Prologue:

Even though the Glade of Dreams is home to thousands and thousands of creatures that continually search its vast and open lands, it has managed to keep many secrets from exposure. One of the deepest secrets is a concealed, mysterious island that keeps hold of an extraordinary power in its Centre Cave. This force of energy could do many wondrous things; it could give life, it could rebuild the destroyed, it could transform anything into a miraculous wonder, it could change the world for better; or even for worse. Only a few know where this incredible power is kept. Unfortunately, one of the people who did know of the island's secret was not one who would use it for the best.

His shadow stretched across the late afternoon shore of the island, and as the character walked, it was as if he were floating at a great speed. Not even the dense forest that surrounded the Centre Cave slowed him from his mission. The shadow figure had reached his destination and silently slipped into a crack at the side of the mountain.

Despite its name, the Centre Cave was more like a castle built into a mountain foot, so the figure cast a long, dark shadow down the intertwining halls, until he came to an open room, completely filled with a glowing azure light. The source of the illumination was a large crystal centred in the circular room, shining different shades of blue. He steadily moved forward; almost close enough to touch it, until another figure entered the room.

'What are you doing here?!' The question was asked by a little old teensie, hunched over its jewel-topped cane. 'Get out! NOW! Or pay the consequences.' The shadow figure simply laughed, but the teensie stood strong.

'As if an insignificant weakling like you could stop me!' the figure teased as he reached for the crystal, about to rip it out of the ground and continue his assignment. The teensie held up his cane, the jewel facing the figure. The shadow figure was about to burst into even more laughter until he realised that the jewel was no ordinary jewel, it was a large piece of the blue crystal, welded to the top of the cane.

'Arggh!!' the figure growled and quickly broke off his own piece of crystal for his attack, but the teensie was too quick, and blasted him with a ray of blue energy. The figure held onto the crystal embedded into the ground, but it was no use.

The energy of the teensie's weapon was too strong and sent him tumbling backwards until the figure was out of sight.

'I would leave now if I were you,' the old teensie taunted, yet instructed sternly. The figure sat up and thought about going back in. No, he couldn't. Not while the teensie had the upper hand, so he made his way out of the cave.

He looked at the small piece of crystal he had grabbed earlier.

'I guess it's Plan B, then.' The figure pulled out a ray gun from his darkened clothes, and slipped the small piece of crystal into a little opening on the side of the weapon. He ventured forth, determined not to fail his mission.

'Next stop, the Glade of Dreams,' he snickered to himself.

--

Dusk was setting and night was closing in on the swirled colours of reds, pinks and oranges. The red lum's intense glow grew as the darkness crept ever closer. Night was falling so quickly; it didn't notice the shadow that rose up from behind it.

'Hello,' the shadow said darkly. The lum suddenly started to shake, hoping it wasn't who it thought it was. But it was. It was the same figure that had tried to steal the power from the mysterious island before; but the lum didn't know that. It knew the shadowy figure for a whole other reason.

A white, shiny -but devastatingly evil- grin spread across figure's face. The lum's poor heart began to race, its mind possessed by all the possible torturous things the shadow figure could do to it, its fear increasing. It started to morph. Its beautiful red glow slowly became black and fuzzy, its front began to twitch as a dreadful face appeared and two long arms sprouted from its sides.

'Nice to have you back, André,' the figure greeted through his gleaming teeth.

'Nice to be back,' André smirked, 'What can I do for you?'

'I need a little business taken care of,' the shadow figure said in the most intelligent tone, 'Are you up to it? I warn you now; it's for revenge's sake.'

'Let me guess who the victim is; a big nosed, blonde haired freak who continually interrupts our scheming?'

'Exactly,' the figure grinned his worst and most evil grin yet.

'Gladly. Let me round up the troupes.' And away André went, in search of other red lums to scare into morphing, like the figure had done to him.

He returned with his army to where the dark character was waiting patiently, his posture posed in such a way that it was like he was overlooking an evil empire of soldiers under his command.

'Very good,' his eyes glistened. 'Now, André. Take your group and train them hard. We don't want to entertain our target by letting him think he can stop us. I want this to be as gloriously painful as possible for Rayman. I want him humiliated and injured, but not destroyed completely, not until I get to him anyway. Make sure that once you capture him; bring him back to me; ALIVE!' The figure was very intent on finishing the job himself; or was it for him?

'Fine,' André said sourly. 'As long as we get to do some damage to him. Do we start training across from the kneerans territory?'

'NO!' the figure lashed out furiously. 'That was where you were coached before, you imbecile!' The character forced himself to calm down, not wanting to lose his ally. 'No, no. I don't even want you to prepare in this world. Find one that's completely different, one by pure random selection. I do NOT want Rayman to foil me... I mean, us, AGAIN!!'

Everything fell silent in the cold new evening.

'WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO AND TRAIN!!!' the figure yelled so hard that no-one dared to disobey, and ran off in a trail of dust and dirt. The figure stopped André. 'Take this with you,' he said and handed the black lum the small ray gun. 'This will help you train. It will make any living thing morph into the shape you need it to be.' The shadow character winked and André smiled wickedly in response before running after the others.

The troupes followed a light path towards the teensie's Stone Circle, just passing by Globox's house. All the fuss and speed woke up one very curious baby glute, who was ready for an adventure. Confused and curious, the small glute noiselessly ran after the hoodlums, just like his hero Rayman would. To the young glute, it seemed like the troupes would never stop running, but he was determined to chase them down.

Finally, they came to a halt, and the glute hid behind a small leafy fern. André stopped to think about where they should go. Hmmm, the Bayou, the East Plain, the Marshes of Awakening? No, all were too noticeable and too open to train in. Then the figures words rang in his head.

'Pure, random selection,' André repeated to himself.

Out of nowhere, he started dancing around in a circle. His hoodlums were bewildered, and some even began to snicker as it's funny to watch someone without any feet dance. But it soon became clear what he was doing when a strange swirling vortex appeared out of thin air.

'Oh,' everyone sighed, and one after the other, they began to jump in. André was the last hoodlum to enter, and then the portal started to close up.

Now was the glute's chance to come out from hiding. He sprinted as fast as his legless feet would carry him, and then dived into the whirling gateway just as it sealed. The travel was over in a flash, but the glute could vaguely remember music and long beams of light. But there was no time to reminisce about his journey.

He saw the hoodlums over in the distance, next to a rather large ragged building. The hoodlums, had in fact, stumbled into an abandoned clothes factory. They were mainly confused as to where they were, but glad to have such a useful lair. André turned to his troupe, 'Brothers, we have found a source of clothing and weapons!' They dashed into the building, ripping off the boards nailed to the doors and windows. Meanwhile, the glute had been listening and watching. 'Weapons?' he thought to himself, 'I forgot about the weapons.'

He slowly crept up to a window with a crack just big enough to see through. He peered through the slit and his face lit in fear as he witnessed the some of the hoodlums rummaging through the old clothes to form misshaped bodies for themselves, while others set up practice targets in the shapes of Rayman and Globox, and one huge hoodlum shot at the dummies. He might as well have shot the glute's courage to continue his plan of stopping the hoodlums.

Now aware of the real danger that surrounded him, the baby glute scampered off into the small forest park near the factory. Alone and unsure of where he was, he sobbed as he waited for some form of help, ANYTHING that could take him to the home he loved so dearly.