A/N: I return! I hope you guys like this one. This plot has been stuck in my head for a few days now. I don't own these characters (obviously), as they are fully WWE's possessions. Yup...so without any further adieu, enjoy!
He was blind.
That much was obvious, wasn't it? The man had it all; acceptance, love, desire and faith. He was given the throne and crown just as he had been destined to do...yet what did he do with it? The throne was forgotten and abandoned, the crown broken and shattered in two just as the acceptance and love he had been given. The desire and faith remained. Even through all of the betrayal, even through all of the mental crucifixions and the physical battles that ensued, the desire and faith that Bray Wyatt held in his this company's so called "savior" persevered. He understood betrayal, and as much as he hated to admit it, he should have seen it coming. All along, that had been Bryan's plan, hadn't it? Penetrate the family's inner core, settle inside of the cult leader's heart...only to break it in half, only to reveal the man's true self. But what Daniel did not seem to understand was that this man he meant to manipulate was no man at all. From the start, he had told the universe this. Few really seemed to accept or understand it, though, and their popularly proclaimed messiah was no different.
He was blind.
He was blind just like his followers. All of those people who sat at home or who cheered in the live crowd, they were all blind. They clung to their savior's one-syllable chants like a sinner clung to a cross, like maybe if they just shouted "Yes!" or "No!" along with the rest, maybe Daniel would succeed. Maybe, as many of them liked to insist, he would finally get his chance at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But this, just as Wyatt and his family were all too well aware, was not Daniel's destiny. He was destined for glory, yes. That much was true. But he could not become King until he proved himself and accepted his fate. The latter seemed to be the most difficult of the two, but there was no doubt in Bray's mind that it would eventually occur. Daniel was a smart man. Blind with pride and deaf to the truth, perhaps, but still smart.
He was blind.
So many times, he had been told that. Yet with each time, the man had become more and more resistant. The first step to overcoming a problem was acceptance, this was common knowledge, yet Bryan refused to have any part of this. Any other ordinary teacher may have become annoyed, frustrated with their student's stubborn behavior. But, as most were probably fully aware, Wyatt was no ordinary man. Nothing he did was normal, and Daniel could attest to this with full, clear details. After all, one can't be the target of the Family's aggression and its preacher's words without at least trying to understand some of it. And God, had he tried. Some references, he understood. Icarus, Daniel in the lion's den...he understood those stories. A few of the man's more complex sayings, such as his persistent repeating of the fact that he was already dead, confused its focus. Simple logic would point to it being a lie. No living being could also be dead. Unless they were a zombie, and Daniel Bryan was not about to claim one of this company's most menacing men a zombie...even if he was only a never-ending loop of the same old insane prophecies and proclamations.
He was blind.
He had noted Daniel's aura a long, long time ago, he had noticed the feeling of unfulfilled anticipation vibrating off of the uncrowned champion like an angry, yet contained fire. He recognized that fire. It was the same that burned within him, the same that had led him to this company to begin with. For a while, he only watched. He kept his distance. But temptation was such a silly thing...eventually, he could not contain his desire. They set out on bringing the man into their little family. It was a funny game at first, and if nothing else occurred, at least he knew that he could so easily send a rage through Bryan's veins. But he knew that there would be more. That fire within the fan favorite would not die out with only a cup of water or one shaky, desperate breath, no. And when he told the world that my, his friend had been right all along, that was the turning point. The fire grew, swelled just as his new leader's did at the simple, yet one dimensional words. Bray knew that they were only lies, but a part of him wanted more. A part of him wanted it to be the truth, wanted Daniel Bryan, the so-called savior of professional wrestling, to fully and wholly accept his words and teachings. Harper and Rowan were effective, sure, but they were but means of brute force. Bryan, on the other hand...he would bring them acceptance. He would bring them love, desire, faith. He would bring them salvation. Wasn't that his purpose? To lead the fans and the faithful followers all to the promised land? If Daniel Bryan was the messiah and the savior that the crowd seemed to so proudly believe him to be, then Bray Wyatt wanted to be first in line to be shown the man's proclaimed godly glory.
He.
Was.
Blind.