Ok, so we all know the catechism at the opening of tEotW, the Creator creates the Wheel and the Pattern and simultaneously the Dark One comes into existence outside them. The DO is a.. by product I suppose. This would insinuate that the dark one is in essence connected and necessary to the turning of the Wheel, whether he is outright touching the Pattern or not. We also know that Morridin is sternly against the idea of killing the DO after Rand says: tGS chap. 15: "I mean to kill him. Slay the Dark One. Let the Wheel turn without his constant taint." Morridin insists frankly that it is an entirely stupid idea. He doesn't scoff and say that it's impossible. This seems to imply that doing so wouldn't even be beneficial. Taking this idea into account it would return Rand to the initial plan that the Hundred Companions pioneered (as far as this Age Lace goes) of resealing the Bore. The next important passage occurs a few chapters later. tGS chap. 22: "Lews Therin! Rand snapped in his mind. What do we do? How did you seal the Bore last time? It didn't work, Lews Therin whispered. We used saidin, but we touched it to the Dark One. It was the only way! Something has to touch him, something to close the gap, but he was able to taint it. The seal was weak! Yes, but what do we do differently? Rand thought." Rand's final ruminations here seem to foreshadow the significance of this plan, however, the final thought points to an alteration in the plan being the goal. My theory, therefore, is that Rand could use the True Power to seal the DO within his prison. After the Semhirage debacle in tGS, we know that Rand potentially can touch the TP (despite Morridin claiming sole dominion over it and that the DO usually has to grant the right). At another point, LTT laments not having female Aes Sedai originally with him to make a proper circle (couldn't find the quote, sorry), however, I would also posit that the DO can and would be able to counterstrike and taint any source brought into contact with him. Thus saidin and saidar are not safe. In this way, if Rand seals the Bore, the DO can only taint himself, as the TP is an extension of his own power/himself. This would result in one of two situations, presumably: 1) The taint is a reaction the DO can't control, and his True Power is damaged, thus creating a vicious circle of the DO tainting himself constantly. 2) The DO knows not to taint the TP, but is regardless trapped in his prison again. This leads to a question of will Rand personally suffer regardless, and this then steps into the realms of however one owuld like to interpret his "blood on the rocks" bit (his own blood from his wounds, his death, the Aeil's blood- creating the remnanat of a remnant- etc.) At this point it is pertinent to note whether his plan would require that all the Forsaken (probably the last with the ability to touch the True Power, and thus find an break the patch on the Bore) be killed. Can the DO, while fully trapped, grant the use of the TP? This becomes an important question. And if not, then once he is imprisoned, would Morridin retain the ability only (as he has been the Forsaken with the right, since chap. 13-Winter's Heart)? This also assumes that Morridin is alive after the battle. So besides an twist on a possible method, why is this significant? Simple. This solution ensures that the DO remains in existence to, whatever, retain the balance of the Pattern. However, he is also contained from ever breaching his prison now, as the Bore is sealed in such a way that it cannot be detected by those who can channel. This means the DO can't influence the Pattern the way he can now (as in, at the end of tGS, evil bubbles, buildings moving, etc? “RJ: No...every Age is repeated, there is nothing that makes this Age any different from any other Turnings of the Wheel. The Wheel is endless." RJ has stated before that the Wheel is endless and that the Ages repeat, however, only in vague structure, they are not identical by any means. He is saying the structures never change. Evidenced by RJ's admittance that: "RJ: He [Fain] is unique to this particular Age." Thus, the radical idea comes that the struggle between entities will always resemble each other, regardless of the DO. The cycle of the prison, the Bore, the Dragon, the sealing, the resurfaceing, the Dragon Reborn, etc. is even too specific. As a final thought, it is also mentioned at various times that the intervening Ages from the DO's prison breach to the sealing of the Bore elapse so that people can forget the DO, and thus it would start again. This is mentioned often, memorably by Herid Fel in chap. 18 of LoC: “No one remembers the Dark One or his prison. No one remembers." If a way to prolong the memory of the Dark One and the threat he put on the entire world were able to be preserved it would seem a useful tool. Excitingly, this too is possible, with the resurgence of ter’angreal creation through Elayne/Egwene/Nynaeve. Structures similar to the glass arches in Rhuidean that contain the memory of the Aeil’s flight into the Three-fold Land could be replicated in various places to prolong the memory of the horror of the Dark One, yet not detail the exact means of his imprisonment, simply to deter over-zealous fanatics. The LAST Battle it may be for the DO.