Today was a lively day.
Wanda had captured Faora, making for a tense morning.
On his way to work, Lorien ran into a flustered middle-aged couple.
They were Clark Kent's adoptive parents, and their panicked expressions made it clear something serious had happened.
Still, they remained polite.
When they saw Lorien, they even greeted him before hurrying off.
Lorien wasn't curious enough to pry. He didn't ask what had happened, only watched their departing figures from a distance.
"What else could it be? Clark must have gotten into trouble again."
He muttered to himself, hoping Clark Kent wouldn't show up today. The kid really was unbearably talkative.
But that hope—clearly went unfulfilled.
Before Lorien had even eaten lunch, Clark Kent appeared at his clinic looking battered.
"Did someone bully you?"
Clark lingered in front of him, refusing to leave. Even if Lorien wanted to ignore him, it was impossible.
"I'm always being bullied. After all, I'm an alien. In the eyes of people like you, I'm just a monster."
He forced a smile, but it looked even more painful than crying.
"What exactly happened?"
Lorien had been casually flipping through a book, but at that, he set it aside.
"Dad once told me humans instinctively fear the unknown. That's why he revealed my identity as an alien."
"My parents are the best people in the world. My neighbors are kind too."
"Sometimes I joke about being an alien, but the truth of it only makes people suspicious. Say it too much, and no one believes you."
"I've always tried to control myself, to avoid using that terrifying power."
"You used it, didn't you?"
Lorien's voice was calm. "So what if you did? What's so terrifying about it? What's there to worry about?"
"I know you never believed me, Doctor. You probably think I'm crazy."
"I believe what you say. But the fact that you're crazy—that's also true."
Lorien's blunt words left Clark completely speechless.
Just like that, the sorrow and despair he carried seemed to fade.
"Yesterday afternoon, after I left you, something happened. A storm struck out of nowhere."
"Right in front of everyone, I used my powers."
"I couldn't just watch Dad get swept away."
"I know he never wanted me to use my strength. Because I was afraid, he was ready to sacrifice himself."
"I hesitated. I was terrified. But then I remembered the book you gave me. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life drowning in regret. So I saved him."
"So you regret it?"
"No. I don't regret it. In fact, I feel relieved—thankful, even."
His adoptive parents were good people. He didn't regret saving his father's life.
Even if others now looked at him like a monster, he already knew what he truly was.
"Lorien, after I finished reading that book you gave me, I had a nightmare." Clark's tone suddenly shifted, his words tumbling out. "In my dream, Dad died in that storm. Mom was crushed with grief, and so was I. We spent the rest of our lives in regret. Mom never once blamed me—not even on her deathbed."
The dream had felt painfully real.
Now it was Lorien's turn to be surprised.
That book had been given casually, without any special properties. It wasn't meant to change anything—at most, it might shift Clark's mindset a little.
Yet now Clark claimed he had dreamt such a vision.
An ordinary psychologist might dismiss it as nothing more than "daytime thoughts carried into dreams."
But Lorien would never think of it that way.
"Other than that dream, did you see anything else?"
Lorien's once-idle gaze sharpened slightly.
He'd always treated the DC Universe as nothing more than his vacation spot. Even in his past life, he lived strictly by a nine-to-five routine, and even a little extra work left him irritated.
He, Lorien Su, would never become a corporate slave!
Never!
Just as he was about to press Clark further, Wanda entered.
She carried a food box in one hand and, with the other, kept Faora bound in bandages.
The sight cut Clark Kent off mid-thought. His eyes flicked back and forth between Lorien, Wanda, and Faora with a strange look.
"Ahem... Lorien, so this is the kind of thing you're into?"
For a student, it left quite the impression on his young, impressionable mind.
"Uh... you look really busy. I'll just head out for now."
...
All of a sudden, Clark felt he wouldn't even care anymore if people kept looking at him like he was a monster.
After all, Lorien didn't care in the slightest when people looked at him like some kind of degenerate.
That kind of composure was something Clark knew he could never match.
He even snuck another glance at Lorien, only to find his face maddeningly calm—as if this sort of thing was just routine. Clearly, this wasn't the first time he'd been in such a situation.
Clark had only come by hoping a chat would lighten his heart a little.
After all, he was a psychologist. Giving him work was the least he could do. Recently, aside from him, only Lorien's two girlfriends ever showed up.
But now?
It wasn't just two girlfriends—it looked like three.
Clark slipped away quickly.
"That kid kept giving me such a strange look. Did he misunderstand something?"
Wanda set the food box down on Lorien's desk, then motioned for Faora to sit. As the woman did, Wanda gave a sharp warning:
"Don't even think about trying anything. If you do, my fists will deal with you. You don't want another beating, do you?"
Watching Faora obediently take her seat under Wanda's threat, Lorien's expression grew thoughtful.
If she truly served as General Zod's lieutenant, then her strength was beyond question.