“What’s in a name, eh?”

“It is crazy how simple quirks of language often manifest things into the future. You ever seen some of those funny little video compilations where someone has a last name that fits their job? You know, like a woodworker surnamed Carpenter, a chef called Cook, that kinda thing? Now of course, Not every Carpenter out there takes a plane to some oak, not every Cook sticks a sprig of parsley on some overpriced crème brûlée, but if you were to chart it all and make a graph, I bet those lines would be higher than the ones for the general population.”

“Whether it is chosen by us or chosen for us, it is funny how it becomes part of our identity, part of us. Maybe it is the power of suggestion, but there is always part of us that wants to live up to that name, to provide truth in advertising, to present this cohesive package. It is like marketing ourselves to ourselves, and the world at large of course.”

“So there you had Mr. Sunshine, that little ray of light, brightening up everyone’s day! Of course, I can’t cast stones, I was his counterpart – the glow in a dark sky, that inspirational sight. That’s what I aspired to be, you know? Ah, to be naive and stupid once more. I know you miss it too – that spark in your eyes is gone, you’re like a meat puppet being inhabited by the void itself. By now, everyone knows what you are – the mask has not only slipped, it has been cast off, charred, pulverised and the dust spread amongst the dirt like manure for the coming harvest.”

“Yet you still cling to the facade, that name, for you don’t know what you’d be without it. That uncertainty is weakness, but weakness has always been your comfort zone, hm? You’ve always settled for being second best, whether it be gladly swallowing inadequacy with a smile on your face or scheming to compensate for it. I cast off my false name when it no longer fit. I embraced my nature, I embraced my strength, I embraced the destiny that I will manifest. The destiny to take the Sunshine… And suffocate it.”

“I’m just… Better than you. Before we were here? You were telling stories. I was making the stories to be told. I honed my body – I was working out, you were sitting on a comfy chair, wasting away. And nutrition? I ate right, I was keeping my body at peak performance. You? Well, I don’t think there’s much protein in crayons. Long before I took my name, the celestial bodies were already aligning for me to eclipse you. It is just brilliant coincidence that once again, the universe conspires to turn quirks of language into an undeniable reality.”

“The tiny wisp of Sunshine you still possess will not infect any eyes, and your entire being will dissipate in the shadow.”

“And it is always darkest… Before the death.”