Elara. You provided the necessary foresight when my power failed, and the anchor when my mind shattered. The Obsidian Line survives not just through my magic, but through your history."
Kaelen looked toward the horizon, where the Northern Wastes began.
"Valerius's purge has eliminated the corrupt old guard, but it has left a vacuum. I will not take the throne, but I must ensure the next King—a council, perhaps—is installed with the guidance of the Codex. The magic of Eldoria needs a stable infrastructure, not an absolute ruler."
He smiled, a genuine, tired expression. "We have reversed time, mastered forbidden magic, destroyed a king, and survived the consequences. What does the book say happens next?"
Elara smiled back, the anxiety finally draining from her eyes. "The book ends here, Kaelen. This is the moment the narrative you lived and the narrative I read diverge completely. This is the New Timeline."
"Good," Kaelen said, hefting the Codex. "Then we begin writing."
He took Elara's hand. Their path was no longer dictated by the fatalism of prophecy, but by the conscious decisions of an Archmage and a historian. They turned their backs on the chaos of the Square and began to walk toward the palace, ready to guide Eldoria into its new, uncertain future.