Chapter 938: Exploring Schiller's Past (Part 1) (Patreon)

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Zatanna's mind magic required almost no preparation. There were no lengthy treatments, no medical records, and no need for the patient to be present. The helicopter had simply carried them to the secure chamber within the Batcave, and Zatanna declared herself ready.

Batman squinted at her and asked, "Schiller isn't here. How do you plan to enter his inner world?"

Zatanna shook her head and replied, "Bruce, mysticism is even more miraculous than you imagine. In your perception, the Spirit Realm may be a hidden world beneath the real world, separate from it."

"But in reality, the Spirit Realm is called so because it can communicate with people's souls. Messengers who can traverse the Spirit Realm can enter the hearts of others."

"Can you peek into someone's heart anytime?" Batman asked, his tone confident and wary, not really a question. Zatanna shook her head, saying, "No, walking in the Spirit Realm comes at a great cost. Not everyone is like Constantine, able to coax a bunch of demons to pay the price for them."

Zatanna sighed and continued, "In fact, before you and I parted ways, I had already touched the threshold of magic. I even attempted to wander in the Spirit Realm in my dreams. At that time, I disregarded the warnings of the elders, thinking I had mastered the most magical power in the world and could use it recklessly."

A hint of sadness appeared between Zatanna's brows as she said, "The cost of magic may not be paid overnight. It seeps into every corner of your life, leading your future to descend into the abyss."

"My father's disappearance was not an accident," Zatanna said, shaking her head slowly. "It was the price we had to pay."

She walked forward, looked into Batman's eyes, close but feeling unable to penetrate his deep blue eyes. Zatanna spoke, "I can hear it, I can feel it. You have too many futile fantasies about mysticism. Promise me, Bruce, never take that step, or you'll never be able to turn back."

"Control the power, pay the price, try to gain more power to compensate for the price... that's what magic is," Constantine said as he sat on a nearby sofa. "If you weren't born cursed, it's best to stay away. Everything I do is just to save myself."

"Now that we're nearly ready, let's begin," Zatanna said, seemingly unwilling to discuss the topic further. She took two steps back and said to both of them, "You'd better find a safe place to sit. While traveling in the Spirit Realm, your bodies will remain here. Ensure their safety. I've heard of unfortunate souls whose pets devoured them upon their return from the Spirit Realm."

The hiss of the ventilation system sounded, and the door to the secure chamber closed completely. Batman, Constantine, and Zatanna each took a seat on separate sofas. Zatanna chanted mysterious incantations, and soon, a hazy white mist enveloped the entire room.

Batman felt his body becoming weightless, an urge to dance overcame him. He couldn't suppress the desire to move, so he instinctively stood up, only to see himself still seated on the sofa when he turned around.

The others experienced the same sensation, but Constantine and Batman were more accustomed to it. Zatanna waved her hand and said, "Let's go. First, we need to find Schiller's soul within the Spirit Realm and then enter his memories."

Constantine and Batman said nothing, letting her execute the plan. Zatanna flew into the air, and Constantine and Batman followed her, traversing through the misty space.

The Spirit Realm wasn't empty. Batman noticed that he could still see scenes from the real world, but they were shrouded in a thin mist and had become more vividly distorted.

He could see countless souls emitting various lights as he soared over the city. Neon lights on buildings flowed with colors, and the wakes left by their flight cut through the radiance, creating a mesmerizing yet eerie scene.

"You find this amazing, don't you?" Constantine said as he flew alongside Batman. "But in reality, the Spirit Realm is much more dangerous than you think."

"It may seem ordinary here because demons don't like to visit Gotham. If you were in another city, you might encounter hungry demons or native monsters from the Spirit Realm searching for prey at any moment."

Batman furrowed his brow, and Constantine continued, "The Spirit Realm seems to have existed since ancient times, and so have the monsters here. But for some reason, Gotham not only lacks demons, but even the nameless monsters that should naturally emerge from the Spirit Realm's power have disappeared."

Upon hearing Constantine's words, Batman pursed his lips. At that moment, Zatanna shouted, "I think we're getting close! Do you see that light ahead? That's Schiller's soul. He should be in the laboratory at Gotham University."

"He should indeed be at Gotham University," Batman replied. Zatanna landed on the rooftop of a building and nodded, saying, "That must be him. Let's get closer. My goodness, is that All Things Green?"

Batman followed Zatanna to the rooftop of a large building and saw an enormous and ominous monster made of vines hovering above the experimental building. It was inserting a thick tendril into the teaching building.

"Why would All Things Green go after Schiller? Or did Schiller make some deal with All Things Green?" Constantine asked, puzzled.

"Enough with the questions. Our target isn't All Things Green," Zatanna said, her hands beginning to glow. She explained, "I will directly use mind magic to invade his soul, selecting the weakest part of his soul, essentially, his memories."

"Everyone has things they fear and despise, don't they? Each person has some bad memories where their control over their own soul is weak. We can take advantage of that weakness, construct special memories, or build a scenario favorable to us."

"In these scenarios, his reactions will influence his actions in reality. For example, we can create a scenario where he is destitute and voluntarily hands over the Umbrella.

"Alternatively, we can create a memory in a weaker area where he strongly dislikes Umbrella, making him discard it himself. Of course, this might be a bit challenging and depends on the specific circumstances," Zatanna explained.

Batman asked, "Is there anything to be mindful of when entering the memory space?"

Zatanna paused and then said, "Remember, in each memory, there is usually a scene or an object that triggers the strongest emotions in the memory's owner. To exploit their weaknesses, we must find this item. Confronted with it, the owner's emotions will intensify, allowing us to guide them."

"Once we find this item, the person may react strongly due to the sensitive spot being touched. At that point, we must quickly find an exit, or things could turn terrifying."

"Of course, once we have the item, we can use it as a support point for constructing false memories. Our first objective is to find that item."

Batman inquired, "Where will the exit be?"

Zatanna hesitated for a moment and said, "Generally, it will be in a place the person resists or is unwilling to approach. As long as we find that place, we can escape from that memory and enter a safer memory space."

"Alright, let's proceed," Zatanna said, her glowing hand waving in the air, creating a portal. The three of them stepped inside, and Batman felt himself entering a tunnel filled with a hazy glow.

He didn't need to fly himself; the light at the end of the tunnel continually exerted a pulling force. However, at that moment, he heard Zatanna scream.

"Oh my God! Why is his memory so chaotic?! Hold on to me! Quickly, hold on to me, or we'll get separated!"

Hearing her shout, Batman instinctively tried to grab her hand, but everything happened too quickly. The light at the end of the tunnel split into three, and the tremendous suction force pulled the three of them in different directions.

Batman had just reached out his hand when he was instantly drawn into the central light sphere and lost consciousness.

It might have been a long time, or it might have been just an instant. When Batman opened his eyes again, he felt a strong white light continuously blinking in front of him.

After the initial confusion, Batman realized he was lying on a hospital bed, no longer in his Bat-suit, but wearing a patient's gown.

He got up from the bed and surveyed the hospital room, which was different from his memory. It was a messy double room, with the adjacent bed tilted, the table in the middle overturned, and scattered items on the floor.

Frowning, Batman noticed that the bed next to him had the patient's information hanging on its headboard. He approached and read the few lines of Chinese characters on it.

Batman understood Chinese, being familiar with almost all the mainstream languages in the world, but the name and information on it felt unfamiliar. The only information he could glean was that it seemed to be a mental hospital in China.

Batman furrowed his brow lightly, knowing he was inside Schiller's memory. But why had Schiller visited a mental hospital in China?

At this moment, Batman didn't assume that the patient in the adjacent bed was Schiller, as the name appeared to be a typical Chinese one and not a phonetic transcription from English. He glanced around, looking for clues within the room.

The hospital room was not large, with two beds against the opposite walls, cabinets for personal items on each side, and an overturned table in the middle. Batman first pulled open the curtains but found the outside obscured by mist, making it difficult to see anything.

Then, Batman approached the overturned table, righted it, and picked up a glass from the floor. However, at that moment, he noticed that the side of the bed facing him, the one without any marks, was exceptionally smooth and unblemished.

On the other hand, the opposite side of the table had a distinct circular mark. Batman examined the mark and found that it had one side deeper and the other shallower. He paused, sitting on the bed opposite the unmarked side, observing the room.

He gazed at the aging wallpaper peeling off the walls of the mental hospital, the wooden floor replaced with tiles, and the table changing from circular to square. Across from him, Schiller, holding a glass of water just delivered by the gang leader, took a sip.

When Schiller put the glass down, the sharp sound of the glass base touching the tabletop echoed in the room. Batman saw Schiller use a finger to turn the handle of the glass and then pointed it toward himself.

At this point, Batman realized that the distance from the handle of the glass to the edge of the table was identical to the distance from the circular mark to the table's edge.

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 939: Exploring Schiller's Past (Part 2)