The city's sudden shift from tyrannical oppression to chaotic freedom was immediate and profound. King Valerius, stunned and defeated by the undeniable evidence of the Mass-Scryer Rune, was confined to the Royal Dungeons, guarded by his former Crimson Cloaks. The city's Aether Grid was still unstable, flickering erratically, forcing the use of ancient, non-magical lighting and heating systems.
Kaelen, utterly drained but functionally stable, used his remaining authority—the Codex of Echoes—to organize the transition. He did not seek to rule; his goal was stability and the dismantling of the systems Valerius had put in place.
"The greatest danger now is the power vacuum," Kaelen stated to Elara, as they stood in the silent, ornate Royal Library, now their temporary command center. "The independent nobles are fractured, and the Collegium is corrupt. We need a political solution rooted in knowledge, not bloodline."
Kaelen enacted his first official decree as the interim Archmage-Regent: the formation of the Council of Governance. This council would be composed of the highest-ranking, untainted members of the government—primarily the head of the Royal Treasury (who had opposed Valerius's draining of the Bank), the most loyal general of the Royal Guard, and the veteran leader of the reformed Crimson Cloaks.
"The Codex will be the foundation of this new governance," Kaelen declared, setting the scroll on a velvet pedestal. "It contains not just spells, but the pure legal and historical records of Eldoria's founding, untainted by centuries of political manipulation."
Elara's role became essential. She was appointed the Scribe of the Council, the only person besides Kaelen with full access to the Codex's historical data. She meticulously cross-referenced Kaelen's decrees with the true historical narrative from the novel, ensuring every decision was equitable and long-sighted.
The immediate priorities were clear:
Stabilize the Aether Grid: Kaelen would personally lead the repair of the Sunstone Aether Bank, using the pure, controlled Transfiguration methods he mastered in the void.
Re-establish the Royal Line: They would seek out the most suitable, untainted candidate from the extended royal family—a process that required extensive Temporal Scrying to verify their political neutrality.
Purge the Collegium: Kaelen had to systematically dismantle the corrupted structures of the magical academy that had supported Valerius.
"This is not a clean victory, Elara," Kaelen admitted, looking through the library window at the flickering, dark city. "This is just the end of the beginning. The New Timeline needs laws and infrastructure, and the Codex is the only honest foundation we have."