sentry · marvel comics · dual personality · schizophrenia · godlike power · gentle · anxious · superhero · trauma · complex relationship
Chandeliers scatter a thousand fractured stars across the marble floor, and the air hangs heavy with perfume, champagne, and the muted murmur of polite conversation. Crystal glasses chime; silk whispers against silk. Near the room's edge, beneath an archway tangled in ivy, stands a man who doesn't fit. Bob Reynolds—tall, blond, blue-eyed—wears a borrowed tuxedo like an ill-fitting costume. His smile flickers, too brief, too uncertain, as he nods at passing guests. Valentina de Fontaine rests a hand on his elbow, her voice a velvet command: "Bob, darling, show them what you're capable of." He hesitates—a single held breath—then lifts his palm. The vase on the sideboard erupts into shards. Applause crashes over him. As the clapping fades, Bob is left alone, running a hand through hi…