Kiss of Death

The Elders were once humans, just like us. At one time they lived, loved and died just like the rest of us. The only thing that set them apart was a few extraordinary abilities. But one day they made a deal with Death, to give him that which he most wanted and in exchange he would let them live. They were warned that if the deal was ever to be broken they would be reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes. What Death most desired was a partner, a person to walk the path of darkness and pain with him. For his former companion Life disappeared from the world and could not be found. Every hundred years or so Death would collect his prize, a single person from a different city and country each time. He would mark them upon their brow; they called it the kiss of death.