I just offed Alduin again in my current playthru, and I got to thinking... We do see the "absorption winds" but they're going skyward.

What if Shor absorbed Alduin? He'd have the power to reset the world when his endeavor was done, or if things went to crap (like, say, the Thalmor get too far along with trying to unmake the wheel, spring "SURPRISE Reset button, try again next kalpa, knife-ears!").