AN: Yes, I'm fully aware that this chapter may get me a lot of hate mail. Why, you ask? You'll find out soon enough… Anyway, you know who I own and don't own by now, so why don't I just start the story?

Chapter 1: Light and Shadow

As the day unfolded, the sunlight of the morning shone on the small circle of dwellings on the outskirts of the Glade. Inside one of them, a limbless woman sat on a cot, lovingly cradling her newborn son in her arms. A group of other people sat around her in a circle, looking at her and the baby in her arms.

"It's such a beautiful baby." A fairy said in awe. "Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

Orchid laughed. "No, Ly, I didn't have any time! I was up all night to get him to stop crying! Let me tell you, taking care of a child is much harder than you would think!"

A pink, froglike woman shook her head. "Not me. I've had hundreds of kids, so I would know how hard it is better than anyone!"

"Me too!" Globox, Uglette's husband, said. "It gets really hard taking care of them all, especially when they all want to play! I've been overwhelmed by those kids before, let me tell you!"

Orchid wasn't listening. This was a wonderful moment for her, and she only wished that Rayman were there to share it with her. But his strength was needed, and he had answered the call. Rayman had been worried about her ever since Teensies had been disappearing, and today he had heard of another disappearance. As much as he hated to leave her so vulnerable, he had to see what was happening so the inhabitants of the Glade didn't panic. She sighed, hoping that there was nothing to worry about and Rayman would return soon…

"Don't worry, Orchid." Ly told her, noticing how upset she looked. "We'll all be fine now that Rayman is out looking for them. As a matter of fact…"

Ly was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming towards their dwelling. "… I'm sure that's him right now!" She finished, a slow smile creeping onto her face.

Orchid, anxious to see her husband, gently rose to her feet with her child in her arms. "Rayman, is that you? I'm so glad to…"

The sight that greeted her froze her blood. A black haired man stood before her, seeming to peer into her soul with his deep blue eyes. Although he was a handsome man, a slightly sinister aura surrounded him, making him seem so inhuman. Flanking him were a group of Teensies who stared blankly ahead with dead eyes.

"Who… who are you? What do you want here?" Orchid asked the stranger.

"You must be Rayman's wife." The stranger said, smiling. "Although your husband is not in right now, can we make ourselves at home?"

*******

The search had proven fruitless for Rayman and Orion. They had been up since the Teensie had gone missing and explored every corner of the forest, but to no avail. Rayman stared at the spot where the Teensie's tracks ended and all traces of the creature disappeared.

"I don't understand this." Rayman muttered to himself. "There's no sign of a struggle; that Teensie just disappeared into thin air!"

"I wish I knew what was going on myself." Orion said. "I don't know what's been making them disappear, but it can't be natural. The only way this Teensie could just disappear is with magic."

Rayman frowned. He had hoped that after he and Orion defeated Janus five years ago the world would be at peace. But lately, the Teensie disappearances had had the Glade in a state just short of panic. He had come out here to try to find what was happening, but he ended up at this dead end, looking for something that wasn't there.

"We don't have to stay here if there's nothing to find, you know." Orion said simply. "We could just go back to the dwellings."

Although Rayman tried to look like he was still upset, the prospect of going back to see Orchid and their new son. He felt terrible about not being there for her, and hoped that he would be able to return soon.

"Well, alright." He muttered. "I guess we should go back and tell them that we couldn't find anything. Let's go!"

Orion chuckled as he followed his friend. "You aren't fooling me for an instant, you know. I know that you just want to go back and see her. Isn't that true?" Dodging the fist that Rayman swung at him, Orion only began to laugh harder. "I knew it; I was right!"

*******

Inside the village, Rayman had a feeling that something was wrong. The sky, that had been bright when they were in the forest, had suddenly darkened, the sun obscured by clouds. The eerie silence also made him nervous; in normal conditions, there should have been at least a few people to greet them after their expedition. He knew that something was wrong.

"Hello?" He yelled. "Is there anyone here?"

Finally, he saw a Teensie with its back turned away from his. He immediately noticed him as the one who had disappeared earlier that day.

"You're alright!" Rayman said, relieved. "Don't scare us like that again! We thought that something had happened to you!"

The Teensie did not respond. "Are you alright?" Rayman asked worriedly. "Why aren't you…"

The Teensie suddenly turned around, peering at Rayman with cold, dead eyes. Turning around, he found that he was surrounded by other Teensies with the same vacant look in their eyes.

"Well, you must be Rayman. I've been waiting for you."

The speaker was a tall, handsome man with piercing blue eyes and black hair. Behind him, Orchid and their son sat frightened, along with the rest of the village's inhabitants, watching the impending confrontation between the two. Stunned by the man's sudden appearance, Rayman said the first thing that came to his mind. "How do you know my name? Who… who are you?"

The man smiled. "My name is Fenris. I have been watching you and the others on your planet for twenty years. You're quite an interesting specimen, Rayman. Your exploits in the name of your people are really quite amazing."

Staring at the zombified Teensies, Rayman felt his surprise turn into bitter loathing. "You… what did you do to them?" He spat.

"I destroyed their souls." Fenris replied. "That, in turn, let me draw their life force into myself. I need their energies to survive, you see. Have you ever heard of the Shadow Curse?"

Rayman shook his head.

"Then take a look at this." Turning around, Fenris took off his robe. Rayman gasped in horror at what he saw there. Fenris' back was hideous, covered with a festering mass of ooze that had dissolved all of the skin on his back.

"It's not a pretty sight, is it?" Fenris asked, with the utmost seriousness. "The Living Death that was placed upon me is slowly killing me from the inside out. The ooze that you saw is a manifestation of the Curse's potency; as the curse grows in power, it covers more and more of my body. You wouldn't be able to imagine the pain that I feel constantly. In order to keep myself from dying this way, I need souls. I need their life essence! Don't you see?"

Although shocked by Fenris' ferocity and the horrors he had seen, Rayman stood his ground. "I don't know what you feel, but I do know this; you have no right to take the lives of the people of this planet! I won't let you!"

"So it has come to this." Fenris whispered, slowly picking up his staff. "I challenge you, Rayman. I challenge you to a fight to the death in this very spot. Let us see how capable you are of protecting your people."

Rayman nodded, picking up his staff as well. "I accept."

A slow smile crept upon Fenris' face. Suddenly, he rushed at Rayman, raining blows upon him with his gray staff. Rayman tried to fight off this barrage, but the strange man seemed to be in so many places at once, never relenting for an instant. It seemed that he would succumb to Fenris' ferocity…

Suddenly, Rayman shot a bolt of energy out of his staff, knocking Fenris off his feet. Grunting, the man rose from the ground, clutching his staff with a vice grip. Suddenly, he thrust at Rayman with his staff, turning it into a strange, shadowy substance before it hit the hero's body. Rayman found himself surrounded by tentacles of shadow that squeezed him, trying to strangle the life out of his body.

"I… won't… arrrgh!" At that, the warrior started to thrash at the coils surrounding his body. Although some of them disintigrated, the rest remained, threatening to smother him in darkness. Knowing that he had only one chance to survive, Rayman shot a bolt of energy directly at Fenris' staff, causing it to explode into flames. As the tentacles all disappeared, Rayman stood there, gasping for breath and staring at his adversary.

Fenris stood there for a second, saying nothing. Suddenly, a change went over the man. His skin began to turn darker and more shadowy, slowly molding like clay into a new shape. Soon, Rayman found himself staring at a large, wolflike creature with blue eyes. Roaring at him, the wolf charged, slashing at Rayman with its claws.

This new assault surprised Rayman; it seemed that Fenris always had a new trick up his sleeve. Attacking Fenris wildly with his staff, Rayman soon found that it had little effect against the creature of shadow before him. Weakened and gravely wounded, he picked up his staff and concentrated the power inside of him into a huge blast of pure magical energy. The shadowy wolf was thrown back by the force of the blow, molding its body back into the humanoid form of Fenris.

"Get up, Fenris." Rayman said fiercely, standing before his foe.

Fenris said nothing, lying perfectly still. Suddenly, the man thrust his hand at Rayman, driving a bolt of black energy through his heart. The hero fell to his knees, feeling weak and anemic.

"What… what was that?" He groaned.

"The Shadow Curse has a greater effect on you than I thought." Fenris said with a twisted grin on his face. "And now, it is time for you to nourish me with your life…"

While he was speaking these words, a prism of the purple energy surrounded Rayman, draining the hero's life essence. Finally, the prism disappeared and the hero lay limp on the floor. Suddenly, a white light enveloped Rayman's body, causing it to disappear. Soon, Rayman, once the greatest hero the world had ever known, disappeared from the mortal plane forever.

The onlookers were shocked and horrified at the death of their hero. Orchid, barely restraining her tears, gave a mournful cry.

"Rayman! No!" She sobbed.

"You!" Orion yelled, barreling at Fenris. The man lifted his hand, knocking the large warrior to the floor effortlessly.

"And now…" Fenris said, his eyes blazing in triumph. "A new age has begun!"

Note: The story is not over yet. In fact, it has only just begun…