We're All Mad Here California (open)

[TMITM]

A tall, dirty-bonde man, notable by his jacket he always had on, no matter the weather, as well as the greyish-white blindfold he wore at all times, the man known only as Blindfold, stood across from a ruined mansion, one of the entryways to the House of Odd, reminiscing about the event that had completely changed his life.
Sometimes, he thought as he felt the alluring power of the ruined house in front of him, he wondered if his previous life had even existed at all. So many things were different. He had been catapulted into darkness, both figuratively and literally, and given powers that he could not, by his very nature, understand. Strange powers of Ink, and future sight. Blindfold almost appreciated the irony of it, as one type of sight was taken from him, another was gifted.
By the Man. The mysterious and enigmatic Man who had changed everything - and laughed whilst doing so. Blindfold had no idea what the Man wanted with him, and didn't know the first thing about him - other than the fact that he was always in his head. The Man whispered suggestions, advice, and most of it was helpful, but the Man also suck in strange suggestions alluding to a mysterious truth, and always whispered to do the wrong thing. The devil on his shoulder.
Except where was the Angel?
The Man had alluded, multiple times, to 'others', which he was entwined with, that rarely acted upon the world as he did, but they were there. And, somehow, Blindfold felt a strange connection to them through the Man, as if they were... connected?
Blindfold didn't know.

 

[TMITM]

Blindfold felt a presence behind him, one of cold and dark, of Ink and Mist and Shadow.
It was him.
"H̶e̴l̵l̷o̵,̸ ̵B̸l̸i̸n̴d̴f̶o̸l̴d̶.̸"
Blindfold frowned, feeling a sense of anger start to boil over.
"How does it feel to be in my head?" Blindfold said, honestly curious.
Blindfold could feel the Man smiling. "A̶ ̶b̴i̵t̸ ̷c̶r̴a̵m̸p̸e̴d̸," he said, walking to stand beside him, smiling as Blindfold's anger began to boil over more. "N̷o̷t̴ ̷a̷s̷ ̷m̷u̸c̷h̶ ̵r̷o̴o̶m̴ ̵t̴o̶ ̴s̸p̸r̴e̵a̴d̴ ̶o̴u̸t̸.̸.̴.̴"
Blindfold scowled, but held back from striking at the Man, knowing that the Man got sadistic pleasure from making him angry.
Pushing it further, the Man said "I̵t̴ ̷m̶u̷s̵t̶ ̷b̸e̵ ̸s̵o̷ ̷c̴o̷n̶f̵u̶s̷i̸n̸g̶ ̶f̷o̵r̸ ̸y̶o̷u̴.̵.̸.̷ ̸E̷v̷e̶r̷y̴t̵h̷i̸n̷g̴ ̸c̴h̵a̸n̴g̵i̴n̵g̶ ̶l̸i̶k̷e̴ ̴t̴h̴i̵s̸.̵.̴.̶ ̵"
He was right, of course, and Blindfold knew it. His hands balled up and turned into fists.
"L̶o̶s̸i̸n̸g̴ ̶y̵o̷u̷r̷ ̸b̵r̴o̸t̵h̴e̵r̸ ̷l̴i̸k̴e̷ ̵t̵h̴a̸t̵.̶.̸.̴"
Blindfold didn't care anymore. He lashed out at the Man, rocketing his left fist at his head... and right through it.
Once again, amusement radiated from the Man. Blindfold was understandably surprised to find his hand feeling nothing where the Man's face was supposed to be. The Man sighed.
"Y̴o̴u̸ ̵s̶e̸e̵,̶ ̴I̴'̵m̶ ̶n̸o̷t̶ ̵r̵e̷a̵l̵l̴y̷.̸.̵.̷ ̴h̶e̷r̵e̵," The Man said as Blindfold removed his hand from the spectral form of the Man. "Y̸o̴u̶ ̵s̵e̵e̷,̵ ̶i̷t̵'̷s̸ ̵a̷l̸l̵ ̴-̶ ̶" The Man tapped his forehead, not that Blindfold could see, but Blindfold did somehow know every move he was making, "I̷n̴ ̸y̷o̵u̷r̶ ̷h̷e̵a̴d̵.̷"
Blindfold frowned as the Man continued.
"O̸n̶c̵e̵ ̶y̶o̵u̸ ̵r̷e̶a̸l̵i̸z̶e̶ ̶t̸h̵a̸t̶,̸ ̵e̵v̷e̶r̵y̵t̵h̷i̷n̷g̶ ̵y̴o̷u̷ ̷i̵m̷a̶g̷i̵n̶e̴ ̴i̴s̸ ̸p̵o̵s̷s̸i̶b̸l̵e̷," He said, hoping Blindfold would get to which he alluded this time.
He didn't.
The Man continued, "I̷ ̷c̸a̵n̶ ̴g̶i̴v̸e̶ ̷y̶o̶u̶ ̴s̴o̵ ̴m̴u̶c̵h̷,̴ ̵B̸l̴i̴n̴d̶f̵o̴l̵d̶,̴" He said, smiling at him. "T̶h̴e̴ ̵a̶u̵t̴h̵o̷r̴i̵t̸y̷ ̴o̷v̴e̶r̵ ̶a̴l̶l̵ ̸o̸f̴ ̷t̸h̵e̸ ̴u̴n̸i̷v̶e̶r̴s̴e̴.̴.̷.̸" he said, looking out over the hill, his arms spread wide open. "....̷.̷.̸I̸t̸'̷s̷ ̵s̶e̴c̴r̸e̸t̴s̴.̵ ̸T̸h̷i̷n̴g̸s̷ ̷I̸ ̴s̵p̴e̶n̸t̶ ̵s̶o̴ ̵l̴o̸n̷g̷ ̴w̷i̸t̴h̶o̶u̷t̶.̵ A̶l̷l̷ ̴y̷o̵u̵ ̶n̷e̸e̶d̸ ̸t̵o̴ ̴d̸o̸.̸.̵.̵"
The Man turned back to him, smiling. "...is̶ ̶l̸e̸t̷ ̶m̷e̷ ̵i̸n̶.̵"
Blindfold considered this heavily, thinking of the sheer power the Man had. Blindfold decided on his choice, though.
"No."
The Man didn't seem surprised at all, but a little disappointed nevertheless.
"T̷a̸k̶e̶ ̷t̵h̴i̸s̴,̶ ̸t̶h̵e̶n̸.̷ ̸A̸ ̶g̸i̸f̴t̷.̴"
Blindfold's eye sockets were suddenly on fire, causing Blindfold to bend over, in pain. For a brief moment, Blindfold saw everything - the big, the small, all of it not as visual information, but as irrefutable fact. Then, relieving most of the pressure, he felt something, the Man, guide him, take him by the hand, and limit his vision to only one place: France. Two beings, each female, looked down a black passage. They both were shining with Light from the inside, light not inherently theirs, but gifted by another entity that he could barely make out, lurking behind the curtain. Blindfold felt the Man's vile distaste for the Light, and wishing desperately that he could destroy it entirely, not out of a distaste from the Light itself, but because it was not allowed to come from them, and...
Blindfold snapped back to the hill in California, once again blind. Blindfold realized he was on his knees and slowly rose, trying to make sense of the vision.
The Man spoke, helping Blindfold make sense of the vision in his own, cryptic way.
"I̸t̸'̵s̸ ̶n̷o̴t̶ ̴j̴u̶s̴t̷ ̶u̶s̴ ̸a̶n̷y̷m̵o̸r̴e̴,̶ ̴B̵l̵i̶n̶d̸f̸o̴l̵d̶.̸ ̷I̸t̶ ̶n̴e̸v̸e̸r̶ ̶w̷a̸s̸."
The Man walked slowly away and the coiled snake that was the Man in Blindfold's mind went back to sleep.
And Blindfold sat down heavily, trying to make sense of this. All of a sudden, he was not as alone as he assumed. There were others like him. Others that could understand. Others that... he wanted to meet.