-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-

-o0o- TO PLAY WITH ONE'S MIND AND SOUL -o0o-

-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-o0o-

Written by Midnitegirl

Summary: One morning, Rayman and friends wake up to a perfect day, everything is fine, but yet there's something odd about their world and Rayman's dreams keep haunting him… Find out and rate!

Disclaimer: Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Adventure. This fic is a mixture of all the Rayman games. I do not own Rayman and co., they're the property of Ubisoft, nor the lyrics used in this fic, they belong to their appropriate recording studios and artists, (yes it's a songs fic) and it is my first fic so please review and don't flame me if all goes wrong! Other characters not in the Rayman universe are mine! I rate this fic PG13+ for some scenes of extreme torture and abuse methods! So sensitive people, be warned! Enjoy!;)

CHAPTER ONE: FAIRY TALES

Ray's of sunlight filtered through a small window, promising yet another fine day on the island. Opening his eyes slowly, Rayman yawned and rose to his feet before making his way through his house to the front door. Opening the door, he was greeted by the song of birds and other smaller animals, all calling their greetings on the wind's breath. Smelling the air he picked up very little scent from the surrounding plants and the breeze seemed too gentle against his skin. Ignoring the unusual change in the air, he listened for any unusual noise, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Grabbing hold of the balcony rail, he leaped out of habit and reached for the nearest vine, but to his surprise there were none to be had. He tried to deploy his helicopter technique, but found that his hair responded slowly and he was forced to take the second option, a painful landing. After hitting the dirt, he stood up slowly and painfully, shaking his head to clear his messed up senses. Looking up to where the vine should be, he scowled.

"Those darn fairies again. Don't they ever give up?"

A sound of someone landing behind him could be heard, followed by footsteps approaching.

"If you're going to blame anyone, it should be you. Don't you remember that the vines fall off after a few months?"

Turning around slowly and still rubbing his sore back, Rayman spotted his friend Ly the Fairy. Her eyes were laughing at him, but she kept her face serious as she could. She walked right up to him and placed her hands above Rayman's head. Small rays of light flowed from her hands and surrounded Rayman, healing him from his injuries. He closed his eyes as he felt the power flow through him, taking away the pain. Satisfied that she had done her work well, she stopped and stepped back from him, watching him open his eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"Much better, thanks."

"That's good. Hey, do you want to go to Globox's place?"

Rayman looked at his fairy friend and nodded, before running off in the direction of Globox's pad. Without hesitation, Ly ran off after him, taking large strides with her long slender legs. They ran through thick foliage, ignoring the contact as they raced on. Ly eventually caught up with Rayman and stayed close to his side, hopping and sprinting past the obstacles with little effort. Rayman however, being short, had to leap up and climb over the obstacles, but still managed to keep up with his much taller friend. They shouted playful insults to encourage one another to run faster, making the run into a challenging race. Eventually the thick foliage gave way to a big clearing close to a pond. The sound of laughing children could be heard, followed by the sound of splashing water. Both Ly and Rayman came to a stop on top of a hill and looked at one another before skidding down the hill, straight into the water. This action surprised the children and all of them waited anxiously to see who had landed into the water. Small bubbles surfaced, followed by both Ly and Rayman submerging together. All the children cheered and jumped into the water to meet up with their heroes. Somehow, the water seemed strange to Rayman, but he ignored it and carried on playing with the small children, letting them climb onto his right hand so that he could launch them into the air, only for them to fall into the water with a big splash. Ly used her power to make an energy diving board so that she and the children could dive. She then created a higher one, but warned the children that it would be too dangerous for them to jump from. She leapt up to it and jumped, making summersaults, twists and turns before cutting into the water with minimal splash. Both Rayman and the children cheered as Ly resurfaced, her face showing satisfaction of entertaining the little one's with one of her many talents.

They carried on playing for another hour until Rayman grew tired and told the children that he was going to get out of the water. They all started to complain but were soon silenced by Ly. He made his way out towards Globox's house, only to find it empty. The table were set up for breakfast, but there were no food on the table, or in the kitchen, nor were there anyone preparing it. Rayman walked through the whole house, but found no one there. He ran outside and looked around, confused, he walked back to the pond. Ly saw his worried face and called to him, swimming to the edge. Rayman sat down on the bank and let his feet sink in the water.

"What's up, Rayman?"

Rayman looked at Ly and told her he couldn't find Globox or Uglette anywhere.

"Rayman, you should know that Uglette is visiting her family in Clearleaf Forest…"

Confused, Ly turned towards the children and asked them where their father was, but they all fell silent. The smallest of the children swam up to where Rayman was sitting, got out of the water and sat down next to him. She looked up to him with her unusually blue eyes.

"We don't know where daddy is. We woke up this morning and he was gone."

Rayman and Ly looked at one another before turning their attention back to the little girl. Rayman noted that small tears had filled her eyes and she was about to cry. He reached out with his left hand and took her right hand in his and stroked it comfortingly with his right hand, looking at her sympathetically. The other children looked down and some of them began to whimper.

"I want mommy", said one.

"I want daddy too, said another one.

Soon the sound of unhappy and sad children filled the air as Rayman looked at them, still holding the little girl's hand in his. Ly got out of the water and stood next to Rayman, her face showing concern. She started to sing a song that Rayman knew well. It was an old children's song and he joined in, singing the ranges that Ly couldn't. The children calmed down and listened to them until the song was finished. They soon joined in the next song, each child singing at their best and soon found it felt much better. The only one who didn't sing along was the girl next to Rayman. She remained quiet as she listened to all of her 649 brothers and sisters, each one singing along as if nothing was wrong. She then looked up at Rayman and Ly, both singing along in the same state of mind as her siblings. She then joined in, her tiny voice going a few actives higher than the rest. When the song had finished, Ly told the children to go into the house for she will prepare some food for them. The children ran into the house in single file, all excited to taste Aunt Ly's cooking, for they knew that they were in for a treat. Rayman watched amazed as Ly took control of the situation. She noticed his expression and she winked at him before disappearing into the house. Rayman felt a small squeeze from his hand, remembering that he still held the little girl's hand. He looked at her and spoke gently to her.

"What's your name, kiddo?"

"My name's Bleu."

Nodding in her direction, he smiled at her.

"May I ask a favour from the girl with the pretty name?"

She nodded shyly.

"Could you help pull me up?"

Bleu giggled, stood up and pulled as hard as she could, until Rayman got up to his feet.

Still holding her hand, they walked towards the house to join the gathering inside.

Upon entering, the smell of delicious cooking filled the air and again Rayman felt uneasiness in the air. Bleu looked up at Rayman, squeezing his hand yet again. Rayman looked down at her and grinned before releasing her hand. He watched her run off towards the dinner room to join her siblings. He made his way past all the tables towards the kitchen where Ly was casting one spell after the other, filling the pots and pans with delicious dishes that makes one's mouth water. With Rayman's help, they dished up the food equally to each child until they were all fed. The children then help clear the tables before heading to their beds for their daily nap. Rayman watched in amazement as Ly cast a spell to have the dishes washed, dried and packed away all by themselves. When all was done, Ly slumped down into the nearest chair before looking at Rayman.

"Boy I'm tired. You won't believe how hard it is feeding this lot (tossing her head in the direction to the children's bedroom)"

Giving a deep sigh, Rayman replied.

"I believe you, Ly…"

Ly looked at Rayman before speaking in a low whisper.

"Rayman, I know that you're worried about Globox and Uglette, so am I. But what I don't understand is why Globox aren't here to watch over them?"

Scratching behind his right ear, he replied frankly.

"You're asking me, Ly. As for him being missing, that's very unusual…"

Ly looked back to the room were the children were all sleeping. Rayman noticed the look in her eyes and knew what she was thinking. Without saying a word, Rayman walked out of the house and made his way to the Teensie Council, knowing that the answers that flowed in his mind would be answered there. He walked on the road for a while before heading off into the foliage. His mind drifted off to the children and his dreams that haunted his mind for a long time. Somehow, each step he took on the shortcut seemed slow to him. He looked around him and found that everything around him seemed to slow down too. This carried on until he reached the Temple of the Teensies.

Here, everything seemed to move much faster than usual, even the music that DJ Teensie were playing was a bit too much for Rayman, even the scene before him looked out of place. He watched as all the Teensies were having a massive party with loud music, lots of pizza and not forgetting, the infamous barrels of Plum Juice that stood like mountains on the food stained floor. Even the King of the Teensies was having a go at the 'Fast Food Song', all forming the necessary logos with their short arms. Soon, his crown fell off his head and all the Teensies made a dive for it. A full out brawl broke loose, leaving Rayman bitter and confused. He could feel the rage building inside him as the fighting continued. He walked past the Teensies, avoiding every thrown punch and object till he reached the chamber on the other side. There he met the Teensie Elder, whom at that time sat and watched the progression, shaking his head in disgust. Rayman approached him and gave a bow. Looking up at Rayman, the elder greeted him before looking back at the fight. Following the elder's gaze, Rayman scratched his head in amazement.

Without looking at Rayman, the elder spoke bitterly in his croaky voice.

"I don't know what to do about them, Rayman. It seems that the balance between peace and harmony are beginning to fall apart."

Looking back down at the elder, Rayman could only read the disappointment on the elder's features. Adjusting his glasses, the elder got up and picked up his walking stick before indicating to Rayman to follow him. Rayman followed the elder down a set of stairs until they reached another chamber similar to the one above, this one however had large statues of Teensies, all standing as guardians to the heart of the world, the source of Rayman's power and life on his planet. The elder sat down on the throne, gripping his walking stick with both hands. Rayman walked up to him and stood next to him, watching the old man whose eyes were closed, his features showing high levels of concentration. Light filtered from his hands, flowing straight into the stick. In the final part of the spell, the old man rose to his feet and pointed his stick to the world's core. The spell brought about a mirror known to Rayman as the mirror of dreams, in which anyone could ask questions and the mirror would reveal it to them. Rayman walked over to the mirror, running his hand on it, it felt cool to the touch and yet it's smoothness was somewhat unusual, almost unreal…

He closed his eyes and in his mind he whispered to the mirror, letting it inside his mind. Soon, strange images filled his mind's eye, revealing things that he had never seen before, but yet they seemed familiar to him. Some images of his dream he had been having for some time now appeared and little by little he gathered more pieces of the dream as it continued to unfold. As he stood there, a flash of light shot out of the mirror, shattering it into millions of pieces before disappearing into the floor. Shocked, the elder shrieked and cursed in a tongue he couldn't understand, pointing his stick to were the mirror should be.

"Y-y-you broke it. I can't believe it! What have you done, boy? Did you anger Polokus?"

Looking at the raving old man, he shook his head and looked back at the empty space were the mirror once stood. The old man stood up and walked over to where Rayman was standing, placing the stick in front of him, the elder leaned on it and spoke in a controlled temper.

"Rayman, do you know what this means?"

Rayman nodded, not taking his eyes off the empty space.

"There is something wrong with everything, even the heart of the world seems unusual to me. And why are my fellow Teensies acting so badly at a time like this? They don't even notice the signs, the warnings that a dark age is to befall us."

Rayman looked amazed at him and could only gape. Without looking, the old man spoke in a controlled temper.

"Shut your mouth boy, we don't want a Lum flying in there now do we?"

Shaking his head, he obeyed. Rayman watched as the elder walked back to the throne, only to sit down to rest his weary body. Taking deep breaths, Rayman walked over to the elder and knelt down before him. Looking up to the elder, he could notice the sleeplessness and concern in his eyes and could figure out that this problem, whatever it is was huge. The elder studied the young man's eyes, looking deeper into them as if seeking the answers there. Again, the old man sighed, before closing his eyes.

"Elder?"

Opening the one eye, the elder looked at Rayman's worried face.

"…"

"What did you mean by dark age? Are we in trouble?"

The elder opened his other eye too and looked long and hard at Rayman before closing his eyes again…

…Only to start snoring.

Rayman called to the elder, but no reply. He soon gave up and walked out of the chamber towards the main hall were the Teensies were dancing to the Macarena. Something caught the corner of his left eye, as he was about to leave the temple. Laying half buried in a knocked over barrel were the features of a blue frog-like creature whom Rayman recognized as his friend Globox!

As Rayman approached, a group of Teensies leaped in front of him karate style; all three of them wore long pointed hats and carried a stick, which they were pointing at Rayman at that very moment. Their eyes looked threateningly at him, advancing slowly and quietly, their eyes never leaving their target. Knowing what would happen next, Rayman reacted by launching his left fist, they ducked and stood up again, laughing at him, only to hear the sound of barrels falling over behind them. The Teensies looked up and screamed as the barrels came tumbling down, still filled with Plum Juice. Rayman stepped out of the way and watched as the three ran past him, followed by the barrels rolling after them. When they were safely out of the way, Rayman walked over to his friend and grabbed hold of his ankles, pulling him free from the barrel. Rayman realized that Globox were in no shape to walk; so he walked over to Globox's head and grab hold of his arms, before dragging him away from the chaos in the temple. By then the barrels were chasing more then just the 3 Teensies, a few had joined the 'game' and some of them even ran along on top of the barrels, all laughing and singing dirty and rude songs that I cannot mention!

Upon exiting the temple, Rayman dragged Globox to the nearest stream before dumping him in it. It took a couple of seconds before Globox emerged, his face completely puzzled. Upon seeing Rayman's stern face, he grinned nervously before sinking slowly back into the water until only his eyes are visible. Reaching into the water, Rayman pulled Globox out, his face completely unreadable by his amphibian friend.

"Hiya Rayman-n, hic. H-h-how's it g-going?"

Shaking his head, Rayman grabbed Globox and dunked him under the water and held him there for a couple of seconds before letting him up to catch his breath. Spluttering and coughing, Globox was sober and no longer in a funny mood.

"Hey, I don't think that was funny, Rayman. What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

Rayman looked at Globox before bursting with laughter. By then Globox was quite upset and stood with his arms crossed over his chest with a stern look on his face.

"What's so funny, wise guy? Do you take me as a joke?"

Rayman soon calmed down and returned to his concerned mood.

"I'm sorry, Globox. I didn't mean to be so cruel, but I can't take you home in the state you were in… (Changing into a angry mood)

…And what were you doing in the Temple of the Teensies when your children are left unguarded and alone for a long time. How long have you been here? 6 hours? 3 days?"

Grabbing his head in his hands, Globox began to cry, his tears falling down his face in waterfalls. Between sobs, he began to explain why he was here.

"It's been 2 weeks since my beloved Uglette left to visit her family in Clearleaf Forest, usually she would send a courier with letters for us to read and we could send some to her too, that was until I got this letter (handing it over to Rayman). I don't' understand it, Rayman, Uglette would never say anything bad, so I decided to ask the Teensies to help me… that was… until… until…"

"Until you got hit by a barrel of Plum Juice and lost all sense of control, right?"

Globox looked at Rayman and nodded, his crying seemed to have stopped, but he soon started again. Rayman opened the envelope, ignoring Globox's crying as he began to read:

Dear Globox

I've decided to leave you and the children (I can't take their irritating voices or their complaining anymore, especially yours, you big moronic baby.)

I've discovered a new hobby and wish to pursue it on my own without your annoying disruptions and idiotic suggestions. So good luck to you and the brats… hope that they don't turn out like you.

Enjoy the rest of your days…

…Alone…

…Ha ha ha ha… (Followed by a few unsavoury bad names)

Uglette

Rayman read the letter twice before scrunching it up into a small ball. He knew that this wasn't Uglette's words, but someone else's, even though it was in her handwriting. He looked up before grabbing the crying Globox by the arm and half carrying/half dragging him down the path towards the pond. Ignoring Globox's protests, Rayman carried on with his pace till the familiar surroundings of the pond filled his vision…

Ly was sitting outside with the children, telling them a story of one of Rayman and Globox's recent adventure involving them in the struggle with the Hoodlum army and the evil André. Upon seeing their father, the children cheered, but soon fell silent as Rayman dropped Globox and indicated to Ly to follow him inside. Globox ran over to his kids and started kissing each one on the cheek as Ly followed Rayman to the kitchen. Sitting down on the chairs at the tiny table, Rayman gave the crumbled up letter for Ly to read, her face changing from concern to horror. She dropped the letter and stared at Rayman, demanding him to tell her everything. He did and when he had finished, he could see that Ly were completely confused and horrified.

"Rayman… are you sure that's what the elder said?"

"Yep. And that's all I know."

Ly sat back in the chair with her arms folded across her chest. She looked back outside as they could hear the children all talking at once, asking questions to the sad Globox. Rayman followed her gaze; they could only make out murmurs from Globox as he tried his utmost best to control his emotions as he explained to them what happened. The children listened, only asking questions here and there. Globox answered them as best as he could before ushering them to head for the water for their daily exercises. Facing Rayman, Ly told him that she's going to stay with Globox, to keep an eye over him and the children. With that, Rayman stood up, greeted her and left; only to return home to rest and to think things through…

…To think until he fell asleep…

CHAPTER TWO: WORDS OF WARNING

The sound of a singing voice filled his mind as he opened his eyes. He found himself in a maze, the same maze he's been dreaming of for the past few days. The familiar surroundings filled him with hope that he would reach the end to find the owner of the voice. The voice beckoned him to advance, calling him and soothing his nerves. As he walked, he avoided the pitfalls, which he had learnt during the previous nights, and managed to reach the centre. Here the voice seemed stronger than ever and upon arrival, he found himself standing on the edge of a large chasm where lava waterfalls ran down along the sides and floating platforms filled the gap between him and the other side. As he progressed to the centre of the chasm, ghosts of the Teensie Kings swooped down and attacked him. He fended them off as best as he could, but one managed to sneak behind him, only to knock him off the platform. He tried to grab hold of something, but failed to and was forced to take the plunge into the deep unknown. As he fell, the singing voice fades away…

…Into a terrified scream…

Sitting up with a jolt, Rayman gasped for air, only to discover that all was well and he was alive. He got up slowly and walked over to the bathroom to rinse his face with some cold water. Turning on the light, he could see how tired he was in the mirror. Turning on the tap, he placed the plug in the basin and waited for the water to rise to the desired level before closing the tap. Rinsing his face, he let the water run down his cheeks to his feet, ignoring the water stain that he was creating on the bathroom mat. He dried his face with the face towel and unplugged the basin to let the water run out before switching off the light, only to return to bed.

There's nothing much I can do till morning… so I guess I'll have to go back to sleep.

Lying down again, he cleared his mind of all the things that was troubling him before closing his eyes. This time he fell asleep instantly… only to dream another dream. Different to the one he had before…

…Heaving and breathing hard, Rayman hauled a large red sphere towards a red triangular pedestal and tossed it on top, allowing it to float effortlessly into place. Not far away from the red pedestal stood a blue one already bearing a blue sphere; which he had placed there a few minutes before, glowing in unison with the red one. The sound of old, heavy gears could be heard, followed by the sound of the temple doors swinging open, revealing a torch lit tunnel ahead He looked around him, studying its dark stone features and carving. The carvings reveal a testimony that tells the limbless hero of an evil society that once lived inside these stonewalls.

Taking a deep breath, he raced inside and ignored the doors closing behind him, leaving him in the semi darkness. The carvings on the walls danced at the flickering of the flames, creating a flow of movement running along each wall towards the main room.

Upon entering the room, all was quiet; fewer torches were mounted along the circular room. On the cold stone floor, pieces of fallen statues lay strew across, as if a giant monster had knocked them over. Walking towards the centre of the room, his eyes fell upon a strange door that seemed quite out of place in the large stone room. It was made of dark wood, engraved with strange writing that looked like small music notes running along the door frame, each one in the colour of gold. The design on the door was also decorated with music notes, but in the centre was the same symbol he had on his clothes; a white 0 shape, but there were writing inside the symbol that he couldn't read. He tried to find the doorknob, but there were none. He then let his hand touch the symbol and let his fingers run along it, feeling the smooth, engraved symbols that were strangely hot to the touch. Rayman pulled his hand away as light started flowing from the symbol on his body and also from the symbol on the door; meeting in the centre in a ray of light. Stepping away, he watched as their energies combined and vaporize before his eyes, before noticing that the door had swung open, revealing a stairwell leading to the depths below. Gathering his courage, he ran down the stairs, only to emerge in a dark room lit up by strange coloured mushrooms, giving the room a strange blue hue.

Looking around him, he slowly walked to the centre of the room towards a floating mirror in the shape of the 0 symbol with the same carvings as that on the door. Stopping in front of it, he realized that it wasn't a mirror, but a magical window filled with crystal clear jelly-like substance, glowing with all the colours of the rainbow. A picture started to form, revealing a planet he had never seen before; with blue oceans and green continents and blue-mountains, a single moon rotates around it with the planet rotating on an axis around a bright glowing ball of fire. The picture zoomed in onto one of the continents, eventually zooming in onto a house in the middle of what seemed to him like a busy neighbourhood. The picture then zoomed inside the house and eventually stopped in a room that seemed vacant at the time, until the movement of something was spotted in one of the dark corners. His eyes could just make out the figure of a girl with limbs, long brown hair and brown eyes. Her face seemed to tell Rayman that she was in fact very much afraid of something…

…Or someone…

…For he could hear the sound of heavy footsteps followed by the sound of a door being unlocked. By then the girl had moved to the opposite side of the door, waiting and watching, her heart beating in Rayman's head and the sound of her short but rapid breathing was enough evidence to cause concern. A huge man with evil gleaming eyes looked down at her, his one hand bearing a weapon for beating people. Rayman couldn't read the man's eyes, nor did he understand what was happening until it was too late. The man had advanced towards the girl and he started beating her; throwing her around as if she was nothing. He used the belt in his hand and belted her viciously, striking her relentlessly all over her body, till many bruises and open wounds appeared. Her blood ran down her arms and legs to the floor, causing a puddle of crimson to appear around her beaten body. But he wasn't finished; he tossed the broken belt aside and started to advance again…

…Rayman couldn't take it anymore. The feeling of hate and anger filled his heart and mind to such a degree that he propelled himself forward, forgetting for a moment that he was going through a small mirror into the unknown room, against an unknown enemy. He launched his right fist, meeting his target squarely on the chin, knocking him away from the girl. Using his Strafing technique, Rayman launched his attacks again and again; giving the target little chance to recover… that is if it were possible for him. When Rayman saw that the man couldn't get up and fight, he stopped for a moment to recover from the shock, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he breathed forcefully in and out before taking a deep breath to calm down. Turning his attention to the girl lying behind him, he noticed the seriousness of her condition; he spotted severe injuries to the head, arms and legs and a pair of terrified eyes staring back at him, one swollen from the beating. With one wide right eye, the girl stared back at the ghostly form of her saviour; his limbless body amazed her and most importantly, his pair of fists still glowing from the attack showed her a power not to be reckoned with. They stared at one another for a minute or so before she broke her gaze by looking at the fallen attacker. The man began to pull off his face, revealing an android of immense power. Before Rayman could intervene, the robot fired his last shot at the girl, engulfing her in a ray of green light. With her scream in his head, Rayman destroyed the robot with his powered up punch and turned around only to witness the girl being engulfed by the light racing towards him…

"…Rayman…"

"…"

"…Rayman…"

"?"

Opening his eyes slowly, Rayman could make out the blurry forms of Ly and Globox looking down at him from above. He could feel them helping him up into a sitting position as his vision started to clear. He found himself in a clearing surrounded by his friends, all with worry written on their faces.

"Rayman, are you alright? We found you wandering in the forest with your eyes closed, screaming and shouting in vain at something."

Rayman looked puzzled at Ly, not catching the news until his senses cleared. Taking a deep breath, he told them of his dream, revealing every detail as best as he could remember. Globox and Ly listened intensively until she noticed that Rayman's right hand was bleeding. Taking the hand in her own, she began to use her magic to heal it, only to catch Rayman as his eyes rolled back in his head and he started to black out once more…

The sound of someone whistling a catchy tune filled his head as he battled with his aching head to stay conscious. Opening his eyes slowly, he found himself being carried on the shoulder of a thug, like a sack of potatoes, as well as being chained up like a cocoon. He tried to wriggle out of his bonds but was soon rewarded with a harsh growl from his bearer. He soon stopped wriggling, allowing the thug to continue with his whistling. As they moved along, he could make out that they were indeed aboard some sort of craft, it's metal and wood interiors signified someone with enough money and power to accomplish anything. The thug carrying him also showed no real evidence of whom he's captor may be. He even didn't know if the thug was alive or mechanical… that is until they reached their destination…

The thug stopped outside a set of expensive wooden doors and knocked on them, waiting patiently for his master's next command. Lifting his head as far as he could, Rayman studied the doors; each door had the engraving of none other than the face of his arch nemesis…

"Enter!"

The doors swung open, allowing the thug and his prize to enter the large room. It was decorated with wood and metal furniture; maps of far off planets lined the walls, all pinned with tiny flags. The thug walked up to the desk and dropped his burden on the metal floor, saluting as he did so.

"Admiral sir, I've brought you Prisoner #68930 as requested."

Sitting on his floating chair, the admiral spun around, his face showing delight at seeing his enemy helpless and in pain.

"Excellent Thug64, you may go to the mess hall and claim your reward…"

Happy in pleasing his master, the thug half-ran-half skipped out of the cabin, singing excitedly.

"I'm going to get a present! I'm going to get a present!"

With that he was gone, allowing the doors to close behind him, leaving the two enemies to stare at one another.

Getting off his chair, the Admiral walked over to Rayman and placed his good foot on the chains, stepping as hard as he was able to see his prisoner scream and flinch with pain. After a while he discontinued and walked back to his chair. As he sat down, he pushed a button on the armrest to allow the chair to float into the air and move towards Rayman. Grinning evilly, he floated around the fallen Rayman, studying him at every angle. Rayman in turn managed to get himself into a sitting position and never left his eyes off his enemy; his mind worked hard to find a plan worthy enough to get him free to kick Razorbeard's butt!

"Well, well, well. Look what my thug dragged in! A hapless, limbless moron with no way to escape…"

Rayman ignored his remark and kept staring.

"Ahh, did I spoil your fun, Rayman? You seemed so happy to see me… regardless, I do wish I could play longer with you, but there are quite a few things I need to tell you."

Backing away from Rayman, Razorbeard punched in a few commands; allowing a screen to appear on the wall, showing images that turned Rayman's blood cold…

Razorbeard watched as Rayman's eyes grew larger with every image; images of his friends working on a distant planet, digging in what looked like a mineshaft. Even the young Globoxes were working hard and he recognized the little Bleu between them. The image shifted to his beloved home planet; showing the decay due to the disturbance that Razorbeard was making. He slowly turned his head towards Razorbeard, whom in turn began to laugh.

"You want to know what's going on? Alright, I'll tell you for this involves you too, especially for what you need to do for me…"

He looked at Rayman and grinned, his eyes never leaving the shocked Rayman.

"As you can see, your friends are my slaves, mindless slaves for they are trapped in a little fantasy world that my associate has created to ensure no escape or trouble…"

Pushing a few buttons, the images changed to a blue print of the evil machine as he continued.

"…Behold Rayman, the weapon to your world's destruction! The Brainframe!"

Again, Rayman's eyes grew wide as he studied the strange images, much to his captor's pleasure in seeing him in shock. Ignoring him, the Admiral continued.

"The Brainframe capture's the victim's soul and mind and sends them to a computer generated world, similar to their own, without the victim noticing anything, leaving their bodies in a zombie state to work in my mines! Pretty ingenious if I do say so myself! Ha ha ha ha ha…"

He carried on laughing evilly before stopping to grin, thinking about what to do to him next. The sound of doors opening broke his daydream as a black haired fairy, dressed in a white lab coat and black clothes entered, her eyes gleaming with evil, the face scowling in Admiral Razorbeard's direction.

"Admiral, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't go walking about and waffle our plan to everyone you meet!"

Ignoring the doctor, he grinned in Rayman's direction and spoke gingerly to him.

"Rayman, I would like you to meet my associate, Dr Hektra Evyll. She's the brainchild behind the Brainframe's existence!"

Completely forgetting the Admiral's words earlier, she grinned evilly at Rayman. Rayman could see that there was no good in those eyes and she was as wicked as the Admiral himself.

"Yes, well… she's a clever piece of equipment if I say so myself. With all my years of study that the Admiral funded, I can finally repay him for his generosity."

Looking at the doctor, he nodded his head and spoke in the same tone as the doctor.

"And what a pretty penny it cost me to be able to stand here after all this time. You really ruined me Rayman, but luckily I had enough Capital and Life insurance to get me on my feet."

Breaking the Admiral's triumphant moment by clearing her throat, the Admiral gazed over his shoulder at her.

"Aren't we forgetting something Admiral?"

Scratching his head, he thought hard before the statement finally struck his memory banks. Grinning evilly, Razorbeard pushed the control forward towards Rayman before leaning a hair's breath from his face. If he were alive, Rayman would have felt and smelt his breath.

"Thank you, doctor… As I was saying Rayman, I… (Sound of the Doctor clearing her throat)…I mean we need your help."

Rayman studied Razorbeard's face long and hard before turning away from them.

"Sorry, I'm not interested."

The Admiral's eyes grew wide with rage as he grabbed Rayman by the hair and dragged him to the screen. On the display were his 'zombie' friends, all working hard in the mines.

"You see them, Rayman? If you don't co-operate, well… we'll just have to kill them off, one by one until you do. Let's see now…?"

(Turning away from the shock stricken Rayman, he gazed at the screen with interest)

"…Whom shall we start off with? Ah yes, your good friend Ly, is it?"

Rayman's face went pale, as his eyes grew wide.

"No, please. I-I'll do anything you ask, just don't hurt anyone."

With his eyes laughing, he turned around to face the defeated Rayman.

"Good, at least we come to some sort of a agreement."

Dropping Rayman, the Admiral flew over to the doctor before turning around to face Rayman. Rayman managed to get into a sitting position and watched them closely. His heart sank at the next few words spoken…

"You are to go the heart of the world and release the energy. If you don't, I cannot be held responsible for em slaves' lives, get it?"

Nodding in defeat, Rayman looked down, his eyes filled with tears as he wept shamelessly. For the first time in his life did he truly feel despair and alone…

(Short, I know but more on the way… Rate/Review?) ;-)

CHAPTER THREE: FALLING DOWN

Trapped in a cage, Rayman watched from below decks as many Robo-pirates ran along on their given tasks; ignoring him in the process. Those who did see him kicked the cage and insulted him. He ignored them; the words of Admiral Razorbeard stuck in his mind, replaying over and over; "If you don't co-operate, we'll just have to kill them off… one by one…"

Ignoring the hands lifting his cage, Rayman failed to notice the grins and funny remarks of his captors as they hauled him onto the deck; only to throw his cage down with a hard thud. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he watched and waited as the assembly of pirates stepped aside to allow their leader to approach him. Eyes gleaming, he ordered them to throw the cage overboard, not forgetting that they were high up in the air. They obeyed and watched as the cage disappeared to the forest canopy below…

(Sound of the cage breaking, followed by the thud of Rayman rolling on the floor)

Getting up slowly, Rayman shook his head to clear it, realising that he was no longer in familiar turf. The forest was darker than Clearleaf Forest and the sounds emanating from within seemed uncomfortable to him. The beating of heavy drums and the sounds of chanting filled the air, and the smell of a heavy fire burning seemed too much for Rayman, forcing him to advance carefully forward.

Crouching forward, he hid on a small crevice. The sight of strange characters dressed in war gear with feathers decorated on their heads and wearing skull necklaces around their necks filled the ground below him, all standing and raising their spears, calling in a strange tongue to a statue on a wooden platform in front of them. Their chanting caused Rayman to become dizzy and disorientated; losing his balance, he fell down and landed on one of the drums below him. The player of the drum grabbed the unconscious Rayman by the hair and dragged him and the drum towards the platform. They passed the crowd, all falling silent as they spotted them. Once on the wooden stage, a warrior dressed with headgear adorned with glittering stones and feathers and a large cape made of Animal hair walked from behind the statue and gazed angrily at the intrusion.

The drum-player showed the leader the drum and Rayman and told him what happened. The leader took one look at Rayman and ordered them to lock him up before returning to the secret room behind the statue. The warrior then took Rayman to the prison and threw him in forcefully before slamming the door shut and locking it with a heavy lock. The warrior then returned to the congregation outside to continue were he left off with one of many drums lying about…

In the prison cell next to him, the sound of heavy chains could be heard, followed by crying. Between sobs, the strange voice kept on calling him to wake up. Opening his eyes slowly, Rayman took notice of his surroundings and realised that he was locked up once again in a cell, unable to escape. He felt weak and realised that his captors must have taken some of his powers away from him, all but one ability; the ability to throw 'one' fist. Looking up, he spotted a hole in the wall leading to the cell next to him and the small sobs emanating from within. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he kept looking up and tried his best to stay calm and to listen to what the voice has to say.

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I can hear you and I'm fine, thank you. Who are you and where are we?"

There was silence, followed by the sound of chains being shifted.

"Rayman, is that you? It's me, Uglette. I don't know where we are but I can only guess to what's going on outside."

His face changed from shocked to relief.

"Uglette! I'm so glad to hear your voice. So what's happening outside?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. Still looking up, Rayman could only guess what she was thinking.

"Al l that I can make out is that there is going to be a wedding of some sort and by the looks of it, there might be a sacrifice too."

Looking puzzled, Rayman asked her calmly.

"How do you know?"

She started to cry again and in between sobs, she answered.

"Because I'm to be the bride and the girl with me is to be the sacrifice!"

"WHAT?"

Back aboard the Buccaneer's Revenge, the Admiral wasn't pleased with the news he received from one of his spies.

"So… you lost track of Rayman… HOW IN LIVING BLAZES DID YOU MANAGE THAT?"

Nervously, the spy replied nervously, trembling and shaking.

"He disappeared into the water and that was the last time I saw him…"

His temper rising, Admiral Razorbeard slammed the throttle forward, only to stop a hair's breath away from the spy's face.

"I pay a FORTUNE for your services and this is the thanks I get? Thug 65 and 76, take this 'miscreant' out of my sight…"

The spy watched nervously as the two thugs approached him, grabbing him and dragging him out of the room.

"THUGS, HOLD YOUR GROUND!"

The thugs stopped in front of the door and waited for their master's next order. Looking down at the spy, he grinned evilly.

"I give you one last chance… you better find me that limbless freak or I'll have your guts for my display, got it?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Admiral Razorbeard ordered the thugs to release him. Not daring to stay another minute, the spy ran out as fast as he could. Turning around and floating back to the window, he ordered the thugs to leave. They obeyed and closed the door behind them.

"Rayman… I will find you and if you fail me… you know what I'll do…?"