"There exists in this world a people of extraordinary fate and abilities. People of myth, legend and unbelievable rumor. They each possess unique and impossible powers that you would only ever read about in a book or see on tv.

"These people are the deathless.

"Beings spared from the shadow of life, they do not die. They can take any amount of damage and walk about mere seconds later. They age incredibly slow and even some among them are resistant to time. They are in all ways nigh immortal."

"So it's true," Arik swallowed a lump in his throat. "I can't die."

Cyanide lit another cigarette.

"I'm afraid not. Well not at least without great effort."

"What do you mean?"

"Well that's the Deathless Caveat." He blew a cloud of smoke up into the air that disappeared into the drab sky above. "Not everyone knows this in the deathless community, you see, but if you happen to die too often in a short span of time, your soul won't return to your body, and you'll petrify."

"Like literally turn to stone?" Arik's voice was faintly trembling as he hung on Cyanide's every word.

A stern look seared Arik's face.

"Yes. I wouldn't have believed it myself but I've seen it with my own eyes. This immortality thing we have going on, it doesn't last forever. Sooner or later, something always gets you."

"And what about our superpowers?" Arik clamored.

"You mean the death echoes. Yeah that's where it gets tricky. You see, the more often you die the closer you get to petrification. That's bad." He held out an opened left hand. "But every time you die you are granted a new death echo upon revival. That's good." He then held out an opened right hand. "People tend to struggle to find that sweet middle ground, and eventually die flirting the line."

He fell silent for a few seconds before Arik lost patience.

"But what are they and what do they do?" he pleaded earnestly.

"Well that's just it. They can do almost anything. Sometimes referred to as just echos, they are one of a random assortment of powers. No one really knows how they work or why we really get them. But some have their speculations. Regardless, you can look at them as just superpowers, or if you were alive a couple centuries ago, perhaps spells."

"Death echoes." Arik reaffirmed in plummeting thought. "Oh, your hands! They aren't metal anymore. Are they—"

"That's right. One of my trusty go-to echoes."

Cyanide took off his jean aviator coat, revealing a white tank top that accentuated his beefy and taut arms. They were covered in intricate tattoos much like his torso was. He then reached down and grabbed a dark oval rock off the ground. Clenching the rock tightly in his fist, Arik began to see a soft light pulsing from the stone. Cyanide's eyes began to glow in unison.

In a flash of white light that traveled through Cyanide's arms from the shoulders down, his flesh began to transform into chiseled dark rock much like that of the stone he was holding. Although the new arms were roughly the same size as his normal arms, they made him appear massive in comparison. Faint shades of lighter rock veins wrapped around his arms like stripes of an animal.

Arik stared in awe.

"This echo is called Golem Arms." He dropped the rock and pounded a fist into its opposite's palm. Each movement was accompanied with a sheer cacophony of rocky scrapes as the stone faces of his arms rubbed together at the joints.

"But they were metal last time," Arik interjected.

"My golem arms can take on the chemical structure of any mineral or alloy I touch. I keep a multitude of coins and gems on me at all times that allow me to change my arms whenever I need. But each of these rings are made out of different metals as well to help me change faster."

"That's amazing," Arik gawked.

Cyanide attempted to hide the pride from his smile. "Why thank you. Most of my echos are centered around defense, utility, and close quarters combat. That's my niche."

Arik had been attuned to Cyanides words hook-line-and-sinker the entire time. But a rush of sudden awareness washed over him and his demeanor sank back in distrust, reality catching up with the moment.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" His eyes narrowed.

"Because of your niche, Arik. With your unique echos and personality, you may be exactly who the old man has been looking for."

"Old man. Is this the boss you wrote of in your letter? Who is he, and why is he looking for someone like me?"

Cyanide stared past Arik, his eyes filled with grim recollection.

"I'm not supposed to be here right now. I'm supposed to be here tomorrow with my plus one, Bellanode." He locked eyes with Arik. "She means to eat your echoes, as she has with all of the other deathless we've located together."

Arik stepped back, paying heed to what may happen next.

"That's more like it. I knew you couldn't actually have a shred of decency in you. So what, you show up early to bag the prize yourself for this boss of yours?"

The stoney man looked genuinely offended by Arik's words.

"Now calm down. There wouldn't be any point in us having this conversation if that was the case."

"Calm down? You nearly beat me to death yesterday and you expect me to calm down?"

"Look, I get it. I really do. I'd be pissed as well but we really don't have time for such things right now."

"Based on what you've been telling me I think I have all the time in the world."

Cyanide's frame dashed toward Arik without moving a muscle, the force of speed blowing Arik's hair about. His eyes were intense and invasive as ever.

"No Arik, you don't. If you ever want to live an at least half normal life again, see this girl or talk to your family, you need to do exactly as I say and when I say it for the next 24 hours."

Arik's face drained of color and words escaped him as the people close to him became threatened before his very eyes.

"Bellanode is coming, and she will not be as pleasant."

"S-so what do I do? How do I protect everyone?"

"You don't. I need to train you as much as I can today and send you off to the old man."

"What? No way! I'm going to protect them no matter what."

"That's not an option. First off, you can't and won't be able to beat Bellanode. And second, as long as you aren't here they should be safe."

"Should? And if they aren't?" Arik persisted forcibly.

A flurry of panicked words flew from Arik's mouth. His mind was going haywire and a dozen incomplete thoughts rushed out at the same time creating speech that was bordering unintelligible at times.

Cyanide stared idly, his face growing long with impatience. After a few moments of wasteful chatter and what sounded like a possible insult, Cyanide moved toward Arik once more for a split second before Arik's vision went completely dark and his body collapsed.