In grade school, they all kept lists of animals they would turn into if possible. His wasn’t too impressive: turtle, blowfish, lizard, armadillo, cheetah, ostrich. Anything that could run fast enough, hide in itself, hide in anyway at all. Anything that wasn’t expected to face challenges that they knew were unbeatable, all while pretending to be brave.

He grew up to be an alchemist, working with metals in a small metal barn. While he could never turn anything into gold, he did find a way to fuse metal onto skin. After several tests, he created his full body cast out of strips of chain mail. it was comfortable enough to move around in: light, breezy and non constricting. Most importantly, it made him feel safe.

The metal started seeping into his body like a cancer. It first hit his throat and jaw, shielding them from the world—and from his use. The cancer spread through his body until it covered his heart, preserving him in a better condition than the Egyptians could have ever done.