AN: The plot thickens! Anyway, I only own Kevin, Orion and Fenris in this chapter, so don't sue me for using Rayman characters, okay? Now, let's get started…

Chapter 3: The Lost Soul

Kevin's home was a very Spartan dwelling, as Ly soon found out. Their home contained no chairs, so the only table in the dwelling was low enough for them all to use sitting down. The home also contained no beds, sporting only a few sleeping bags for Kevin and Orion to use. Ly sat down with Kevin at the table as Orion prepared some soup for them in clay bowls.

"I guess you were wondering why we don't have much here." Kevin said, answering her question before she asked it. "We're being chased constantly by the Soul Hunters, so we can't afford to establish a permanent home."

"I was going to ask about that." Ly replied.

"Now that I've answered your question, I want you to answer mine. How do you know my name? And why are you here?"

"You may or may not know this, Kevin, but I'm a fairy. I and my people were created thousands of years ago by the great Polokus in order to watch over the world and keep it safe in case of danger. Thus, I was born with a special connection to the Heart of the World, allowing me to feel what it feels and communicate with it. When Fenris began to drain the life of the world, however, I began to lose that connection until I had finally lost all contact with the Heart.

"One day, however, I was given a dream by the Heart. For the first time in fifteen years, I felt hopeful for the future and full of life again. It told me that despite all of the death and decay, a part of it still lived. A descendent of Rayman, our greatest hero, still lived and could help restore the world."

Ly took a deep breath as she turned to look at Kevin. "That descendent, Kevin, is you."

Kevin stared at her in stony silence. "What do you want from me?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.

"You're the only hope for the world, Kevin." She said pleadingly. "Your father inherited his powers from the Heart, and so can you! You need to see the Heart, because only you can save us all from extinction! Kevin, will you help us?"

Kevin sighed. "So you want me to leave here, go meet this Heart, and risk my life for a bunch of people I know nothing about?"

"Yes! Don't you see? You're the only one who can save the lives of the people of this world!"

"Save their lives?" Kevin thundered. "It doesn't matter at all what I do! Even if I get rid of Fenris and the Soul Hunters, people will still die and be miserable! And what will happen to the world? Have you thought that far ahead?

"And furthermore, I don't think you know what you're asking! If you think that I can just go up to Fenris and kill him, you're dead wrong. It would be suicide! Do you even care about what happens to me?"

Ly stared incredulously at the angry young man. She had never imagined that a son of Rayman could be so bitter and spiteful. "But… but… oh, what's the use." She sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't believe you, Kevin. Your father would have never acted like this! He would have gone out to help the people! He understood the value of life!"

"Oh, he's so much better than me, isn't he!" Kevin sneered, fueled by new rage. "'Your father wouldn't have done that?' 'Your father would have helped those strangers!' Well, let me tell you what, hon, I'm not dad! People like you are always telling me what I should and shouldn't do! Well, guess what? I'm sick and tired of it all! Just shut up and let me live me own life!"

Something snapped in Ly that instant. "You… I can't believe you! You don't care about anyone but yourself, do you? You just want to sit in here while it's safe, watching everyone around you die as you sit here in perfect safety! You and your selfish ways are no different from Fenris!"

Kevin's face immediately told Ly that she had struck a nerve. "Get out."

"What?" Ly asked.

"Get out!" Kevin roared. "I will not have you staying here and insulting me! Now go!"

Ly stared at him for a moment. Suddenly, Kevin recoiled after being struck by the fairy's stinging slap. She then turned and ran out of the tree.

Orion stood in the middle of the room, staring at Kevin after his outburst. "You too! Get out!" Kevin roared at Orion. Shrugging, Orion walked out of the house as the young man sat sulking.

*******

Ly wasn't too hard for Orion to find. He followed the path of silvery tears until he reached a dead oak where the fairy stood, silently weeping.

Ly turned around, her face hard with determination and anger. "Oh. It's you." She sighed, turning around again. "Why didn't you help me in there, Orion?"

Orion didn't respond. "He wasn't always like that, you know." He said as he sat down by Ly.

"What do you mean?"

"Kevin never knew the world that we grew up in." Orion said, placing his arm around Ly's shoulder. "He has known nothing but death and despair. The only memories he has of his father are his death at Fenris' hands."

"That's still no excuse!" Ly said angrily. "He's the most selfish, inconsiderate…"

"Ly, there's more to him than you know." Orion interrupted her. "I know him better than anyone else. On the day his father died, his mother and I carried him away from Fenris and the destruction. We lived nomadically, resting only when we needed to.

"One day, the Hunters found us. We ran as fast as we could, but Orchid was too slow. The Hunters found her and…" He paused for a second, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Kevin was always so full of life. After seeing his mother die, a part of him died as well. He no longer cared about life or anything else, lashing out whenever he got depressed. He no longer wanted to hear about his father or about anything else. He still lives, but sometimes I think he would be better off dead."

Ly let his words sink in as another shimmering tear slide down her cheek. "I never knew that Orchid…"

"Why don't you come back, Ly?" Orion asked her. "I'm sure he's sorry for his outburst and would apologize if you returned."

"No, I'll just stay here for tonight." Ly sighed.

"Alright." Orion nodded. "I'll go back and have a talk with him."

"And… Orion?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"Tell him that… I'm sorry about all that has happened. I just hope that he'll give it a chance."

"I will." Orion said, walking towards the tree home. Ly stared at him as he disappeared into the forest, thinking about Kevin and his life.