Chapter 861: Brilliant Stars (III)

"Fear is the deepest, most enduring scar carved into the human soul, and what you fear depends on what first triggered your instinctive terror."

"When people see a dark shadow darting swiftly across a wall, they feel fear—but the cause differs: some fear cockroaches, so a fast-moving black dot evokes that image; others fear ghosts, so any vague, drifting shape fills them with dread."

Shieler looked at Polaris and said: "Magneto is likely merely an external manifestation of your fear, not its essence."

"To prove this to you, I need to ask you a few questions. First, has Magneto, Eric, ever genuinely harmed you? I mean, caused you actual physical injury?"

Polaris paused, then shook her head. "No, he never hurt me—only manipulated magnetic fields around me."

"Alright, if there was no physical harm, then there must have been psychological harm. His past behaviors terrified you and inflicted emotional trauma—especially his manipulation of magnetic fields, which could strip any normal person of all sense of safety. That's psychological abuse."

"But we must analyze the principle behind his actions. Do you believe he did this deliberately to abuse you?"

Polaris gave an impatient look. "How can you still not understand? He's insane! He never does anything meaningless. If you asked him this now, he'd just look at you with contempt and say, 'Why would I bother abusing her?'"

"You've hit the point again. His mind isn't stable. He didn't act to hurt or kill you—and you know this. So why are you afraid of him?"

"I…" Polaris hesitated.

"Don't answer yet, Miss Lorna. Let's recall another thing: when did your reactions to his odd behavior begin? Was it the day you reunited with him—or the day he told you the truth?"

"The day we reunited, he told me the truth," Polaris emphasized. "To get me to join the Brotherhood, he said my powers had gone out of control and killed my parents—and that I was his biological daughter."

"Before that, had you never heard of Magneto?"

Polaris thought a moment. "Of course I'd heard of him. He was a famous mutant, and his power was the same as mine. I'd researched some of his history before."

"At that time, did you feel fear?" Shieler asked.

Polaris shook her head. "I just found old newspapers. They only reported the chaos he caused, with a few pictures. What was scary? I thought he did well—very satisfying. Unlike those people who only talked."

"Didn't you realize then that he had the power to kill or control you?" Shieler asked again.

"But he didn't even know me! We were strangers. Why would he kill me?" Polaris spread her hands.

"Then after you became father and daughter, why would he kill you now?" Shieler countered.

"Your relationship didn't shift from stranger to enemy—it shifted from stranger to closer kin. During that time, he never used violence or control against you. You know he's not a sadist. So why do you now believe he'll kill you at any moment?"

Polaris fell silent, then said: "Yes, he may not intend to kill me… but what if one day… one day… he…"

Polaris's fingertips trembled. Shieler stood, poured her a glass of water. She drank it down in one gulp before speaking: "You don't understand… you may never have seen… you don't know how powerful he is. He can even… he can even…"

Polaris gripped the glass so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Even if he doesn't mean to, what if one day… he loses control? Or even worse—what if one day, he just doesn't notice…"

"Have you noticed, Miss Lorna? What you fear is precisely the possibility that mutants might lose control at any moment."

"You may not have realized, but in your earlier words, you kept saying you can't monitor your power constantly, can't precisely control every ounce of it to protect ordinary people around you."

"That mindset means you believe even a single lapse, a single distraction, could kill an ordinary person. Even if you don't care much for them, you still fear this."

Shieler returned to his seat. "This fear likely stems from your origins—the moment your powers went out of control, causing the plane crash that killed your parents."

"Yes, Magneto found you in time and had Professor X hypnotize you into forgetting the memory. But as I said: memories can be erased, but instinctive fear cannot."

"Your parents died because your powers went out of control. You have no confidence in mastering such power precisely. You believe all mutants' powers can go out of control—including Magneto Eric's."

"Your powers went out of control and killed your parents. His powers going out of control could kill you—and everyone around you."

"Stop!" Polaris's voice trembled. "I control my power perfectly! I've never caused any chaos! I control it better than the X-Men…"

"That's only because you've devoted far more energy than anyone else to restraining your power," Shieler sighed. "Charles says you're gifted—but in truth, you've never displayed power matching your potential."

"From the start, you've struggled to control your power, willing to weaken it rather than risk going out of control. But other mutants follow instinct—they don't meticulously control every fraction of their ability like you."

"Your inability to stay with the X-Men may stem from this too. You realized others don't restrain themselves as you do. You feel fear again—because you know there are many powerful mutants there. If any of them go out of control, no one can save you."

"You refuse to stay anywhere with powerful mutants, because you fear your parents' tragedy will repeat itself on you."

"You avoid living among mutants. You rent an apartment in New York—even when evicted, you refuse to join any mutant organization…"

"You think you stand with mutants—but in truth, you stand closer to ordinary people. Like them, you fear the uncontrollability of mutants."

Polaris's face was now deathly pale. Each of Shieler's words vibrated through her heart.

She desperately wanted to deny every word he spoke—but her reason told her the psychologist was right.

When she first began physics class at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Magneto once visited and showed all the students the shifting stars and cosmos.

Polaris was fascinated by the black hole in his hand. She tried to create one herself—but for some reason, she could never succeed.

She remembered thinking then: failure was fine, as long as it didn't explode.

But according to other students' style, explosion was acceptable—as long as they eventually succeeded.

Shieler drank some water. "Professor Charles often says he has high hopes for you. Perhaps he admires not just your power, but your stance. And your father, Magneto, may have understood this precisely—so he wanted you to return to ordinary life."

"I want her to return to ordinary life," Magneto said, unusually verbose. Charles didn't seem surprised. He nodded. "I know. Lorna often acts as if she hates ordinary people—but it stems from bullying she endured."

"But in truth, she's far easier to manage than other mutants—even Iceman and Wave have caused chaos in ordinary society. But Polaris has never. She seems constantly anxious about her immense power, even sacrificing its strength to ensure perfect control."

"She's always been afraid," Magneto said, voice low. He rose and walked to the door. "I only hope to teach her… fear is useless."

After he left, Charles closed his eyes and sighed. "So you've made yourself never fear, never feel other emotions—no fear, no anger, no sorrow, no love… perfectly invulnerable."

Charles gripped the chair tightly; the creases on his skin spoke of his age.

Charles thought: for years, he'd maintained inner peace, seeking peaceful resolution to the mutant issue.

But every time he felt boundless rage, every time he wanted to break his own principles, it was because of Eric.

Not because Eric disagreed with him—but because of what Eric endured, and what he sacrificed for mutants.

Charles took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and looked out the window. Golden leaves fell steadily, like a rain of gold outside. The wind spun them in circles. Charles knew: this was the last calm before the storm.

A golden ginkgo leaf drifted past the window. Nick Fury lowered his gaze. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes. Seated on either side of the long table were clean-record agents: Coulson, Natasha, Hill, Mark, Ward.

Nick's tone had never been this grave. "Today, I received news from the military. At 6 p. . today, I will go to a secret base for a secret meeting."

"The topic: signing a secret agreement—on how to eliminate mutants."

Natasha opened her eyes slightly. "Are they insane? The Solar System Project is short on manpower everywhere—and they want to eliminate mutants?"

"Precisely because the Solar System Project is short on manpower, they must eliminate mutants. They don't want mutants occupying too many positions or exerting too much influence."

"If your house is being renovated, would you let a former tenant help decide its design, decor, or even handle the plumbing and wiring?"

Coulson said anxiously: "But they have a new house in the Andromeda Galaxy. There's no need to…"

"But do you think mutants will leave willingly?" Nick stared at the table. "The organizers believe they won't—and think ordinary people must help them."

"The Solar System Project is progressing fast, but humanity still has a long way to go before gaining infinite resources from space. And while resources remain limited, the rich want to grow richer. Do you understand?"

Nick clenched his fist; his black skin showed white-knuckled veins. "With the Iron Curtain looming, they dare not openly exploit ordinary people. But eliminating or attacking mutants? That's what every ordinary person wants. If they start it, the whole world will cheer."

Nick squeezed his fingers. "Shieler cut off their path of diverting domestic pressure through international conflict, forcing them to unite. But that doesn't mean domestic pressure vanished. We all know where it comes from."

"They need another path to divert this pressure. Mutants are the perfect target."

"They've always done this, haven't they?" Hill spoke. "That Sentinel robot has appeared multiple times already. Our agents have caught its trail several times—but unfortunately…"

Nick Fury's gaze grew cold, as if recalling something. The aura he radiated recalled the era when he was a mighty ship, braving storms and finally reaching shore.

Nick's shift in attitude made everyone turn to him. He said:

"When I was young, I saw humanity's hope for space. But that hope vanished quickly…"

"This time is the last chance. We have everything: timing, geography, unity. We must succeed. We cannot fail."

"I won't let them do this…" Nick lowered his head, closed his eyes. "That means they absolutely won't succeed."

"Go… sound the alarm…" Nick's voice echoed as if crossing an entire era.

He looked at the world map across from him. Its patterns were vast, yet strangely small. He said:

"Prepare yourselves. This may be the final battle."