Name: Skylar Morgan

Species: Nephilim

Age: 80

Face Claim - Chloe Bennet

I know next to nothing about my background. Nothing about my parents, nothing about where I came from. All that I know is that how I came to be in Ravencry was the same as the other children: my family was poor, and so I was sold into the league to be an assassin. I was four when they took me from my home in East Asia, which I remember barely anything about. The only thing I was told was my date of birth, so that they could keep track of my age, as well that I wasn’t human, but Nephilim. We had no material possessions, not even our own names. Instead, I was simply given a number: 64210. 

We were trained to be one thing: to be the perfect assassin. The league didn’t just teach us combat---we learnt all the modern languages, how to blend into the crowds and shadows, and the art of seduction. We were discouraged from forming friendships amongst ourselves, and to cure our boredom by reading in the library, or whatever skills taught to us. By the age of fifteen, we were nameless robots, ready to be shaped to the needs of whatever task was given to us.

As soon as I turned sixteen, Ravencry sent me on my first mission. Killing came to see--I felt no remorse as I saw my target’s corpse fall to the ground. To be honest, I felt nothing, no emotions whatsoever. It was the same for the rest of my kills, which came quickly. I supposed that the higher-ups took notice of me, and liked how clean and professional I was that early on in my career. Not even a year after I started, they gave me harder, longer, and more difficult assignments, where I would be assassinating politicians and other important people. Basically, situations where it was important that I not be caught. For eight more years, I was faithful to the league, giving it my all. I knew nothing else outside my life, even on jobs. Little did I know that one assignment in the year 1965 would change everything for me.

It started out as any other assignment would. I was sent to Portugal for the usual--procure information, and kill some important person. I wasn’t counting on meeting someone else waiting for me. He was standing there as I entered the office, as if he knew I was there. He told me his name was Milo, and that he had a proposition for me. I told him to kindly bugger off, and not jeopardise my mission, and promptly left with what I’d come to find---after a rather invigorating fight where I thought he was there to kill me. I’d hoped the stranger would leave, but he kept popping up in the most inconvenient of places. Finally, when cornered in a situation that could have compromised my assignment, I finally agreed to hear Milo out over a drink.

I met him for a drink in a bar, and that’s when he told me of the Ailwards---the Aspects and the Guard. Milo was a lycanthrope Guard himself, and he told of the incredible life they led. Everyone was there by choice, not because they were sold or forced into it. Everyone had the option of saying “no.” I’ll admit, his words intrigued me a little---having a choice was a foreign concept to me. Before we parted ways for the night, Milo said that there was a place in the Guard for me, if I wanted it. I told him that I belonged to Ravencry. He assured me that if I wanted to leave the League, he would take care of the rest. He told me where to find him, but that’d be here only for a week---he’d leave the day I was set to complete the assassination.

I thought about it for the whole week. Would I really leave the only life I’d ever known? I started thinking about Milo, and the weirdest thought came to mind: he had a name. All I had was a number, nothing else. Not a clue of where I’d come from or who I was. Hell, if it wasn’t for the scars running down my back, I’d have never known that I was Nephilim.

The day of the assassination soon came. I was in position, just as planned. There was my opening, where I’d be instructed to shoot the poison dart at the an. But when the moment came, I hesitated. I now had the choice to walk away. For the first time in my life, I had a choice. I found myself lowering my weapon, and watching my window close. I had the choice to be my own person, and make my own way through life. Without a second thought, I left the venue, and where I knew Milo would be waiting for me.

Before we left for the Isle of Skye together, I told him I didn’t want to be referred to as a number anymore. I wanted a name---it was the first part of finally building myself. I’d gone through names in my head, and settled on two. From that day on, I became Skylar Morgan.

Just as Milo promised, there was a place for me in the Guard. I was accepted with open arms, and they quickly began to utilise my skills in the best ways possible. From the day I got my tattoo and was granted the immortality that came with being a Guard, I was faithful to only the Ailwards. I became the person they sent out to retrieve information, to not be seen and raise eyebrows. They realised that combat was something I was exceptional at, but not as good as my tracking. I could find people with just the smallest of clues. That’s when they told me about the Celestials: a dangerous species who threatened to usurp the balance of the world and throw it into chaos.

The Ailwards told me about their past with the Celestial. I believed them and their claims, especially after Milo confirmed their stories. He became my closest friend in the Guard, and I spent most of my time with him when I was back on the Isle. He told me this was for the right reasons, and that the Guard wanted to send me to capture any other Celestials who’d fallen to earth in the last century. I agreed to the mission, and soon became the best at it.

My feelings for Milo grew with every moment I spent with him, but I didn’t want to ruin the first and most amazing friendship I’d ever had. So I tried to get my mind off him by throwing myself into my work. It was the same for years on end, for the rest of the fifty years I spent in the Guard. Still, it was inevitable when Milo and I grew closer and closer, and I found myself falling for him deeper and deeper. Eventually, Milo told me that he had feelings for me, but I wasn’t ready to tell him I felt the same. I was terrified of sabotaging everything. I asked if we could keep the dynamic we had, and he agreed.

The last Celestial I brought back to the Isle in the mid 2010’s told me a story while on our journey. She told me a slightly different variation of what the Ailwards told me. Her story told me about the injustices that the Celestials faced from the Ailwards, and that they themselves were not dangerous. She told me of how their powers truly worked, which confused me somewhat. 

Upon returning to the Isle, I asked Milo about the whole thing. He assured me it was just her trying to escape and save her own neck. It was our job as the Ailwards to protect the world from whatever threats, and that the Celestials had proven to be too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. He then advised that I not stress about it, and instead focus on the festivities to be held that day: there was the anniversary of the Ailwards finding the Isle of Skye.

I took his advice, and had a marvellous time. We drank till we saw doubles, and danced till our feet were sore, and still some more. I found myself with Milo most of the night, and as we spun around on the dance floor, and as I looked into his eyes, something just clicked in my mind. I thought maybe, just maybe, we could be more than friends. That one thought took control of my body, mind, and soul, and I found myself leaning in to kiss him. He returned the gesture, and the whole world melted away. I confessed that I’ve loved him for a while now, and one thing led to another.

The next morning, I awoke in Milo’s bedchambers to find him gone. The sound of running water coming from his bathroom hinted that he was in the shower, so I took the liberty to stretch out on his bed. On his bedside table, I found a leather-bound book, and open reading it, I realised it was his journal. Curiosity overcame me, and I took a quick scan through the pages. The recent entries talked about me and his feelings, and I’ll admit it made my heart swell. I was starting to think that pursuing things with Milo was really the best idea.

Then, I flipped towards the earlier entries from around the time we first met. I was curious to know what his first impressions were of me. However, what I found didn’t bring me joy. Instead, my heart stopped as I read that the Ailwards had bought me from the League, with the sole intention of having me hunt down the Celestials. They knew my reputation, and they wanted my exclusive services. But that didn’t compare to the pain when I realised that Milo knew. Milo knew that the Ailwards had bought me, but he’d kept quiet.

I didn’t hear the water stop running nor his footsteps. Only his voice broke me from my stupor, his face twisted in horror when he realised what he was reading. He told me that he only kept it from me because he knew how much making my own choice meant to me. He loved me too much to break the truth, which left me speechless. I didn’t know what to think, but I knew one thing was for certain: I couldn’t stay with the Ailwards anymore. The pedestal I’d put them on had crumbled, and all they were now was just more people who lied to me, and manipulated me towards their own gain.

I told Milo this, and I gave him an ultimatum: I would try to look past this and continue building whatever we had between us, only if he left the Guard with me. There was no chance of me looking past what they’d done. Milo was torn, but said that he couldn’t leave the Guard. I stayed quiet as I gathered my things and left his room, and went to mind to pack. He followed me, begging for me to stay and not to leave him. I said nothing, right until I got my bags and marched towards the nearest Aspect, told them that I was done with their lies, and left the Isle of Skye and Milo in the past.

I soon found myself settled in Evermore City. There was a large Nephilim community here, and from my time with the Ailwards, I knew that we were stronger together. I soon became a combat instructor, opening my own martial arts gym so that my people would learn to defend themselves. I still was in the city when the comet came, blessing us with wings that would lift from the thick scars on our backs. The Phoenixes, our allies, taught us how to fly, and soon I learnt how to incorporate this new ability into combat.

However, as much as I loved teaching others, I missed the excitement that came with my previous life. Fate must have noted my yearning for adventure, for a man visited me in the gym, offering me a good sum of money if I were to agree to take out a man for him. I agreed, and the job was more than easy. From that job, more came, and I found myself working as a mercenary from time to time. I found I enjoyed this more than I enjoyed my time in the league, for one simple reason: it was all my choice, and mine alone.

When the Ailwards came to Evermore, I did whatever I could to avoid them. I wanted nothing to do with them after their betrayal. Things worked out well enough, especially once I’d heard the Celestials had broken free and destroyed the Isle. I’d learnt that what the Celestial told me about the Ailwards was true, and I’d done what I could to help their plight ever since. Now, seeing the Ailwards distraught over the loss of the Isle brought some grim sort of satisfaction. I’ve still been managing quite well to stay clear of that lot, and am happy just doing my own thing, living by my own terms for the first time in my entire life.

Positive Traits: autonomous - righteous - calm

Negative Traits: impressionable - indecisive - impulsive