[Setting]

Elliot sits at a nearly empty library, headphones on, attempting to drown out the world with classical music while scrolling aimlessly on his laptop. The steady hum of the overhead lights lulls him into a fragile sense of peace. That is, until the chair across from him is pulled out. He doesn’t have to look up to know who it is.

The God of Conundrums (placing a leather-bound notebook on the table, calm as ever): “Good afternoon, Elliot. Mind if I join you?”

Elliot (gritting his teeth, keeping his headphones on): “Yes. I mind. Please go away.”

Conundrum (ignoring him, leaning forward): “Do you ever think about your name, Elliot? Its meaning? Its power? Its… weight?”

Elliot (yanking off his headphones, glaring): “No. I don’t. And why would I? It’s just a name.”

Before GOC2 can respond, Serendipity breezes by, holding a coffee cup precariously balanced on a stack of notebooks.

Serendipity (cheerfully): “Oh, don’t let him bore you to death! Names are overrated. You’d look great as a… hmm, maybe a Jasper. Anyway, can’t stay—late for a thing!”

She vanishes as quickly as she appeared.

Elliot (watching her go, bewildered): “Who the hell was that?”

Conundrum (adjusting his glasses): “Ah, Serendipity. Always flitting about. Now, back to the matter at hand—your name.”

The Story: The Man with a Thousand Names

Conundrum: “Once upon a time, there was a man who had no name. Or rather, he had too many. To some, he was a hero, a beacon of hope. To others, he was a villain, a shadowy figure whispered about in darkened alleys. Every encounter gave him a new name, a new identity, until even he didn’t know who he truly was.”

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Elliot (raising an eyebrow): “Sounds exhausting.”

Serendipity (popping her head back in briefly, smiling): “Sounds like my ex!” (disappears again.)

Conundrum (continuing): “Indeed, it was. The man—let’s call him… Elliot—traveled far and wide, seeking the truth of himself. Each name he carried felt like a mask, one he couldn’t remove. ‘Protector,’ ‘Traitor,’ ‘Savior,’ ‘Fool.’ He began to wonder: was he the names people gave him, or something else entirely?”

Elliot (frowning): “Wait. Why’d you call him Elliot?”

Conundrum (tilting his head, smirking slightly): “Coincidence, perhaps. Or maybe something more. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Our nameless man grew desperate. He sought out the Oracle, a being said to know the truth of all things.”

Elliot (leaning in despite himself): “And what did the Oracle say?”

Conundrum: “The Oracle told him this: ‘A name is both a key and a cage. It opens doors but also binds you. The question is not what your name is, but what you make of it.’ Profound, isn’t it?”

Elliot (rolling his eyes): “Sure. Profound. Did it actually help him, though?”

Serendipity (walking by again, holding a very questionable burrito): “Bet he named his dog ‘Oracle’ and called it a day.”

Conundrum (sighing): “No, Serendipity. He didn’t.”

Elliot: “Wait, why is she still here?”

Serendipity: “I’m not. I’m gone.” (And she is.)

The Fallout

Conundrum: “The Oracle’s words stayed with the man. He decided to shed all his names, to become… nothing. And in doing so, he found freedom.”

Elliot (sarcastic): “Oh, great. So the moral is to become a nobody. Super uplifting.”

Conundrum (leaning forward, voice dropping slightly): “Not quite. The moral is that a name’s power is only what you give it. For some, a name is a burden. For others, a beacon. And for a rare few…” (pauses, smirking) “...a coincidence.”

Elliot (narrowing his eyes): “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Before GOC2 can answer, Serendipity pops back in, holding a random garden gnome.

Serendipity (grinning): “It means you’re lucky I’m not your life coach. Later, Jasper!” (And she vanishes for good.)

Conundrum (standing, gathering his notebook): “Funny, though, how your name and the God of Coincidence’s name might be one and the same.”

Elliot (sputtering): “Wait, what? Are you saying—”

Conundrum (grinning slightly as he walks away): “Of course not. Or am I? That’s the thing about names, Elliot. They’re full of surprises.”

Elliot stares after them, dumbfounded. He glances around the library as if someone might jump out and shout, “Gotcha!” But the room remains still, except for the faint sound of pages turning and the occasional cough from a distant corner.

He mutters to himself, shoving his headphones back on: “It’s just a name. Just a name.”

But the music doesn’t quite drown out the whisper in the back of his mind: What if it isn’t?

[End Scene]

[retcon:1]