Hearing Faen's explanation of the future, a trace of helplessness appeared on Ryze's face. But overall, it wasn't too bad. After all, he was still young—just a "kid" over a hundred years old. He still had plenty of drive for the future and hadn't developed any numbness toward pain and disaster. He still firmly believed in his ability to change all this suffering.
With this in mind, Ryze looked at Faen curiously and said, "Although you probably already know, I'll introduce myself anyway. My name is Ryze. I come from the former Blessed Isles. Now, I'm a Rune Mage currently on vacation."
Hearing this, Faen extended his hand for a handshake and said, "Faen. From the Placidium in the Navori province of Ionia. Practitioner of the War Dance style. Right now, I'm traveling with my student, teaching her how to master her own potential."
Upon hearing Faen's introduction, Ryze cast a curious glance at Syndra, who was standing beside Faen. Previously, his attention had been entirely focused on Faen's prophecies. Now that he focused on Syndra, Ryze quickly noticed some peculiarities.
Staring at Syndra for a moment, Ryze pointed at her and said, "This child... she seems a bit unusual? In the manifestation of her power."
Hearing Ryze's words, Syndra shrank back uneasily behind Faen. A look of anxiety and dismay surfaced in her large, dark eyes. Seeing this, Faen placed his hand on Syndra's shoulder. The warmth radiating from his broad palm helped Syndra relax slightly; her body wasn't as tense as before, and her mind eased up a bit.
With that, Faen said, "Syndra was chosen by a power native to Ionia itself. This power is immense and terrifying, intimately connected to every Ionian. However, precisely because of this, the very nature of this magic is extremely polarized. Right now, I'm trying to find a way for Syndra to master this power."
Hearing Faen's explanation, Ryze seemed to realize something. He looked at Syndra again, then after a moment, looked down at his own arms.
Although the current Ryze wasn't actively releasing his power, the energy of runic magic was already deeply carved into his body and soul. Others might not understand what Faen meant, but Ryze knew better than anyone that magic itself possesses its own consciousness. And the closer one gets to the origin of that magic, the stronger that consciousness becomes.
Having traveled across Runeterra for over a hundred years, the current Ryze might not look as perpetually burdened by bitter hatred as he would in the future lore, but this was actually the peak of his physical and mental vitality. The Ryze of a millennia later would be thoroughly tortured by endless, unsolvable disasters, wearing a look of deep, bitter resentment—exactly like a corporate wage slave forced to work unpaid overtime every single day.
Sensing the power pulsating within Syndra's body, and then feeling the power pulsating within his own... Although the two forces were not the same, as a "senior" in the realm of "misunderstanding one's teacher and recklessly unleashing one's potential," Ryze instinctively felt a surge of compassion. He glanced at Syndra, then looked back at Faen and said:
"When it comes to controlling one's own power and suppressing the consciousness of the magic itself, I have some insights. If you need it, I can offer my help."
"I couldn't ask for anything better," Faen smiled.
In all of Runeterra, if one were to rank willpower, Ryze would absolutely be a top-tier contender, fighting for the number one spot with an iron will. Facing the World Runes—artifacts whose mere casual release could easily shatter continental shelves, dictate ecosystems, and reverse life and death—Ryze tirelessly traveled to every city-state in Runeterra. No matter how desperate or numb he felt, he never once bowed his head to the consciousness of the World Runes themselves.
After securing a rune, he would simply travel to the petricite forests over and over again, hiding those World Runes deep within the anti-magic woods so that no one would ever find or use them.
Everyone's mind is different; Ryze's methods might not be directly applicable to Syndra. But without a doubt, his experience could save Syndra from many detours and benefit Faen immensely. This kind of spiritual cultivation could yield unexpected effects and assistance in the future when fighting Ashlesh.
Having a very pleasant conversation, Ryze then followed Faen to a mountainous area in Fae'lor. After a simple cleanup, Faen arranged a livable three-bedroom, one-living-room space. During this process, Faen's masterful, effortless manipulation of flowing water opened Ryze's eyes. Although Ryze's arcane magic was incredibly powerful—and possessed terrifying destructive force after fusing with runic energy—when it came to daily life...
Well, although arcane magic was the most common magic in Runeterra and most mages dabbled in it, it was a lot like mathematics. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were relatively easy to grasp, but reaching the deeper levels—even with incredible perseverance and rote memorization—was very difficult to truly achieve without natural talent and those fleeting flashes of inspiration.
More importantly, while learning it was hard, applying it practically was even harder. In daily life, usually only the basic "arithmetic" was needed. Furthermore, because its destructive power and practicality in the early to mid-stages were far inferior to elemental magic, arcane magic was typically taught only as a beginner's introduction for mages. Even in a magical world, pragmatism still ruled.
Under these circumstances, while arcane magic in Ryze's hands had terrifying destructive power, the truth was that after traveling alone in isolated, forbidden wastelands for so long, Ryze had long grown accustomed to a life of hardship. Seeing Faen use magic to improve their living conditions, Ryze sighed somewhat wistfully, "If only arcane magic could optimize the living experience like this."
"Keep trying," Faen shrugged.
As they talked, Faen also initiated a new round of training with Syndra.
Although they were still living in a remote mountain cave, Faen had no intention of just changing their location for a secluded life after arriving in Fae'lor. Aside from training, he frequently took Syndra to visit and learn from various towns, sanctuaries, and academies on Fae'lor Island. Perhaps because of Ryze's assistance, for a very long time after that, the dark Syndra didn't emerge to stir up any trouble. Unfortunately, Ryze had only come to Fae'lor for a temporary rest; after staying for two weeks, he began to prepare to leave Ionia.
Before leaving, Ryze sought out Faen and said:
"You... don't seem like someone from our world."