One man sat in darkness. The other basked in sunshine.

The first man had been mostly consumed by a parasite, a leech of supernatural origin that had fed on his spirit for so long that he no longer noticed the pain. The other man was proud and healthy, but so unaccustomed to pain that the slightest friendly nudge would send him recoiling in agony.

Neither man had chosen his fate.

The man in darkness knew the secrets of the world. Sin and tragedy and hatred and greed. He had played and won the fruitless prize. Though his inner parts wasted away, he was invincible.

The man in sunshine knew the warmth of daylight, but nothing more. He had never tasted love, excitement, or success. He was decidedly happy in his innocence, but fragile.

Where the first man saw midnight, the second saw noontime. Once, however, they met in a morning they never expected.

Sudden brightness blinded the man of darkness! His parasite shrieked and shriveled away. The man of sunlight cowered in the new-fallen shadow and feared himself.