Rayman paused for a moment, letting his fists slow. There was a gigantic blur of black and blue and a few light colors around him. When he really focused on all this chaos, he had no idea where anyone or thing was; he was in the midst of a storm of whirling, flailing bodies. His eyes flicked in many different directions, trying to get a grip on where he was in the scramble.
He stepped backwards onto the stone-floored part of the odd clearing where the ambush was taking place and took note of it. Stone. How could he use stone to his advantage…? Maybe it would be a disadvantage. Maybe he should go back to the grass. But, no, it was too late now, as the skirmish was already taking up the place of ground where he had come from. He was here now.
A familiar scream came from somewhere nearby, and he immediately recognised it as Ly. It made him cringe, just the amount of pain in her voice. He let his guard down, at that moment, turning around and frantically searching the tangle for Ly. From behind him, a large Nightmare burst forth. Rayman did not see nor hear it over the screeching that came from everywhere at once. It hit him blindly in the head, causing him to lurch forward. He flew down toward the stone ground, and his head hit with a agonizing WHACK!
The screeches of battle were almost drowned out by the ringing in his ears. He lay there for a moment, dazed, eyes half-open. His brain buzzed as it tried to bring itself back to the current situation. A clawed foot trampled his hand, but he barely noticed. "Fight!" his mind called out. "They need you!" Rayman gritted his teeth and slowly shifted a hand under himself in attempt to push himself back up. His eyes opened with some effort.
He dizzily made his way back to his feet, which now felt almost ghostly and light. The frenzy of evil and resistance around him was just making his head spin faster. Dots began to speckle his vision as he tried to take back his fighter's stance. Another cuf from behind sent him staggering forward. Blood sprang from his mouth and the tangy taste swam over his tongue like lightning.
A muffled name shrieked over the skirmish. "Rayman!" it said. "Rayman! Help!" It was Ly. It could only be Ly. He tried desperately to see where she was, but there were too many around him, and more of them were flooding in from the sides. He was letting them win. He couldn't let them win. He took another wild swing of his fists, spinning and spinning, taking out as many as he could in one sweep. More just came to take their place. Screaming filled his ears and sent a bolt through his mind. It was hard to think of anything within all of the terrible noise that filled the clearing.
Before he even knew what was happening, another whack came from behind and knocked him to the ground one more, the stone ground giving his skull a wicked thump on the side that already hurt. Black engulfed him.
He opened his eyes.
They were gone.
Everyone was gone.
The clearing was completely empty. Every being that had just been fighting, including the Nightmares, had vanished. The stone next to his face began to waver through tears that he didn't even notice. Gone. Everyone… was gone.
He noticed the striking pain in the left side of his face and flinched weakly. With a shaking hand he slowly pushed himself up so that his head was vertical and off the ground. There was patches of blood spattered on the beaten-up ground, but there was no other remnant of the battle that had broken. Tears began to escape his eyes. This was his fault. Completely his fault.
He barely had time to react to the sound of a foot hitting the ground before he was tackled from behind. The tears were stipped from his eyes as he was jerked backwards, and four hands seized him. It felt like two creatures, as one was holding both hands over his mouth and the other had grabbed his hands. He mustered a surprised noise and instinctively tried to move his hands to swing at whoever was behind him, but the grip was too strong.
"Stay still!" came a male voice from behind him. "You're being impossible!"
"This one's a fighter, ain't 'e?" came another male.
Rayman struggled even harder to get out of their pulling hands, trying to push away with his feet, now.
"Noctis, Wesley," came a very deep-voiced male, further behind him than his two captors. The hands kept a tight grip but stopped moving with Rayman's resisting jerks. "What have you caught, there?"
The hands, belonging to the creatures of Noctis and Wesley, forced Rayman around, directing his gaze to where the deep voice had come from. It was like no creature he had seen before; a tall, human-like figure stood there at the clearing's edge, covered mostly by a brown cloak. He had a peach-colored, cat-like muzzle, and the tip of a tail poked out from the trailing of his cloak. He carried a long, twisted-wood scepter in his right hand that had a green orb imbedded in the top.
Rayman then turned his eyes up to his two attackers. One's fur, muzzle and tail were dark black, and the other's was an redish orange. They both, also, had wings on their backs, black for the black creature and light yellow for the orange one.
The black one, who he guessed to be Noctis, spoke: "We don't know, Sir. He was just lying here unconscious when we found him." Noctis gestured to Rayman's bleeding lip. "Wounded, by the looks of it."
The large cloaked man at the edge of the clearing did not waver. "Have you seen him here before? I do not recognise his species."
The orange captor, Wesley, shook his head. "I've never seen a creature quite like 'im in these parts. Reckon he's not from 'round here?"
The cloaked man took a few long strides forward and bent down on one knee in front of Rayman, who had stopped struggling and was looking and listening intently to the scene before him. The man's eyes, though shadowed by the hood of his cloak, burned into Rayman. "It appears not," he said in his deep voice, "as he would not look so confusedly at us if he was. He should have at least heard tales of us if he was native to the forest."
The man stood, towering above Rayman and his captors. "Hands off his mouth, Noctis." he said flatly. Noctis quickly obeyed, moving his strong, binding grip from Rayman's mouth to his torso. "Now," continued the cloaked man. "Are you from around here, boy?"
Rayman answered with a brief shake of his head.
The man continued. "Do you know of us at all?"
Rayman shook his head again.
"Do you have a name?"
A nod.
"Would you care to tell us?"
Rayman was silent as he directed his nervous gaze away from the cloaked man's eyes and down to the ground.
The man lowered his head. "I take that as a no."
No response.
The man raised his head again to address the captors. "Well, we seem to have gotten ourselves a mute."
Noctis and Wesley chuckled. Rayman glared up at the cloaked man.
The man returned his look. "Well, can you speak, boy?"
Rayman held his gaze and nodded.
There was a long pause. The cloaked man turned. "Wesley, Noctis, take him with us."
The two holding him taught nodded, and Rayman gulped as his hands were bound from behind. Noctis kept hold of the chain attached to the binding in his impenetrable grasp and stood. He jerked upward on the chain, and Rayman let out a yelp as he was pulled along with it. "Come on, boy." he ordered.
Rayman hesitated, then shakily got to his feet. The chain was jerked again, and he stumbled forward. Noctis and Wesley laughed. They were playing with him. A growl formed deep in his chest, but he pushed it down; he couldn't resist the iron grips of these creatures. Plus, he was cuffed, and he couldn't use his feet. He couldn't get out of the chains quick enough to make an escape even if he tried to use a kick.
"Noctis," said the cloaked man, without even needing to look behind him. "Please. Go easy on the boy. He looks like he's been through a lot."
Rayman was thankful for the slack that Noctis put on the chain after that. He was led (only a little generously) more gently through the dark trees of the forest, following the cloaked man. The strain of walking again after such a gruesome fight was sickening, though, and he stumbled a few times, being pushed back up to verticality by Wesley, or Noctus, if he dared take one hand off the chain. It was a long and agonizing walk, but soon a structure came into view through the dark tree trunks.
To his surprise, it was a house. A fairly large one, at that. It was in the midst of a pond, and had a flat, wooden bridge leading up to the door. The windows showed light, but not so much as to be seen from elsewhere in the forest. Rayman thought he could make out figures inside, and a few wings flapping with enthusiasm here and there. Was this where they lived? This small house in the middle of the Night Forest? The water under the house reflected the stars and moon above; this was probably the first time Rayman had seen the stars since before the battle. He flinched; just the thought of it made tears prickle his eyes.
"Well," came Noctis' light voice from next to him. "Welcome to your prison, trespasser."
A chuckle came from Wesley. Rayman lowered his gaze, feeling Noctis' comment draw the hooded man's attention. The man never turned, though, as he was presently knocking on the door of the little house many paces ahead of them. Rayman was led half way up the dock-like path to accompany the man at the door, keeping his attention centered on the starry water beneath. He had only the slightest urge to look up and see where he was being taken.
As he finally decided to glance up, another of the strange creatures was answering the door. She wore a more casual dark-purple t-shirt and patched blue jeans. Accompanying her outfit, there were cream-colored wings upon her back, long brown antenna, and a brown tail. From behind the antenna came a flow of straight, black hair.
"Janesh," greeted the girl. "Welcome back!"
As she said the name a few of the creatures from inside the door looked up with big grins on their faces. Some talking began to die down, and most of the wings of the creatures folded with respect.
The man in the cloak, Rayman now knew was Janesh, took down his hood and spoke: "Hello, Thalia," he said smoothly.
The girl, Thalia, smiled warmly. "You have come back so soon; I assumed you would be out with Noctis and Wesley for many more hours!" She moved her head to try and see out the doorway. "Where are they, anyways?"
Janesh moved aside to reveal the two boys, Noctus still holding onto Rayman's chain. Thalia's face lost some of its giddiness as she saw him. He tried to politely turn his head away so she didn't have to see the blood stain under his mouth, but she had already seen.
"Oh, my..." she gasped. "You… you've captured a boy… He was… trespassing in the forest, like the others, I presume…?"
Janesh nodded. "Yes. We found him by himself, all beaten up. And he had no clue about who we were or what we do, so we decided to take him with us back here."
Many heads inside the house were craning to try to see the captured boy.
Janesh moved his staff forward. "If you would let us in, I would like to give the boy a place to stay for the moment."
Tahlia stepped back. "O-of course," she said.
As Janesh stepped into the house. Only a second after, Noctis literally took off and took multiple wing strokes to clear the rest of the bridge. Without much time to react beforehand, Rayman ended up being dragged through the air, getting in maybe one or two actual steps on the bridge before reaching the door. When Noctis finally landed at his destination, Rayman was still sailing through the air. Without thinking, his instinct kicked in and his hair spun into a helicopter, giving him a slow and easy landing on the wood next to Noctus; he and Wesley shot surprised looks at him afterward.
Continuing, Noctis continued to lead Rayman by the chain, now entering the house. As he gingerly stepped through the throng of foreign creatures, he felt all their gazes resting on him. As he glanced sideways at them, he instantly looked back down, for their eyes were like lasers on his skin. When he was almost out of the room, a gray foot stuck out from the crowd. Not having much time to notice it, he ended up stumbling a bit. A thread of laughter trailed through the crowd as he finally exited the room.
Janesh led him, Wesley and Noctis down a hall lit by leafy lamps that hung from the ceiling. When they got far enough, Janesh opened a door on the right-hand side and gestured for Rayman and the others to enter.
The room was dark, other than the subtle glow of the full Moons out the one window in the room. Under the window, there was a small bed with white sheets. On a far wall, there was a open door that appeared to lead to a bathroom. There were some picture frames on the walls, as well, all containing flattened plant leaves of different types. In another corner of the room, a small table was set up, paper and pencils strewn across it like a writer's desk.
Noctis took Rayman over to the bed and jerkily unlocked the cuffs on his hands. "You stay here for now," said Janesh from behind him. "Until we figure out what to do with you."
Noctis gathered up the chain and the cuffs and walked out of the room with Wesley. Janesh gave him one last glance before walking out as well and shutting the door behind him.
Rayman sat on the little bed, stunned. He had only woken up about 15 minutes ago from that brutal hit he had taken in the battle. The battle… It had gone so wrong. He had failed so badly. He crawled on the bed to reach the window and looked up at the stars that were just visible over the treetops. Ly… He tried to reach out to her, just barely touch her spirit. Where was it? They couldn't have… No. She couldn't be dead. He knew he failed, but not that badly! Could they all be dead? Rayman shook his head, eyes wide. Dead. They were dead.
He looked up at the stars again and called out mentally, trying ever so hard to reach her. She must be out there somewhere. She must be! He called again. She didn't respond. His heart sank. She really wasn't out there. It was no use. He slumped down and sat on the bed. Useless. He had no point if they were all dead.
He began to tear up again as the guilt almost physically punched him in the stomach. His only purpose in life was to protect them. He had failed his one and only purpose. His tears began to sting his eyes and he blinked them out, feeling them dribble down his cheeks. As he looked up at the sky again, his lip quivered, and he burst out crying. The sobs were so loud that he didn't even think that they could come from himself. He rested his forehead against the glass of the window, still bawling.
A moment later, the door of the room swung open, making Rayman whip around. At the door was another of the creatures, this one with pale peach fur and white wings like Janesh, and a pink t-shirt and nice blue jeans. Golden hair flowed from behind both of her floppy ears. Her two bright blue eyes darted around the room and finally found Rayman on the bed at the far side.
"H-hello…" she greeted quietly, catching Rayman's gasping breaths and tear-streaked face. "I-I'm sorry. My father, Janesh, sent me to watch you. I-I don't mean to bring you any discomfort…"
Rayman calmed his breaths and looked away from the girl.
She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I'm Celine, by the way." she added.
Rayman was silent, playing with his glove.
Celine took a small step further into the room. "Do you want to tell me your name?"
Rayman shook his head slowly without looking up.
She shuffled on the ground with her cat-like feet. "Are you sure? I want to be able to call you something."
He kept his attention on his glove. "Rayman," he murmured quietly.
A friendly smile twitched onto Celine's face. "Rayman?" she repeated.
He nodded, glancing up at her briefly for a fraction of a second.
She smiled. "That's a cool name."
Rayman's eyes widened as he remembered the first time he met Ly; Betilla had brought him to meet her soon after his creation. He remembered seeing her for the first time, peeking out shyly from under his smooth tufts of blonde hair.
"So," she had said, in a beautiful voice that had made a shiver run down his spine, "This is the new hero?" She had bent down to his level, her soft green eyes sending warmth into him. "What's your name?" she had asked.
"R-Rayman," he had said with that small little voice that he'd lost as he had aged.
Ly had smiled, oh so sweetly. "Rayman," she'd repeated with a playful grin. "That's a cool name."
Celine took another step. "Are you alright?" she asked quietly.
Rayman snapped out of his memory and looked back up at Celine, this time holding her gaze for a long time, fear and sorrow combining in his eyes. Celine almost flinched at how strong those feelings were, almost an aura, drifting around her and matching her mood to his. She could only feel as he was for that moment as she held his eyes.
Soon, Rayman pulled his dismal stare back down to the bed.
Celine couldn't speak for a moment afterward, and there was silence. Celine, after that silent interval, carefully approached Rayman on the bed. Not wanting to be rude, Rayman fought the urge to scoot in the opposite direction, and stayed where he was sitting. After some consideration, Celine decided to gently sit down on the bedside next to him. He squirmed a bit at first, but didn't move away. Celine's feline tail draped around her hindquarters as she sat on the bed.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, breaking the silence. "Whatever has you so sad. I'm sorry you have to face it."
A sob reformed at the back of his throat and it just barely bubbled out, just enough to be caught by Celine. She felt that sob shake her, felt it grasp her by the heart and squeeze it.
She put a hand on his back, and he let her. "Rayman," she whispered. She felt another tremor seize him, that deep feeling of pure pain filling the room. "What happene-"
"You want to know what happened?" Rayman challenged, standing up abruptly. "I screwed up! I failed my only task in life: protecting the people of my home! I was too weak, and they caught me off guard, and… I couldn't fight them off! I was too weak! I… I was too weak." Done with his outburst, he sat back down on the bed with a heavy sigh, burying his face in his hands.
Celine was frozen, surprised by his quick shot of an explanation. After a moment of sitting stunned next to him, she replaced her hand on his back. "I'm so, so sorry," she said, interrupted by Rayman's sobs returning.
"My one purpose in life," he cried. "They were my one purpose in life. And now they're all… gone." He paused with a sniff, tilting his head back, eyes closed. "Even Ly. Even poor, sweet Ly."
Celine bowed her head, studying the fuzz on her pant legs. She had never met someone with this deep of a regret. She didn't quite know how she should respond to him.
What she ended up doing was beginning to rub his back in gentle up and down movements.
Rayman kept talking before she even started to. "Why should I even keep living?" he murmured. "Why should I continue on with life if the ones who needed me can't ever need me again?"
Celine was alright with the talk about how he had failed but the thought of ending his own life because of it was just not right. She stood and faced him. "Rayman, you can't do that!" was the first thing that slipped out of her mouth. "Suicide is just wrong, even if it is for a reason!"
Rayman gazed up at her blankly. "Well, I'm pretty pointless, now," he said in a low, cracked voice.
Celine's eyes softened, and she ended up opening her arms welcomingly. Rayman's eyes began watering again, and he bit his lip. In only a few seconds, he had thrust himself into her arms, tears taking their spot on his cheeks again. He sobbed in her arms for a long moment before speaking. "My friends were why I existed, why I was created. Without them... my life is pointless," he said. "Why keep living if there is nothing to live for?"
Celine blinked slowly and stroked his back. "You're still a living being, Rayman," she returned. "I know you were created to be a guardian. But even though the people you were made to protect are gone, you are not pointless."
Rayman sniffed. "Ya think so?"
Celine smiled softly. "Of course. Even though they created you, you are still free to have a life."
Rayman parted himself from the hug and wiped his eyes. "You really don't know anything about me, do you?" he asked.
Celine didn't respond; she didn't know how.
Rayman replaced himself on the bedside. "I'm a weapon, Celine," he sighed. "A living defence mechanism made to protect all the people of my home from the bad guys. I have no life, apart from being… Well, I guess you got it right when you said I was created to be a guardian."
There was a pause as Rayman directed his eyes back down to his gloved hands. "Why did your father take me here?" he asked slowly. "Why keep me alive in this prison? I have nowhere to go. I would have left your forest if he told me to." He looked Celine in the eyes again. "I don't have a home, now."
Celine rubbed her arm and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "That's just a rule that the Felites put together. Any intruders are kept here."
Rayman cocked an eyebrow. "Felite? Is that what you guys are called?"
Celine opened her eyes and looked at him blankly. "Yes. That's our species."
Silence gripped the room. To both of their relief, though, something flew in the cracked door of the room, illuminating the space around it. At first glance, Rayman thought it was a Silver Lum, and it sent a quick shot of hope through him for a split second. As the glowing thing got closer to them, though, he could see that it had wings, and a tail for that matter. Feathered. Almost like a cross between a Lum and a small bird.
The creature flew up to Rayman's nose as he sat on the bed, making him jump up, ruffled. The silver creature grinned childishly and make a tiny chirruping noise.
Celine got up with a giggle. "Sorry," she said. "That's Silver."
Rayman put up a curious hand to playfully bat at the flying creature. "Silver?" he repeated. "What is he? I've never seen a creature like him."
Celine tilted her head. "I don't really know, actually," she said as Silver zipped around Rayman's head, beginning to draw the smallest fraction of a smile onto his face. "My guess is that he's not from around here. I found him in the grasp of one of the deadly plants in the forest, and saved him by killing the plant with a dagger." Silver fluttered up and perched on Celine's shoulder. "He's been my little buddy ever since."
Rayman's smile grew just the smallest bit more. "Maybe he came from around where my home is… was." Just as small as that smile was, Celine was sad to see it go away when he talked about his home.
Silver made a mournful sound and fluttered over to land on Rayman's shoulder and nuzzle his cheek. Rayman looked down at the little feathered creature and leaned his cheek closer to him.
There was silence for a long while.
"Well," said Celine after a moment. "I'm gonna go change," she said, turning toward the bathroom door. "I'll be back."
She turned when she reached the door. "Oh, and my father told me to stay with you for a while." She smiled as she went to close the door. "So I guess we're like roommates, for now."
Rayman blinked at the door for a moment after it closed. "Roommates…?" he repeated quietly. Silver made a murmuring noise on his shoulder. Finally, after a moment of thinking, he looked away from the door. "Now I really am stuck here."
He turned and looked back at the front door to the room. Could he find a way out from there? He shoved himself up from the bedside, causing Silver to lite from his shoulder, and made his way swiftly to the door. He peeked cautiously through the crack and saw that the room down the hall that he had entered into was now empty. Most of the species– the Felites, as Celine had called them– must be outside hunting, or something.
Carefully and quietly, he rested a hand on the door handle. Silver made a quiet cry of warning at this.
"I know," Rayman said. "I'll be careful. Don't worry."
Without another word, he slipped out the door and took several gentile steps down the hallway. So far, so good.
"Rayman?" came a quiet voice from back down the hall. "What are you doing?"
Rayman stopped in his tracks. Celine.
Soft footsteps approached from behind him. "Why did you leave the room?"
Rayman turned around gingerly. He expected to see another of those angry captor Felites in her, maybe with a face twisted in anger for him trying to escape. But it was exactly the opposite, that he saw. A face with angelic beauty that he hadn't seen before, rested on a slim body covered in a smooth, pink dress. Peach colored feet peeked out from the lower rim of the gorgeous dress, giving the dainty body perched atop them even more of an elegant feel. At the back rim of the dress the long sleek end of the tail protruded. And her big blue eyes almost froze him with the innocence that poured from them. Utterly, she was beautiful. He involuntarily smiled.
"Wow," he said. "You… you're beautiful."
She looked down at her dress as if not remembering what she had put on. "Well," she said with a small smile. "Thank you."
Rayman almost blushed as she looked back up at him. Those ice-blue eyes were so gorgeous. How hadn't he noticed them before?
Because he was scared of her kind, before.
He hadn't noticed them because he saw her as a Felite, not Celine.
"I… I'm sorry I left, Celine, I just…"
He looked back at the cracked door to his room, that he hadn't gotten very far from, and saw Silver peeking out at him. He had a sly face on, raising his brows and narrowing his eyes with a cocky grin, as if to say "go for it, bro!".
Rayman shot him a look and made a fist.
Celine caught the exchange between the two and giggled quietly. "Rayman," she said. "It's fine. I was just a bit worried, because my father would be mad if you got away." She came over to him and knelt down. She put a hand on his shoulder, making him twitch a bit, face getting hot. "I'm not keeping you here on my own account. I would let you go, but my father would be so unhappy."
Rayman glanced up at her nervously. "I-I know. I won't leave, and… you can be safe. I don't want to cause anything between you and your father."
He caught sight of a window at the back of the hall behind Celine, and the thought of a simple escape through there was the first thing to cross his mind. With quite a bit of sadness, he diminished the thought. How ever so badly he wanted to break out of this place and search all the Glade for anyone who might have survived the ambush… But he couldn't.
He took a small step forward. "I-I'll go back to the room, now," he said quietly. "I don't want to cause any more trouble."
Celine opened her mouth to counter, but silenced herself. "Alright," she said, following him through the door.
Silver hovered aside gingerly, wondering if that smirk he gave had put Rayman down.
The limbless walked solemnly over to the bedside again and sat down with a sigh, putting a hand on his cheek as if to prop his head up. He was truly stuck.
Celine entered the room after him, and looked at him with a frown. She had never seen so much sadness and remorse in one person before. It hurt her so much to even look at him.
With blue eyes he glanced up at her, then blinked slowly. As he closed his eyes and let out another breath, he realized how tired he was. He hadn't noticed it before, as he had been so caught up in mourning. With deep exhaustion, he let out a wide yawn.
Celine jerked, as if remembering something. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "You must be exhausted."
Rayman looked back up at her with a small nod. "Mmm-hmm," he murmured.
"You can use this bed, if you want. My father gave you this room to use, so feel free."
The limbless looked at the pillow, only a few feet away from him. It looked so tempting, and he desperately needed the rest. With pleasure, he flopped down on the bed and buried his face in the pillow. It felt so good after all he had been through. And, although he was still not comfortable with his new prison, he began to close his eyes. "Thanks," he breathed, then fell into sleep.
Celine breathed out slowly and walked over to the bedside. With careful hands, she tucked Rayman under the blanket. In his sleep, the limbless sighed. Celine almost smiled.
After looking at him for a while longer, she went over to the desk in the corner of the room and flicked on the overhead light. Quietly, she pulled out the chair and sat down, fingering through her stack of nature sketches.
Silver flittered over to Celine and alighted on her shoulder with a small murmur. "Hi, Sil," Celine whispered. The small winged creature adjusted his feathers with a quiet chirrup. He examined the papers before him with wide black eyes as Celine picked up the delicately carved wooden pencil and put it to her mouth.
"What to draw," she muttered to herself. Suddenly, she got an idea. Carefully, she shuffled her papers around to get a new one on top, and put the pencil tip on the surface. Delicately, she began to sketch the bridge of a nose, then two tufts of ruffled golden hair, and two big blue eyes. Moving the pencil down, she drew a chest and stomach, then a hood on the top. Two hands and two feet, then a small smile under the nose.
With a smile, she examined her work. "What do you think, Sil," she said. "Am I missing anything?"
With a squeak, Silver took the pencil from Celine's hand and made a circle in the air.
"Oh yeah," she said. "That ring on his jacket." Closing one eye, she drew two circles on the chest, one inside the other. Then she sat back. "Now it's done."
She grinned as she admired the small sketch of Rayman on the piece of paper. Another drawing to add to her collection.
Silver fluttered down to the desk and folded his wings close to him, closing his eyes. Celine looked at him and began to feel a bit tired, herself. With a sigh, she crossed her arms on the desk, and laid her head down.
Celine didn't know how long she'd been asleep before the door to the room slammed open, jerking her and Silver awake. When she looked up, she saw, in the doorway, her father standing there with a frown on his face. Her immediate reaction was to jump up and stop him from getting to Rayman.
"Dad!" she shrieked under her breath. "Please don't! He's had a very bad night and–"
Janesh simply pushed her aside, cutting her off, and kept walking. As he reached the bedside, he stopped, looking down at Rayman. With a careful hand, he pulled the blanket away from the limbless boy's chest, revealing the white circle that lay there. He stood there for a long, silent moment, examining the ring. Then, to Celine's surprise, he dropped to his knees, drooping forward with his hands pressed to the ground. And he began to cry.
Celine stood next to her chair with Silver perched on her shoulder, unsure whether or not she should comfort her father. She had never seen him cry before.
Rayman, hearing the gentle sobs, began to stir on the bed. As he opened his eyes, he was very surprised to see the Felite leader in tears before him, as this was the man who had been rude to him earlier, he wasn't sure how to react. "Are you.. alright…?" he ended up asking quietly, pushing aside the sheets.
Janesh looked up at Rayman with wide eyes. "Yes," he said. "It's just... you..."
Rayman cocked his head inquisitively. "What do you mean...?"
Janesh reached out with a childlike curiosity in his eyes. He gestured to the space between Rayman's shoulder and left hand. "May I...?" he asked.
Rayman eyed his hand and nodded. "Um... Sure."
Janesh carefully waved his hand back and forth, testing that there really was no limb there. When his hand went completely through, a laugh bubbled from his throat. "Yes!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Yes! Finally you come to me!"
Rayman blinked confusedly, looking up at the cloaked leader.
Janesh looked back down at him. "I never thought, since I became leader of the Night Forest, that I would ever get the chance to meet you for real!" He took Rayman's hands. "Rayman! My hero!"
Rayman raised his eyebrows. "How would you know about me from here? As far as I know, this forest is not part of the Glade of Dreams."
Janesh glanced out the window at the forever-darkened trees outside. "Well, the forest is not. You are correct. That doesn't mean that I'm not, though." The leader turned and sat on the bed next to the limbless. "When I was younger, I lived in the Forest of Dreams, just below that big Tree of yours. You had saved the world many times before I was born. I educated myself for hours every day until I had memorized every tiny detail about your amazing adventures. I knew that, before my time, you had defeated Mr. Dark, Admiral Razorbeard, and the black Lum, Andre. I was only a child, eight years old, when the Magician and his Nightmares attacked. My family moved up to the top of your Tree when that happened. I had only seen you in the middle of a fray of Nightmares, and never again. That is why I did not recognize you out in the forest tonight..." He glanced over at Rayman. "I am truly sorry."
Rayman put on a small friendly smile. "It's alright," he said quietly.
Janesh frowned. "But you looked most unhappy when you looked at me the first time..."
Rayman tilted his head and a grin played at his face. "Well I was kinda pinned down from behind.. That could cause a little discomfort."
Janesh smiled apologetically. "Yes, I see how it could," he said with a chuckle.
Celine and Silver watched from the corner of the room, surprised to see both Janesh and Rayman smiling.
Janesh spoke again, the chuckle still hinting in his voice. "Now, tell me Rayman, why did you come to our forest?"
Rayman's smile vanished. "Not by choice," he answered.
Janesh cocked his head. "Oh?"
Rayman glanced at him with the blue of his eyes shimmering. "We were lured here. Everyone from the Forest of Dreams. Once we got to that clearing you found me in, we were ambushed by hundreds of Nightmares. And.. after a long time of fighting, my friends got weaker and they were captured. I was the only one left fighting, and soon... they overtook me, too. I remember being knocked in the back of the head, and then I couldn't feel or see anything... And then when I woke up..." He paused, putting a hand in front of his eyes to shield his teary eyes from sight.
Janesh looked at the floor with sadness. "When you woke up, they were all gone."
Rayman's hand slid down the bridge if his nose, revealing his tightly shut eyes and tears trickling out. "Yep.."
Celine shuffled a foot, getting her dad to look up at her, and gestured toward Rayman.
Her father sighed and put a hand on the limbless's back. "It'll be alright," he said. " I'm sure they're out there somewhere."
Rayman opened his eyes a crack and shook his head. "They can't be," he said. "I can't feel them. I would be able to feel them if they were okay." He sniffed and bit his lip, cutting off his tears. "But it's okay.. I'll get through it. I.. I guess I just need to accept the fact that I failed." He shut his eyes again and clenched his fists, fighting back the tears that were threatening to burst.
Janesh lowered his ears, then spoke again. "I am sorry that you are stuck here," he said, half changing the subject. "It is simply a rule that I did not create."
Rayman opened his eyes, looking at the sheet he was sitting on. "I know," he said.
Janesh's eyes darted about the room, finally landing on Celine. "However, I can let you out of this house, only under the supervision of my daughter."
Celine tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. Silver did the same.
Rayman glanced up at Celine, the deep pain behind his eyes piercing her. "Out..?" he asked.
Janesh nodded. "Yes, but only around our forest. I'm afraid I cannot allow you to go further."
Rayman did not take his eyes away from Celine's. "Thank you, Sir," he said, obviously directing the praise to Janesh.
Janesh stood and made his way to the door. "Of course, Rayman," he said. He reached the door and slipped out. A second later, his head poked back in. "Oh, and you may call me Jacob. That was my name before I was leader." With a smile, he exited.
Rayman, knowing that the leader was gone, let out his air and flopped backward onto the bed. He stared up at the ceiling for a good three minutes, Celine not moving from where she stood. After taking those moments to compose himself, he quickly shifted his weight forward, rolling back to an upright position. "So," he said, covering the sadness in his heart behind the most cheery voice he could manage. "Wanna go explore?"
Celine cocked an eyebrow. "Right now?"
Rayman smiled, obviously half fake, and gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, right now. Why not?"
Celine shrugged. "Um, sure. We could go now."
Rayman leaped up from the bed, Celine taking a step back at his abrupt change in mood. "Alright!" he said with a friendly grin. "Let's go, then!"
Celine went to the door and prepared to open it wider than the crack it was. "Why do you suddenly want to do this so badly?"
Rayman took a few steps toward her and lowered his voice. "Because.. I'm a rule breaker."
Celine took her hand off the the door handle and lowered her voice as well. "You're planing to go outside this forest?"
Rayman nodded. "No one will know if we go quietly."
Celine thought of how angry her after would be if he knew Rayman had broken his generous rule. She would be grounded and punished for three moons! But.. Looking at Rayman, and the tiny spark of hope penetrating the deep blue regret in his eyes, she couldn't say no. She sighed. "Alright. Fine. We can go."
The genuine smile that spread across his face lit up the Felite girl's heart. "Alright!" he whisper-shouted. "Let's go then!" He reached for the door handle, and looked back at Celine with a wink. "I'll show you what you've never seen before." And he was out the door with a flash.
Celine called out to him. "Wait! I have to change first!"
Rayman stopped and looked back at her. "Why did you even change into that dress in the first place, then?"
She looked down at the dress. "I don't know, I like it! It's comfy!"
Rayman sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well do it quick, then!"
Celine smiled. "Alright, I'll be fast!" She dashed back into the bathroom while Rayman propped himself up in the hall. Half of his smile disappeared as she went away. He gazed up at the leafy light fixtures the hung from the ceiling and sighed.
The half of his smile came back as Celine hopped back out the door, still adjusting the waist of her jeans. "Alright," she panted. "I'm ready."
Rayman grinned. "Alright!" He stepped aside, letting Celine pass him.
"We're going out, father," she said, passing the leader on her way out the door. Without even waiting for a response, she began making her way across the long wooden dock.
Janesh smiled to Rayman as he passed him. "Enjoy the outdoors, Rayman," he said.
Rayman gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks, Jacob," he said, returning the smile. With that, he exited the house and ran to catch up with Celine.
When he had left, Janesh looked out the front window at him and smiled knowingly. "Go on home, hero."
Back outside, Rayman finally reached Celine, who had already reached the end of the dock. "Alright," he said. "Let's blow this pop stand!"
Celine gestured ahead with a sweep of her arm. "After you," she insisted playfully.
Rayman stepped past her with an exaggerated bow. "Why thank you, milady," he said with a grin.
As soon as his foot hit the grass, a shiver ran up his spine and he stopped. The creaks and swooshes of the trees, the humming of tiny wings, the chirps and whispers of the hidden crickets; all the sounds filled his mind. He felt the grass under his shoes, felt the calm singing of the wind as it swished by him. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, letting out a breath of air. He could feel the moon and stars, their light dripping down his skin. It hugged him like it was his family. And in a way, it was. He never felt more at home than he did when he was in nature. It triggered the largest smile that had crossed his face in days.
Celine smiled. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Rayman opened his eyes a slit, and realized that he had put his hands out to the sides like open arms. "Hmm.." he murmured. "Enjoying the nature..."
Celine giggled quietly. "You were only indoors for about a night."
Rayman didn't move, but glanced backward. "Well it feels longer to me, since I'm closer with the world's life than most."
Celine didn't bother to inquire more about that sentence. She walked up slowly and stood next to the limbless, tilting her own head back to look at the moon.
"Hey, Celine," he asked quietly. "What do you hear and feel when you stand here in the grass at night?"
Celine pondered his question. "What do you mean by that? It's.. Well, crickets, I guess.. And wind." She looked sideways at Rayman. "Why? Do you hear more?"
Rayman glanced at her again. "Yeah.." He said. "A lot more. I hear the trees, but not just the wind rustling their leaves. I hear the trees themselves, talking to me, singing and creaking. I hear the birds, all calling to each other, talking about what they see and find. I hear the crickets, not just chirping, but moving up and down the leaves, as well. I feel the wind, combing my hair, stroking my face. And I feel the moonbeams, hugging me with their silver arms." He sighed. "It's the best feeling."
Celine looked out to the darkened trees ahead of her. She had never thought that they could be as alive as Rayman had told. She wished that she could feel and hear what he did.
In a moment, Rayman put his head back to normal, eyes back open. "Alright," he said, his voice very calm. "I'm ready now."
Celine smiled. "Alright. You know you don't have to rush. We can stay as long as you want."
Rayman shook his head. "Nah, I'm ready."
He took a step forward, and Celine noticed how light it was. He didn't crush barely any of the grass he stepped on. She wasn't sure if he was just being really careful, or if he really was that light. As he took another step, she noticed that it was not careful; it just looked like a casual stride that anybody would take. And he did not crush any grass. Then, as she looked closer, she noticed that the grass was actually moving, so that when Rayman stepped, the green blades made a crater around his shoe.
She watched his feet as he took ten more steps, mesmerized by how the grass responded to him. As he reached the trees, he turned back to Celine and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you even coming?" he asked.
Celine finally looked away from his feet and the grass craters around them. "Yeah.." she said, glancing up at him, then looking back down at his feet. "But how are you doing that?"
Rayman followed her gaze. "What?"
Celine pointed to the grass around his feet. "The.. The grass. It moves around your feet."
Rayman smiled, understanding. "Ah, that." He crouched down to sit on his heels. "It's always done that for me. Most life responds to my touch." He reached out with his index and middle finger, gently stroking some blades of grass. At his touch, the patch that had been contacted grew and spiraled, becoming twice their original height.
Celine came a little closer- noticing how the grass stayed still when she stepped- and kneeled down a couple feet in front of Rayman. "Wow," she breathed in awe.
Rayman smiled, glancing up at Celine for a split second, and brushed a long line of grass between them with his two middle fingers and pinkie. The grass that he had touched grew and twisted, quickly creating a foot-tall wall between them.
Celine backed up, mouth open in a big smile. "That's so.. amazing!" she gasped. It was almost magical, the things he was doing.
Rayman half blushed. "Hehe, yeah. I've always kinda liked being able to do that." Then he jumped up. "And it's gonna look even better where we're going!"
Celine looked up at him and stood. "I can't wait to see it," she beamed.
Rayman blew air out his nose and smiled. "I'm glad."
Celine took a step toward the trees. "Let's go then."
Rayman gave a thumbs up. "Alright!"
With that, the two began to walk through the thick, dark trees. They went in silence for a few minutes, Celine spoke.
"So.. How long have you been able to do that with the plants?"
Rayman smiled. "As long as I can remember, really. When I was really young and I was practicing my powers, I stumbled onto it accidentally. I was just kinda playing in the grass, and then it started growing."
Celine looked at him. "What powers? Other than the plant ones?"
Rayman smiled at the ground. "Ah, the plant stuff isn't really a power. See, I was created from the Lums, the things that first populated the world. I suppose that just gave me more of a connection with the living things around me."
Celine nodded. "So what's your other power?"
Rayman stopped walking. "I haven't told you yet?"
Celine shook her head.
The limbless gave a small smile. "Well.. I suppose you should know," he said quietly.
Celine watched intently as he put out his hand, palm up, and closed his eyes. She blinked in surprise as a tiny spark came to life just inches above his hand, and began to spin slowly. Every second it got bigger, until it was about the size of a Ting. It glowed yellow, like a tiny, dulled sun. It lit up the trees and the grass around them like a natural flashlight.
"Wow.." Celine murmured. "It's.."
He opened his eyes halfway. "Light. That's my power." He sighed and transferred the orb from his left hand to his right and back again. "Both a blessing and a curse."
Celine came closer, looking intently at the ball of light. As she was looking, she noticed that the ring on his shirt was also glowing with the same yellow light.
Rayman looked up from the sphere, into Celine's eyes. "Hey Celine?"
She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Yeah?"
"Are you a good creature?"
Celine blinked. "I.. I'm not sure. I think so.."
Rayman looked back at the orb. "Would you like to know for sure?"
Celine looked at the orb as well. "Yeah. I do."
The limbless, holding the ball in his left hand, reached out and took Celine's hand in his right. "Alright," he said. You're gonna touch it. Okay?"
Celine nodded, letting Rayman lead her fingers close to the orb. As they were only an inch away, her hand began to shake and she pulled it away. "What happens if I'm not a good creature? Will it hurt?"
Rayman blinked, looking her back in the eyes. "Maybe a small sting, or zap. If you feel anything uncomfortable, though, just pull away."
He reached for her hand again, and she carefully let him take it. Gently, he guided it back toward the orb, getting her hand to shake again. She didn't pull back this time, though, and only a few seconds later, her finger touched the surface. There was no burning or stinging. Actually, it felt kind of good.
Rayman smiled. "You're pure," he said calmly.
Celine smiled, for some reason proud of the fact.
Rayman chuckled. "Should we keep going? Or do you have more questions about me?"
The Felite girl giggled. "Yeah, we can go now. I can ask more on the way, if I want. Right?"
The limbless smiled and diminished his light orb. "Right."
For another fifteen minutes they walked, Rayman getting asked question after question about himself. Finally, the limbless could see something up ahead; something he hadn't seen in days. And he stopped dead, his sentence cutting off.
"Celine!" he yelped with a huge smile. "We made it! It's right there!" Without warning, he ran ahead at full speed.
"Wait up!" called Celine, who had to glide just to catch up.
At the edge of the Night Forest, something seeped over. Rayman stopped just before he reached it. Sunlight! With great excitement, he leaped over the dark line like a little kid.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed, feeling the sun finally touch the bridge of his nose again. "Sun!"
Celine froze at the edge. Never in her life had she seen sunlight. There was no daytime in her home.
Rayman turned back and came close to her, the tips of his shoes touching the shade of the dark woods he had been trapped in. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Celine looked at him with wide eyes. "Nothing.." she said. "I.. I've just never seen anything like this, before."
Rayman laughed. "Well, you'll get used to it." He took her hand. "Come on! You gotta see it!"
Cautiously, the Felite took a slow step into the light. Almost immediately she felt the warmth of the twin Suns on her foot. She gulped, thinking of her father's rule, and drew her foot back.
"It's alright," Rayman encouraged, understanding what she was worried about. "You won't get in trouble. I promise."
She looked into Rayman's eyes cautiously. The kindness and innocence behind them struck her. She pursed her lips. "Are you sure..?"
Rayman winked. "Sure I'm sure! And also: do you think you'd ever get another chance to do this?"
Celine considered this. But she really didn't want to upset her father, so she stayed put and hung her head.
Rayman bit his tongue, touched by the girl's loyalty. He faced her and gently rested a hand on her hip. "Hey, I know you don't want to upset him, and I commend you for that. But.. please, will you break the rules just once and do this for me? It would mean so much.."
Celine looked up at him. She was about to go back, forcing him to come with her, but that sweet smile he gave her changed her mind. She took a deep breath of air. "Alright, Rayman. Let's do it."
Rayman's face lit up. "Thank you so much," he praised. "You don't know how much it means to me."
Celine returned his smile and stepped into the sunlight for the first time. "It's just what friends do."
With a bit more force than he would have used earlier, Rayman took her hand. "Don't worry; I'm gonna show you something that's gonna wipe away all that contempt about following me." He began pulling her further into the light. "Come on!"
Celine followed close behind him for a few moments, admiring the brighter trees that now surrounded them. This sunlight Rayman had gotten excited about must be coming from a very big source to light up everything around them.
After only a moment, Rayman froze. A familiar feeling crept up his spine.. But how could it be? There was no way...
"Rayman.. Are you alright...?" asked Celine.
The limbless looked up at her with wide eyes and small pupils. "T-they're here.." he whispered. "They're here."
"...Who's here..?"
He looked up at her with a surprised expression plastered on his face. "Them. A-all of them." He turned and looked out among the trees. "H-how can it be..?"
With a swift, single sweep, he was up a tree and climbing it at top speed. As he breached the leaves, the sight of the gigantic tree in the center of the forest met his eyes. To his great surprise, there were human-like figures flying around it on papery wings.
A huge beam crossed his face, and he laughed giddily. "Celine!" he called, excitement taking over the surprise in his voice. "They really are here! All of them!"
Celine's eyes widened and she raced up the tree that Rayman was in. She folded her wings as she perched on the top, gawking at the sight of the enormous, towering tree. "Woah," she said. "That is a huge tree."
Rayman giggled. "I know! Isn't it?" He gestured for her to follow him. "Come on! Let's go see it from even closer!" With that, he slid down the trunk of the tree, Celine following close behind, and began to run through the forest.
The Felite girl glided quickly on her flat wings, keeping pace with Rayman's quick run. The moments it took to reach their destination seemed only seconds, with the adrenaline rushing through both of their veins. When they reached the base of the gigantic tree, they were both out of breath.
Rayman's smile had never left since he had felt the presence of them all. All the people that he thought had died.. were alive! Here in the great Tree they had always called home! "We made it," he panted.
Celine looked up the enormous trunk, having to tilt her head back to even see the leaves that hung hundreds of feet above the ground. "Wow.." She breathed. "It's... It's just so huge!"
Rayman looked up as well. "Yes, it is quite huge!"
After taking a quick breather to compose himself, the limbless went up to the base of the Tree and placed a gloved hand on it. At his touch, a spiraling white portal appeared on the wood. He looked back at Celine. "This is it," he said in awe.
Celine smiled and nodded. "Well.. Go ahead!"
He swept a hand toward the portal. "Only if you accompany me. That is the rule, right?"
Celine chuckled. "If you insist," she said as she walked side by side with Rayman into the silver swirl. For a split second, she felt mist on her fur, and then it cleared to reveal a wooden passageway stretching out before them.
Rayman was over delighted to hear a flurry of voices hit him, all of which he recognized. He bounced on his heels. "Celine! They're really here!"
She smiled at him. "Well, then what are you waiting for?"
Rayman grinned at her, then jogged out of the tunnel. "Guys!" he shouted. "Guys! I'm here!"
Every head in the clearing of the Tree looked at him, the conversations ceasing. Out of the huge crowd of people and creatures, one voice rang out. "Rayman's home!"
Whoops and cheers broke out from everyone in the tree, all welcoming back their hero, who they feared they had lost. He had returned home for them. In only seconds, the limbless was surrounded by Teensies, fairies, Glutes and Nymphs, all cheering for him.
From behind the crowd came a sleek cat-like figure, leaping over the people with a single leap. "Rayman!" she called out, a grin taking over her face. "You're home!" The hero was knocked over on her impact, toppling to the ground with the girl on top of him. "I can't believe it! I couldn't sense you!"
Rayman laughed with the joy of seeing the fairy again. "Ly!" he exclaimed happily. "I know! I was thinking the same thing!" He reached up and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so happy to see that you're alright!"
The fairy squeezed him back. "No, I'm happy to see that you're alright! You gave us quite the scare!"
Rayman held her shoulders. "Alright, let me up!"
She giggled and stood back up, taking Rayman's hand to assist him.
Rayman smiled. "Thank you," he said through giggles.
Ly batted at his hair tufts. "No, thank you, silly!"
Celine giggled from the tunnel entrance, catching Ly's attention. "Is this a friend of yours?" she asked with a smile.
Rayman laughed. "Yeah, that's Celine. She helped me when I was sad in thinking that you were all gone."
Celine waved timidly, looking out from under her blonde hair as the crowd smiled at her. Praises filled the air, all aimed toward Celine for helping Rayman home. The Felite, never having received this much attention all at once, blushed and tried to quietly thank them all back.
Rayman and Ly laughed, finally holding hands after the fear of each other being lost.
Celine, full of praise, glided over the crowd to land beside Rayman. "Yeesh! They are very happy people!"
Rayman giggled. "Yeah, most of the time," he replied. He raised his voice. "You may all go about your lives! Gimme a little time to settle down."
At his words, the crowd began to disperse, mingling among each other once again.
Rayman looked at Celine, who had begun to look worried. He picked up on the reason immediately. "Celine.. I know you're thinking about your dad.. And I know what you're gonna say about me staying here..."
She looked at him and bit her lip. "Rayman.. I want you to stay with them," she said.
Rayman raised his eyebrows.
Celine continued. "And if that means my dad will be super angry and I'll get in trouble.. it's alright. It'll be worth it to know that you are where you belong."
Rayman smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you so much, Celine. You've helped me a lot. You don't know how much I appreciate this."
The Felite smiled. "I would have hated to do otherwise."
"So.." Rayman said. "I suppose this means you're going back home..?"
Celine nodded. "I should." She took Rayman's hand. "It's been a pleasure to help you."
Rayman smiled gently. "You too, Celine." He pointed off into the distance. "Fly straight that way and you should get home easily."
The girl nodded and turned, ready to take off. "Thank you."
Just as she was about to jump, Rayman called out. "Wait."
Celine turned.
"You've been a great friend, Celine. Thank you."
She smiled. "No problem." With that, she flew out of sight, leaving her new friend to enjoy his own family.
Celine approached Janesh, her father.
"Father.. He… He found his family. I.. I took him back to his home, and they all were there. So I… I let him stay. I broke your rule."
Janesh was silent for a moment. Then a smile crossed his face.
"I'm glad that you did that, daughter."
Celine cocked an eyebrow.
"He found his way back to them. Just like a true leader to his people." The old Felite looked out the window at the twin Moons. "Just like a hero."