Anti-Hero Syndrome [Solo]

[Ashla]

I looked across the details of the page. Wanted posters, newspapers listing the story of how entire crime organizations were taken down, witness reports of acts of terrorism...

"That 'judge, jury, and executioner' mentality she formed in Eiskalt," I raised my head, "She carried into this new organization. Some compared it to the Ixian Knights, yet others looked upon them as being just as bad as the Crimson Hand."

I pulled out a slip of paper bearing an old recruit's letter to a parent, "Even from the inside, members could see the violent undertones. They spoke of justice, yet claimed that justice only came from taking an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

I lowered the paper, holding the booklet with my spare hand. "PALE carried an extremist philosophy. They took crime down with acts of terrorism and ruthless slaughter. No wonder that after Icebreaker experienced a mental breakdown, the organization disbanded. They had already been kicked out of Raiaera and too popularised in Corone. Fallien was their last leg, and midway through survival their leader... snapped..."

I bit my lip, "She had recently lost a chief in command, her husband. It was obvious that that loss, raising a child, training a pupil, and running a strained organization was too much for her fragile psyche. Icebreaker left her own organization in an act of negligence. Yet, when Ashla died...

... Ayleth was born."

[Ashla]

I looked down at the notes. In an outline, many key symptoms were written in red ink. I cleared my throat as I spoke.

"In my limited study of this individual, I see...

- Delusional ways of thinking; paranoia and/ or eccentricities.
- A low level of detachment from reality and common sense.
- A wide range of emotions; the ability to feel and act upon guilt and remorse.
- Lack of socially moral right or wrong; a jaded, grey moral compass.
- A potentially heightened sense of self; a false belief that they are above and for the law. 'Narcissistic' traits.
- An inability to take criticism or accept other world views; inflexibility and rigidness.
- Dangerously extremist world view; willing to harm others for the right cause.
- Inability to form and keep friendships; few close relationships.
- Feeling that some sort of weight is on their shoulders; trying to fight for a 'right' or 'good' cause.
- They truly and sincerely believe(d) they were in the right when they were defying society in a dangerous way and/ or breaking the law.
- A criminal record due to their extremist measures."

I turned the page again, looking upon a scribble of red words on the center of the paper. Those words, my new diagnosis, was the first of several main points of my theory and plan.

Anti-Hero Syndrome.