wrong number connection

Chapter 22: Trusting Yourself

The days that followed were a blur of training, discussions, and trying to figure out his place in this new world. Lyndon had always struggled with self-doubt, but now, surrounded by the Avengers, he found a strange sense of safety. They didn’t judge him. They saw potential in him, something he wasn’t sure he saw in himself.

One night, after another round of rigorous training, he found himself in the gym, trying to harness his shadows. They moved around him like a living thing—unpredictable, wild, and stubborn. As he focused, he felt a sense of frustration bubble up inside of him. Why couldn’t he control them the way they told him to? Why was it so hard?

"Having trouble?" Bruce’s calm voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Lyndon looked up to see Bruce leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, his expression understanding. "I just don’t get it. No matter how hard I try, they always slip away from me."

Bruce stepped inside, his footsteps soft. "It’s not about forcing them, Lyndon. It’s about learning to understand them, to let them flow with you instead of against you."

Lyndon frowned, not fully understanding. "So... I’m supposed to just let go?"

"Not completely," Bruce said, "but you have to trust yourself, and trust that you can handle it. Your power, like you, is a work in progress. You don’t have to be perfect from the start."

Lyndon sat on the mat, his shadows swirling around him restlessly. "I don’t know if I can ever really control them. What if I lose control again? What if I hurt someone?"

Bruce smiled gently. "You’re not the same person you were before. You’ve already shown you can stand up when it matters. And I believe you’ll be able to control your shadows when the time comes."

The words settled over Lyndon, bringing a calm he hadn’t realized he needed. He could feel the shadows around him, but for once, they didn’t feel like a threat. They felt like an extension of himself—wild and free, but not untamable.