@emdeesee @DialMforMara
To me it seems like truly defeating Alduin should also heal the time wound, so my interpretation is that it's *not* ultimate defeat.

Personally, I suspect that when the Dragonborn dies, all those dragon souls will be released... and that until then the Dragonborn who has absorbed Alduin's soul probably has within herself the power to be the destroyer of the world if she so chooses.