Hearing Faen's words, a look of profound interest surfaced in Syndra's eyes. She didn't say anything more; she just stared at Faen quietly for a while. A moment later, a playful glint appeared in her eyes as she said: "Oh? Bestowed the Twin Dragon Mark by Karma, yet now you have a bone to pick with the Temple of the Long-Standing?"
"Times have changed, but there is always a group of stubborn fools clinging to the past." Faced with Syndra's playful teasing, Faen's face remained largely expressionless. He didn't take offense, simply nodding as he continued:
"The coming era will be a vast, prolonged age of strife. Both Karma and I believe that in this era, Ionia will inevitably face the unmasked malice of the other city-states of Runeterra. Therefore, we wish for Ionia's darkness, war, strife, and other such emotions to return, allowing Ionia to face this coming age with a clearer mind."
Hearing Faen's explanation, a flash of surprise crossed Syndra's eyes. As an Ionian, and as the embodiment of Ionia's darkness itself, no one in this era understood better than Syndra just how terrified and repulsed Ionians were by any thoughts related to darkness.
After a brief silence, the playfulness on Syndra's face faded bit by bit. She looked at Faen with cold indifference and said calmly: "When Ionia didn't need darkness, you sealed me in the Dreaming Pool, forcing me to repeat the agonies of my past in an endless nightmare. Now that you need darkness, you want to release me, and you demand my selfless assistance as a fellow Ionian?"
Syndra let out a cold laugh. "Don't you find that utterly ridiculous?"
"To be honest, I think so too." Hearing this, Faen shook his head with a sigh. "Actually, I'm a prophet."
"A prophet?" Syndra raised an eyebrow with keen interest. A thoughtful look appeared in her eyes as she clearly began to review Faen's words and actions from earlier, as well as his reactions when interacting with her younger self.
While Syndra was thinking, Faen didn't stay idle. He continued his methodical explanation: "Although the futures I can see are mostly fragmented and incomplete, by linking these fragments together and combining them with intelligence gathered in the Material Realm, I can roughly piece together a picture of the future. And within that mosaic of fragments, I saw war."
"This war will sweep across every inch of Ionia. All of Ionia will face impending destruction in the flames of war. And even if we win the war, the undisguised malice from the other city-states of Runeterra will permanently alter the Spirit Realm of the Ionian people."
Shrugging his shoulders, Faen looked at Syndra and said: "But as you know, even a profession like 'prophet' faces all sorts of restrictions in Ionia. A significant group of old fools think my thoughts and words are too extreme. Not only do they refuse to listen or prepare, they even double down on treating the Noxians with kindness, hoping to 'reform' them with Ionia's traditional culture. They've also been constantly delaying my Master's assessment, even though my skills met the standard long ago, even surpassing theirs."
"Hah, then why do you even listen to them?" Hearing this, Syndra stared at Faen for a while.
Although Syndra gave off an aura of madness, she actually knew exactly what she represented. Thousands of years of imprisonment had caused the hatred in her heart to grow exponentially, but it had also made her realize why the Ionians feared her so much.
They had both suffered betrayal from Ionia. Although their identities and circumstances were entirely different, it didn't stop Syndra from being curious about how Faen—who had also suffered from traditional prejudice—viewed the Ionia of today.
As they spoke, Syndra seemed to remember something and let out a light laugh. She then said leisurely: "Since you also despise the Temple of the Long-Standing, why are you carrying out Karma's orders? How about this..."
A smile rose on her lips. Syndra's figure suddenly vanished, reappearing right in front of Faen, their eyes meeting.
"Release me, and we can rule Ionia together."
Resting her finger on Faen's chest, Syndra paid no mind to his calm expression. She simply looked into his eyes and said: "While I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this Primordial Demon, or why Karma would take such a massive risk to give a demon apostle the Twin Dragon Mark... Regardless, since you have the demon's approval, the emotions it represents are useful to you..."
"And all I need is the Darkness of Ionia. Where that darkness comes from, or what those negative emotions represent, doesn't matter to me. If we join hands, both the process and the result will be far better than dealing with Karma and those fickle hypocrites at the Temple, right?"
"I think I'll pass." Hearing this, Faen waved his hand and said: "I think the Karma of this era is pretty great. There's no need to make deals with the devil."
Hearing Faen compare allying with her to making a deal with the devil, Syndra smiled. Although she didn't seem to care, the tendrils of darkness creeping out into the surrounding environment clearly proved her mood wasn't as pleasant as it appeared.
"So, you intend to make an enemy of me too?" Syndra asked.
To this, Faen simply shook his head. He pointed toward a specific quiet spot and said calmly: "Not an enemy. Although you are Syndra, you are not complete. When the Spirit of Ionia sealed you in the Dreaming Pool, it also stripped away the pure and beautiful parts of your soul, to prevent you from being entirely corrupted by darkness during this long imprisonment."
"And in the Spirit Realm, the development of all things follows the deepest, most primal desires of a person's spirit. While I'm not exactly sure how to do it yet, I am going to make that Syndra happy."
Hearing Faen's words, the adult Syndra's eyebrows twitched. A moment later, she burst into roaring laughter: "Alright! Excellent! Then let's see you try! Do not forget, even within the Spirit Realm, darkness and Syndra remain inextricably linked!"
As she spoke, the adult Syndra suddenly dissipated. The scene before his eyes blurred. When Faen opened his eyes again, he was met with the worry-filled gaze of the young Syndra.
"Teacher? Are you okay?"