When she got captured and before she became a puppet, Ilyin was sure that if her eyes could look as animated and vivid as Alena's, then that same will would be portrayed.
The greed for life. It was one of the most powerful motivators.
Ilyin was still immature when she was taken away from her dungeon.
When she came into existence, she was already inside that dungeon, entrapped alone in the freezing cave. An environment that was deadly to others, was like a comfortable bed for her.
Then, one day, men started to come into her dungeon. Her natural instinct was to fight them. To survive, she had to fend off these men and protect her place, her home.
However, there was one group that ended up capturing her in a cage. They didn't kill her. Rather than harming her health, they weakened her just enough that she could be forced into the cage.