Thinking to himself, Shen maintained a calm expression and said, "Rather than saying you're laying these evil spirits to rest, it's more accurate to say you're calming the spiritual fluctuations they've devoured. Compared to these minor skills of ours, the fact that Mr. Faen can hunt such an entity alone is far more astonishing."
"It was alright. It took a bit of effort," Faen replied, shaking his head.
When facing such spirits, even with Faen's current strength, a subjugation wasn't exactly easy, though not overly difficult either. The reason it looked so simple just now was largely due to the hierarchy suppression from Ashlesh—in the Spirit Realm, the concept of rank is stricter than any caste system.
However, Faen had only mastered a portion of Ashlesh's origin and hadn't reached full control yet. Because of this, while his presence struck fear into lesser monsters, it also triggered greed in some powerful spirits. They desired to swallow Faen whole to consume the essence of the Primordial Demon he displayed.
Take this bat demon, for instance; its origin likely shared a lineage with Fiddlesticks, the demon of Fear. That was why it had the courage to launch a sudden attack on Faen. Unfortunately for the beast, it proved useless; Faen simply plucked its head off and brought it back for Shen to purify.
Following behind Faen, Irelia's face was filled with worry. She couldn't help but grip Faen's hand, asking timidly, "Senior Brother, these spirits... and those Noxians... could they have already reached...?"
It was obvious Irelia was terrified for her family. Faen calculated the time in his head, then shook his head. "No—at least not before we arrive."
In the timeline Faen knew, Irelia's story—the First Ionian War—was one of the most clearly defined events in Runeterra's history. Unlike other regions, this war shattered Ionia's thousand-year harmony and birthed many heroes: Zed, Shen, Akali, Irelia, Karma, and others. Though they existed before the conflict, it was the chaos of the war that gave them thoughts beyond tradition and balance, leading them to actively interfere in the Material Realm.
Usan would found the Order of Shadow, Karma would push for reform, Irelia would lead the resistance, and Akali would leave the Kinkou Order to find her own path—while Swain would master the secrets of a demon and return to overthrow Boram Darkwill.
Because of these interconnected plotlines, the Ionian War was a reliable guide, though not absolute. For example, after the success of Arcane, the lore of the Spirit Blossom Festival changed to claim the blossoms had been gone for centuries and only awakened due to the runic disturbances caused by Viktor.
But those were minor details. Bound by the presence of Noxus and Ionia as a whole, individual arcs remained largely unchanged.
Specifically, the reason Irelia awakened the Blade Dance was that upon returning home, she found her family slaughtered by Noxians. In her despair and fury, she instinctively commanded the shards of her family crest to cut a path out of the encirclement, eventually leading Ionia's revenge.
However, Faen was never one to praise suffering. Irelia's awakening wasn't because her family died; she had that talent all along, and their deaths were merely the catalyst. In truth, the future Irelia would dedicate herself to regaining her inner peace to better grasp the war-essences of the Blade Dance.
With this in mind, Faen had originally planned to visit the Xan estate. Not for any grand reason, but to wipe away the tragic fate of his cute junior sister. He had set out the moment the war broke out, but he hadn't expected Irelia to take the chance to head home early herself.
Faen picked up the worried Irelia and set her on his horse, looking back at the group. "We are still in the central region of Navori. The coastline has likely—or rather, definitely—been completely seized by Noxian ships and cannons. Our target is Fae'lor, a natural offshore harbor. The situation there will be even more complex. So, prepare for battle."
One must remember that even after the first war ended and the Noxians withdrew, leaving the Ionians with a nominal victory, Fae'lor and the southern Navori coast remained under Noxian control—serving as the springboard Swain prepared for the second invasion.
The group nodded and spurred their horses faster.
On the road, things were quiet at first, but Shen soon noticed Akali and Usan simultaneously accelerating to flank Faen. They didn't attack; in fact, upon noticing the other's speed, Usan and Akali exchanged a surprised look. Akali asked bluntly, "What exactly is on Fae'lor? What is our mission objective? Also... how do you think we should handle this war?"
"You'll know what's on Fae'lor when we get there," Faen said unhurriedly. "As for the war, regardless of how it's handled in the long run, the first step is to kick the invaders out—though that's just my personal opinion."
Akali's eyes flickered. "That is definitely not just your opinion."
Usan remained silent, riding his horse without a word.
Traveling day and night, they handled a few more low-level spirits. By noon the next day, they finally arrived at Irelia's home—an ancient village in the heart of Navori.
But just like the refugees they had passed, the peace and harmony here had been shattered by the encroaching war.