wait-thats-illegal
"Rid of the monsters inside your head, put all your faults to bed. You can be king again."
* * * *
When I was ten years old, I was named Phantom.
When I was fifteen years old, I watched someone die because of me.
When I was twenty-one years old, I became an Avenger.
But I am no hero, I am a monster. I am the villain. I am the bad guy.
People have died because of me, I have seen it with my very eyes. People I love have died because of me. Mothers have lost children, wives have lost husbands--because of me.
But because of what I am, people think I'm a hero. I'm supposed to be a hero. I have seen what I can do, I have seen the aftermath of wars caused by what I do. I have seen the death because of what I can do. Is that what you call a hero?
And yet, somehow, I became an Avenger. I have fought alongside Captain America and Iron Man, trained with Black Widow and Scarlet Witch, and formed close friendships with Thor and Bruce Banner.
I always thought there was nobody like me. And I thought that for a long while, until I met him.
Dark hair, green eyes, lean frame, hollow cheeks. An aura of fear hung about him, as distinct as the red bird against a bright blue sky. He was like me, he could create illusions just like me.
But he was the bad guy. He was the villain. He was a monster. Am I not like him?
Am I not the monster too? Am I not the villain? Am I not the bad guy?
What am I?