//------------------------------//
// The Blind Man that Sees All 
// Story: The Dazzlings Are Among The Heavens 
// by PsychoTurtle 
//------------------------------//

The three sisters ran off of the stage, a sudden storm brewing after the concert. It began to rain harshly, Sonata tripped on a speaker cord and fell into a puddle. Adagio hoisted her up quickly, as a crowd of enraged teenagers swarmed after them. Some could be seen with empty glass bottles, a few with knives, and some with metal baseball bats. Aria ran close behind Adagio and Sonata, hearing glass shattering behind her, a small shard cutting her leg. A folded metal chair flew over their heads, thank God these teens were still a bit out of it... Otherwise Aria would've been crippled by a glass bottle, Sonata would've been dragged into the crowd and beaten to a pulp, and Adagio would've been knocked unconscious by the metal chair. 

The three fled down the street behind the concert stage, running down the sidewalk as cars flew by, knocking muddy water into their faces. Aria quickly shielded her eyes from the splash, while Adagio quickly rubbed the dirt from her eyes. The three frantically scanned the streets for places where they could lose them. They looked towards an alley leading to another street, Aria yelled, "C'MON! WE CAN LOSE THEM IN THE ALLEYWAY OVER THERE!" the three followed Aria's lead and ran into the alleyway, the mob of teens charged after them, after Sonata and Adagio passed by Aria, Aria threw a rolling dumpster down the alleyway. A vile stench poured out of the dumpster as it tipped over, it was rotten, and moldy food from a condemned restaurant. A large portion of the mob were staggered at the stench, however, a small portion simply leaped onto and over the dumpster and charged after them, no more than eight or nine teens. Aria looked around for other things she could use to slow their progress. She threw down three trashcans, the contents littered the alleyway, cans, gallon milk jugs, pizza boxes, and old soda bottles. Three tripped on the trash, one hit her knee on the pavement, another twisted her ankle, and the third hurt his foot. Aria quickly caught up with Adagio and Sonata, "Okay, I got three more off of us. But I think we still have four kids chasing after us."

Adagio pondered for a moment, Sonata quickly following behind them. "What should we do?" Sonata questioned her sisters.

Adagio looked behind them for a moment, "Let's ambush them in the alleyway! Grab anything that could be used as a weapon." Adagio spoke aloud in a commanding tone.

As they ran into the alleyway, they came upon someone they expected to have separated from the group in an attempt to slow them down so the rest could catch up. The strange figure spoke out from under his hood, the rain pattering on the ground, a distant crack of thunder, as lightning flew around the sky, it revealed his eyeless sockets under his showl. "Greetings, could you tell me what your names are?" the gentle soul asked.

The three wasted no time and charged past him, shoving him aside.

When they exited the alleyway, they charged down another, then another, and another? Adagio halted, "Wait, what's going on?" she said as she observed her surroundings, it was the same alleyway. When Adagio looked back, she saw the same person, "Can you tell me your names?" he repeated.

Adagio was taken aback at this strange set of circumstances, where the three of them ran the distance of a quarter of a football field, this man seemingly kept up with them with no physical strain whatsoever, always in the exact same position of the alleyway. "You've been running like a fool everywhere around this town..."

Adagio looked at the person, or creature now that she got a better look at him. "I--" she paused for a second, "I am Adagio."

"Glad to meet you, I am Tor'valan... I will be your caretaker for the evening."

"Caretaker?" Sonata asked.

Aria stood silent, her head snapped to attention at an oncoming team of teenagers. Five stood before them, the strange man spoke out with a little chuckle, "Hahah... Well it seems you five intend to kill these three..."

A boy, who couldn't have been older than 14 spoke out, "They took over our minds! We couldn't remember anything! I-- They made me hurt my friends! They need to pay for they've done!"

Adagio had a sense of remorse enter her eyes, "I'm sorry! We've changed we swear!"

Another teen stood beside the boy, a whole head taller than him, "Yeah you've changed, you can't control us anymore, and you're powerless to stop us." he said as he ran forward with a yell, swinging a large mallet from his right, the teen almost hit Aria, but the strange man stopped the blow. As four long tendrils emerged from his fingers, they snatched the mallet away from the teen and snapped it in half. The tendrils hoisted the teen up and held them close to the man. "Turn away from these three. Never look back, do not fear them, but fear me." the man said with a growl. He released the teen and he fell to the ground, he scrambled onto his feet and ran away. The other two fled as well. "Now, Adagio, might you introduce me to your lovely friends here?" he said with a toothy grin.

The three had a shocked look on their face, they knew about the legends, they've met many of them, Prometheus, Medusa, albeit they had to cover their eyes and have someone guide them, the Minotaur, and even Scylla, who they grew up with as friends. Adagio snapped out of her daze and looked at him with a straight face, "Oh, er yes, this is Aria."

Aria simply waved with a blank expression on her face, and her mouth still agape.

"And Sonata."

Sonata mirrored Aria's actions.

"Let us get you out of this rain shall we?" Tor'valan said.

"Oh, er, we know a place, don't worry."

Tor'valan insisted, "Come on now, wherever your place is, mine is bound to be much much closer."

Aria's pride spoke for herself, "We don't need anymore help, now go away... You're creeping me out."

Sonata stood behind Adagio in a frightened posture. Tor'valan sighed, "Very well, however i'm afraid that those enraged teenagers will still be after you."

Angered yells could be heard coming down the street, "Oh my, what horrible luck, are you certain you don't want to come with me?." he said jokingly.

Sonata turned her eyes to Adagio, "Adagio, I think we should go with him."

"Very well, then what is your decision young ones?" the strange man asked, looking at Adagio and Aria.

Adagio sighed, "I think it's for the best... we'll go with you."

"Excellent, please stay right where you are, I'll be just a moment." he said with a pleasant smile on his face.

Out of Tor's clothing, he pulled out a long knife with one of his tendrils, he sliced the air and opened a portal. His tendrils fastened to the three girls bodies like harnesses and dragged them in along with Tor. A long dimensional tunnel greeted them, with swirling colorful streams around them, warping and shifting all around them. At the end, a large old fashioned gate greeted them. With a white veil masking whatever lies beyond it. Tor pulled out a key, and slid it into the lock inside of the gate. Large gargoyles stood stalwart over them, even though they were absolutely still, they inflamed a fierce sense of dread in any mere mortal, making them fear for their lives. "You fear the gargoyles, why? Are you not sirens?" he paused in between the white veil and the gates.

"We lost our immortality... To six girls..."

Tor's face expressed curiosity, "How?"

Aria sighed as the pain of their past wounds opened up again, "We got beat by six girls in a battle of the bands pretty much..."

"What deus ex machina did they get you with?" Tor questioned them as if it also brought up some past wounds.

"Power of friendship in the form of a giant alicorn coming from the sky." Sonata said.

"Join the club kids, you're going to fit right in..." he said as he pried open the veil with the same blade he used to cut open the portal. "Welcome to the Land of Nowhere. Where no one exists, and all is forgotten."