A/N: Hey, guys. In the previous chapter, Rayman and Globox defeated an Firemonster in the Pit of Endless Fire, but it was discovered that the spirit of André, in his body, was possessing him, and the situation became tense to the point that Rayman had a fight with Globox , who is gone. He's now discouraged and doesn't want to see his friends. Let's see how they fare. Before we begin, I tell you that this is the last chapter of a story that I will write in 2020, as tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and in two days, 2021 will begin, hoping it will be much better than this year. We have been dealing with COVID-19 for about nine months, and we have lost many great people, whether it is to COVID or other diseases. End premise, let's get started!


(''Missing You- Kingdom Hearts 2 OST'')

The rain was pounding noisily in the forest near the Fairy Council. Rayman, sitting by a tree, was lost in his sad thoughts. He had known Globox for a long time, and they were like brothers. He often spent time not only with him, but also with his family, especially the children, who admired him, but now he felt he had lost his friendship with him. Sometimes he went away, but not that much, and when he reached the river, he punched us at the water in frustration. His face was only half-reflected, and he already missed his best friend, but more than that, he felt regret for how he acted. Neither he nor Murfy knew that he was possessed by André's spirit, and they didn't understand what was wrong until it was too late. He didn't know if Globox had permanently lost control of his body, but he felt he was a bad friend and believed he had speeded up the process. His guilt was so strong that he didn't want to see anyone, and despite his friends trying to help him, he insisted on being left alone, withdrawing into himself and crying silently.

Meanwhile, Globox was in Clearleaf Forest, sobbing by a hollow trunk. He wasn't mad at Rayman anymore, but he was still hurt by those words, and he didn't know how long he would keep control of his body. He felt that soon, he would definitely lose control, and he noticed some strange things: on his hands appeared small sharp claws similar to those of the Knaaren, his arms had become thicker and his mouth had become hideous, as if he had lost the flesh around it. He too was thinking about his best friend, and hoped that he would come get him soon, but he was ashamed and ran away, even though he didn't know where he was going.

Hours passed without changes, and in the afternoon, Murfy tried to explain everything to Ly and the others.

''What happened? I thought Rayman had found my husband.'' Uglette asked.

''Yes, we had found him, but Globox had been feeling strange ever since he woke up and found out he was imprisoned. He had painful sensations and every now and then he didn't seem to be himself. We couldn't understand why, and there were tensions between Rayman and Globox.'' Murfy replied.

''There must be a reason.'' Ly said.

''Apparently, André's spirit was still inside Globox. While he was in his body, he took refuge in his brain before the doctors let him out.'' Murfy added. ''It seems his spirit is still inside him. What's more, the Hoodlums are trying to clone Reflux.''

''A clone? Wasn't Reflux dead?'' Clark asked, confused.

''Reflux is dead, yes. The Hoodlums are creating a clone of Reflux powered by plum juice. We destroyed the machine that produced plum juice, but it was too late to stop the clone project.'' Murfy replied. ''If you want to know why Rayman is so sad, it's because he got into a fight with Globox. The situation, besides being confusing, became stressful because we couldn't understand what was wrong with him when he felt that painful sensation inside his body, creating tension between Rayman and Globox, and when we discovered that André's spirit possessed him, a discussion has started. Rayman got annoyed that Globox had hidden everything from him, and in frustration, he told him things that hurt his feelings. You should have seen Globox, he was really angry, in fact, he felt betrayed, and he even yelled that he was sick of others insulting his intelligence, and he ran away in tears, leaving us behind. I think Rayman feels guilty and thinks he's destroyed their friendship.'' he added sadly.

Uglette was incredulous. ''Nonsense. There was tension between me and Globox two months ago over something I told him, but then, it passed.'' she said.

''I agree with Uglette. But anyway, just because they got into a fight doesn't mean anything, right?'' Clark added.

''Clark is right. The matter is troubling, I will be sending a telepathic message to Polokus tonight. He must know.'' Ly said.

That night, Rayman lay awake for a while, still lost in thought, but realized he needed sleep, so he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to overwhelm him.

(''Missing You- Kingdom Hearts 2 OST-s'')


(''Dive into the Heart- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX OST'')

When Rayman awoke, he saw that he was no longer near the Fairy Council, but was in a very mysterious place, a sort of glass pillar on which he could see himself and some silhouettes of Globox, some of his children, Uglette, Clark, the Teensies and Ly. After a few steps, he saw Polokus.

''Good evening, Rayman.'' Polokus said.

''Polokus? Where am I?'' Rayman asked.

''You are inside your heart, and can only be accessed through dreams(1).'' the god replied.'' I see that you are not yourself, Rayman. What's wrong?'' Polokus asked.

''I'm fine. It's nothing.'' Replied the limbless hero.

The spirit of the world soon realized that it was a lie. ''Don't even think about it, Rayman. There is something that worries you. They're all worried about you.'' he said, in a ''matter of fact'' tone.

''Really?'' Rayman asked.

''Yes. When you returned to the Fairy Council alone this morning, Ly, Uglette and Clark were worried. Ly sent me a telepathic message tonight, and explained that you have been withdrawn all day. Come on, tell me everything.'' Polokus replied.

The Guardian of the Glade of Dreams frowned. He hesitated once again, but gave in when Polokus told him he could trust him. ''For starters, Globox disappeared two days ago. According to what he told me, he heard some strange sounds that woke him up and then, he lost counsciousness. During the night, he had escaped from captivity and rescued some Teensies trapped in a Hoodlum fortress right next to his prison, but then something very, very strange happened.'' Rayman began.

''Something strange? What happened to him?'' Polokus asked.

''From time to time, Globox felt painful sensations, and when it did, his eyes became red and bloodshot, with hairy brows, and from his mouth came out sentences he would never say normally. When the effect ended, he was always confused and looked at us as if he had missed something, but over time, it happened more often, and this created tension between us.'' said the limbless hero, but he didn't feel sure to continue. ''I don't think you want to hear all of this, Polokus.''

''I do, Rayman. Tell me.'' Polokus insisted.

'' We passed the volcano this morning, the one near which I had found the Mask of Earth in the Sanctuary of Stone and Fire, and Globox lost control of his body more often. The worst however, is when we defeated the Firemonster in the Pit of Endless Fire, we heard André's voice. Somehow, he's taking over Globox's body. The situation was already stressful and tense because Murfy and I couldn't understand why, but then, I had a fight with Globox.'' Rayman replied. ''I told him things I didn't want to say, and he was really angry. I tried to apologize, but he ran away in tears, not before yelling at me, accusing me of betraying him.''

The spirit of the world listened to everything and looked at him with concern. ''Did you two have a fight?'' he asked.

''Yeah. Out of frustration, I told him things I didn't want to say, and he was really angry. I tried to apologize, but he ran away in tears, not before shouting at me, accusing me of having betrayed him. '' Said the Guardian of the Glade of Dreams, in a tone of voice full of sadness and regret. '' I'm afraid our friendship is over. ''

The god was perplexed, but also taken aback. ''Are you kidding? It's certainly not the first time you've had a fight.'' he said.

''Yeah, but never that bad! We just had some arguments, but we never fought like that! What if this fight destroyed our friendship?'' Rayman replied, his head down in shame at what he had done and his face in his hands.

Polokus's tone became serious, but he remained calm and gentle at the same time. ''I want you to listen to me very carefully, Rayman.'' he began. ''A fight doesn't necessarily mean the end of a friendship. Sure, it indicates there are tensions, but it doesn't mean anything in the long run. Remember what happened between Globox and Uglette two months ago?''

The limbless hero thought about it, Globox had told him himself at the Tower of the Leptys. ''Oh, yeah. He told me there was some tension between them, because once, Uglette scolded him for having no backbone and being a coward. Taking care of 650 babies was stressful, and that had a little of an impact.'' he replied.

''I see you're getting it, that's the point. Remember, Globox and Uglette are husband and wife, and as such, they tend to argue, but that's perfectly normal, especially with the stress of taking care of all their children. Besides, you and Globox are best friends, so don't think a single fight destroys your friendship.'' said the spirit of the world.

Rayman wasn't fully convinced, though, thinking about something else. ''I know, but I have some doubts. What happened to Globox? Why is he doing this?'' he asked.

''When André was in Globox's body, he was also in his brain. I don't know how he did it, Rayman, but when the doctors got him to leave, he left his spirit there. He still has his Black Lum body, as he is not dead, but it's separated from his spirit, which is having negative effects on Globox, and is trying to definitely take control of his body. That's why he feels strange and has those painful sensations.'' Polokus replied.

Now the hero had a bad feeling about it. ''What does André want from Globox? I heard the Hoodlums want to create a Reflux clone, since the original is dead.'' he asked.

The creator sighed heavily. ''If you want to know, that's bad news. André's spirit wants to use Globox's body to create the Reflux clone.

Rayman was now horrified. ''He gave in, didn't he?''

''No. Globox hasn't completely lost control of his body yet, but the process is almost over. I have noticed that his arms are getting bigger and claws are developing on his hands and feet. As André takes control of his body, he will start to become more and more like Reflux. If you don't reach him quickly, he will completely lose control of his body and merge with Reflux, acquiring his mentality.'' Polokus explained.

What Rayman felt was exacerbated even more by his guilt. ''Oh, no! Polokus, I think what I told Globox when we had a fight speeded up the process! It's all my fault, how could I be so stupid?!'' he shouted, firing his fist and foot but getting himself hit in the face when they came back to him. He kept his head down, with tears streaming down his big nose.

(''Dive into the Heart- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX OST-s'')

(''Fire Emblem Theme- Fire Emblem Thracia 776 OST'')

Polokus put his hands on Rayman's ''shoulders''. ''It's not your fault, my boy. No one could have known about it until it was too late. And anyway, fight or not, nothing would change. This is not like you, would you really want to quit because of it?'' he asked, completely serious.

''No. I will not give up on him or his friendship.'' the limbless hero replied.

''Then I suggest you go find him. There is still a way to save Globox from this fate. He feels guilty too, about what he told you, as he too has things that he would never normally say, and he ran off somewhere. He even mumbled that he should have kept his mouth shut. Tomorrow morning, go to the Iron Mountains, the place where you went to find the last mask to wake me up, the Mask of Air. Once this is done, take the ice platform, it will take you to the sky, in the clouds. Explore the surrounding area and check if Globox is somewhere around. If Globox has succumbed to André's spirit, I'll let you know how to free him from that influence.'' he said.

Rayman raised his head and smiled. ''You're right. Thanks, Polokus.'' he said.

''You're welcome, Rayman. You have to be strong at least for Globox. Ly will come with you to help you search in the sky. Good luck. '' Polokus replied, before disappearing, and the scenery began to disappear too.

(''Fire Emblem Theme- Fire Emblem Thracia 776 OST-s'')


A/N: A conversation in dreams with Polokus definitely served to cheer Rayman up. Globox has not yet succumbed to the spirit of André, but soon it may. But where is Globox? Is it in heaven? Let's find out in the next chapter! See you early next year!

(1): This area is inspired by the Dive into the Heart, a very important dream world in the Kingdom Hearts series.