I never said it was the body - that sounds absurd to me too. But I didn't specify how Rand will be used to seal the Bore because I still don't have a solid idea coming to me.

I was convinced Rand will actually live after TG. I always thought he'd be in a new body, and he'd end up in some little valley with a girl and a cottage. I know, i know...

If Rand does live on, then his "soul" can't really be used to seal the Bore either, though. It would surely be "gone" or "part of the Wheel again" if that were the case, and I think Rand is indistinguishable from the Dragon, so Rand must go if the Dragon's Soul is used to seal the Bore.

The symbols, however, lend a little more credence to my original (body-less) idea. Min's early visions of the gang - which I loved - were of fireflies casting themselves into the darkness.

It might be more than colorful language: I think the souls of the good are very much Light. Does anyone really think TG can be won by the Dragon Reborn standing in lone opposition to Shaitan while everyone else either hides or ignores the LB? I think as many good folks as possible have to be there - like the EF gang when men and women, young and old, fought side by side for survival and kicked the Shadow's ass. Isn't the Wheel practically forcing all the disparate elements to work together? Even Whitecloaks will be there! But TG, as the unraveling of reality itself, is way worse than Perrin's hometown war, and the WC can't sit this one out.

Everybody contributes their little portion of Light, and I think it's in more than mere good deeds. Their belief itself is something that hurts the Shadow, or can be used against it. They might be "throwing themselves at the Shadow" as if there very souls were Moiraine's weave of fire going right into the Black Wind. It's not a firefly suicide mission - overwhelming and "covering up" the dark might be the way that victory will happen. Of course, that starts to sound like a lame ending that might be more fitting for "The Dark Crystal," but I'm getting closer to a non-stupid way to make these ideas more hands-on.

Lots of little things in the story - like the dreams that suggested - and even the fragments of prophecy, iirc - say that Rand will die and the world will be thrilled. They'd sure be happy if his death itself was what cast the DO away "forever" - it all just sounds like Rand will get used up to finish the LB.

And Alivia's role in that starts to get easier to guess at. She won't "help Rand die" be killing Lanfear as she's quietly about to BF Rand. Alivia can't do it by healing Rand, by saving Nynaeve/Elayne/X from something.

Someone like Alivia - she's a quick learner with unbelievable Power (maybe more than Rand, right?). What's that best for? Putting Rand in some kind of "bubble" that his Power can't break out of? Yes. Severing him, even while he's full of OP and channeling his heart out? Yes. I like either one of those options, but being cut off - returning Rand even more to the state he was in before all this mess started - that sounds like it fits the theme just fine.

Maybe Rand will have to be near to burning out and "cast his Light" into the Bore (or its vicinity). Alivia might be the one person who really cuts him off and keeps the DO from spreading into creation. Not Rand's body, please remember... Even though the corruption is clearly in his body too...

Or Rand might turn himself into a "vacuum" for the True Power. TP and OP destroy each other, and letting themselves destroy each other within "him" might be a way to really screw the DO up. If he manages to turn the draw on Shaitan and the destruction of him (Rand would be like his own Cleansing tube and SL at the same time), then he could turn himself into a little matter/antimatter bomb. Alivia helps "direct" this whole thing towards the Thinness, or contains Rand in a super-shield. Through magical/sciencey bs, that just might work. =)

It's hard to write this all out properly, but these are my impressions. I find some support in the symbolism and themes, etc, that I've read in this long story.

And over and over again, we read "Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of Time." If the Wheel is Time, then there's no more fitting departure for him than to "go into the Wheel," his soul riding through the soul-weaving of Time itself.