NameLae Mara
Secret Identity Ghost
GenderFemale
Age20 (supposedly 181)
Date of Birth1839
Date of "Death"/Curse Imprisonment1859
Date of Rebirth2020
ThemesDark Fantasy, Tragedy, Self-Discovery
AppearanceLae Mara originally had tanned skin and short hair. She's also supposed to be as thin as as a stick, and have scars and wounds all over her body during her journey of self-punishment. After her freedom from the curse of Enfuente, her scars and wounds disappeared and went back to her youthful and beautiful appearance. She now has skin as pale as ash.
CostumeIt's shown in the picture above, though she wears a mouth mask made of violet cloth to hide her identity when she needs to.
PersonalityPre-Curse Imprisonment Lae Mara was youthful and energetic. She had this infectious warm smile and overall sweet personality that made her beloved by the people of Itol Kan.
Post-Curse Imprisonment Lae Mara is silent and reserved. She gives off this weird vibe that unsettles even the strongest of individuals. She very seldom smiles now but when she does, it made her somewhat complete for even a little while. She still has her sense of goodness and compassion deep inside her. She may not know it as well as before, but these traits of hers will unconsciously help her in making decisions and taking actions in the present world.
BackstoryFar beyond the foreign islands in the Pacific, deep in the heart of the jungle and at the foot of the tallest mountains, was the village Itol Kan. The people of this village were very good-natured. They do not eat nor kill strangers that came into their territory; instead, they welcome them with open arms and treat them as how you would treat a returning family relative. Every night the villagers would sing and dance around the open fire, filling the night with laughter and merriment. Each wore a smile as bright as the stars above, each had a heart as precious as gold.
Lae Mara was both the villager's heart and gold. She was the village chief's daughter, who was always there to train and groom her to become the village's next chief someday. She was unlike any other women in the village. She was spunky, always full of energy, even a bit of a prankster at that. She knew everyone's name by heart and greeted everyone she met with the warmest of smiles. Some even claim she can light up the darkest of nights with just her smile and beauty, which may sound extreme but really, she was that beloved by her people.
Then, everything changed with the arrival of the ruthless Govura, a group of cunning thugs and bandits. They were exploring this part of the forest because news of a mysterious yet powerful statue known as the Enfuente was located near the village. They did not know there was a village near the statue's location they decided to make this village their own while they were at it. On the other hand, the people of Itol Kan welcomed them and showered them with hospitality, not realizing their true intention of robbing their village. The Govura took advantage of the villagers' kindness and killed Lae Mara's father the village chief and started to claim Itol Kan as their own.
Lae Mara managed to escape from the Govura but she couldn't truly abandon her people trapped by their heartless enemies. So one starless and rainy night, Lae Mara stealthily and successfully freed her people. They regrouped and decided to think of a plan to drive the Govura away. That same night, they managed to retrieve their stolen weapons and armory and started their rebellion under the leadership of Lae Mara. They eventually defeated the enemies and emerged victorious. Their hearts were filled with both joy and remorse from their freedom against the Govura and the death of their loved ones. Lae Mara, though sad she'll never see her father again, decided to step up and take the mantle as Itol Kan's new village chief to lead and inspire them to be stronger than ever.
During their scavenging through the left belongings of the Govura, Lae Mara found a map. She was surprised to realize that their true intention wasn't really to invade their village and was searching for something else instead, as Itol Kan doesn't seem to be seen in their map. Curious, Lae Mara along with a handful of others spent hours trying to depict the map and follow the trail to its destination: a secret cave hidden behind a waterfall. She went and explored the cave towards the end until she came across an abandoned shrine. Atop a stone pedestal was the Enfuente. It was green, no more taller than two feet, and depicted a horned man with a single blood-red gem on its mouth.
Lae Mara's curiosity got the best of her and she approached the statue. With shaking hands, she cautiously picked it up and inspected it. However, she accidentally dropped the statue as it shattered into pieces the statue, and out came a billow of black smoke that engulfed Lae Mara. She was in a state of semi-consciousness, even remembering the others carrying her back to Itol Kan, then suddenly she saw the Govura once more. Fearing of their return, she was filled with adrenaline as she killed every single one of them. She was confused as to how they were running away from her instead of fighting her, but for her it only made her work easier. After hours of killing them, Lae Mara finally passed out.
When she woke up, she was horrified to see everyone she knew and cared about dead; the village of Itol Kan was painted in red. She thought the Govura came back to exact their revenge, but she was sure she killed them last night. Then she looked at her sword impaled on the chest of a little girl and it dawned on her: it wasn't the Govura that she killed, it was her own people. Lae Mara dropped to her knees and screamed at the sky. She blamed the cursed statue, its magic affected her mind that made her kill her entire village. More so, she blamed herself for not being strong enough to fight through the statue's curse. It took her the whole day without rest when she dug a grave for everyone killed by her own hands. Lae Mara then aimlessly walked. And walked, and walked; it didn't matter to her where she goes, she just walked.
She spent countless days and nights without food, water, and shelter. She kept on walking under the harsh rays of the sun and through the bitter coldness of rainstorms. Even when her feet were bleeding, Lae Mara kept on crawling until her fingers also bled. She thought this was her way of punishing herself of killing the very people she has sworn to protect. Her clothes were torn to rags, her body was covered with countless wounds and scars, and she became an empty shell of what she once was. She remembered every moment with her family, friends, everyone in Itol Kan. Lae Mara smiled for the first time in weeks, the smile that her people claimed could light up the darkest of nights, before finally succumbing to death. Yet before she drew her final breath black smoke spewed forth from her body, the same smoke that made her kill her own people, that encased her and hardened until it formed into a black statue that showed Lae Mara at her most beautiful.
The curse of Enfuente saved Lae Mara from certain death, but she was trapped in a perpetual state of twilight: neither dead nor alive. Though she couldn't see anything, she could hear voices whispering and screaming, in languages Lae Mara never knew even existed. Every part of her body hurts, as if her whole body was tearing apart and becoming whole again in repeat. She couldn't move a muscle, couldn't even shed a tear even if she wanted to. The only thing that kept her from giving up hope was the memories of her growing up with the people of Itol Kan, but even those memories were slowly unraveling the longer she suffered.
Meanwhile, the statue of Lae Mara was founded and stolen again in the past century and so. It was adorned as a piece of decoration in a king's treasure room, has sailed across the seas inside countless pirate ships that stole it, rested on a bottom of a lake for a decade, before becoming the main feature of a national museum and finally becoming the prized possession of a very wealthy arts collector. Among those years, Lae Mara fought back against her imprisonment. Her will to live never ceased to disappear and she remained vigilant until the night when she felt her prison weakened. Lae Mara didn't pull back and exerted her willpower so much that the statue shattered. Out she emerged, looking like she didn't age at all and her journey of self-punishment hadn't happened. Lae Mara was reborn anew but with a price: she couldn't remember a thing aside from her own name. She doesn't know why she came out of a statue, not even the origin of her newfound powers.
SuperpowersThe Curse of Enfuente = Lae Mara can create appendages (hands, arms, legs, etc.) out of the darkness that comes from her own body. She can generate giant razor sharp claws, sprout many tentacles, form blades of pure darkness, spring forth wings for flight, and so on. She can even create a clone of herself that can be her puppet and fight for her instead. She can control the matter of her own body that lets her phase through solid objects and camouflage to hide in the shadows. She can also use the darkness in many ways like covering an area with black mist, imprisoning any inside a cage made of hardened smoke, and more.
Talents and InterestsLae Mara was and still is a good dancer and an even better singer. These talents of hers are still inside her, she doesn't even know she can dance and sing, and it will take quite a while before she can re-discover her lost talents. She also likes stargazing.