Snowy Night Campfire (5)

Schiller, who was taking a nap in the Lounge, heard the doorbell ring. He groggily raised his arm, looked at his watch, then sat up and called out to the door, "Wait a moment."

He straightened his clothes in front of the mirror, then pushed open the door and went out.

Evans was standing in the middle of the room when he saw Schiller come out and said, "Excuse me, Professor, am I a little too early?"

"No, how did you come up with the idea of making an appointment to come here?" Schiller turned to look out the window, not seeing the car that usually picked up and dropped off Evans. Evans, seeing his gesture, said somewhat awkwardly, "I didn't come from the manor."

"Please sit down."

Schiller and Evans sat down at the table. Schiller looked at Evans closely and noticed that he looked a little haggard. He asked, "What's wrong? I was quite surprised when Mrs. Miller told me that Little Falcone. called to schedule a treatment. Why didn't you just invite me to Falcone Estate?"

"I... no longer live at Falcone Estate." Evans placed his hand on the table, lowered his eyes, and said, "I've moved out."

"Oh?" Schiller took a sip of water. The fireplace in the room was burning brighter and brighter, making him a little hot. He said, "This is really interesting. You've moved out?"

"I know it's a bit absurd, but... anyway, I'm not living with the Godfather anymore."

"Why?"

Evans pursed his lips tightly, his expression unusually serious. He said, "Alberto told me everything. I really didn't expect this..."

His expression was somewhat sad, and also somewhat complicated and conflicted. He seemed to have a lot to say and urgently needed an outlet to pour it out.

"I never expected things to turn out like this, I really never expected it... This is so absurd, how could my brother ..."

Evans covered his eyes with his hands, and before Schiller could speak, he waved his hand again and said, "... Okay, actually I've accepted this fact, but... Alberto's relationship with the Godfather is a bit complicated, isn't it?"

"I lived at Falcone Estate as usual, but I always felt a strange palpitation, sometimes even a sense of fear. More importantly, I felt like I couldn't Shang-Chi when I was in the presence of the Godfather."

"I know this isn't how I feel, but rather the influence Alberto had on me."

Evans frowned, looking somewhat pained, and continued, "Before, when Alberto took over the body, I couldn't feel anything, it was like I was asleep. But if his emotions were too intense, I would be awakened. One night, it was raining heavily, and there was thunder..."

Evans looked out the window, as if he could see that rainy night, the rain flowing down the glass, and when a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, the fine raindrops shone with a dazzling luster.

Alberto knelt on the ground, his face filled with fear, while his godfather stood opposite him by the window.

"That emotion was so intense. I don't know what he was afraid of, but it woke me up and made me feel his pain as if I were experiencing it myself."

"So what did you do?"

"I don't know what I should do, but one thing I can do is separate them."

"So you moved out?"

Evans nodded and said, "The Godfather is very unhappy about this, but I insist on not living at home, so he can't do anything about it. Recently, I've been living in the school dormitory, and occasionally I stay at a classmate's house."

"But my brother hasn't shown up since that day. I'm worried something's wrong with him, Professor, could you...?"

"Okay, I know this is a bit ridiculous," Evans said, pressing his forehead. "But today, it's not me who needs therapy, it's Alberto."

"Of course, since all your bills are sent to the same address anyway. Close your eyes and do as I say..."

Two minutes later, Alberto opened his eyes, stared at Schiller with a cold gaze, and said, "Why did you call me out?"

"Your younger brother was very worried about your condition, so he asked me to provide you with psychological therapy."

Alberto muttered a curse under his breath. Schiller rested his elbows on the table, then propped his chin up, observing Alberto with great interest. Strangely enough, although he and Evans used the same face, the two looked completely different.

Different temperaments lead to changes in facial expressions, and the lines on the face caused by these expressions make a person look completely different.

This is excellent material for observation because it depicts a genuine case of dual personality, rather than one created through hypnosis or fantasy.

"So, you don't want to accept your brother's favor?"

"Grateful? Do you even know what that idiot did?!"

Alberto turned his head, sighed deeply, and said, "He ran to the godfather and said, 'I want to move out; I don't want to live in the house anymore.' The godfather asked him why, and he said, 'Because you are at Falcona Manor...'"

Alberto covered his eyes and said, "Can you imagine the Godfather's expression at that moment?"

Alberto's voice was full of fatigue as he said, "I can tell that the Godfather has indeed aged. If it were before, if I dared to say something like that, he would have shot me right away, made me reflect on my actions until I bled to death, and then bandaged me up."

"What's even more terrifying is that this was just the beginning. When he left Falcone Estate, the driver offered to take him, but he refused, saying he wanted to walk. He was going to walk from Falcone Estate to Gotham University in the Gotham night..."

"Thank God, he arrived safely at Gotham University. Then, because he didn't have his dorm key, he had to climb in through a window. He disturbed the students upstairs in the middle of the night, and they fired two shots, but neither hit him..."

"The next day, he complained that the dormitory bed was too hard and the environment was bad, so he wanted to ask one of his classmates for lodging..." Alberto covered his face and said:

"The person he was looking for was Bruce Wayne."

"He said he'd never been to the famous Wayne Manor, and that he and Bruce were on good terms; he'd definitely let him stay for a couple of days..."

Schiller coughed twice more, then covered his mouth. Alberto glanced at him, Schiller paused for a while before returning to normal, looking at Alberto and saying, "I swear, I didn't laugh."

Alberto said helplessly, "Then Bruce actually agreed, and the next night they went back to the Wayne Manor."

"Did you see a strange figure standing at your bedside in the middle of the night?"

Alberto's hand twitched, as if no words could describe his feelings.

"He chatted with Bruce about his newly written musical until midnight, and then even gave an impromptu performance, which attracted the attention of the old butler, Alfred. Alfred took a great liking to him and insisted that he stay a few more days..."

Alberto said through gritted teeth, "Then, he was also very confused, wondering why I hadn't shown up these past few days..."

Schiller could hardly contain himself any longer. Alberto watched him with a blank smile, as if this reaction was exactly what he had expected.

Schiller took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to laugh, and looked at Alberto, saying, "I admit, Evans's actions were a bit... but that's not the only reason you didn't show up, is it?"

Alberto leaned back in his chair, his golden hair obscuring half his face.

"You're jealous, aren't you?"

Alberto remained silent. Schiller put his pen back in the pen holder and said, "You know what? I met someone very similar to you before; he was a little prince of a country..."

"His brother is the heir to the throne. He is reckless, impulsive, and doesn't think before he acts, but no matter what trouble the Great Prince gets into, his father always cleans up his mess."

Alberto lowered his eyes and said, "People always have an extra tolerance for fools."

"You're more open-minded than him."

"Your example isn't accurate enough, because we're not brothers. We're one person. Even if, in terms of personality, he has a brother in his memory, I don't believe I have a younger brother..."

"But you should also understand that if Evans hadn't existed, the Godfather wouldn't have let you live. He could kill you once, and he could kill you a second time."

Golden hair completely obscured Alberto's eyes. He looked at Schiller through the gaps in his hair and said, "Of course I know. He has never treated me as a son. His only son is Evans."

"So you must be really conflicted right now. Everyone has abandoned you, no one has chosen you, including the Godfather, Batman, and me. They all chose Evans..."

"Then Evans chose you."

"When he discovered that you were terrified of the Godfather and that the Godfather loathed you, he resolutely chose to stand by your side."

Alberto's lips were pressed tightly together, and a hint of blue even appeared at the corner of his mouth. Schiller then deduced, "So you must be very conflicted right now. You can't come up with an answer, so you can only choose to escape."

"Actually, you can think about it from another angle..." Schiller took out a new medical record and began to write, saying as he wrote, "You should have noticed that all of the Godfather's training programs for Evans have failed. He's just not cut out for this line of work."

"He's a bad guy. He has no moral burden when it comes to killing people. He doesn't care about gang fights or other crimes. But he's not bad enough or ruthless enough."

"He was a good person, with excellent grades, a wide circle of friends, and a love for art. But he wasn't good enough; he lacked that innate sense of justice and mission, and was more likely to go with the flow."

"A person like that can do any job, but unfortunately, he can't be a godfather."

"The Godfather may have realized this fact a long time ago. He tried many methods, but none of them worked."

"The Godfather said he was like his wife."

"Perhaps, but the problem now is that the Godfather really only has this one son. Even if he doesn't pass his position to his blood-related son, there is no more suitable successor among the Twelve Families. The others are not only stupid, but also evil."

"That's why I'm still alive," Alberto said, his voice tinged with pain.

"I am alive not because I am his son, but because I am a worthy successor."

"Otherwise, like you said, if he can kill me once, he can kill me a second time..."

Have you tried talking to the Godfather?

"Talk to him?" Alberto gave a stiff smile. "How am I supposed to talk to him? I can't even stand up straight when I'm facing him..."

"If you are the Godfather's enemy, you will understand how terrifying it is to face him."

"You see yourself as his enemy, but how can you be sure that he sees you as his enemy too?"

"If I wasn't his enemy, why would he kill me?"

"Even if you are his enemy, he has already killed you."

"The One affirmative answer I can give you is that many people think the Godfather is very tolerant. This is not because the Godfather is acting, but because that is his true personality. This is what makes him different from other gang leaders, and it is also his greatest personal charm."

"You said you're like the Godfather, then you can put yourself in his shoes. If someone you've already killed came back, would you treat him as your opponent and enemy and keep targeting him relentlessly?"

"He can kill you once, and he can kill you a second time, but that's the problem."

"You've already lost to him once, so you'll lose to him a second and a third time. You've proven with your repeated failures that you pose no threat to him, so he might let you go, right?"

The silent Alberto was like a statue. Schiller saw the Shade of Loki in him, the same jealousy of his brother, the same fear of his father, and the same unrequited love.

Schiller considered this a very strange thing, because they were from two different universes and had no connection with each other, yet their souls were strikingly similar.

For Schiller, experiencing this twice in a row was like facing a math problem in school, writing out one solution, and then thinking about a second solution. He didn't find it troublesome at all; on the contrary, he found it very enjoyable.