Marvel: The Psychologist Who Stole Wanda and Gwen's Hearts!

Stephen’s astonishment was perfectly natural.

In the West, the role of a godfather carries significant weight. Accepting a godfather means placing him above yourself in status. It is a position of great respect—you gain his protection and benefits, but in return, you also take on responsibilities for him.

Looking at the traditions of many places, a godfather’s role is one of deep respect.

Stephen fell silent for a long time after hearing this.

Wong glanced at him and chuckled.

"I can tell—you’re not willing."

"No." Stephen shook his head, rejecting Wong’s assumption.

"Oh?" Wong’s curiosity was piqued.

Stephen lifted his head, his voice slow and deliberate.

"My future was given to me by Lorien. When I had seen the coldness of the world, it was Lorien who gave me hope. When I was in trouble and no one needed me anymore, he was the first to come to the hospital. After I recovered, Lorien’s attitude toward me never changed—he treated me the same as always.

"So from that moment, I knew. The warmest thing in this world... is hope. And that hope... was given to me by Lorien. I can accept him as my godfather."

When Stephen finished speaking, it was now Wong’s turn to be stunned. He truly hadn’t expected the two of them to share such a bond from the start.

...

Late at night, on the top floor of the Northern Building, the master bedroom lay in darkness.

Lorien was resting with a Gwen on each side, both of them having just been thoroughly worn out and lulled into sleep. He was simply lying there, savoring the moment, knowing he would drift off soon himself.

As the saying goes: One mountain cannot hold three tigers, unless one is male and the other two female.

So here it was—two Gwens with the Tiger Talisman. One cheerful, the other introverted, but both equally in love with him. Their feelings for him were identical.

Still, Lorien wondered—did these "splits" have to stay fixed? Could Gwen be split into one pure and holy, and another... well, with a starkly different side? If so, the possibilities would be far more interesting.

He didn’t know if it was possible, but he could always try another day. What if it worked?

Regardless, two Gwens were undoubtedly a blessing, and he liked them both. He refused to be the kind of man who abandoned the old for the new. That was his bottom line.

In the pitch-black room, Lorien stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. For whatever reason, he usually couldn’t fall asleep right away at times like this—he needed to "cool down" a bit first.

Click...

Suddenly, the master bedroom door eased open. Black energy first wrapped around the lock to keep it silent. Then a small figure, shrouded in darkness, floated inside. Finally, the door closed again.

Lorien was startled, but he didn’t need to guess—it was Hela.

He used his power to speak to her telepathically.

"Hela? What are you doing?"

"Shh~~~" came her silent warning to stay quiet.

The darkness around her dispersed, and Lorien’s eyes were immediately drawn to a swath of pale skin in the gloom.

At that moment, a song came to mind. He wanted to run... but he couldn’t.

His legs were pinned between Gwen’s, and his hands were locked in her embrace. He couldn’t move at all. If there was any part of him still able to move, it was only one thing—one that could stand.

"Hurry back!" he told Hela through their link.

But she only pouted and shook her head with determination.

Divine power covered her feet, ensuring that not only her steps, but even her jumps, made no sound. She crept forward until she was in a spot Lorien had to tilt his head down to see—then her hands began to roam.

Lorien froze completely.

He couldn’t remember what happened after that—only that Hela’s final words echoed in his mind:

"Rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye, rock-a-bye to Bifröst."

...

The next day, when Lorien woke up, Gwen had already gone to school on her own.

He extended his senses, finding Hela asleep on the thick carpet in the living room, wrapped tightly in a quilt.

"Phew..." Lorien let out a long breath. He didn’t even know what to say.

In the past, he was always the one taking the initiative. This time, it had been the other way around. At first, it was all quiet, but then Hela got wilder and wilder. If he hadn’t used his ability to block all of Gwen’s senses, things would have gone terribly wrong.

"Forget it," Lorien sighed, stretching lazily. He had figured it out—at least it had been enjoyable, so why dwell on it?

Hela, huh? When he had time, he’d make sure to teach her a lesson, let her know who the real boss was.

"Get up!"

Throwing off the quilt, Lorien headed straight for a hot shower. Water streamed down from his head as steam filled the room, but the more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

Mostly, he just felt humiliated. Ridden by a loli?

"Damn it."

Still dripping hot water from his hair, he walked over to Hela, scooped her up, and carried her back.

"Up! Time for morning exercises!"

...

By 9:00 a.m., Lorien was sitting in his office, sipping on milk tea.

"Sip~"

He leaned back in his recliner, draining the last of it before tossing the empty cup into the trash.

"Not bad. That’s nice."

Stretching again, he felt thoroughly relaxed. After giving Hela a good thrashing that morning, he was in a much better mood.

As for Hela, she was now sprawled on the floor like a turtle, unable to get up, her hair a total mess. She could wash up later.

"Hmph hmhm~" Lorien hummed happily, playing games while slacking off, occasionally glancing at the news.

[Famous entrepreneur, philanthropist, genius scientist, and Iron Man Tony Stark officially announced he will no longer be managing Stark Industries, with CEO Pepper taking over!]

[New York’s largest Citibank was robbed by unknown terrorists last night, but instead of taking any money, they handed it out to citizens!]

[Spider-Woman and Scarlet Witch will no longer be working together. Are the two in conflict? Stay tuned for more updates!]

After scrolling through the headlines, Lorien could only think—yep, that’s about right. Every kind of news imaginable was out there.

They were even saying Wanda and Gwen had fallen out.

"What a joke." Lorien shook his head helplessly. "How come I don’t know they’re fighting? Are the people around me all fake?"

Time slipped by quickly while he lazed about, and before long, it was noon.

Knock knock~~

"Come in."

The office door opened, and in walked Natasha—looking noticeably different.

Her hair was now dyed a deep red, styled in loose waves. Bright lipstick highlighted her lips. She wore a leather vest with blue skinny jeans, giving off a bold, sexy vibe—like a Harley-riding biker girl. Cool, confident, and sharp.

Lorien’s eyes roamed over her without restraint. Natasha simply smiled, doing a slow spin in front of him so he could appreciate the look.

After two and a half turns, Lorien nodded approvingly.

"Gwen would definitely love that outfit. Very cool."

"Really? That’s great." Natasha gave a playful blink. "Next time I see her, I can take her to pick one out."

It was a nice thought, but Lorien imagined Gwen walking around in that and her dad immediately thinking, My daughter’s hanging out with a biker gang?

So he shook his head and said...

"We’ll have to wait until Gwen goes to college. She doesn’t even have the freedom to choose her own clothes yet."

Natasha thought for a moment. "That’s true. Her father’s a police chief—her family’s probably very strict."

Strict was putting it lightly. If Gwen’s boyfriend weren’t Lorien, her dad would have shown up at the door long ago, ready to beat him up. And if Gwen called the police? The man answering the phone would be her own father. ’Who stands before the court, and why are you accusing me?’

After they finished talking about Gwen, Natasha pulled out a chair and sat down. She reached into the gap in front of her, pulled out a business card, and set it on the table, clearly about to say something.

But Lorien cut her off.

"Wait, wait, wait—don’t you have pockets? Why is everything coming out of there? Are you really that big? Can you even fit all that in?"

Natasha zipped up her jacket with a smirk, then gave Lorien a few slow winks.

"Why don’t you try and find out when you have time?"

Lorien pressed his lips together, nodding.

"You just wait."

Yeah, you wait. I’ll find the time to expose your true self.

Hearing his challenge, Natasha couldn’t hold back a laugh.

"What are you waiting for? Why not now?"

Better now than later, right?

Lorien was tempted, but the timing wasn’t great. If it were close to the end of the day, maybe—but this was work hours. He knew that once he broke this rule, things would spiral fast.

He gritted his teeth. "Next time."

Natasha just answered with another playful wink.

"Alright, let’s talk business."

She slid the card across the desk to him. Lorien picked it up, glancing at it.

"Isn’t this the one Tony gave you?"

Natasha smiled knowingly. "So you do have it."

"Of course." Lorien handed hers back, then retrieved his own from the small safe, placing it on the desk.

"He stopped by two days ago to give it to me—said he was going into seclusion."

"Two days ago?" Natasha was momentarily stunned before letting out a wry smile.

"The rest of us in the Avengers only found out last night. Looks like you were the first person he went to after deciding."

Huh... am I supposed to feel honored?

Lorien chuckled, put the card away, and asked,

"So what’s everyone’s take on Tony retiring?"

"We only learned last night, so the discussion just started," Natasha said after thinking it over. "But most of us understand. He’s been physically and mentally exhausted for years—we can see it."

"And now... the Avengers..."

She fell silent for a moment before speaking plainly.

"They’re not the real Avengers anymore."

Exactly as Lorien expected.

After the Sokovia Accords and the UN’s involvement, the Avengers’ original mission had changed. They were once about protecting Earth—now they were more of a symbol of authority and power. Freedom aside, the fact that even good deeds required formal reporting was absurd.

Lorien nodded. "I get it. But you all still have to stay with the Avengers—because there’s still a sliver of hope. The city still needs you. That’s why none of you have left."

Natasha nodded quietly. That was exactly the truth.

Beep, beep, beep~~~

Her agent phone rang. Natasha answered, listened for a moment, then nodded.

"Got it."

Hanging up, she turned to Lorien.

"Sorry, it’s not urgent, but I need to go. There’s a weapons-modification gang hiding in the city. Last night’s incident was probably their work, so I need to check it out."

So that’s what it was.

"Then we’ll catch up next time," Lorien said, waving her off. "Make sure we pick a time when we’re both free. And don’t overthink the investigation—maybe it’ll sort itself out by tomorrow."

Natasha gave him one last sultry glance before heading out.

On her way down in the elevator, she replayed his words in her head. Suddenly, she caught the hidden meaning in his last sentence—he was telling her not to worry because someone else would handle it.

But who? Spider-Woman? Scarlet Witch?

After she was gone, Lorien leaned back in his chair and stretched. Chatting with Nat that afternoon had passed the time quickly—it was nearly quitting time already.

Nice.

Even better, Hela hadn’t come downstairs to play games all day. Probably scared.

Good. Very good.

It had been a great day, and Lorien enjoyed every bit of it.

At 5:00 sharp, he closed his office door and mentally clocked out. As for his reward, he’d keep saving it for now.

But just as he shut the door, scarlet sparks began to flicker in the air in front of him.

The color made him pause. Kamar-Taj’s magic was supposed to be golden—why scarlet? Then he realized.

"Wanda."

Sure enough, the sparks trembled when he said it.

"Come on, Wanda. Get it open and I’ll step right through."

Encouraged, the scarlet sparks spun in widening circles until they formed a full ring.

Bzzz~~~

A portal opened before him. Lorien peered inside to see Wanda standing on the other side. She looked tired but wore a long-overdue smile.

He stepped forward into the portal.

Thump~

Wanda launched herself into his arms.

"Congratulations, Wanda," Lorien said warmly.

She stayed quiet for a moment before murmuring, "I’m sorry, Lorien. I’m slow. The records say I took longer than average to learn portal magic—maybe even too long."

"Hm?" Lorien thought about the time she’d taken. She was right—it had been on the slower side.

But why? Wanda was a genius, wielder of Chaos Magic. How could she be "slow" at learning magic?

"Impossible," Lorien said firmly. "Close the portal and try again."

"Alright."

Buoyed by his encouragement, Wanda stepped back from his embrace and tried to shut the scarlet portal. But after two attempts, she froze.

"Why can’t I close it?"

By all logic, closing a portal should be far easier than opening one. Why couldn’t she?

"What’s going on?"

The first to arrive after noticing the unusual portal was Wong, the librarian.

Spotting Lorien, he greeted him respectfully before approaching the portal with a frown.

"No one’s portal looks like this."

Lorien’s brow furrowed. Something wasn’t right.

"Wanda, go get the magic book you’ve been studying."

She hurried off and returned with it. Lorien and Wong immediately flipped to the teleportation spell and examined it together.

Wong’s voice rose in shock.

"Eternal Portal?!"