When addressing Faen as "Teacher," Syndra's eyes trembled visibly. She was clearly worried about whether Faen would respond to her. Or rather, even now, Syndra still felt that the events of yesterday were like a dream.
Meeting Syndra's gaze and sensing her timid look, Faen smiled gently. "Let's begin your training. We'll start with meditation."
Hearing this, the worry that had clouded Syndra's face vanished at a visible rate. The speed at which she went from cloudy to sunny was surprisingly joyful. Meeting Faen's gaze, Syndra nodded emphatically, "Mhm!!"
Seeing Syndra's reaction, Faen nodded and then led her onto the path of cultivation within the Dreaming Pool.
According to Faen's observations, although the young Syndra before him would be influenced by the adult Syndra—the one who had merged with Ionia's darkness—the impact was currently extremely weak. It couldn't directly twist the young Syndra's will. Of course, this wasn't because the young Syndra had an iron will, but rather due to the isolation provided by the Dreaming Pool.
Perhaps the original intent behind the Dreaming Pool's seal was that the Spirit of Ionia hoped to use the dreamscape to reform the hatred and regrets deep within Syndra's heart, thereby suppressing the spread of darkness within her.
Unfortunately, over the past few millennia, there had been almost zero progress. Without external intervention, the predicament Syndra faced in her childhood was essentially unsolvable.
If even her parents, who loved their child, felt repulsed by Syndra due to Ionia's darkness, what more could be expected from others?
Now, Faen was involved. Although he had successfully prevented the incident that triggered Syndra's fall, he knew very well that the true crisis lay ahead. As she grew, Syndra would face more temptations. This meant the adult Syndra would be able to influence the young Syndra's mind from more dimensions. If not handled well, the consequences of this influence could be even more severe than her childhood trauma.
With this in mind, after completing her introduction to dark magic, Faen took Syndra away from the isolated village and began to venture into the ancient era of Ionia.
As expected of the Dreaming Pool, being inside it, Faen could clearly experience the living environment and cultural customs of the Ionian people from hundreds of years ago—which were almost indistinguishable from those hundreds of years later.
During their first five years in the Dreaming Pool, Faen traveled with Syndra to various remote and uninhabited parts of Ionia. Faen's goal during this process was simple: to get Syndra out of that high-pressure environment. Before she could control and understand her abilities, she needed to minimize contact with ordinary people in the outside world, who were easily affected by her dark aura. This would prevent her from suffering collective cold violence and developing paranoid emotions. At the same time, a stable environment was conducive to Faen cultivating trust with the young Syndra.
Years flew by like the snap of a finger. Syndra grew from an ignorant, petite little girl into a graceful, blooming young woman.
Looking at Faen's face, which had remained almost entirely unchanged, Syndra asked curiously, "Teacher, Teacher, why do you look like you haven't aged at all?"
"Aging is merely a manifestation of declining bodily functions," Faen replied with a light chuckle. "As long as you use your mana and spiritual power to nourish yourself, the speed of your body's vitality recovery will always outpace the speed of aging. Naturally, a person won't grow old."
Hearing Faen's words, Syndra blinked, a look of joy entering her eyes as she said, "Does that mean Teacher will never grow old and can watch me grow up forever?"
"Yes, but I won't be the only person in your life." Hearing Syndra's words, Faen smiled gently and shook his head. "Lately, you should have been able to vaguely sense the power within your body, right?"
Syndra nodded, a serious look appearing on her brow. "I feel it! Just like Teacher said, it's restless inside my body and mind. Although I haven't unleashed the power within it yet, every time I release mana, that dark power merges with it. It amplifies the destructive power of the magic, and even... affects people's minds."
As she spoke, a trace of gloom appeared in Syndra's eyes.
Although a very, very long time had passed, it was clear that the current Syndra was still saddened by the harsh treatment she received in her childhood.
While living with Faen over the past few years had relaxed Syndra significantly, whenever she thought of the past, it made her feel lost and powerless, as if she had been abandoned by the entire world...
Your teacher is only using you.
An inexplicable voice echoed in the depths of Syndra's heart, instantly making her tense up.
Ever since this voice had appeared in her mind a few months ago, Syndra had felt deeply worried more than once. She didn't know where the voice came from, nor could she understand why it appeared in her heart.
Before this, Syndra had wanted to talk to her teacher about this problem on more than one occasion, but every time the words reached her lips, she would involuntarily fall silent. The reason was that even Syndra herself didn't know if this was the power of dark magic or her own true feelings...
Now, sensing Syndra's hesitation, the darkness slowly continued, "He is only coveting your power. He will restrict your talent—whether you are willing or not—because he wants to control your future, grooming you into a weapon and a slave that belongs solely to him..."
While Syndra was still bewildered about where this voice came from and how she should react, Faen, who had been standing nearby, broke his silence after a moment and said, "Syndra, moving forward, I may need to restrict your power and talent."
"...Huh?"
Hearing Faen's words, a look of confusion, as well as a hidden tension and dismay, appeared on Syndra's face. She was worried—worried that Faen was turning into the kind of person described by the voice in her heart.
Noticing the expression on Syndra's face, Faen wasn't the least bit surprised. He could only say that the adult, dark Syndra was being a bit too reliant on her "experience."