To be honest, Faen himself was quite surprised that he could communicate with Sona.
Although within the League of Legends player base, it was often said that Seraphine was an overarching, superior replacement for Sona, that wasn't actually accurate.
It might look like Seraphine's Q ability dealt more damage than Sona's and had a higher AoE damage ceiling. Her W ability healed more and provided a larger shield than Sona's. Although her E ability lacked Sona's AoE haste, it could inflict a 99% AoE slow on enemies and root them when combined with her passive. Furthermore, both their ultimates were linear AoE crowd control, but the range of Seraphine's ultimate extended with every champion it hit. This allowed her to threaten the enemy backline by attacking their frontline, charming them and drawing them toward her, making it much easier to execute than the short-ranged Sona's ultimate. At the same time, her full burst damage was higher, and her crowd control was stronger.
But Sona also had things Seraphine lacked. For example, Sona's aura effects when using abilities were stronger than Seraphine's, her background music was more dynamic, she could provide more emotional value to her team when getting one-shot, and she could nullify one of Viego's possession targets, or immediately incapacitate him after he possessed her before he could use his ultimate to escape...
Although this sounded like he was flaming her, it actually highlighted just how big Sona's "heart" was. Suppressed like this by the game designers, yet she never uttered a single angry word.
Of course, this was only within the game.
In the impressions and assumptions of many people, Sona was a gentle, tolerant, and broadly loving character. But based on Faen's feeling, that wasn't the case.
A very important reason for this was that many people's understanding of Sona stemmed from her in-game voice lines. In the game, when selecting Sona, you would hear her say, "Only you can hear me, Summoner." Put another way, in Runeterra, the actual Sona possessed no ability to communicate with others. Even someone like Faen—who combined similar melody magic with the commonalities of the Spirit Realm to converse with her in her mind—you couldn't say they didn't exist, but you could say very few people could achieve this.
And of those who possessed this ability, regardless of how many there were in Ionia, the number who would visit a small village like this could be counted on one hand. When one's power reaches a certain level, even if one doesn't care for it, responsibilities naturally follow.
This resulted in Sona having extremely few opportunities to communicate with others. It was true that before this, Sona had long grown accustomed to her inability to speak, and she had learned how to express her inner thoughts using sign language or even the strings of her etwahl. But the current situation was clearly different from the past.
At the end of the day, Sona was just a young girl. No matter how graceful her posture or how perky her breasts, she was ultimately an inexperienced young girl who hadn't yet stepped into society. If she had grown up peacefully, she might have found her other half, living a harmonious and happy life. Or, through her connection with the ancient etwahl, she might have become a master musician leaving a vibrant mark on Ionia's artistic history.
But unfortunately, the arrival of war shattered everything. First, Jhin—who had been captured by Great Master Kusho and the others years ago—escaped. Then, the darkness of the past returned to Ionia, and the fighting spirit took root in a completely new form within the hearts of every coastal resident. In this troubled autumn, this era of strife, even though she killed Jhin in self-defense, it still plunged Sona into an awkward and dangerous situation.
Just like now, having left the village, she cast a reluctant glance back. Sona tentatively asked Faen in her heart—the only senior who could communicate with her directly and who felt very gentle and reliable: "Mr. Faen, why... when I only wanted to protect myself... to protect everyone... why are the people in the relief house and the village so scared of me, terrified of me, and keeping their distance from me...?"
From an ordinary person's perspective, perhaps what Sona needed right now was comfort? Or perhaps some emotional value? For example, helping Sona curse out those ungrateful villagers? Thereby helping her shift or vent the depression in her heart?
No, that wasn't it.
Even with just preliminary contact, Faen could feel that Sona possessed a heart as precious as gold—just like Zeri and Seraphine. They didn't fight, resist, or confront out of hatred. They wanted the people around them to find happiness.
And Sona was the same, perhaps even taking it a step further. Precisely because of this, the current Sona wasn't looking for an excuse to vent, nor was she looking to complain to anyone. She was genuinely, deeply confused from the bottom of her heart.
Thinking this, Faen, riding on horseback, turned his gaze to Sona behind him. Meeting her eyes calmly, his voice echoed in Sona's mind: "They are also a group of lost, pitiful people."
"Lost, pitiful people?" Hearing Faen's words, a look of confusion appeared in Sona's eyes.
Seeing this, Faen explained, "Ionia has been at peace for far too long. Even in the Placidium, where wise men and scholars gather like clouds and rain, there are still many who feel anxious, hesitant, and at a loss with the arrival of strife. Let alone the ignorant populace in Zhyun? They knew nothing of what was happening outside, and then suddenly encountered the Golden Demon and witnessed the tragic deaths of countless people."
"This extreme shock, completely different from their peaceful lives in the past, battered their minds. Of course they know you acted in self-defense, and that you protected them. But ultimately, they have grown accustomed to the peace of the past and know nothing of strife, violence, or death. And faced with the unknown, people instinctively feel fear. In truth, they don't hate or despise you; they simply don't know how to face the world as it truly is. They cannot convince themselves to fight against the experiences accumulated over their past lives or their preconceived notions of this world."
"They are the truly pitiful ones—clearly knowing this is wrong, yet not knowing how to change it."
Hearing Faen's words, a look of contemplation flashed across Sona's eyes. Although she didn't fully grasp the meaning yet, when a person is lost, even just a logical explanation from someone else can immensely alleviate the anxiety in their heart. Moreover, Faen had provided his answer—Sona was not the one in the wrong.
Thinking this, Sona pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask, "Sir... may I... seek your guidance?"