Shane Freak
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Chapter 858: The Dazzling Stars (Part Three)
🕑 Added 2024-01-01 11:32:20 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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"Fear is etched into the very soul of humanity, the deepest and most difficult scar to erase. What you fear, in the end, depends on what first instilled fear in you by instinct," said Schiller.
"Seeing a shadow darting swiftly across the wall makes people feel fear, but the causes of that fear differ. Some fear cockroaches, so when they see a fast-moving dark spot, they associate it with cockroaches and feel afraid. Others fear ghosts, so when they see anything blurry and drifting, they feel fear."
Schiller gazed at Polaris and remarked, "Magneto is likely an external manifestation of this fear for you, rather than its essence."
"To prove this to you," he continued, "I need to ask you a few questions. First, has Magneto, Erik, ever truly harmed you? I mean, has he caused you substantial physical harm?"
Polaris paused for a moment and shook her head. "No, he never hurt me, at most, he controlled the surrounding magnetic field."
"Alright, if there hasn't been physical harm, then there's definitely been psychological harm. Some of his actions have made you feel fear, causing mental trauma, especially his manipulation of the magnetic field around you. It might make a regular person lose their sense of security, a form of psychological abuse."
"But we need to analyze the principles behind his actions. Do you think he did these things intentionally to torment you?"
Polaris displayed impatience. "Why don't you understand? He's just mentally ill! He wouldn't do anything without a reason. If you were to ask him this question now, he would simply give you a disdainful look and say, 'Why would I need to torment her?'"
Schiller countered, "And there you go, his mind is also not normal. His actions aren't meant to harm or kill you intentionally, and you understand this. So why are you still afraid of him?"
"I..." Polaris hesitated.
"Don't rush to answer, Miss Lorna. Let's recall one thing. Did you start feeling these concerns about his abnormal behavior from the day you reunited with him or from the day he told you the truth?"
"It was on the day of our reunion; he told me the truth," Polaris emphasized. "He revealed that my ability had gone out of control, resulting in my parents' deaths, and that I was his biological daughter."
"Before that, had you ever heard of Magneto?"
Polaris thought for a moment and replied, "Of course, I had heard of him. He's a very famous mutant, and his abilities are similar to mine. I had come across some of his materials before."
"At that time, did you feel fear?" Schiller inquired.
Polaris shook her head. "I had only found some old newspapers with a few pictures of the messes he had caused. What was there to be scared of? I actually thought what he did was beautiful and satisfying, unlike those negotiators."
"Then, at that point, did you ever realize that he had the power to kill you or control you?"
"But he didn't even know me! We were strangers back then. Why would he want to kill me?" Polaris spread her hands.
"So, after your relationship changed from strangers to a closer father-daughter bond, he still had no reason to harm you," Schiller countered. "Your relationship shifted from being strangers to a closer bond, and during this time, he didn't use violence or control against you. You know he's not an abuser, so why do you think he would suddenly want to kill you?"
Polaris fell silent for a moment and then said, "Well, maybe he doesn't want to kill me intentionally, but what if one day... What if one day, he..."
Polaris's fingertips trembled. Schiller stood up, poured her a glass of water, and she drank it before continuing, "You don't understand... You probably haven't seen... You don't know how powerful he is. He could... He could..."
Polaris clutched the glass tightly and said, "Even if it's not intentional, but what if one day... What if one day, he..."
"Have you noticed, Miss Lorna, that what terrifies you is the idea that mutants could lose control at any moment?"
"You may not have realized, but in your previous statements, you kept saying that you can't be vigilant all the time about your powers, that you can't precisely control every use of your power to protect ordinary people."
"Such a perspective implies that you believe you could unintentionally harm or even kill ordinary people if you're not careful. Even if you don't sympathize much with ordinary people, you still fear this."
Schiller returned to his seat and said, "The source of this fear might be your past, Miss Lorna. Your ability went out of control, causing a plane crash and the death of your parents."
"Yes, Magneto found you in time and had the Master of Illusions hypnotize you to forget that experience. But as they say, memories can be forgotten, but the fear etched into your instincts cannot."
"Your parents died because of your uncontrollable ability, and you lack confidence in precisely mastering that power. You believe that any mutant's power, including Erik's, could go out of control."
"Your uncontrollable powers killed your parents, and his uncontrollable powers could kill you and everyone around you."
"Enough," Polaris's tone quivered. She said, "I have excellent control over my powers; I've never caused any mess! I have better control than the X-Men..."
"That's because you've put in much more effort than others to restrain your power," Schiller sighed. "Charles said you were gifted, but in reality, you haven't demonstrated power commensurate with your gift."
"From the beginning, you've been working hard to control your power, preferring it not to be too powerful and always avoiding it getting out of control. But in truth, other mutants follow their instincts; they don't control every bit of their power like you do."
"You can't stay with the X-Men because you've realized that others don't restrain themselves like you do. You also feel fear because you know there are many powerful mutants there, and if their powers go awry, no one can save you."
"You're even reluctant to stay in any place with powerful mutants because you fear that your parents' tragedy could repeat itself anytime."
"You don't live among mutants, choose to rent a house in New York, and even if you were evicted by a landlord, you still refuse to join mutant organizations..."
"You may think you're on the side of mutants, but in reality, you stand closer to ordinary people. Just like ordinary people, you fear the unpredictability of mutants."
Polaris's face was now extremely pale, and every word from Schiller sent shivers down her spine.
She desperately wanted to deny every word he said, but her rational mind told her that the psychologist was right.
Back when she had just started taking physics classes at Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Magneto had visited once, demonstrating the changes in the stars and space to all the students.
Polaris had been particularly interested in the black hole in his hand and had even tried to create one herself, but for some reason, she couldn't succeed.
She remembered thinking at the time that failure wouldn't harm anyone, as long as there was no explosion.
But if she looked at it from the perspective of other students, it would be fine if there was an explosion, as long as it was successful in the end.
Schiller took a sip of water and said, "Professor Charles often spoke highly of you, perhaps not just for your abilities but also for your stance. And your father, Magneto, may have understood this, which is why he wanted you to return to the world of ordinary people."
"I want her to return to ordinary people," Magneto said, a rare long sentence for him. Charles wasn't surprised, and he nodded, saying, "I know that Lorna often seems to harbor a deep hatred for ordinary people, but this stems from the bullying she endured at the campus."
"But in reality, she's much less of a worry than other mutants, even Iceman and Havok. They have all caused problems in ordinary society, but Polaris never has. She seems to have always worried about her own immense power, even at the cost of sacrificing its strength to ensure precision control."
"She has always been afraid," Magneto's voice was low. He stood up and walked to the door, saying to Charles, "I just hope to teach her that fear has never been useful."
After he left, Charles closed his eyes and sighed softly. He whispered to himself, "So, you've made sure you never feel fear, never experience other emotions, never feel fear, anger, sadness, or love... always impeccable."
Charles clenched the arms of his chair tightly, the grooves on his skin telling the story of a man who had aged. Charles thought that for so many years, he had maintained a calm state of mind, wanting to peacefully deal with mutants.
But every time he felt boundless anger and wanted to break his own principles, it was because of Erik.
Not because of their differing stances, but because of what he had endured and sacrificed for mutants.
Charles took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked out of the window. At this moment, golden leaves were falling like a golden rain outside the window, and the wind swirled them around. Charles knew this was the final calm before the storm.
A golden ginkgo leaf fell from the window, and Nick Fury shifted his gaze away. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and sat at the long table with Coulson, Natasha, Hill, Marc, Ward, and other clean-cut agents.
Nick's tone had never been so serious. He said, "Today, I received a message from the military. At 6:00 PM today, I will be heading to a secret base to attend a secret meeting."
"The topic of the meeting is to sign a secret agreement, and the content of this agreement is... how to eliminate mutants."
Natasha opened her eyes slightly and said, "Are they crazy? The Solar System construction plan is short of personnel everywhere, and they want to eliminate mutants?"
"It's precisely because the Solar System construction plan is short of personnel everywhere that they feel the need to eliminate mutants. They don't want mutants to occupy too many positions and have too much influence in this plan," Nick replied.
"If your house needed renovation, would you let the previous tenants who once rented the house decide how to renovate it, what style of decoration to use, or even let them personally adjust the pipes and wiring?" Coulson asked anxiously.
"But they have a new house in the Andromeda Galaxy, don't they? There's no need..." he started.
"But do you think mutants would voluntarily leave?" Nick looked at the desktop in front of him. "The organizers of the meeting believe they won't and think that ordinary people need to help them out."
"The Solar System construction plan is progressing quickly, but humanity is still far from obtaining Infinity resources and needs a long time. With limited resources, the wealthy want to become even richer. Do you understand what I mean?"
Nick's hand clenched, and even beneath his dark skin, you could see the knuckles turning white. "There's a shadow of the Iron Curtain over them, and they dare not blatantly exploit ordinary people. But eliminating and attacking mutants is something all ordinary people enjoy. As long as they take the lead, people all over the world will applaud."
"They've always done this, haven't they?" Hill spoke up. "Those so-called Sentinel Robots have appeared several times. Our agents have almost caught their tails a few times, but..."
Nick Fury's eye contact gradually turned cold, as if he remembered something. The aura he exuded reminded people that he was also a giant ship that had sailed through a turbulent era.
The change in Nick's attitude made everyone look at him. He said, "When I was young, I once saw hope for humanity's journey into space, but that hope was quickly shattered..."
"This time, it's the last chance. We have everything, the right time, the right place, and the right people. Therefore, we can only succeed, not fail."
"I won't let them do this," Nick lowered his head and closed his eyes. "It means they will definitely fail."
"Go, sound the alarm..." Nick's voice sounded as if it had traveled through an entire era.
He looked at the world map on the opposite side of the table. The patterns on it were so vast, yet they seemed so small. He said, "Get ready; perhaps, this is our last battle."
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 859: The Shining Stars - Rotten (Part Four)
