Bidding farewell to his teacher, Faen subsequently followed Shen and Usan toward the Placidium. In his mind, he silently noted the information regarding the War Spirit.
Although there was no description of Xynia in the main League of Legends lore, and she wasn't mentioned in Irelia's background story, she—like other Darkin-related characters—had officially appeared in the card game Legends of Runeterra alongside Irelia's card pack as Crescendoing Steel, Xynia.
As a classic aggro card deck, the core card Irelia's stats were average. Her skill was Blade Dance, which allowed 1-1 summoned blades to launch extra attack rounds outside of the fixed single attack per turn. Within this, Xynia's cost was 8 and her stats were 3-5. While she seemed like an extreme loss in value at first glance, she could launch extra attacks outside of the turn alongside Blade Dance and came with her own Blade Dance effect. She was often the "one-turn-kill" card used to flip the game in the mid-to-late stage if the aggro deck was dragged out.
Though it was a game, her cost served as proof of Xynia's own strength and status. Aside from lacking the skill growth of a hero unit, she possessed the same effects as the card. In reality, Xynia herself was even more powerful; she was a long-renowned Master of the Ionian Way of the Dancer and was responsible for every Spring Festival. Her understanding of Ionia, aside from the parts revealed in the game, was even deeper than Faen's in other aspects.
On the way to the Placidium, Shen and Usan clearly wanted to ask Faen something. But considering some matters were too sensitive for people of their level to inquire about, they simply exchanged a look and silently chose a relatively more gentle topic.
"Listening to Master Xynia, it seems you are already qualified to receive the Dancer's armlets? Why not lower your requirements a bit? For example, becoming a Master first," Usan looked at Faen with some curiosity.
The so-called armlet was essentially a decoration fixed on the upper arm like a bracelet, which was undeniably important for a dancer. Specifically, these armlets were grown from the branches of the Spirit Willow within the Placidium. Whether used for dancing or for deepening one's perception of the Spirit Realm—the Ionian term for the spiritual plane—they served a significant auxiliary role.
For the current Faen, these armlets were merely optional. Because while Ashlesh brought Faen immense power, it also granted him the highest authority to freely enter and exit the Spirit Realm. In such a situation, the armlet's most valuable trait—deepening perception of the Spirit Realm—was just "alright" for him.
However, for the Faen of back then—to be honest, Faen had harbored thoughts similar to Usan's. But Faen still chose to shake his head and said: "You will eventually understand how disgustingly pedantic those people are."
Amidst their conversation, the group quickly arrived at the Placidium.
After relaying the news of Faen's arrival to the guards of the Placidium's sanctuary, they soon entered the ancient sanctuary's interior.
The Placidium stood above the Garden of Forgetting, its ancient temple covered in glazed tiles. The winding undulations caught the morning glow, flowing with a honey-like luster. When Faen and the others arrived, over ten people were sitting in two rows within the main hall of the sanctuary. Sitting at the very top was the Enlightened One, Karma, with the jade twin dragons appearing behind her and her entire being radiating a sacred aura.
Upon meeting Karma, Shen and Usan immediately bowed low, their faces filled with respect and worship.
In Ionia, "Karma" is not a simple name but a sacred title. Or rather, it is indeed a name—it is the manifestation of an ancient soul in the current era, originally born thousands of years ago and reincarnated into the body of a new chosen person after its first demise. This reincarnation is not a possession but a transfer of its memories, spirit, and power into the mind of the chosen one. For thousands of years, Karma has undergone countless reincarnations, and each new life inherits all previous memories and the terrifying power accumulated over thousands of years of cycles.
The past Karmas do not vanish or die; instead, they serve as "voices in the head," offering advice to the new generation of Karma. Because there are so many Karmas, in the background lore, when Ionia faced great crises, the current Karma often suffered from headaches and noise due to them arguing in her mind.
Seeing Faen's arrival, Karma nodded. She did not play any excessive guessing games and directly stated the reason why she had dispatched Shen and Usan to escort Faen to the Placidium.
"Just a few months ago, while observing the Spirit Realm, I discovered an ancient existence rising and awakening on the other side of the sea. At first, I thought it would become a terrible catastrophe, much like the Rune Wars triggered by the Great Collapse of Helia, serving as a prologue to an era of chaos. But later, I discovered that this matter was not so simple."
Opening her eyes, a verdant light appeared in Karma's gaze. Even within the holy Placidium, those green eyes firmly captured everyone's sight and attention.
Although Shen and Usan, and even many of the elders within the Placidium, were hearing some of this news from Karma for the first time, without exception, none of them harbored any doubt or suspicion—as Ionia's spiritual leader for thousands of years, Karma's holiness was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Even the prestige of the so-called Emperor Darkwill in Noxus was far inferior to Karma's status in the hearts of the Ionian people.
Dropping her gaze onto Faen, although she was peaceful, anyone could clearly feel the invisible pressure within Karma's gaze.
This wasn't out of any ill intent toward Faen, but purely the overlapping of ancient spiritual powers from thousands of years; even the ripples generated in the Spirit Realm by her movements were not something a mortal could withstand.
"I saw you, Faen. You are the manifestation of that ancient existence in the Material Realm. I do not know exactly what you did on the other side of the sea, but I can clearly see the towering waves rising within the Spirit Realm. And within those countless waves, every soul is shouting your name—along with the continuous, incessant roars and curses directed at you by that ancient evil spirit."