novelonline Chapter 4202 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (9)
Chapter 4202 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (9)
Chapter 4202 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (Part 9)
Polaris seemed to have had a bit too much to drink, and kept slumping towards the bar. So they helped her to a seat nearby, finding a corner sofa to sit down.
The Arkham Knight waved his hand in front of her eyes and said, "Hey, Lorna, are you still alive? You called me over and then got yourself all drunk..."
"Get out of my way!" Polaris snapped, slapping his hand away before leaning back on the sofa and squinting at the ceiling.
“Isn’t this a sober man?” said the Arkham Knight. “I thought you were going to blow this bar up with a magnetic storm.”
"This is the Hellfire Club's... property..."
"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. I heard you got proposed to? Congratulations!"
Peter and Miles squeezed together on the sofa, grinning: "Aren't you really afraid she'll blow this place up with a single magnetic storm?!"
Polaris straightened up like a fish leaping out of water, then leaned forward, baring his teeth, and looked at the Arkham Knight, saying, "Get lost!"
“I’m serious,” the Arkham Knight said, picking up his glass. “In a way, you and I are in the same boat.”
"What? Someone proposed to you too?"
“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about my past experiences. I remember telling you before that I was an orphan and then one day I was adopted by Batman.”
“I know. Then you became his assistant, and then when I asked you why you went independent, you wouldn’t say.”
"Because that was also a psychological trauma for me. We weren't close back then, so why would I tell you?"
“Okay. But I can guess that too. It’s just that you’ve reached your rebellious phase, you don’t want your old father to control you, so you rebelled and ran away from home, becoming an independent hero. Who didn’t go through that era…” Polaris curled her lip, quite disdainfully.
“The first half of the story is correct, but the second half is different.” Arkham Knight shook his head and said, “I was captured by the Joker, imprisoned and tortured by him for many years, and Batman never found me.”
These words immediately silenced everyone, creating a deathly still atmosphere.
Miles shuddered and glanced at Peter. Peter turned to meet his gaze, their expressions clearly conveying "I knew it" and "This is Gotham."
Polaris seemed to be startled awake, her eyes instantly clearing. She opened her mouth, unsure what to say, but finally politely said, "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing, it's all over."
"Really?" Polaris asked instinctively, "Is this something that can be let go of? Or is it just that you think it's over?"
"For a long time, I couldn't let go at all. I was completely living in the past and did a lot of crazy things, as if that would make up for it and let things truly pass."
"Did you succeed?"
“No.” The Knight of Arkham lowered his head and took another sip of wine. “For some minor matters, this method does work, but once the pain exceeds a certain threshold, the effect is completely the opposite.”
"What do you mean?"
"It's like this: if it's just a hole in the ground, you can fill it with water. Even if some water seeps in, as long as you pour enough water, it will definitely be full. But you can't use the same method to fill a dried-up river, or even a sea that has turned into a desert. You can't do that."
After a pause, the Knight of Arkham continued, "And if you use someone else's water, and you want to get something from them to fill your own deficiencies, that kind of wound can never be healed. You are endlessly demanding, but the other person doesn't have that much to give you, yet you are like a madman, asking them to find water to fill the desert, which will cause both of you great pain."
"Or perhaps he's suffering more than you, because from an outsider's perspective, he can see more clearly how futile your efforts are. But even just to give you some emotional support, he won't expose you. If he loves you enough, he'll go to great lengths to fill the desert for you; if there's not enough water, he'll use his own blood. Do you think you can accept that?"
Polaris seemed completely startled by him. She sat there dumbfounded, even forgetting that she was a little drunk. Then, her hand trembled violently, knocking the glass to the ground. Luckily, Miles's Spider-Senses reacted quickly and caught the falling glass.
"Then why Wanda..."
Polaris suddenly realized that Wanda didn't actually have any serious psychological trauma.
The siblings did indeed grow up without parents and were always on the move, but they had each other to rely on. Wanda would go out and work to support her brother, and Pietro would also do whatever work he could. The two relied on each other and got through those most difficult years.
Later, they were found by Magneto. Because Anya had survived in this timeline, Magneto understood how to be a father better than ever before. So after finding the siblings, they got along quite well, and Wanda's trauma related to family relationships was healed.
In contrast, Polaris's biggest problem is that she repeatedly rekindled her hope, only to have it shattered. Her mother treated her very well, and even her stepfather was a rare kind person who treated her like his own daughter, yet they both died in a plane crash related to Polaris. This kind of psychological trauma falls into the category of illness.
Wanda's psychological trauma was like a small pit; as long as you find enough water, it can always be filled. Magneto filled part of it first, and then Jarvis filled in the rest, so she no longer needed any more water, and she was very satisfied with her life now.
But Polaris is different. The psychological trauma she suffered is like a desert that can't hold any water. And for so many years, she has been hypnotizing herself that everything is over, not paying much attention to her mental health, causing this desert to grow bigger and bigger. Now, finding some water won't help anymore.
Polaris was jolted awake. She realized that she didn't really have a choice. In every sense of the word, she couldn't accept Shockwave's proposal, not just because she craved freedom, but because, in her current state, whoever married her would be doomed.
Her psychological trauma cannot be healed by any one person or a warm family atmosphere. But if she believes it can be healed, she will endlessly demand emotional support from her family members. But no one can give her that much; no matter how much the shockwave loves her, it's impossible to find enough water to fill a desert, which destined this marriage to be a tragedy.
Polaris took a deep breath and immediately calmed down. She tapped her knee and said, "You're right, I can't agree to that, absolutely not."
Then she took out her phone and started texting. The Arkham Knight quickly stopped her and said, "Don't be so heartless. If you don't tell him the reason, you'll hurt his feelings. But if you tell him the real reason, he'll get carried away and think he can definitely cure you. Then you'll be in trouble no matter how you handle it."
"What should I do?"
“Drag it out,” said the Knight of Arkham. “Just say you need some time to think it over.”
“That’s too much,” Polaris said. “If I can’t be with him, then I should tell him clearly so he can go find someone else.”
“I’m not telling you to drag it out indefinitely, just for a short period of time. If he can’t wait even this long and goes straight to someone else, then you should give him a 'magnetic storm'.”
Even Polaris was amused by him. The Knight of Arkham continued, "Use this time to see a doctor and ask if there's any hope for your condition. If there is, then figure out a way to confront him."
Polaris shook her head and said, "It's not like I haven't seen a psychologist before. I hang around Dr. Schiller every day, and he didn't say anything, did he?"
“You don’t understand,” Peter said. “Dr. Schiller’s principle is that if you’re not in pain, you don’t need treatment. Of course, he should be able to tell that you’re actually in quite a bit of pain, but if you keep thinking about letting it go, he won’t force you to stop and give you treatment, because that wouldn’t be effective.”
"Imagine if he suddenly contacted you, brought up what happened back then, and said you're still stuck there. How would you feel?"
“I would think he’s gone mad,” Polaris said. “Before this, I never realized that it would affect me so much. Even though Dr. Schiller had tried to talk me out of it, I always thought it was over.”
"But now that you realize it might still be affecting you, it should be fine for you to go back to him, at least you'll be able to cooperate with the treatment yourself."
"Okay, but we're about to leave, it's too late now, isn't it?"
"There's still one day left. Let's play here for a while, and then head straight to see the doctor when it's light. Your problem can't be solved in just a few words, but at least he can give you a solution, right?"
Polaris nodded. Then, early in the morning, Schiller was woken up again. This time, however, it was the head nurse calling to say there was a patient. He assumed it was another community-assigned mental patient, so he went downstairs, only to find Peter and his group.
"Good heavens, which of you is sick?" Schiller said, smelling the alcohol on them. "Are you sure you're not just drunk?"
Polaris stepped forward and gave Schiller a look. Schiller sized her up and down, then said, "Alright, ma'am, come with me."
“…That’s how it is,” Polaris briefly explained, then said, “Do you think there’s any hope for me?”
“Yes, absolutely. There are no hopeless patients here.” Schiller rolled up his sleeves and said, “Actually, I only solved your mutant identity problem before. I knew this wasn’t over yet, and you would have to come back sooner or later. But it’s okay, it’s not a big problem. I’m good at treating PTSD. I cured your new teammate.”
"You mean Arkham Knight?" Polaris asked, somewhat surprised. "Are you serious? His psychological trauma is truly..."
Polaris was at a loss for words. When she thought about what happened to the Arkham Knights, she felt that her own situation was nothing. At least her parents hadn't abused her, and she hadn't suffered any physical torment.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s the solution.” Schiller snapped his fingers. “I know it’s a bit unethical, but the comparison method is indeed a fairly scientific approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Finding someone more unfortunate to compare yourself to will make you feel much better.”
"What kind of ridiculous method is this?" Polaris couldn't help but say.
"When you feel you can still handle it, you might as well ask Jason what he went through."
"Are you sure he can handle it?"
"I'm not asking you to ask him what happened to the Joker, but rather, his relationship with Batman is far more complicated than yours with Shockwave. They managed to resolve it smoothly, so why can't you?"
“...That makes sense.” Polaris suddenly realized.
Then, the Arkham Knight noticed that Polaris's eyes kept glancing at him, and her expression was strange. He had a bad feeling—he had only thought that Polaris had saved his life during the previous multiverse war, and that he should give her some advice as a way of repaying a favor, but now it seemed that he had shot himself in the foot.
(End of this chapter)