Silhouette Chord is a descendant of the Dragon's Breadth cult, which spent centuries trying to master the Well of All Things, a hidden interdimensional mystic energy breach in Cambodia. The cultists mated selectively to produce children who could better tap the Well's power. Over 20 years ago, ruthless cult leader Tai captured and coerced an American military unit into a pact to marry the cult's specially bred "Daughters of the Dragon" (including Tai's daughter Miyami) and produce powerful children. The already married Daryl Taylor refused, but the other soldiers agreed, including Andrew Chord, who married Miyami and took her to America. Miyami soon bore twins, but faked their deaths and her own so Tai could not exploit them. To replace these children in the pact, Tia mystically forced Chord to kill his friends the Taylors and take custody of their son, Dwayne. Meanwhile, Miyami abandoned her infant twins in New York's Chinatown, where they grew up as the mystical mutant orphans Midnight's Fire and Silhouette. They joined the Concrete Dragons street gang, but rival gang the Poison Memories killed off most of the Concrete Dragons; Memories leader Kimeiko Ashu offered to spare the Dragons if 14 year-old Silhouette became his concubine, but she refused.

In their late teens, Fire and Silhouette were anti-gang vigilantes allied with adventurer Night Thrasher (Dewayne Taylor), who became Silhouette's lover; however, during a bust gone awry, Silhouette was shot by a gangster while Thrasher restrained Fire from attacking an interfering policeman. Blaming Taylor, Fire went into hiding with Silhouette who lost the use of her legs. Fire later rebuilt the Concrete Dragons street gang until Taylor's New Warriors brought him to justice. Silhouette disowned her brother, reconciled with Taylor and joined the New Warriors, who eventually destroyed Tai, the Well and the cult, though not before Tai killed Miyami. Having discovered her true parentage, Silhouette sought a relationship with her father Chord, while Fire and most of the other pact offspring formed the criminal Folding Circle.

After briefly falling under the sway of the shadow-powered lunatic Darkling, Silhouette developed enhanced powers; however, she and Taylor drifted apart, and they broke up after he learned she had secretly maintained ties with Fire's Concrete Dragons, trying to keep them out of trouble. Taylor was further estranged when Silhouette began a torrid love affair with his shady half-brother Bandit, who has long pursued a hateful vendetta against Taylor. Silhouette ultimately quit the Warriors to explore her powers, herself, and her relationship with Bandit, though Bandit has since romanced New Orleans Assassins Guild leader Bella Donna.