Origin

Soulfyre, born as LaToya Albright, an African American woman from the Southside of Chicago, grew up feeling like a shadow in a world that barely acknowledged her existence. Ambition burned within her, a desperate need to claim the power and influence she believed were beyond her grasp because of her sex and race. Even after earning a business degree, LaToya found herself trapped in the neon-lit underworld of strip clubs, using her sharp mind and education to carefully manage her earnings while finishing school, then continuing the life after business school.

Her intellect and striking beauty allowed her to thrive, drawing the attention of men who saw her as far more than just a fleeting fantasy. Among these men was Mark Danollio, a billionaire with a penchant for the exotic and forbidden. Becoming his mistress, LaToya was thrust into a world of opulence and power, yet the taste of this life only deepened her hunger. The wealth, the luxury was not enough. She craved something more, something she could call her own, and that obsession led her down a darker path.

Though her family were Baptist, LaToya had always toyed with the occult, dabbling in tarot cards, palm readings, even playing with Ouija boards, more out of curiosity than belief. But as she immersed herself deeper into his world, her interest in the occult turned from idle amusement to a dangerous after overhearing Mark and his associates speak in hushed tones of occult knowledge at one of his decadent mansion parties. According to them a Jinn called R*dan, a being of immense power who could grant wishes in exchange for souls. This ignited something in LaToya. The idea of wielding such power was irresistible. She began to piece together what little she could find about this being, combing through online texts, whispers in dark corners and fragments of conversations, all while working on her skills in spellcasting. She never let on that she knew anything about this.

Despite her inexperience, her relentless determination led her to successfully summon the Jinn. When the demon finally appeared, her form flickering with otherworldly energy, LaToya was eager to strike a deal. She saw in R*dan the key to unlocking the power she had always yearned for. But R*dan, who was in fact a succubus and thrived on male sexual energy, dismissed her initial offer.

Undeterred, LaToya offered something she knew would tempt R*dan, his soul. She proposed a twisted arrangement: she would lure Mark into bed, and R*dan could possess her, feasting on his energy through her body. The demon, intrigued by her cunning, agreed, but there was a catch, LaToya would have to kill Mark herself, sealing her own fate as well. Desperation and ambition reared in her heart and she agreed to the terms.

The next time LaToya met Mark, she was a woman on a mission. Allowing Serpina to possess her, she seduced Mark with a cold determination. As he reached the peak of ecstasy, Serpina released her control so it would be LaToya herself that delivered the fatal blow, extinguishing his life in a heartbeat. His soul and sexual energy were devoured by Serpina, and LaToya felt a rush of power as her wish was granted, but at the same time, her own soul was now bound to the demon.

LaToya did not attend the funeral, but days later, was sent a letter inviting her to the will reading. She sat in the back of the courtroom, her hands trembling in her lap. The air was thick with grief, the kind that made it hard to breathe. She did not belong here, surrounded by his real family and as the only black person there, she definitely stood out. The invitation to the will reading had come as a shock, an unexpected part in a plan she had not fully thought through. She had done nothing to cover her tracks, and now the fear gnawed at her like a relentless predator. Was she tricked by the demon? What this a trap to get her here?

Barbara, his wife, sat stoically at the front, her three children by her side. The boys, one a young man in his early twenties and the other still a teenager, flanked their mother, while the daughter, a delicate-looking girl of eighteen sat tearfully watching. They were a picture of a grieving family, every tear and whispered comfort a reminder of the life LaToya had shattered, but in her mind, with their riches, they would be okay.

When the lawyer began reading the will, her heart pounded out of her chest. She listened as his fortune was divided among his family, the estate, the investments, the business holdings, all of it went to Barb and the kids as expected, but hearing it out loud still sent a pang of anxiety through her.

Then came the part she had not anticipated. Her name was called. Mark left two of his cars, a Porsche and Lamborghini to her. The room fell silent, and LaToya felt the weight of every eye on her. One of the paralegals walked over and handed her an envelope. Barb turned to look at her, her expression unreadable. Then, to her shock, Barb stood and crossed the room quickly and hugged her. It was a calculated move, meant to show unity and grace in front of the others. But as her arms tightened around her, she leaned in close, her breath warm against her ear and coldly whispered that she knew.

Her blood ran cold, and before she could react, Barb pulled away, smiling, her face a mask of sorrow. No one else seemed to notice the exchange, and Barb returned to her seat without another word. She tried to process what had just happened. What did Barb know? How much did she know? And what was she planning to do with that knowledge?

After the reading, LaToya offered condolences and quickly left the courthouse, her nerves were frayed. She needed to get away before she lost her composure. Back in the safety of her apartment, she finally opened the envelope finding the titles to the cars, but also a slip of paper with numbers along with instructions. They were account and routing numbers to an offshore bank. She stared at the numbers, her hands trembling, later finding the account held millions, more than she had ever dreamed of. Her wish had been granted, just as Serpina had promised. But instead of the elation she had expected, LaToya felt a deep, gnawing dread.

As she sat there, the weight of her actions pressed down on her. The money was hers, but at what cost? Mark was dead by her hand, she had not worked very hard to hide the murder and his was soul devoured by the demon she had summoned. And then there was Barb.

LaToya realized that while she had gained the wealth and influence she had craved, she had also entered a world from which there was no escape. The price of her wish was more than she had ever anticipated, and now, with the millions at her disposal, she may have been more trapped than ever. She was alone, surrounded by luxury, but haunted by the ghost of the man she had betrayed and the whispers of a demon that was never far from her thoughts.

Her years of luxury had been a dream come true. She had everything she ever wanted: wealth, power, and an endless parade of lovers and entertainment. The fear that had gripped her after his death slowly faded into the background, drowned out by the constant distractions of her new life. She had never even been questioned by the cops, never faced any consequences for her actions. It was as if the universe had turned a blind eye to her sins, allowing her to revel in her ill-gotten gains without fear of retribution.

One night, in the midst of this hedonistic existence, LaToya decided to take her Lamborghini for a joyride. The road stretched out before her, empty and inviting, and she pushed the car to its limits, the speedometer climbing higher and higher. She felt invincible, untouchable, as the world blurred around her in a rush of adrenaline and power. But then, out of nowhere, another car appeared on the road, coming straight toward her. There was no time to react, no time to avoid the collision. The impact was brutal, metal crunching against metal, and in an instant, her world came crashing down.

As she lay there, broken and bleeding, the reality of her situation hit her with full force. She was dying, she knew it, and also knew what awaited her. Her soul was destined for R*dan, the demon she had made her pact with so many years ago. Panic set in as she felt her life slipping away, with the last of it, she summoned R*dan, her voice weak and trembling as she begged for her life.

R*dan appeared before her, a cold smile playing on her lips. This was the deal. She got her wish, and now it was time to pay the price. Gripped with fear she realized there was no escape. But then, in a moment of cruel mercy, R*dan offered her a way out. Realizing LaToya was cold, calculating, desirable and fully human, she could be valuable. She would let LaToya live, but she would have to serve R*dan, become her familiar, and help her collect the souls owed her. With no other options, she agreed to the terms. The deal was sealed, and LaToya felt a new surge of dark energy coursing through her body. Her wounds slowly, but surely began to heal, the pain fading away as her life was restored.

The driver of the other vehicle was not so lucky. He died instantly, his soul claimed by the accident, while LaToya emerged from the wreckage unscathed. It was as if the crash had never happened, the only evidence of it the mangled remains of the other car and the lifeless body inside. But LaToya knew the truth. She had been given a second chance, the accident declared the fault of the other driver as it seemed he was on his phone at the time. Impossible! He looked right at her! In that moment, LaToya Albright ceased to exist, she was reborn as Soulfyre, a being as dangerous as the demon she served, forever damned by her own ambition.

In the days that followed, R*dan gave her a new weapon The Feasterblade, a dual bladed hand claw. The weapon was a sinister, living thing, its metal gleaming with an otherworldly sheen. When commanded, the claw would release from its housing, to attack its victim and at times transform her into a deadly killing machine. By possessing the barer and using their body to engage in what could only be called supernatural combat. When wearing the blade, she is also able to recover from even the most grievous injuries, as the blade feeds on the blood of its victims, growing stronger with each life it took.

LaToya was no longer just a woman with a dark past; she was now an enforcer for R*dan, bound to the demon for as long as she lived. The luxury and power she had once craved, now overshadowed by the dark purpose that has become her life. And as she carried out her new duties, collecting souls for R*dan, she could not shake the feeling that she had traded one kind of damnation for another, but at the same time, a boring life for a scary, but exciting life. The kind of life she did not know she wanted.

As Soulfyre, life is a cycle of violence and desperation. She hunts down those who, like her, had made deals with R*dan, executing them when their contracts expired. Despite her growing power and the fear she instilled in others, she was haunted by the knowledge that she could never escape her fate, only delay it.

One day, Serpina stopped communicating with her. This sent shivers down her spine as there was no contact at all for months. What could it mean? Was her time up? Or maybe she was free. She continued living her life for years, until one day, while shopping in an upscale clothing store a gorgeous redhead called her name. She had never met this woman before, but suddenly she felt that familiar bond, it was R*dan in the flesh. She introduced herself, she was now called Serpina and she wanted revenge. They had work to do.

Story Arcs

LaToya was introduced in Epitaph: Ultimate Control #1 (reissued as Hexcraft Mechanics: Ultimate Control #1 ) where she helped R*dan kill a US Senator whose time was up long ago, but because she was trapped R*dan could not collect. This happened after Serpina confronted Natas Talbane. This story is still considered canon.

In the retconned edition of Decoy #1 - Secrets and Sanity, she is one of the people Decoy is trying to track down. It is implied ex-Talbane Industries administrative assistant Jill Morgan told him about her. He tracks her down and confronts her. In the original book she was not mentioned by name and was only confronted in Epitaph Bread and Salt #2 of the short lived ongoing series. The confrontation was later added to Decoy issue one to expand the page count and tighten the storyline and it is Katrina Knox that tells him about her, but the original version allowed for the inclusion of Morgan and made more sense from a narrative perspective.

Powers

Soulfyre, possesses a set of dark and formidable powers granted by R*dan. The most prominent of these is the vampiric hand claw, a cursed weapon known as the Feasterblade that merges with her when summoned. This claw grants her superhuman strength and agility in close combat, as well as being able to read and block incoming attacks including gunfire, making her a lethal force against her enemies.

The claw has a thirst for blood, feeding on the life force of its victims, which in turn enhances Soulfyre. Additionally, when wearing the claw, it gives her a potent healing factor, allowing her to recover from injuries that would be fatal to any ordinary person.

LaToya doesn't leave finger prints and disrupts video and electronic transmissions. While you can indeed take photo of LaToya with an actual film camera, but video and smartphone camera files usually come back corrupted if she's in frame, sometimes completely, other times her image is snowy or distorted. Same is true will calls made from cellphones, she has the essence of a supernatural creature and it's worse if she's wearing the blade. As a familiar, Soulfyre is now a supernatural entity bound to R*dan, her life extended as long as she continues to serve her dark mistress.

Oddities

Even though LaToya disrupts camera signals, she has no problem taking pics for her social media or with friends. This is definitely a power imbued on her by Serpina to do her bidding and not get caught, though this may answer why she able to kill a billionaire and it not be tracked back to her.

LaToya doesn't leave fingerprints. She has them, but doesn't leave them. Nothing she touches leaves a print when collecting a soul.