Late last night in Brickstown, Malaise was defeated by a group of heroes after Sister Psyche�s control over his evil personality was broken. He had assembled an army of Freakshow with the intention of rekindling his old villain lifestyle, promising them the secret weaknesses of the heroes of Paragon City. After an intense battle in caves beneath the city, Malaise was subdued and captured alive.
Responsible for his capture was the super-group Freedom Squad, represented by Major Glory, Mr. Nowhere, and Fail-Safe. Both Major Glory and Mr. Nowhere are leading Directors of the group. Major Glory has been heralded as one of Paragon City�s great new heroes in the war against villainy. Mr. Nowhere has recently earned notoriety for his efforts against the Council�s rise to power. Fail-Safe, a British citizen, has been a driving force in the effort against the mercenary group the Sky Raiders. Other heroes involved were Bhlaze, Carbon Copy, Das Butcher, and KODA.
It began with an investigation into a possible interference of Sister Pysche�s mental connection with the hero Aurora Borealis. Sister Psyche had fought hard to defeat the aliens during the Rikti War, but at a great cost. She had temporarily burned out her powers and fell into a coma. It was later that Aurora Borealis, a relatively inexperienced hero, allowed Sister Psyche to transfer her consciousness into her body which they now share.
Combing the streets for information, the heroes first reached a dead end. But out of loyalty to Sister Psyche, they persevered. Eventually, they learned that the Circle of Thorns had targeted Sister Psyche�s mind with a spell, her being especially vulnerable due to her link with Aurora Borealis
After thwarting the Circle of Thorns deep within their wizard lair, and seizing the ancient spell books, the heroes believed their job was done. But little did anyone know the consequences of the Circle of Thorn�s attack. They had unintentionally pulled Malaise�s madness free from the cage Sister Psyche had trapped it in deep within her mind, letting it loose to dominate him once again. With his insanity returning, Malaise set in motion his return to crime.
What Malaise�s plans were is unknown. It is believed, however, that he retained his memory of being a hero of Paragon City and would have used his secret knowledge of the other heroes against them.
�I am forever grateful to these brave heroes�, spoke Calvin Scott, husband of Aurora Borealis. �Without them I have no doubt in my mind that this tragedy would have truly become profound and unbearable.�
This dark turn of events, however, may have an unintended gain. The same magical texts that nearly killed Sister Psyche may be the key to restoring her broken body. �We�re looking into the matter,� A City Representative said at a press conference on the steps of City Hall. �Azuria has indicated that the magical tomes recovered from the Circle of Thorns lair may provide us with means of finally returning Sister Psyche to her original state. But for now we�re concentrating all our efforts on helping Malaise. Paragon City stands by Malaise and we look forward to helping him heal.�
Malaise began his career as a villain in Europe, using the twisted images in his mind to commit robberies. With INTERPOL hot on his trail, he landed in Paragon City, where his broken thoughts were detected by Sister Psyche. She confronted him and after an intense battle was able to subdue him. What she found was a confused soul in search of release. Using her mental powers, she switched Malaise's dual personalities, bringing the benevolent one to dominance. She spent months healing the damage to Malaise�s mind and has taught him more productive uses of his abilities. Sister Psyche vouched for him with the authorities and he has been allowed to help with the current crisis in Paragon City.
Malaise is currently under observation at MAGI.
-The Paragon Times
