Death and the Soldier

concept idea:
There is an old russian folktale about a soldier who captured Death inside a bag in order to grant mankind immortality. At first he was hailed as a hero, but soon the problem became apparent: people still got old, got sick, went hungry, got wounded.. but death could not claim them and free them of their suffering. Each moment would be agony. Those who starved lacked the strength to move yet felt the hunger. The wounded would not pass away, kept in twilight. The old have lost all memory of who or what they are, eventually going insane.

Terrified by the result of his actions, the soldier opened the bag and let death out. Death was so terrified of the soldier's might that he immediately fled. While he claimed all of the others, he never did dare to come close to the soldier again, and so when the soldier himself got old Death refused to accept him.

No foe could kill the soldier - even without his immortality he was too skilled. The soldier went to heaven, but angels barred the way, saying what he did upset the natural order and so he cannot enter. The soldier then went to hell, but the devil heard of his prowess and feared that he would kill him and take over. With nothing from heaven to hell being able to kill him, the soldier had no choice but to wander the earth aimlessly, slowly forgetting everything beside this tale.