In the vast emptiness of space, Allura, then known as Aia, was born when a small sun was swallowed by a black hole. She is an Asterisk, a race of cycloptic aliens that are occasionally formed from the death of a star. These aliens embody aspects that mortals would eventually come to associate with gods.
Allura was the first Asterisk in some thousand years, and was taken in by a larger family of them, becoming their youngest sister. They named her Aia Ideya Signa, with Aia being a term for a newborn star.

Within this colony, Aia's many sisters worked to create worlds of their own, unveiling the emptiness of space and filling the endless void. Their grand powers were provided to them by a gift from a much older being, an egg shaped flask filled with primordial light. Aia wanted to join alongside her sisters, and partake in this act as well.. but Aia's ideas were much too silly for her sisters to want to engage with. "This work is done out of necessity, not as an act of pleasure," they would tell her. But Aia didn't understand why it couldn't be fun, and as time went on their rejection only grew more frequent and more cruel.
Growing frustrated, Aia one day snuck into the depths of her colony, where the World Egg sat unattended... she had meant to take just a small peek, to see what powers it held, what it may gift her with... but instead, her curiousity resulted in the egg toppling and cracking open.

The light that poured from the broken egg was so bright Allura could not bear to look at it; it blinded her, and it's overwhelming power, expanding all at once, was entirely too much for their small colony to handle. The world around her collapsed, and the young Aia collapsed alongside it, her small body falling to an empty planet.
Alone, blind, and weak from her fall, Allura could only cry... (unbeknowst to her, her body had absorbed much of that primordial light and granted her power beyond words. And these new powers reacted to her emotions of guilt and shame, enclosing her within a tall tower where she would be isolated for the next few thousand years...)

The appearance of Allura's eye changed depending on the time of day and the weather. During a sunset on a clear day, for example, her eye will take on sunset colours, and during the night stars will be reflected within it. Due to her blindness / cataracts, her pupil typically has a "milky," almost watercolour appearance.
Allura's hair is a shimmering gradient, going from a dark magenta, to a lighter rouge, and finally a peach, the final remaining hint of her youthful blonde hair.

Allura has always been a deeply curious person, even as a child. In the past she was deeply impulsive, always acting on a whim due to this particular trait of hers, but as an adult she's become almost overly cautious, and is afraid to allow herself to become close to anyone. She is, in a way, trapped by her regret, self loathing, and her nostalgia. She glorifies the past when she still had her sisters, ignoring how she was often unhappy with them, and refuses to allow herself to find happiness in the present.

Her deep loneliness and loathing has prevented Allura from doing something she loves very much, which is to create. She is truly naturally artistic, but has come to associate her abilities with guilt and shame. It'll take much time before she trusts herself to be able to create again...