A cold chill brushing against her bare skin startled Ly from her sleep. Her emerald eyes shot open and her body attempted to lunge upward at the sudden disturbance, but she found herself held back as if something was constricting her. The fairy's gaze sped down to see her form tightly bound with black, vine-like entrapments wrapped around her from her shoulders all the way down to her ankles. Her eyes darted around as she squirmed on the floor, but she would not find the crypt that she had fallen asleep in. What lied before her was nothingness. A black void stared back at her petrified expression, and as much as she looked around for something, anything to get even a hint as to where she was, nothing was to be found.

"Hello?...Rayman?!", the fairy called in desperate aid as she thrashed against the constricting vines.

She had hoped that if anything happened while they were asleep, she wouldn't be in it alone. With Rayman not answering and no aura to be sensed besides her own, however, she now realized with great fear that it seemed that she really was the only one here. Ly struggled to sit herself upright, only managing to do so with great force against the constraints, gnashing her teeth as the vines tightened against her midsection painfully.

As she contorted her body in twists and turns to even attempt to make sense of where she was, her blood suddenly ran cold. The fairy stopped moving. She now sensed a second aura, one that was not her own, and it was drawing nearer. An eerie, purple light flashed in the direction of this new presence, causing the vulnerable fae to whip her head around as fast as she could to catch a glimpse at the source, possibly an answer as to why she was there in the first place, but nothing would prepare her for what she saw.

Before her, about 20 feet away, stood a figure. A black, looming figure obscured by a suffocatingly minacious aura that, as a being of good intentions, made Ly wince at the sight of. It looked to be the essence of pure evil. She squinted as she tried to make out its stature among the clouds of violet haze, only to fall backward in shock at the unmistakable shape. It was the figure of Rayman. But why couldn't she sense his aura before…? Why did it feel….off?

"Rayman…?" The fae questioned.

Considering the predicament she was in, it might have been possible that the stress of it all was compromising her ability to read auras. With this in mind, she shook away any thoughts of uncertainty and called out once more.

"Rayman! Thank Polokus…I don't know where we are or why I'm stuck in these vines… could you please help release me?!" Ly beckoned to him hopefully.

Any sense of familiarity would be comforting to her right now, but when he didn't respond, and loomed closer, the fairy began to become wary. As he closed more and more of the distance, Ly could sense something wrong about Rayman…no. Whatever was coming toward her, he may have had the appearance of her friend, but she started to realize far too late that it wasn't him. Ly started to slink backward in a desperate attempt to escape, but her body was still tightly bound, and whatever this thing was wasn't showing any signs of stopping its slow and menacing gate. Her breath began to quicken as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, the hopelessness of her situation now setting in.

Ly turned her gaze away, flinching in terror, her eyes shutting tightly as the evil figure now reached its destination. It stomped on the black vine constricting her ankles, causing all vines around her body to tense simultaneously and dig into her skin like a constricting cobra. The fae inhaled sharply as the pain of the vines set in, blood now dripping from areas where the constraints dug too deep and broke the skin. She wanted to scream, but her teeth gritted so intensely from the pain that her mouth was hinged shut. In the very same voice of her best friend, the figure laughed down at her mockingly. Ly finally looked up to meet him with tear-filled eyes.

"You're not…Rayman…"

His open hand lunged at her.

Ly gasped loudly and whipped forward. At first she was frantic, grasping at the air around her in an attempt to fight back against her perpetrator, but as her vision cleared and she realized she was back in the crypt, her muscles slowly relaxed.

'It was all a dream…?'

She looked around her, catching her breath as the room stopped spinning and solidified from her foggy, disoriented state into a more conscious one. Subconsciously her hands rubbed her arms, remembering how real the pain felt, but her touch was met with unharmed skin on an unconstrained body. She sighed shakily, thanking Polokus that it was nothing more, but as she sat there for a few minutes recollecting her thoughts, she couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding in her very soul. It was disquieting.

"Ly! Are you awake?!" A voice echoed into the halls of the catacombs.

'Rayman...?'

Looking at the wall she noticed his hoodie was taken from its place, and seeing that his voice was coming from outside the crypt, he must have woken up long before her. After that dream she had had, she was thankful to hear him in his normal tone of voice again. It was a far cry from that figure that had tormented her with its evil laugh, and with that she was able to breathe a sigh of relief, finally able to rationalize in her head that none of it ever happened.

'Calm yourself, Ly…it was just a dream, nothing more. You need to stay level-headed for the journey ahead.'

Breathing in deeply, Ly held that thought in her mind, centered herself, and breathed out. She would be of no use to Rayman on their journey if she couldn't hold her own over some silly little dream. No, right now she needed to be strong for him.

"Yes, Rayman! I just woke up…I'll be right there!", she called back.

With a swift motion, she grabbed her onesie that had spent the night drying out draped atop the wall. It seemed their efforts had been fruitful, as even though it smelled of sea water and rather strongly of the scent of charred wood, her clothes were nice and dry. Slipping into her outfit with ease, her slender fingers brushed through her violet bed head as she headed toward the direction of Rayman's voice.

'Just a dream…'

Due to his guilty conscience, and for the very real fear of nodding off if he sat in one place for too long, Rayman wasn't too keen on the idea of bunking down in the catacombs for the night. Spoiled with time, he had lots to think about, but finding it for the best he not stress himself with the situation at hand, his thoughts instead drifted to where they often did while he was on his own; Ly.

It was a little maddening to him, to be unable to tell her just what she meant to him. Heck, to even show her how grateful he was to her for always listening to him when he needs it, or going on this crazy expedition without even as much as a pause for thought was hard for him to do without freezing up. He was usually pretty good at expressing his emotions to Globox, but Ly was an entirely different story. If only there was a way of showing her without outright saying it…

After mulling it over in his mind for a while, an idea suddenly struck within. A smile suddenly began to grow.

'If I can't tell her how I feel, I'll show her!' The limbless thought giddily.

It wasn't exactly the most novel concept to the average teensie of the Glade, but to a being like Rayman, never understanding the intricacies of love, it was like cracking a code that had long been illusive to him. With a plan hatching in his mind, he antsily awaited his clothing to dry.

It was slightly before the earliest signs of dawn painted the skies that the clouds wrung out their last drops of rain, and not long after that that Rayman's clothes were nice and dry. As he pulled his fresh hoodie over his spikey hair, a hushed mumble escaped Ly's lips as she stirred in her sleep, catching Rayman's attention.

"Mmn….?" The fairy muttered in a questioning tone from over the wall.

"….Ly….?" He responded curiously, pulling his hoodie down the rest of the way.

"Mm…." She sighed flatly, shuffling a little with no other response.

'She must be asleep…'

The hero chuckled. In all his time knowing her he had never known her to be one who sleep talked. He even found it a little cute, unable to stop the goofy grin on his face as he quietly began to tip toe out of the room.

"Ray...mn..." her soft tone spoke once again.

The limbless stopped dead in his tracks, a blush forming across his cheeks as surprise overtook his face. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she just said…

The limbless' smile only grew wider.

'Well…if she's dreaming of me, I hope it's a good one.' He thought, slowly tiptoeing the last of the distance to the entrance to the passageway.

"Sleep well, Ly…I'll be back before you wake up." He whispered over his shoulder. He ducked out of the room and went on his way.

As a seasoned adventurer, he usually did fine with just the occasional wild plant or mushroom on his journey, or tree bark if he was really desperate, but with Ly on her first outing with him, Rayman felt he should make her something slightly more easy on the palette. She had always been one with nature, but he felt that even the things he forced himself to stomach just to satiate hunger would be too otherworldly for the tastes of a lady.

Walking along the winding paths of this version of the Land of the Livid Dead, he searched high and low for something he had heard of from the passing whispers of windborne Griskins back in the Glade; Soul Food. It was a name they had given to a type of ghostly white berry that prospered along the edges of blessed water bodies in the land. They had described it to be filling, energizing and amazingly sweet, but it was something Rayman didn't get the chance to seek out in the chaos of getting Globox to the Dr. Romeo's clinic. He knew it would likely be a little tricky to find, but remembering Ly didn't eat much of the stew she had made them back at her place, he knew she was bound to be hungry by the time she woke up.

If she was going to help him on this journey, it was the least he could do to thank her. He might have also wanted to impress her with his adventurer know-how, but that wasn't making Rayman seem any less pathetically love-stricken, so the excuse of "returning a favor" would do.

After jogging through pastures of lush green, the glint of water in the distance caught Rayman's eye. The pool was down a ways, obscured by the trees of a small forest ahead. The limbless didn't want to take too long, as he was already a little further off from the crypt than originally planned. Looking to the sky and seeing it was still before dawn, he weighed his choices, and of course the thought of Ly happily eating berries to her heart's content won out. Beaming with the picture in his mind, Rayman started his way downward.

Ly stepped out of the crypt and made her way down the passageway. Her back ached from the night on the hard rock floor, and she didn't exactly feel very rested after such a realistic nightmare, but her limbs seemed thankful to be up and moving as she precariously stretched her arms over her head.

"Ly, is that you?!" Rayman called from outside

"Yes! I apologize if I've overslept!" She called back

"Ah….thank Polokus you're awake. I could really use your help here. I seem to have gotten myself into a bit of a situation…. Just come outside!" Rayman called back.

Ly wondered what Rayman could have done that would require someone as independent as himself to ask for help, but she shrugged it off and continued to walk. As she stepped another foot toward the exit, however, a sharp pain suddenly overtook her skull. Ly gasped and clutched her head, leaning on the stone wall for support.

'The aura….that aura from the nightmare. I feel it. It's so close….'

It was unmistakable. The very same aura that had plagued that being in her nightmare felt so close she could almost feel it searing into her brain. The fairy gritted her teeth, but continued on, walking against the wall for support as she kept going.

"Hurry, Ly! I really need your help…" The voice spoke again.

That's when Ly's eyes widened. The voice…there was something ever so slightly off about how he was speaking. Had a less trained ear heard it they would think nothing of it, but something felt particularly off to Ly. It is at this point that she realized that that dream she had might not have been a dream at all, but a premonition, and whatever was on the other side of the entrance to the catacombs wasn't Rayman.

Calculating her next move, she pressed at her temples with both her index and middle fingers, honing in on the source of the aura. Then it clicked.

'Above the entrance way…'

Whatever awaited her outside was likely going to jump her the moment she left the corridor. The elven-eared woman furrowed her brows as her next course of action was set. It wasn't going to feel good, but if she ran through the passageway fast enough, whatever was waiting for her at the other end wouldn't be fast enough to grab her, then she would have the upper hand. Bracing herself for the pain that was about to ensue, she clutched her hands into fists, prepped a runner's stance, and made a run through the remainder of the passageway.

As she ran the evil aura lapped at and pierced her holy body like arrows, but she kept running.

Faster, faster, faster.

The light of a new day broke around the fairy as the dawn sky washed over her speeding body. With expert precision, she spun on her heel to locate what she had sensed. If her timing was correct she could have immediately hit the first blow, but her eyes were not prepared for her to witness what she did.

Before her stood an unforgettable vision, the very being she had seen in her dream. A shadowy figure with the appearance of Rayman, but with sickly grey skin, poisonously purple hair; and piercing yellow eyes that glared right through her. Ly felt she was prepared for anything, but this…this tore at her psyche in a uniquely evil way. All confidence within herself shattered as she now felt like a bunny being stared down by a lion, and it only made the twisted version of her friend chuckle maniacally with delight as he saw the fear in her eyes. The fairy fell to her knees.

'No….'

"You're in shock…why is that…?" The figure asked sarcastically as he hopped off of the ledge he stood upon.

Ly was frozen in place, almost as if invisible shackles had cuffed her to where she sat.

'Wh-why can't I move…?!', the fairy fought to say desperately, but she realized with dismay it only remained a thought inside of her head. Something was keeping her mouth shut.

"Could it be you…", the being walked around the fairy in a mocking circle, before moving in close to her ear "...saw me in a dream?"

Ly winced at the close proximity of his words and tried in vain to move away, but whatever was holding her still wasn't loosening up.

"I wouldn't try to fight too hard against it if I were you. Mr. Dark's spells are-"

Suddenly the evil figure stopped himself, looking up from where he stood. With a grimace, he sneered, as if something had set his plan awry. That is when Ly sensed the aura of Rayman, the real Rayman, not far off.

"I'll be back for you later. But just so you don't try any funny business..." The purple limbless pulled what looked like a small, grape sized orb out of his hood, grabbed Ly's chin and lifted it upward to reveal her neck. "This'll keep you from squealing to my inferior version…"

The fairy's eyes widened as she watched him move closer with the small orb of dark aura. With a rough motion, he pressed the orb against Ly's throat with his thumb. At this point all the dark energy surrounding Ly was making her constitution turn to mush from the pain. She could not run away as the orb began to sink through her skin with a deep purple light. Drool began to leak from the corner of her mouth as her pupils threatened to roll backward.

Ly had been taught that when it came to truly evil things, good would have an even footing in any form of battle, but this interaction had taught her that there were far greater evils beyond her comprehension, and she was helpless to them. She could only squint her eyes as her consciousness faded in and out, the feeling of concentrated evil entering her holy body like an infectious disease. She called out to Rayman desperately in her head, begging and praying for him to come to her rescue, but once again, no words left her lips.

The orb fully immersed itself into her throat, and the dark figure removed the holding spell from Ly's frame with a snap of his gloved fingers. He vanished in a spectacle of shadows, leaving Ly to fall to the ground like a limp doll, body laid on the wet grass. Her mind was foggy for a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity. She could sense Rayman growing closer, but she couldn't be seen in such a state. The fairy tried to stand, but like that of a baby doe, her legs collapsed underneath her as if she had never walked before, falling to her knees once again.

Rayman's aura….it was here...it was too late to put up a brave front. Ly looked at the ground before her with a 50-yard-stare. She heard the echo of something dropping in the distance, followed by running footfalls and calling that only got more frantic as Rayman ran toward her. She felt his gloved hands clasp around her shoulders, as he turned her to look at him.

At first she noticed his face; His brows were furrowed with worry. Then she noticed that he was speaking, looking as if he was asking her something, but all she could hear was ringing. After a few moments, the sound started to trickle in.

"….leas….alk to me! Ly, are you okay?! Why are you out here on the ground! What happened?!"

Ly slowly moved her hand to the side of Rayman's face. She wasn't certain how she could even start to tell him, but she knew she had to.

'An evil being who looked like you…he came and cast a spell on me.' Ly thought in her head.

"I had a nightmare…." Ly's lips spoke.

The fairy gasped and covered her mouth. Whatever just left her mouth wasn't what she was going to say.

"A nightmare…?" Rayman asked, now even more worried than before. This wasn't like Ly at all.

'An evil being came to the crypt while you were away and he put an orb of evil aura inside of me! Please listen!'

"I had a nightmare.", Ly's lips repeated.

Ly covered her mouth again, her eyes pupils shrinking as the severity of the situation started to set in. So that's what he meant by 'something to keep her from squealing'… he had cursed her.

Rayman looked her in the eyes, looking for her to continue what she was going to say with great concern on his features.

'Rayman you're in danger! An evil version of you wants to hurt you! He's using me to get to you!'

"I had a n-nightmare…" Ly's voice started to break in desperation, tears pricking at her eyes as she started to break down.

They started to stream down her cheeks as she sobbed loudly. Rayman's eyes widened. If Ly was crying then something was very wrong.

"Ly! What happened in the nightmare…? Please talk to me and tell me what's wrong! I can't help you if you won't tell me… I-I want to help!" Rayman pleaded in desperation. He held a side of her face in his hands as she sobbed uncontrollably, trying to wipe the tears away by thumbing her cheeks but they only continued to flow more profusely.

She wanted to tell him so desperately, but each time she thought out the words, they all came out of her mouth in the same, cruel way.

"I-I had a nightmare…..I h-had a niiihgn…night…mare….." she was inconsolable now.

Rayman immediately pulled Ly's face to his chest, letting the tears stain his clothing as she cried. The fairy was beaten into submission, and she decided to no longer attempt to speak. She wrapped her arms around him as her hands bunched up the fabric of his hoodie, desperately clinging to him. He tightened his hold on her.