The two of them, minds full of thoughts, continued walking forward, turning a corner and ascending a staircase. As they neared the top, Polaris bent over and hid behind the wall of the corridor, pricking up her ears to listen carefully.
"He's in there. I can't check with my magnetic field or I'll be detected, but I haven't felt any magnetic field fluctuations, so it looks like the two of them are still arguing." Polaris signaled 'OK' with her hand, waving at Scott to follow her.
They walked softly and slowly deeper into the corridor, inching their way to the door of Magneto's office.
Just as they were about to reach the door, Polaris gestured at Scott to be quiet and whispered, "I can disguise the surrounding magnetic field to trick him. We need to listen to what they're arguing about first, so we'll know how to mediate later ..."
Scott felt a bit uncomfortable eavesdropping, but given the situation, he couldn't see a better option. So, he nodded and moved closer in Polaris' direction.
They sneakily made their way to the office door. Polaris gently pressed her hand against the wall, and intermittent voices came from inside.
"Have you ever thought about why the evaluation of professional psychologists towards you is drastically different from that of ordinary people?" Doctor Shiller's voice came from within the room.
"If it were only Charles, we could say that it's deep friendship based on mutual acquaintance from a young age. Yet we had no prior acquaintance, practically no understanding, and certainly no subjective emotive influence, so why do I also feel that you are not as inaccessible as the public's perception of you?"
It seemed as if Magneto was responding to something, but it was quite indistinct. Shiller's voice came again:
"I don't know if you are aware, of the exact nature of your old friend's profession."
"Of course, in our time, this field was not yet a standardized discipline, but in the short span of decades, it has experienced rapid development and is increasingly being perfected."
"Even if you don't understand professional knowledge, it doesn't matter. Psychology is just as it sounds: we study the human mind. This means that we pay more attention to the inner workings of a person than normal people do to their outward actions."
"To put it unpretentiously, although Charles far surpasses me in professional competency, I too am a relatively experienced psychologist. So then, why do you think that the two scholars with the most profound knowledge of the human psyche in the world appreciate you so highly?"
Before Magneto could answer, Shiller said, "Because your inherent personality is actually quite magnetic."
"That's right, this viewpoint also contradicts the judgment of the masses. Ordinary people, and even your own children, think that you are difficult and annoying. They're not wrong – both tensions have their causes."
"As psychologists, we undergo professional training. We are adept at analyzing a person's psychology through external manifestations."
"Yet, ordinary people do not undergo such training. Many people judge others only by external actions and find it challenging to analyze deeper level behavior."
"We think that you have a magnetic inner personality, but that doesn't mean your external behavior can't vex ordinary people. These two points are not contradictory at all."
Shiller's voice came through with a hint of amusement. His tone remained steady as if everything he was saying, no matter how shocking, was logical.
"It's not necessary for a person to be perfect in every aspect to have a charming personality. On the contrary, data shows that often it's those who exceptionally stand out in one personality trait, with other aspects being weaker, who possess unique attractiveness."
"For example, some famous generals who may come across as autocratic, arrogant and too proud to handle the finer details of many issues. Some are even incapable of taking care of themselves, but this doesn't prevent them from possessing a powerful charm. Many soldiers are taken in by their charisma and are willing to serve them."
"One aspect always shines bright in your personality, attracting a group of admirers, whether you're universally disliked does not mean that your character lacks that shine. This is what I want to talk about next …"
"What are they saying?" Polaris listened to the conversation in the room with a puzzled expression. She did not understand many of the professional psychological terms that Shiller used, so she turned her gaze to Scott.
Scott also didn't understand this, but he often spent time with Professor X, so he was able to understand a little more than Polaris. He hesitated and then said, "It seems like Doctor Shiller is counseling Magneto?"
"Really?!" Polaris exclaimed in surprise: "You mean, they are doing psychotherapy?!"
"Don't kid yourself. Don't you remember what Magneto said on the Sun? He strongly resents psychological therapy. Otherwise, as a long-time friend of Professor X, why would he still be in this ghostly state up till now?"
Polaris and Scott looked at each other, confused about what was going on, but they couldn't find a good time to enter, so they continued to listen outside the door.
"The 'inherent personality' and 'external behavior' are like two barrels, connected by a tube."
"Normally, the more water there is in the barrel of inherent personality, the more there should be in the barrel of external behavior."
"Those with a complete personality, outstanding in certain aspects, have a lot of water in their barrels, but that does not mean that there will also be a lot of water in their behavior barrels."
"When there is a lot of water in the barrel of inherent personality but almost none in the barrel of external behavior, we must consider that there might be a problem with the tube."
"Inability to display the advantages of one's personality through external behavior, we usually refer to such a problem as 'behavioral disorder'."
"Contrary to psychological disorder, behavioral disorder is not caused by unstable personality, but by the disconnection between personality and behavior. One cannot display what they wish to, or express what they wish to say."
"Psychological disorder usually stems from severe psychological trauma, or painful memories from a certain period. If one has strong willpower or enough time has passed to dull the pain of the trauma, it is possible to recover on one's own."
"For example, you should have some painful memories from the war period, about the NAZIs, about the concentration camps, but that era is long gone. Even if you might have suffered some psychological trauma back then, your strong spirit and the passage of time have healed everything."
"As it appears now, your personality is very stable and your logic is consistent. You have resolved all the questions about yourself. What you want to gain, what you want to give up, what you need, what you do not need, you are very clear about that."
"Of course, this is also related to age. After all, having lived many more years than young people, a lot of things just naturally fall into place."
"To put it simply, you don't have any mental illnesses that need treatment. The behavioral disorder that you exhibit, reminiscent of mental illnesses, has little to do with your mental state. It's primarily caused by the external environment and upbringing that led to a pattern of poor expression."
"Hold on! Hold on! What are they saying?"
Scott squinted, his ear practically pressed against the door, thus he heard more clearly than Polaris. He said, "What did I hear... war, NAZIs, concentration camp? And mental illness and some disorder?"
Polaris' face displayed a horrified expression and she said, "We're done for! Shiller definitely wants to treat Erik!!!"
Polaris looked at Scott with wide eyes and asked, "Do you know what topics Erik can't stand the most?"
Scott got a bad feeling about this, he looked at Polaris, and Polaris, repeatedly gesturing downwards, said in a very fast tone, "War, NAZIs, concentration camp, and him being sick!"
With a bang, the door was flung open, and instantly, magnetic fields burst and laser lights filled the room.
Inside the room, Magneto, who was adding tea leaves to a cup, and Dr. Shiller, who had just taken a sip of tea from his cup, both froze.