I Am Echo

Chapter One

Echo didn't know how he was able to laugh, he was just thankful he still could. Whatever force that had pulled him back into this world had been kind enough to let him speak, convenient for him, as it was about the only thing he was good at.

"We'll be heading out into Äbrahiem at dawn friend, I recommend you wrap yourself now or resign yourself to waiting all day." Jeremiah Song didn't spare a glance at his strange companion as he polished the glass eyes, checking them against the light of the campfire looking for any impurities.

"You know if you invested in a sunnier appearance, we wouldn't need to worry about people running away from us." Echo clicked his fingers together, the sun bleached bones clacking together as he twiddled his thumbs.

"My appearance? I doubt I can be half as unsettling as you, you have no eyes."

"And you keep yours hidden. You have to realize how off putting that mask is."

"It is necessary in my line of work, you're lucky you're immune to every disease on the planet." The good doctor held out his mask, doing one last final inspection before dropping it into the boiling water as it hung above their fire.

"You're a feathered nightmare." Echo muttered, rummaging in his own satchel for the bandages Jeremiah had given to him.

"You don't have eyes." Jeremiah retorted but he was almost smiling, easy now they were on the road again.

If Echo had a tongue to bite he would've, instead he tapped at the symbol carved into his forehead.

"You have flesh, that's an unfair advantage, I have to cast an illusion spell every time we go somewhere with people and even then nobody can touch me."

"Are you pinning for the embrace of another? I would have thought you'd have other priorities."

"I'm undead, a skeleton, a walking corpse. I don't breath, eat, or sleep. While you fetter your time away on things like pee breaks and oxygen, I have nothing to occupy my time, I spend all of it thinking up interesting things to talk to you about."

"You are a stellar conversationalist I'll admit that. What happened to figuring out who you were? You were going to speak to a seer at the next town weren't you?"

"I don't know if I can be helped anymore, the last seer I saw screamed at the sight of me and then tried to stab me with her fork."

Jeremiah snorted.

"Who was to know she could see through your illusion spell? I'd say you took that pretty well all things considered."

"Yeah well, when her hand got caught between two of my ribs it kind of changed my perspective. I had to help her get out, have you ever heard of a stabbing victim helping out their stabber? I think I'm a cold case, an anomaly, I have nowhere to go and nothing to do other than exist so for as long as you need me I'll stick around but I've given up on the great mystery of who I was," he pressed against the carving, whispering the power word, "how do I look?"

Jeremiah's smile was painfully gentle, he didn't pity him, but he empathized.

"Good, eyes make you much more expressive." Echo rolled those illusionary eyes and grinned.

"Am I cute though?"

"Ugh that's my cue to stop talking to you, wrap yourself before we head out, I don't want to be late."

"Yes mother." Echo stretched enjoying the sight of the warm dark skin that now covered his white skeleton. Of course it was all fake, just a mirage, if anyone touched him they'd feel his radius and ulna, not the slender arms he appeared to have. That's why he had to wrap himself, it took him forever and it felt awful but it was the only way he could move in the open and not have an angry mob tear him apart.

"I already know, I don't need your affirmation dork." Echo muttered as Jeremiah fished out his crow mask and dried it against his cloak.

"Goodnight Echo, don't drive yourself crazy and don't give up hope just yet."

"You getting a message from the gods Doc? I thought you were a man of logic?"

"Just because I prefer real world solutions to ambiguous worship doesn't mean I don't believe." Jeremiah looked up into the stars, the dark purple of the night in the desert surrounding them on all sides, "You were brought back for a reason, don't dismiss that."

The quiet hung around them growing in length as Jeremiah stared at the sky and Echo stared at Jeremiah.

"I can't decide if you're my greatest friend or most annoying father figure I never asked for."

"You can ponder that while wrapping yourself. Goodnight Echo."

"Goodnight Jeremiah." Echo muttered, wishing he could sleep and knowing that even if he could he'd probably struggle tonight. He glanced up at the stars as Jeremiah made his way into the small tent, Echo would keep watch, more out of having something to do than any need to protect his friend, Jeremiah could take care of himself.

"If you have a path for me why make me hide like a monster?" The stars didn't respond and Echo decided it would be best if he stopped thinking to far ahead.

The present was all he had, stretched out in front of him like a horizon.

(The art used for this isn't mine, I'll make sure to give credit once I find the peoples that made it.)