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PL Treasure HunterHQ He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all.

This template should be removed from the article 22 January 2025.

"I am, in a sense, a reader of the calculations. As the Isu were in days past. Perhaps one day I will be able to harness this talent to see into the future. To predict, to correct, to avoid. That would be worth something."
―Layla Hassan in a message she left behind for her fellow Assassins, 2020.[src]-[m]

Layla Hassan (1984 – 2020) was a member of the Assassin Brotherhood and a former employee of Abstergo Industries. Forced to leave Abstergo following a Templar attempt on her life, she was offered a position within the Assassins by their leader, William Miles.

Though initially reluctant, Layla eventually joined the Assassins and became an important member of the Brotherhood, taking control of her own cell within a year. In 2018, her exploration of the Spartan misthios Kassandra's memories led her to the ancient Isu complex of Atlantis, where she received the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus from Kassandra.

With the Staff in hand, Layla made contact with the Isu Aletheia, whose consciousness resided within the Staff, and took on the title of Heir of Memories. During the trials prepared by Aletheia, Layla lost control and accidentally killed her friend and fellow Assassin Victoria Bibeau.

Following this event, Layla's relationship with the other members of her team became strained, and she was reassigned to an Assassin cell with Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. In 2020, the cell, together with Layla's former teammate Kiyoshi Takakura, performed a mission in Tokyo, infiltrating an Abstergo facility to extract an Assassin mole, Dr. Kazui, and destroy samples of his DNA collected by the Templars. The mission was a success and Layla was able to part ways with Kiyoshi on good terms after saving him from the Master Templar Juhani Otso Berg.

Months later, Layla's cell received a strange message that promised a solution to a series of anomalies affecting the Earth, leading them to the grave of the Viking shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir in New England. Using the Animus, Layla relived Eivor's memories, which led her to the Yggdrasil Chamber in Hordaland, Norway. With the Staff of Hermes protecting her from the lethal radiation emitted by Yggdrasil, Layla used the supercomputer to upload her consciousness into the Grey.

There, she met Basim Ibn Ishaq, whose consciousness had been trapped in the Grey for centuries. Working together, the two managed to end the anomalies and save the Earth, though Basim betrayed Layla and escaped from the Yggdrasil Chamber with the Staff of Hermes, leaving Layla behind to die. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Layla decided to remain in the Grey alongside an entity known as "The Reader", helping him run countless calculations to find ways of preventing future disasters.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1984, to Ashraf and Zeinab Hassan, Layla and her family emigrated to the United States in 1986 when she was two,[1] before finally settling in Queens, New York. It was there that Layla grew up alongside her two younger brothers, Rami and Kaden. She was granted American citizenship through a process known as naturalization.[4]

ACO Layla 1989

Photo of a young Layla in 1989

In her childhood, Layla often drove her parents crazy as she always disassembled her toys rather than playing with them. She also disliked surprises and objects that seemed to work by magic. Growing up, Layla began showing a penchant for rule-breaking and she disliked the regimented nature of formal schooling, due to having an unpleasant experience of being punished for playing by the rules. This cemented her existing tendency to buck authority.[1][5]

At some point during her youth, Layla found and became a fan of the band Rha Victoria. She even met them backstage after one of their concerts at the Madison Square Garden in 2000.[4]

After graduating high school, Layla was pressured by her father into post-secondary enrollment despite her plans not to continue her studies as well as her poor grades. However, she showed promise in engineering and this led her father to enroll her at the University of California in Berkeley under the electrical engineering program.[1]

Early years at Abstergo[]

"My dream was to work on the Animus Project. I waited twelve years. Waiting got me nowhere. So I built an Animus that lets me access anyone's memories, even ancestors not my own."
―Layla, regarding her work at Abstergo, 2017.[src]-[m]

However, Layla remained uncommitted to her studies and found herself thriving in the campus' highly politicized atmosphere, feuding with the school's administration. It was during this time that she met Sofia Rikkin, who was part of a delegation of Abstergo Industries touring the campus with the company's "young innovators" recruitment program.[1][4]

Sofia was intrigued by Layla's interest in technology, and as such offered her a job with Abstergo where she could work her way up to the Animus lab. In 2006, Layla dropped out of university and joined Abstergo, working first in the I+D division of Abstergo Fitness[6] and later in the Research and Development division.[1]

Over the years, Abstergo used several of her ideas to make adjustments to the Animus, though she was never made aware of the company's Templar affiliations. Although Layla worked for Abstergo for eleven years, the one thing she wanted more than anything was a promotion to work on the Animus Project. However, she was denied this offer due to her numerous transgressions against Abstergo protocols.[4]

Egyptian revolution activism[]

In January 2011, protests against then-president Hosni Mubarak and his regime erupted in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. Layla, feeling the need for revolution, asked for a leave of absence from Abstergo and returned to her home country. She was present for the Tahrir Square demonstrations. Although her fluency in Arabic was minimal, she managed to become strongly involved in the country's revolutionary youth culture. She helped her new friends communicate via social media and also in hacking digital devices despite the widespread government censorship.[1]

In July 2013, after the coup d'état that installed Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as president, Layla decided to reluctantly return to America to work for Abstergo again.[1]

Return to Abstergo[]

Layla returned to Abstergo and continued her work there for the next three years. She was issued her own portable Animus, but her satisfaction with her job grew stale,[1] as her infamous reputation caught the Templars' attention and she started suffering disciplinary measures.[7] On one occasion, she was harassed by Juhani Otso Berg because of her lack of rule-following.[8]

In February 2014, Layla made a suggestion to Sofia about the designs and functions of the Animus that would be sent to the Aerie facility. This information was vital in the construction of the Animus 4.3, which would later be used in 2016 at the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center, and of the Animus 4.35, used at the Abstergo headquarters in London. However, Layla never got to know of this, as Sofia had started ignoring her due to her transgressions in the company.[9]

Layla soon discovered that Abstergo had started working on a portable version of the Animus without informing her. The near-lack of contact with Sofia angered her over the denied professional opportunity.[10] She also idealized and projected a new Portable Animus and planned to present her new design to Sofia and finally be a part of the Animus team. However, following an Assassin attack on the Abstergo Foundation in October 2016, all contact with Sofia ceased.[1]

ACFT - Layla and Sei

Layla with Shimazu Sei

At some point, Layla met Deanna Geary, a member of Abstergo's Medical Team, and the two became best friends. With her help, she secretly started modifying her Animus and, much to Deanna's worry, running experimental simulations with the DNA of individuals not related to her. After months of work, she managed to build an Animus capable of processing DNA not her own and also excessively damaged DNA.[11]

Layla also met and befriended Shimazu Sei, a fellow Abstergo employee and doctor working aboard the research vessel Exitus.[12] She later left behind a "present" for Sei – a prototype Animus HR-8[13] – along with a picture of both of them together.[12]

Assignment in Egypt[]

"I understand why you thought I had to die. But did you have to kill my best friend? Why did she... Oh habibti (sweetheart)... I should have listened to you."
―Layla blaming herself for Deanna's death, 2017.[src]-[m]

In October 2017, Layla and Deanna were assigned by Simon Hathaway to find and retrieve an important artifact from the Qattara Depression in Egypt.[14] During this expedition, Layla discovered the artifact to be the mummies of the Hidden Ones' co-founders, Bayek and Amunet. Without informing her superiors, Layla used her own Portable Animus to relive their memories from around the year 48 BCE in order to prove her worth to the Animus Project, while Deanna monitored her vitals remotely at a nearby hotel.[4]

Layla-AnimusHR8

Layla using her Animus HR-8 in Egypt

Layla's refusal to check in with Abstergo led to the company deploying Sigma Team to find her and Deanna. Layla was swiftly woken up by Deanna during her Animus session. After recovering from a brief moment of disorientation, Layla attached Amunet's Hidden Blade, which she had recovered earlier, to her forearm with tape, making use of the skills she had obtained through the Bleeding Effect to dispatch her attackers.[4]

Through a transceiver from one of the deceased operatives, Layla helplessly listened in on Sigma Team as they stormed Deanna's hotel room and shot her to death. Being stuck in the cavern due to a sandstorm, Layla screamed in frustration and vowed to complete her mission and bring down Abstergo for killing her friend.[4]

Joining the Assassins[]

William: "There's no going back to your old life, Layla."
Layla: "I never planned to."
William: "But you'd finally be able to work on the Animus Project... our version of it. And with us, you'd always have the freedom to do things your way."
—William Miles persuading Layla to work with the Assassins, 2017.[src]-[m]
ACO William makes a deal with Layla

Layla meeting William

Later on in her Animus session, Layla was found by William Miles, the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood, who had caught wind of her situation. He offered her a position within the Brotherhood and, faced with no other option, Layla agreed to work with him, but refused to join the Assassins as an official member.[4]

By the end of that year, Layla relented on her stance and joined the Assassins, befriending several of her fellow members, including Charlotte de la Cruz, Arend Schut-Cunningham, and Harlan Cunningham.[3] As part of her first Assassin mission, she and Kiyoshi Takakura went to Quebec to retrieve a relic which had belonged to the Recollects from the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec. Things went sideways when they were confronted by Abstergo, but Kiyoshi's past as a yakuza helped him save Layla from danger.[3][15]

Search for Atlantis[]

"Abstergo isn't going to win this time. If what the book says is true, and we do actually find the artifact, the Assassins will finally have a chance to rise again."
―Layla to Victoria Bibeau, regarding their mission, 2018.[src]-[m]
ACOD Layla Hassan Spear of Leonidas

Layla with the Spear of Leonidas

In October 2018, during her search for Isu artifacts, Layla discovered the Lost Histories by Herodotos, the earliest known Greek historian. From this work, she learned of the Spartan misthios Kassandra who had wielded an Isu weapon, the Spear of Leonidas. Leading a cell consisting of Kiyoshi, Alannah Ryan and ex-Abstergo employee Dr. Victoria Bibeau, Layla recovered the spear and extracted a sample of Kassandra's DNA from it, allowing her to relive the Spartan's memories.[3]

From Kassandra's memories, Layla learned the location of the gateway to Atlantis, where she believed the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, a powerful Piece of Eden, to be hidden. Believing the artifact would allow the Assassins to gain the upper hand over Abstergo, Layla led her team from their hideout in London to the coast of Santorini, boarding the Altaïr II.[3]

Upon arriving at their destination, Layla explored the underwater caverns and found the entrance to Atlantis. Examining the tunnel leading to the ancient city, she found no way to access Atlantis and, believing Kassandra's memories held the answer, she returned to the Animus to continue exploring the misthios' life.[3]

ACOd Layla Kassandra

Kassandra passing the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus to Layla

Once Layla had the necessary knowledge to open the city, she realigned several mirrors reflecting a light beam and the gateway to Atlantis was opened. It was then that she met Kassandra, kept alive for thousands of years by the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. Having traveled the world and personally witnessed most of their exploits throughout history, Kassandra warned Layla that the Templars and Assassins represent order and chaos, respectively, and that either side prevailing over the other would result in the world's doom.[3]

Declaring Layla to be the prophesied individual who would restore balance to the world, Kassandra requested her to destroy the Staff once she had fulfilled her mission with it, as well as all other Pieces of Eden, continuing Kassandra's life work. After Layla agreed, the misthios relinquished the Staff to her and passed away moments later. Layla then returned to the Animus to synchronize with the remainder of Kassandra's memories.[3]

Unlocking the Seal of Atlantis[]

"Heir of Memories, the Great Seal awaits you."
―Aletheia to Layla, 2018.[src]-[m]

Whilst exploring Kassandra's memories, Layla encountered a hologram of the Isu Aletheia, who guided Kassandra to hold onto the Staff until she could hand it over to Layla, whom Aletheia referred to as the "Heir of Memories". Upon exiting the Animus, Layla heard Aletheia's voice coming from the Staff, instructing her to identify the three symbols to unlock the Great Seal to Atlantis. Layla, with the assistance of the Altaïr II, later located the symbols in the tombs of Agamemnon, Orion, and Eteokles.[16]

ACOD The Heir of Memories Memory Screenshot 03

Layla holding the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus

During this time, Victoria began to express concern for Layla's well-being due to the Staff's influence while Aletheia warned that someone called "the Interloper" sought to stop her. Realizing that Kassandra's associate, Phidias, knew the meaning of the symbols she had found, Layla relived the memories of Kassandra's brother Deimos, who was responsible for the sculptor's murder, despite the dangerous effects on her mind.[16]

After hearing from Aletheia that the Interloper was male, Layla soon lost contact with the Altaïr II as it was attacked by Abstergo's Sigma Team. Uncertain of her team's status, Layla went to unlock the Seal, realizing that the three words Phidias had repeated when Alexios assaulted him were the password. Subsequently, she was relieved to hear that her team had fought off Sigma Team. Furthermore, Alannah Ryan claimed that someone was listening in on their communications, so the Altaïr II was forced to go dark until it was safe to open up Atlantis.[16]

Trials of Atlantis[]

Aletheia: "The Heir of Memories in my vision had foresight. Your reaction was entirely human—and inhumane. I fear you'll learn nothing from what I've created for you."
Layla: "I am the Heir of Memories! I can control the Staff! Listen to me, I know I can do it."
—Aletheia and Layla, following the latter's accidental murder of Victoria, 2018.[src]-[m]

Having successfully unlocked Atlantis, Layla entered the city's throne room, where she was greeted by Aletheia and joined by Victoria, who was concerned about her friend's well-being. Aletheia tasked Kassandra to enter simulations of several Isu realms created by her in order to master the Staff. This was so that Layla would not succumb to the Staff's corrupting influence.[17]

ACOD Layla and an unconscious Victoria

Layla with a dying Victoria

As Layla continued to relive Kassandra's memories while the latter explored the simulations, the Assassin's behavior became increasingly aggressive, which caused Victoria to forcefully pull Layla out of the Animus, claiming the Bleeding Effect to be affecting her. This culminated in Layla accidentally killing Victoria with the Staff during an outburst.[18]

Horrified at what she had done, Layla was approached by Aletheia, who proclaimed that Layla might not be the true "Heir of Memories" after all, and that she needed time to reflect. Layla refuted Aletheia's statement, blaming the Staff for her actions though Aletheia reminded her that she dictated who the "Heir" was and not Layla. The Assassin later agreed to leave and take some time to reflect on her actions, requesting Aletheia to look after Victoria's body until she returned.[18]

Layla subsequently returned to the chamber, wishing to finish the trials despite Aletheia's apprehension. Nevertheless, Layla was able to convince the Isu to let her back in. After reliving Kassandra's memories of her trials' completion, Layla was quickly woken up by Aletheia, who informed her that the Interloper, revealed to be Juhani Otso Berg, had arrived.[19]

ACOD FoA JoA Layla Hassan and Otso Berg faceoff

Layla and Otso Berg facing off

Layla was briefed by the Templar on the things that had transpired since her team's discovery of Herodotos' Lost Histories. As Layla tried to negotiate with Berg, claiming the Staff could be used to help his sick daughter Elina, the Templar stopped and threatened her to hand over the artifact. As the Assassin refused, the two engaged in a fight that saw Berg being defeated and then impaled by Layla with the Staff, paralyzing him from the waist down.[19]

As Berg passed out from his injuries, Layla approached Victoria's body, taking her earpiece. In doing so, she regained communications with Alannah and her team, informing them of what had transpired and requesting the team to pick her up fromthe throne room.[19] Following this event, however, Alannah and Kiyoshi lost their trust in Layla due to her killing of Victoria and elected to leave the team, leading to Layla being reassigned to a new Assassin cell.[2]

Tokyo extraction[]

By 2020, Layla had been joined by Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane[20] because of their similar experience with losing a teammate when Desmond Miles, under the influence of an Apple of Eden, killed Lucy Stillman in 2012.[21] That year, the team traveled to Tokyo and Layla was reunited with Kiyoshi, who joined the team on an assignment. Layla had previously intercepted a message from the Abstergo facility in the city involving extensive analysis of Isu artifacts upon non-voluntary test subjects. While the main entrance was poorly guarded, the team elected to enter through the roof, bypassing the facility's security.[22]

Tokyo XXI - Layla Hassan

Layla infiltrating the Tokyo Abstergo facility

An informant within the facility left the group a note encrypted within an Animus. Upon obtaining and decrypting the note, the Assassins discovered that the Templars were performing experiments with a Staff of Eden.[23] After Layla, the only one with detailed Animus experience and training, entered the simulation of the Venetian Assassin Bastiano da Mezzo, they discovered that their informant was his modern-day descendant, Dr. Kazui, and they moved to extract him.[24] Intent on hindering the Templars' plans, the group secured the facility's DNA analysis room and destroyed Dr. Kazui's DNA to prevent Abstergo from exploring his genetic memories.[25]

The group safely found Dr. Kazui before Abstergo could use him. Along the way, they also analyzed any data and documents they could about their experiments regarding the Staff.[26] Disguising the doctor in an Abstergo guard's uniform, the four Assassins were able to exfiltrate him before Abstergo even realized what was happening. Along the way, however, the doctor got cut, leaving behind trails of blood.[27] Returning to the premises, any trace of Dr. Kazui had to be wiped clean. They also stopped to erase his DNA data from the Abstergo database.[28]

Before they could leave the facility, the Assassins were cornered by Layla's nemesis Juhani Otso Berg and fought him as the building was engulfed in flames.[28] After a four-on-one fight, Berg came close to killing Kiyoshi but the latter was saved by Layla, who was finally able to subdue the Templar, and the four Assassins escaped. This was the last time Layla worked with Kiyoshi, but despite their previous falling out, the two were able to part ways on good terms.[29]

Finding the Wolf-Kissed[]

"Find the Wolf-Kissed, find the Mad One, find me, and save us all from another death."
―Basim Ibn Ishaq's message to Layla and her team, 2020.[src]-[m]
ACV Assassins discussing Eivor's memories in the vault

Layla with Shaun and Rebecca in New England

By May 2020, the Earth's magnetic field, which had continued to increase in potency since the 2012 coronal mass ejection, had become strong enough to create several major electromagnetic disturbances around the world, resulting in a permanent aurora borealis over the globe. While looking for a solution, Layla and her team received a strange message from an unknown location, which led them to a Viking grave in North America dating to the 9th century.[2]

Using her Animus, Layla was able to relive the memories of the Norse warrior buried there, the Raven Clan shieldmaiden Eivor Varinsdottir. Shaun also placed a mood stabilizer on Layla's neck, to ensure she did not succumb to the Bleeding Effect or the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus' influence again.[2] Initially, Layla encountered some difficulty while trying to synchronize with Eivor, as two different data streams overlapped in the Viking's DNA would sometimes destabilize the simulation.[30]

ACV - Animus Anomaly

Layla completing an Animus Anomaly

While inside the simulation, Layla encountered ten strange floating symbols that, when touched, revealed a complex digital structure, with a data packet at its top. Each one of the packets included a small clip of video that, when coupled together, formed an Isu memory that showed nine members of the Isu uploading their DNA to the human gene pool using an odd device, intending to reincarnate themselves in the future.[2] Layla also witnessed some visions in Eivor's memories that confirmed to the cell that the Viking was indeed the late reincarnation of Odin, as the visions represented altered versions of the Isu's own memories.[31]

After synchronizing with Eivor's memories, ending with her discovery of the Yggdrasil Chamber below Hordaland, Layla traveled to Norway to find the Isu vault. After finding a way through the debris of the chamber, Layla connected herself to the Yggdrasil supercomputer, dropping the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus in the process and becoming vulnerable to the lethal radiation present within the cave.[2]

The ultimate sacrifice[]

"Shaun, Becs, I... I had a choice. And I chose to stay. You'll wonder where I am. You might wonder IF I am. I don't know how to answer that. But I'm not afraid. And I'm not alone. We have work to do. Work that may take us days or years. It's impossible to say. But we'll finish it. What I mean is... don't come looking for me. It's too dangerous and... too late. Take care of yourselves. Take care of the world we still have. And take care of—"
―Layla's final message to Shaun and Rebecca, 2020.[src]-[m]
ACV Basim meeting Layla in the Grey

Layla meeting Basim in the Grey

Layla ended up entering the broken simulation of Valhalla that Eivor had experienced and eventually managed to access the Grey. There, she found the trapped consciousness of Basim Ibn Ishaq, Loki's reincarnation, who revealed that he had sent the message directing Layla to Eivor's remains. Working together, the two were able to slow down Yggdrasil, which had caused the strengthening of the Earth's magnetic field, ending the anomalies adversely affecting the planet but Layla unwittingly released Basim from the simulation in the process.[2]

After noticing Basim's absence, Layla encountered a being of pure light calling himself "the Reader". He informed her that there was a specific node in time where potential futures were converging around the increasing likelihood of a world ending event like the Second Disaster, with Layla's actions having just averted another such outcome. The Reader explained that he was analyzing different calculations, trying to understand what could be done to avoid such recurrences.[2]

Layla observed that he had been limiting himself and suggested the exploration of a potential timeline in which the Second Disaster had not been stopped in 2012; perhaps the survivors could have learned something from it and would, somehow, prevent it from happening again. A hopeful Reader then hypothesized that the solution could be in those timelines that he had left aside, inserting them into his calculations.[2]

ACV - Layla turning into light

Layla joining the Reader in the Grey for eternity

In order to read each one of the billions of calculations in time, Layla volunteered to stay in the Grey to help him. Aware that Layla had become separated from the Staff of Hermes' healing abilities, the Reader quickly informed her that if she disconnected from Yggdrasil at that moment, she would still have a minute left before succumbing to the radiation in the chamber. In part to atone for the people she had hurt and to find some degree of redemption, Layla decided to remain with him and continue to search for a solution, in the process becoming a being of pure light herself.[2]

From her new residence, Layla sent one last transmission to her teammates. She warned Shaun and Rebecca not to come looking for her, noting the peril and futility of such a task. Letting them know she had made peace with her choice and that she was safe, she explained her new role and asked her fellow Assassins to look after themselves and the world they still had.[2]

Legacy[]

Sei: "Did you remember to bring the prototype?"
Yuki: "Of course, ma'am! You said it's a present left for you by an old friend, right?"
—Shimazu Sei and Yuki discussing Layla's Animus gifted to the former, c. 2023.[src]-[m]

Following the death of her physical body, Layla's brother Ramy sent her an email expressing concern at her mysterious disappearance, a message that she would not be able to respond to.[32]

In 2023, Layla's friend and former Abstergo colleague Shimazu Sei briefly reminisced about her after tasking her bodyguard Yuki to bring her the prototype Animus HR-8 gifted to her by Layla many years prior.[12] Shortly after, Sei and Yuki abandoned Abstergo and went rogue in order to find a Piece of Eden that could help Noa Kim recover from the effects of a crescent amulet. After setting up base in a Zhawang Corporation safehouse in Singapore, Sei used the Animus HR-8 to relive the memories of her ancestor Shimazu Saito in the hopes of locating the Piece of Eden they needed.[13]

Personality and traits[]

"We'll find a solution together. However long it takes. And if that means I can never leave... so be it. I owe this to the people that I... I hurt. And the people I love."
―Layla to the Reader prior to joining him in the Grey for eternity, 2020.[src]-[m]
ACO - Layla screaming

Layla screaming her frustrations at Abstergo

During her early years at Abstergo, Layla Hassan was noted by her colleagues for her strict adherence to policy and protocol. On the occasions in which she was forced to act outside of these boundaries, she often took on an apologetic tone; this was shown on at least one occasion when she emailed Juhani Otso Berg regarding his use of her allocated parking space at Abstergo's offices.[8] Eventually, however, Layla's frustration at the perceived lack of respect from her colleagues convinced her to act outside of the company protocol and attempt to "prove herself" by undertaking the mission to sequence Bayek's genetic memories, alone, save for Deanna on the other end of a phone.[14]

Layla seemed somewhat addicted to the Animus and the freedom it gave her. This was made evident by how she reacted when Victoria pulled her out with no warning. Along with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus' influence and her experiences of the Bleeding Effect from Kassandra and Deimos, Layla became prone to sudden bursts of anger, causing her to lash out at and accidentally kill Victoria, a mistake she immediately regretted.[18] The Staff's influence also caused Layla to become somewhat arrogant and taunt Otso Berg after defeating him.[19]

ACV Layla smoking

Layla smoking

By 2020, Layla had started exhibiting depressive and nihilistic symptoms. In addition, she also started self-destructive behavior with her smoking and downing pills. Despite the mood stabilizer in her neck, Layla could still hear the hum of the Staff even with it being locked in a glass box; this hum would usually make her stare longingly at it before breaking herself away. She also had dark circles under her eyes, being constantly tired.[2]

Despite this apparent change in personality, Layla still valued her allies, new and old, and sought to make up for her past mistakes by helping to save the world from future disasters. As such, she selflessly chose to stay inside the Grey with the Reader for the rest of eternity and help him run countless calculations, and told her allies not to come looking for her due to the danger they would place themselves in.[2]

Skills and equipment[]

After reliving the memories of Bayek and Amunet, Layla experienced the Bleeding Effect and was able to perform freerunning, leaps of faith and assassinations flawlessly.[4] Layla was also an adequate swimmer, being able to dive underwater to find the hidden city of Atlantis, albeit with the assistance of scuba gear.[3]

After Layla found Amunet's Hidden Blade in her sarcophagus, she taped it to her forearm as a make-shift Hidden Blade. With it, she was able to dispatch the members of Sigma Team sent to find her without much effort.[4] After being bestowed the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, Layla was able to fight efficiently with her Bleeding Effect as her only training. She easily defeated several members of Sigma Team and even incapacitated the squadron's leader Juhani Otso Berg, a Master Templar.[19]

Behind the scenes[]

Layla Hassan is a character first introduced in the 2017 video game Assassin's Creed: Origins as the protagonist of the new modern-day storyline. She was voiced by Chantel Riley, who also performed her motion-capture and reprised her role in the 2018 and 2020 sequels, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.

Around Layla's equipment in Origins are a Moogle doll, a Cactuar statuette, and a Chocobo sticker. This was from a collaborative crossover with Assassin's Creed and the Final Fantasy series, particularly Final Fantasy XV.[33]

Etymology[]

Layla (ليلى) is a feminine Arabic name meaning "night", while Hassan (حسن) is a common Arabic surname meaning "strong, good". Her online handle ifLaylathenHassan is a reference to the computer programming conditional "If–then(–else)" statement that executes a specified set of instructions or code block if a given condition is true.[34]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Assassin's Creed Origins: Official Game Guide – The Heroes: Layla Hassan
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Assassin's Creed: ValhallaModern Day
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyModern Day
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Assassin's Creed: OriginsModern Day
  5. Assassin's Creed: OriginsLayla Hassan's personal files: 2017
  6. Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide
  7. Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "Disciplinary Action"
  8. 8.0 8.1 Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "Parking Space"
  9. Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "You're looking at it the wrong way"
  10. Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "You have to be kidding me"
  11. Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "It's ready"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 76
  13. 13.0 13.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten TempleEpisode 79
  14. 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed: OriginsSubject header: "Egypt"
  15. Assassin's Creed: OdysseySubject header: "Team Effort"
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Lost Tales of GreeceThe Heir of Memories
  17. Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Fields of ElysiumModern Day
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Torment of HadesModern Day
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Assassin's Creed: OdysseyThe Fate of Atlantis: Judgment of AtlantisModern Day
  20. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaLayla Hassan's personal files: 2020
  21. Assassin's Creed: BrotherhoodModern Day
  22. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIMission: Infiltration
  23. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIAbstergo Mystery
  24. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIVenice Trip
  25. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIThe Human Planet
  26. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIClose Protection
  27. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIExtraction
  28. 28.0 28.1 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIThe Cleaners
  29. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of VeniceTokyo XXIOld Scoundrel
  30. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaPrologue
  31. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaCheating Fate
  32. Assassin's Creed: ValhallaSubject header: "Where are you???"
  33. Totilo, Stephen (20-12-2017). There Is Now Some Final Fantasy XV In Assassin's Creed Origins. Kotaku. Retrieved on 26 May 2020.
  34. Wikipedia-W-visual-balanced Conditional (computer programming) on Wikipedia

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