Hi all! First time poster so please forgive the inevitable repeat/regurgitation of questions already dealt with on the forum... My question is pretty basic: for how many cycles has the last battle (i.e., specifically a battle involving the wheel's champion) taken place? It's been a major point of confusion for me and a big part of that confusion is sewn by what Ishamael says (and whether we can believe him at all or even partially) to Lews and later Rand. (And for reference yes I have read the full series though only once and didn't exactly take notes...:) On one hand, the only things as book readers that we actually observe is that (1) after the DO is given access to the pattern via the bore, Ishamael and Lews battle. And (2) then...3000 years later the soul of Lews (named Dragon in the Age of Legends) is reborn and fights Ishy a second time. It's heavily implied through the books and mostly by Ishy that the battle takes place again and again but...does it? And when? Before the Bore? How did it transpire in that case...could the DO have an actual champion before the Bore? It just doesn't make sense. The only other thing I can see is that the "battle" might be broadened to include other kinds of skirmishes that happen over and over again but those don't involve the "dragon" or do they? My best guess is that this was the idea RJ was wanting to convey but never fully fleshed out anything concrete beyond what occurs in the Age and Legends and in the current day. I look forward to be enlightened and thank you for reading!