Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

Pool parties are quite common in Europe and America, or in most countries there, pools aren't really used for swimming, but rather for hosting various parties.

During the parties, nobody races in swimming; everyone just soaks in the water, like soaking in a hot spring. Occasionally, there would be drinking, and the loser has to jump into the water, but considering there were many children and expectant mothers here, they didn't bring alcoholic beverages. Instead, they drank freshly squeezed coconut water and juice, sharing bags of chips both big and small.

Because there were many couples, the movies selected were all about love or related to family, responsibility, and children. When the gathering ended, the most well-received was still the "Home Alone" series, a classic that's always fun to watch no matter when.

After playing all day, everyone was a bit tired and, since they hadn't drunk any alcohol, they were able to get a good night's sleep. Most people went straight to their bedrooms and fell asleep, but Shiller and Eddie quietly came together.

Eddie came to Shiller's room, and Shiller waved him over, saying, "Come over, I've got a new idea."

"What?"

"I think a hot air balloon illusion trip isn't a bad idea, but just showing them some of their past memories might not have enough impact."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I think we can let them have a dream."

"A dream?"

"That's right," Shiller nodded. "Even though I previously thought we should artificially create some unforgettable memories for them, obviously, the families of superheroes are not that tough to handle. Ordinary human bodies are too fragile. In case they really encounter some danger, it would backfire. But in dreams, it doesn't matter."

"You're not planning to test their love, are you?"

"It's not a test, but to return their love to its most essential state."

Eddie grew interested and sat down. "What do you mean?"

"In previous psychological assessments, I've found that Iron Man or Captain America always have this doubt: whether people love them for their identities or as individuals."

"What's the difference?"

"Simply put, if they weren't Iron Man or Captain America, but just ordinary people, would anyone still love them?"

Eddie thought about it and said, "But if they weren't Iron Man and Captain America from the start, they wouldn't have become what they are now. If they weren't people who could become superheroes, they wouldn't have become superheroes at all."

"Theoretically, that's true. If it's only about the fans' liking, that makes sense. But if it involves close lovers, they might want more."

"You want to prove that their souls are well-matched, independent of external factors?"

"Exactly, although seeing a personality devoid of identity is a bit metaphysical, people drowned in love always get moved by such things, don't they?"

Eddie nodded. He thought Shiller made a lot of sense.

Sometimes, people in love wonder if they had none of what they possess today, would their loved one still love them?

This is quite an absurd question because emotions can't be isolated from circumstances. Everything you own today, you've created yourself. If you couldn't create these things, then you wouldn't be the person you are today, and naturally, you wouldn't have met your love today.

But people lost in love sometimes abandon logic when considering certain issues. These illogical questions are quite difficult to verify, but if they could indeed be verified, they would certainly be profoundly moved.

"How do you plan to do it?" Eddie asked.

"We'll need the help of a friend. Let's first enter a dream."

The two soon arrived in Shiller's dream realm. However, as they used different bodies, the High Tower wasn't here—only a vast expanse of white, floating with gray fog.

A figure loomed through the fog, and when the person emerged, Eddie realized, wasn't that Doctor Strange?

But on closer inspection, he was different from Doctor Strange. His eyes emitted a mesmerizing glint. He seemed somewhat ethereal, as if he didn't exist in the real world but was just a blurred illusion.

"Let me introduce you. This is Dream Power Doctor Strange, who has the power to control dreams. This is Eddie Brock; I think you probably know who he is."

Dream Power Doctor Strange looked Eddie over and said, "Of course, I know he is the host to the black symbiont. I'm just wondering why he's here."

"I need an excellent photographer to capture everything, and Eddie is very skilled at this."

"Alright, as you wish. I've seen the script; when do we start?"

"Let's first go into Tony Stark's dream."

As Shiller finished speaking, Dream Power Doctor Strange waved his hand, and the space where they were instantly changed its look, transporting them inside a laboratory.

It was no surprise that Stark would dream of working in a laboratory, but oddly, this time the laboratory was somewhat noisy.

As they walked in, they saw Stark hitting Reed.

"What did Reed Richards from your universe do this time?" Dream Power Doctor Strange asked as he observed the scene.

"On the contrary, he's been extraordinarily quiet," Shiller replied, "but those two are just destined to clash."

Dream Power Doctor Strange seemed not to intend to ask further. He simply snapped his fingers, and instantly, the lab vanished, replaced by howling cold wind and vast, sweeping snow.

Suddenly, Stark's dream transformed into a snowy plain, and snow gear appeared on him, including a thick cotton jacket, snow boots, a climbing stick, and a backpack filled with various supplies.

Pepper also appeared beside him, looking equally bewildered.

"Oh, Tony, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know; we might be here to climb the mountain."

"Where have we climbed to now?"

"I can't remember; let's just go."

After a few words, they walked on together. Eddie Brock said with some confusion, "Isn't their conversation strange? Don't they realize how sudden the change in scene is?"

"Do you feel the change of scenes is sudden when you are dreaming?"

Eddie thought for a moment and shook his head. He seldom realized he was dreaming when he dreamt, and part of human logic is absent during dreams, making it possible to be at home one second and in a space station the next without finding it odd.

"So, they don't remember who they are?" Eddie asked.

"No, right now their subconscious is guiding their actions. They are still themselves, but they're focusing only on the dream and can hardly remember anything about reality."

"So right now, Stark doesn't know he is rich?"

"Of course not. If he knew he was the Stark from reality, he would know he wouldn't come trekking in the snow, and the moment he woke up, the dream would shatter," said Doctor Strange this time.

Eddie recalled a similar experience where once he remembered who he was in reality, he knew he had a Symbiont, and thus, the supposedly dangerous chase in the dream didn't stand up, as Venom could handle anyone chasing him.

In fact, there had been a few times when work stress led to nightmares about being chased, and then suddenly he would remember he had a Symbiont, and he ended up beating up whatever was chasing him.

He shared his experience with Dream Power Doctor Strange, who glanced at him and said, "That wasn't you realizing it on your own; your consciousness is connected to the Symbiont, who can enter your dreams at any time."

Eddie quickly understood that Venom had probably joined the dream to save him from a sorry chase.

"Have most of their memories been suppressed? Do they still remember they are a couple?"

"The subconscious will naturally fill in what's missing," Doctor Strange explained. "We only need to set the simplest condition, which is that two travelers have arrived in the snowfield. Whether they journey together or meet midway, whether they knew each other before or not, and whether they continue or leave, is all up to them."

Shiller couldn't help but glance at Doctor Strange, recognizing him as the smoothest dream manipulator he knew. There might be others with stronger control over dreams, but none matched Doctor Strange's understanding of the human brain.

The greatest strength of dream abilities lies in the fact that dreams exist in the human subconscious, which is much more powerful than most people realize.

In essence, a dream ability user doesn't need to create a logically stringent or realistically vivid dreamscape. The powerful filling-in capabilities of the subconscious will take care of everything.

Many people might have experienced being someone else in dreams, yet everything feels reasonable; someone who often failed history tests might lecture as a history teacher in a dream, and someone who has never cooked might win a cooking contest.

If humans could remember every detail of their dreams, they would realize that they actually don't know these things; the subconscious just makes you feel that you do. The so-called fluent discussions or great cooking are just transitional animations without solid details, but in a dream, it feels logical.

Thus, aside from partially suppressing Stark and Pepper's memories and setting up the snowy scene, Doctor Strange had barely done anything, but the two in the dream didn't realize anything was amiss and convinced themselves.

In the dream, the two proceeded together in the vast snow field. Only the faint outline of mountains could be seen in the distance, seemingly a long way to go.

The weather was freezing, the cold wind was biting, and the two struggled to walk through the snow yet didn't seem to mind. Ice had formed on Stark's eyebrows and beard, but his eyes still shone bright like stars.

"Are you cold?" he asked against the wind.

"I'm okay," Pepper rubbed her hands, breathed on her frostbitten red hands, smiled, and looked at Stark.

"I'll walk in front; we can switch after a bit."

"Alright, where are we headed?"

"I think it's that mountain ahead."

"Let's go then."