Pre-War Declaration

There was a sense of enjoyment in his voice unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"I have to say, guys."

He began lazily, "I don't know how you feel, but I feel fantastic."

"I can clearly feel changes happening in my body, in my mind."

He sat up straight, clasping his hands on the table, ambition gleaming in his eyes.

"In the past, I was always hesitating, always holding back, always thinking about what Steve would do. I was bound by that damned righteous shield."

"But now."

He grinned, wearing the confidence of someone in complete control.

"I feel like I'm finally free. I feel like this is the real me! A smarter, more decisive, more efficient leader! Someone who no longer has to live in another person's shadow, a true Captain America!"

His words were like a pebble tossed into a still lake, immediately stirring ripples across its surface.

Bruce Banner, who had remained silent until then, pushed up his glasses, looking timid.

"I... I agree."

He spoke softly, yet his tone was unusually firm.

"I used to be afraid of him, afraid of that big guy inside me. I was always suppressing him, trying to control him. But now, I've realized we've reached a perfect understanding.

He was no longer pure rage, and I was no longer fear. We had merged into a more perfect whole. An existence capable of using the calmest mind to calculate how to employ the most efficient violence to solve every problem."

"That's right!"

Thor, once the God of Thunder, now looked like a gladiator addicted to battle. He slammed a hand onto the table, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"I was sick of Asgard's stale nonsense about peace and glory long ago! Battle! Endless battle! Proving your strength through the