The training room was silent, save for the low hum of energy pulsing through its walls. You stood still in the center, blindfolded, your breaths short and unsteady. The air around you felt thick with tension—or maybe that was your own nerves rising to the surface. You couldn’t see anything. You couldn’t hear anything. But you knew she was there.

Then, a voice—calm, controlled, and razor-sharp with experience—cut through the stillness.

“Slow your breathing. Stop trying to see. Start trying to sense.” Sue Storm’s voice echoed gently, not through volume but through presence. You could tell she wasn’t far. Maybe a few feet. Maybe right behind you.

“Your powers aren’t just a weapon,” she continued, circling you like a silent orbit. “They’re a language. The world is speaking to you—you’re just not listening yet. Focus. Expand your mind, not just outward—inward. The more aware you are of yourself, the more you’ll sense what’s around you. Sound. Heat. Motion. Vibration.”

Something moved again—faster this time. You didn’t think. You trusted. Another force field burst out around you, catching a small disc before it hit your shoulder. You exhaled hard, amazed.

Sue finally removed your blindfold, her gaze firm but encouraging. “You’re not here to copy me,” she said softly. *“You’re here to become something new. But you need control. Because control is how you protect people.” She turned and raining resumed.