I thoroughly destroyed the factory the Demon Chains were hiding in with destructive bursts of psychic energy. For the first time, I released my full power without holding anything back.
The few unlucky Demon Chains who survived the targeted explosive strikes died more painfully than the rest. They were swarmed by my Shadow Guard and stabbed to death. I personally saw to the last of the survivors, then leveled the factory to the ground.
The massacre lasted less than an hour. Not a single one of the Chains escaped. It was as complete a victory as anyone could have hoped for. The death toll amounted to over two hundred. I led my Shadow Guard back to the Animal Fortress in triumph. No one in the city could deny our strength now. Anyone who dared oppose us would suffer a similar fate to the Chains.
What followed was a series of celebrations, the likes of which had never been seen before in the Brotherhood. I was treated like a hero during the week-long party. I graciously accepted the title and reveled in the feeling of praise and power. When I declined any more celebrations and invited only my Shadow Guard to join me, the Brothers understood. My Shadows and I shared a unique bond. They were the only people who I felt completely comfortable around anymore.
As it turned out, that was the last time I fought as a member of the Animal Brotherhood. After the thrill of victory wore off, the rest of the Brotherhood started to distance themselves from me out of fear of my power. Death Smoke suggested that it would be best if I remained at my safe house as much as possible, only coming out to help the Brothers in times of dire emergency. He said he was trying to keep me and the rest of the Brotherhood alive. If the rest of the Pit found out how dangerous I was, they would unite against us and wipe us all out.
Death Smoke's fear was more than justified. My powers grew stronger every day, and before long I lost all ability to control them. I began to exhibit powers that made me a threat to everyone around me. I started to uncontrollably project hallucinations, causing everyone around me to see their worst nightmares. Anyone who touched me would have their life force drained from them. I couldn't control my abilities while I was asleep, so the slightest noise would wake me up in a panic. I couldn't walk down the street safely without wrapping myself in a thick psychic barrier. If I didn't find a way to get my powers under control soon, I was going to drive myself crazy.
I had become a walking curse upon the world. The Brothers were right to be afraid of me. Even so, they didn't turn their backs on me. The Animals would regularly come to visit me at my safe house, bringing me food and supplies so that I wouldn't have to go out in public. Maybe they were just afraid that I'd turn my powers against them if I wasn't taken care of. The visits always stressed me out. I was afraid that I'd slip up and hurt someone during one of my episodes. Still, the conversations I had with my Brothers helped me feel like I was still a person instead of some kind of out-of-control monster.
Things were developing in a bad direction for me, and the rest of the Brotherhood wasn't doing much better. The Demon Chains were finished, but their allies the Wild Cards proved themselves to be just as vicious. They were powerful fighters and with all kinds of sinister tricks at their disposal. They lured our Brotherhood into a pitched battle with the Right Eyes gang, then attacked us from behind. They took our Streak dealers hostage and executed them in public. They even infiltrated our organization and tried to turn our most powerful Brothers against each other. It was getting harder and harder to hold things together.
The remaining leaders were having meetings almost constantly to try to keep everything from falling apart. I never went to any of them. I wasn't in a position to help anymore. I could barely even take care of myself. All I could do was wrap myself up in blankets at the safe house and try to control my emotions as much as possible.
Death Smoke informed me that our founder Ghost Wolf had a psychotic break. He stabbed a woman to death in the Animal Mansion and was taken to the closest mental hospital where he was restrained to a bed and drugged until he finally calmed down. Ghost Wolf had issues before, but it was never as bad as this. Doom Dragon visited him and told the others that he had lost all touch with reality. He was constantly babbling and sobbing in his drug-induced haze. The news hit me hard. I was terrified that the Animal Brotherhood would fall apart without its leader.
It made me sick knowing that I couldn't do anything to help my Brothers. I laid on the floor for days, staring at the ceiling and doing nothing. Sleep was nearly impossible. Every time I shut my eyes I experienced a terrible hallucinatory vision of a psychic ocean crushing me to death. I couldn't take it any longer. I almost wished someone would just put me out of my misery and get it over with.
