Disclaimer: I do not own Rayman or any of the characters. All rights go to Ubisoft
RAYMAN AND LY: MORE THAN FRIENDS
CHAPTER 1
Prologue
Long ago, our world was a peaceful and happy place. But as time moved on, evil was slowly emerging into our world, endangering the balance of the cosmos.
To preserve the equilibrium of the sacred universe and drive out the rising darkness, me and my fellow sisters, decided to create a guardian that would keep our world safe.
And so, as we gathered at the Primordial Forest, using all our combined energy, conjured from the magnificent moonbeams of the second summer solstice, created the one we called… Rayman.
The fairy who was telling this tale, is no other than Betilla, the eldest of a group of elite fairies, known as the Nymphs.
Sitting on top of a boulder, overlooking the vast Primordial Forest, Betilla thought back when their world was threatened by evil creatures. Knowing they needed a hero to protect their world, Betilla and her sisters decided together to create that very hero.
Despite some misfortune during the creation of Rayman, as they lost a sack with Lums, meaning they didn't have enough to fully finish the ritual. But nonetheless, with Rayman having been 'born' with a few fewer limps, it did have made him a bit more limber which was somehow an advantage for him.
But even so, despite Rayman's rebellious, immature and childish behavior, Betilla and her fellow sisters, Holly Luya, Edith Up, Annetta Fish, Helena Handbasket, and yes… even Big Mama, continued to aid Rayman during his adventures.
Now, the world, the Glade of Dreams, was safe again after Rayman had freed all the people from the grasps of the evil shapeshifting sorcerer, Mr. Dark.
With Mr. Dark defeated, presumably dead as he hasn't been seen for nearly 2 years, the Glade of Dreams was enjoying a time of peace.
Betilla formed a small smile as she looked down the valley, spotting Rayman and his best friend, Globox playing in the river. Betilla told herself while watching Rayman and Globox were splashing water on each other, "Oh, Rayman. Nearly 5 years have passed since your creation, and the world couldn't have asked for a better hero." she then saw that Globox was getting out of the river, telling Rayman he had to go back to see his wife Uglette and help with taking care of their children, which greatly disappointed Rayman as they were just about to have a fun time.
Betilla sighed while watching Rayman just lying in the water with an annoyed look on his face, with Globox apologizing but promising his best friend to come back tomorrow. Rayman just nodded at Globox with an annoyed look on his face, who then went his way back to their home.
Betilla decided to go down and see what troubled Rayman. She flew down and floated at the side of the river, close to where Rayman still was laying in the water, staring up the sky.
"Hello, Rayman." Betilla told him.
Rayman gave a short glance to Betilla before staring back at the sky "Oh… Hi, Betilla."
Betilla then asked him, "What's troubling you, Rayman?"
Rayman groaned before he shook his head "Globox had to go home to help Uglette taking care of his kids. I mean, we were just about to have some real fun!"
Betilla, sympathized with how Rayman was feeling and told him in a motherly way "You know, Rayman, despite you and Globox have been the best of friends ever since you guys have met, things sometimes can change in people's lives. Globox is now married with Uglette and have children."
Rayman nodded, still staring at the sky "Yep. Over 650 of 'em."
"That's right. And taking care of a family is a great responsibility," Betilla went over to Rayman, floating just an inch above the water with her legs crossed "But even though he has a family to take care of now, Globox is still and always will be your best friend."
Rayman however rolled his eyes, "It's just not the same. I know that Uglette is alright and so are Globox's children, but we used to have way more fun before all of that! It's not fair!"
Though it was a bit rude and childish of Rayman to say that, Betilla remained calm and said "You see, Rayman, when someone meets someone else very special, it can change a person. But even though it might not be the same right now, your friendship with him will always be the same."
Rayman however looked the other way, ignoring Betilla's advice.
Betilla sighed, knowing that Rayman needs some time alone. "You may not realize it right now, Rayman. But maybe someday… when you'll find that special person in your life, just like Globox did… you'll understand." She then turned and left.
Once Betilla was gone, Rayman looked back for a moment, but then groans as he swam back to shore and climbed out of the river.
Thinking what Betilla said while drying himself, Rayman rolled his eyes, "When I find that person, I'll understand, she says," he mocked her wise words "Yeah, right. As if that ever will happen."
After some time, having dried in the sun, Rayman made his way to his self-made home.
However, unknown to Rayman or anyone in the Glade of Dreams, a burning light was falling from the sky with an alarming speed, coming down like a falling star as it enters the world's atmosphere.
Only a minute later, the small object crashed between the snowy mountains of the Mystical Pique, with the impact causing the ground to shake a bit, which broke some Fakirs in the area out of their meditation and caused a small avalanche on the other side of a nearby mountain!
But deep in the now created crater, caused by this small object from space, the object, showing to be a disguised black meteorite, steam came out of it as a few clicks was coming from inside before it slowly opened. From the fake-meteorite, a small black orb appeared, carrying a satellite dish and a camera. Using a small helicopter, it floated up, starting all kinds of recordings of its surroundings while transmitting the data using its satellite dish while beeping robotic codes, showing it was a kind of drone.
On the back of the small drone, was a small symbol of a robotic skull, crossed by two wretches…
-Three days later -
Back at the Primordial Forest, Rayman was with Globox along with five of his children, with one of the children asking their father "Can we play hide and seek, Daddy?"
The other four children happily jumped with excitement "Yes! Let's play hide and seek, Daddy!"
Globox smiled at his children before he nods "A good idea," he then glanced at Rayman, asking "You want to play too, Rayman?"
Rayman nodded "Sure Globox. Sounds fun."
"Yeah!" Globox's children cheered.
Another child of Globox asked Rayman, "You go first, Rayman! You go first!"
Rayman scratched his head "You sure, kiddies? Cause I am pretty good at this game of finding your dad."
Globox however shrugged "Not worry, Rayman. I'm going to hide this time really good."
Rayman chucked "Okay, Globox. Then I'll go first," he then told them "I'm going to count to 20 and I'll try to find you, okay?"
Globox and his children nodded.
Rayman went to a nearby try, and started counting as he covered his eyes "1… 2… 3…"
Globox and his five kids quickly ran into different directions, looking for the best place to hide.
The first of Globox's children hide behind a big bush. The second hide in a hole tree stump. The third behind a tree. The fourth used a flower camouflage. And the fifth jumped in the river, using water lilies leaves as cover. Clobox on the other hand was hiding in a small cave under a big tree, with him giving a small chuckle, hoping that Rayman won't find him in here.
"18… 19… 20!" Rayman counted before opening his eyes and looked around "Ready or not, here I come." Rayman called while he began looking for Globox and the kids.
Rayman looked under a pile of leaves but didn't find anyone. He then checked between a few trees, but still didn't spot Globox or the kids.
"Hmmm… Where could they be?" Rayman wandered, while one of the kids gave a small chuckle as he was hiding in the bush close to Rayman.
Rayman could've sworn he'd heard something. Globox's kid quickly hide before Rayman turned his back.
Rayman looked the other way, spotting something blue in the distance, making him smirk "There you are!" he ran towards the blue thing he'd spotted, thinking it was either Globox or one of his kids. The blue thing disappeared behind a curtain of leaves.
Rayman pulled away the leaves, but didn't see Globox or his kids.
Rayman began to frown, thinking that either of them must've looked for a different spot to hide.
Then, through some trees, he spotted the blue thing again "Aha!" he ran towards it, only for it to flee further deep into the forest.
Rayman did his best to keep up, not going to lose sight of him and called to it "C'mon, Globox! I found you, fair and square."
But as the blue thing disappeared, Rayman quickly pass a few bushes before he stopped, finding to his surprise that it wasn't Globox or any of his kids… but a small glowing blue orb.
Rayman raised an eyebrow "Whoa…" curiously, he carefully approached it, to see what it was "I wander what it is-" but as he took a step forward, the ground suddenly collapsed, making Rayman fall down a hill "AAAAAAAAAAH!" he rolled over the hill, hitting a few trees or rocks along the way "Ow! Oh! Aah! Oh! Ah! Ow!" he then rolled faster, pashing fast through some bushes before he fell down "Aaaaaaah!" he then hit a few more obstacles "Ah! Ow! Ah! Oh! Ow!" rolled over another hill, bypassing dozens of small blue fireflies before he was about to hit someone!
The elfish looking girl with short purple hair and a long bushy tail of the same color, elfish ears, green eyes and lips, and wearing a yellow suit with plum stripes that covered all her body except her hands and head, looked back in surprise "Wha-" before Rayman crashed onto her "OW!" and fell backwards with him!
Rayman groaned while rubbing his head while his vision was a bit blurry "Uugh… Ow, my head." then he saw to his shock the girl he'd accidentally hit "Oh my gosh!" he checked on her if she was alright "Are you okay?"
The elfish girl rubbed her head while slowly raising herself "I… yeah, I'm okay."
Rayman apologized to her "I'm really sorry. I didn't meat to. I was just…" he stopped talking for a moment as his eyes blinked, realizing that this elfish-looking girl looked very… pretty…
The girl however formed a small smile while she stood up "It's okay. Accident happen."
Rayman cleared his throat "Uhm… yeah, right. I was a bit… distracted by that blue floating orb I noticed earlier."
The girl gave a nod, understanding his confusion and answered him with a smile "Ah. You must've spotted one of my Silver Lums."
"Silver Lums?" Rayman asked curiously. Though he'd knew about Lums as the red ones helped him heal a bit during his adventures and the pink-ring Lums that helped him to swing over large openings that were not possible to jump over or use his hair-helicopter, he had never heard or seen a silver one.
The girl nodded "They are very rare and powerful variety of Lums. They can grant a person of choosing more power. They're only possible to be made by us fairies."
This surprised Rayman and asked her with a smile "Wow. So… you're a fairy, like Betilla the Fairy and her Nymph sisters?"
"Yes… and no." the girl, stating she is a fairy but not the ones that Rayman knew of "Though I am a Fairy, my powers are nothing compared to Betilla or the other Nymphs."
Rayman nodded in understanding "I see. But, if you're able to create these Silver Lums yourself to give someone more power, then you must be a powerful fairy too."
The girl was surprised by this compliment that Rayman gave to her. With a small blush, she said while being a bit modest, "I… Thank you. That's… really nice of you to say, Rayman."
Rayman blinked his eyes for a moment, surprised that she knew his name "You know who I am?"
The girl gave a small giggle "Everyone knows your name after you've saved the Glade of Dreams several times."
Rayman scratched his head "Uhm… yes, of course," he then said "but… I better be going. My friend Globox and his kids would wander where I am."
The girl nodded "I understand, Rayman."
"Right, uhm…" he apologized another time "Sorry again for crashing onto you."
"It's alright. I've already forgiven you."
"Thanks," Rayman said before he turned and was about to leave. But halfway, he stopped and turned to the fairy, who started sitting and crossed her legs in a sitting lotus position "By the way?"
The fairy girl looked at Rayman "Yes?"
"You didn't tell me your name."
With a small smile, she answered, "It's Ly. Ly the Fairy."
Rayman smiled back "Wow… Ly. A… beautiful name."
Again, the fairy named Ly, formed a small blush but was able to hide it with a simple smile "Thank you."
Rayman then started to leave "Take care, Ly."
Ly nodded at him "You too, Rayman. Goodbye." and closed her eyes as she started to meditate while floating in midair.
While Rayman left Ly's area and trying to find a way up from where he'd fallen, he thought back of his meeting with Ly and said to himself mentally, 'Ly… she's really a friendly fairy, almost like Betilla and her sisters.'
After almost a half hour, Rayman managed to climb back up the hill, having used sometimes a Purple Lum to swing over a couple of obstacles after firing an energy ball at them, creating an energy-robe, he walked past a few trees before spotting Globox and his five kids.
Globox children were sobbing, being very worried about Rayman after one of them saw him falling down a hill "(Sniff) Rayman could be hurt, Daddy." One spoke.
Globox calmed them down while raising all five of them up in his arms and hugged them. Even though he was also worried about his best friend, he told them "Don't cry, kids. I'm sure that Rayman is okay. Let's go together and find him."
That was when Rayman showed up "Hey, guys!"
Globox's children immediately stopped sobbing and smiled bright "Rayman!" all jumped from Globox's arms and ran over to him "Rayman is okay!"
Rayman hugged them.
Globox walked over to his best friend "You okay, Rayman?"
Rayman ensured him "Yeah, I'm okay," he rubbed his head "even though I didn't fell on any soft clouds or anything."
After Rayman had told Globox and the kids what had happened while falling down the hill and had accidentally crashed onto Ly the Fairy, one of Globox's kids said as they walked away from the forest, heading to Globox and Uglette's village, "Oh, Ly is a very nice lady."
The other four nodded, with the fifth one saying, "A few of our brothers and sisters had met Ly one time in the forest after losing their way."
The third one nodded and added, "Ly was very kind to show them the way home, using her magic to make these big silver glowing fireflies to show them where to go."
"You mean Silver Lums?" Rayman asked them.
The kids nodded.
Globox then told Rayman, "Ly is indeed very kind. But remains mostly in forest and meditate."
"Really? Why is that? Doesn't she have like… other friends to hang out with?" Rayman asked.
Globox shrugged "I don't know. All I know is that Ly is mostly alone."
Rayman somehow felt bad for her, wandering why she wanted to be alone and isolate herself from the rest of the world despite she was calm and friendly to anyone who met her.
After Rayman said his goodbyes to Globox, Uglette and their kids, he walked back to his home, which was a small but comfortable treehouse.
But as night began to fall, Rayman just wasn't able to get Ly out of his mind, wandering while asking himself, "How can such a friendly and nice fairy like Ly wanting to be alone and not anyone around her?"
Though normally he wasn't the type to find out what troubled others as he was more carrying for himself and his few friends and the nice time their sharing, Rayman just couldn't stop thinking and theorizing what made Ly so isolated.
After a few hours of wandering, Rayman couldn't stand it anymore. He climbed down from his treehouse and headed back into the Primordial Forest.
Remembering all the way back still well, it didn't take him long to find the same passage through the curtain of leaves till he'd reached edge of the hill where he'd felt down to today. Using his helicopter-hair a few times to slowly descend, Rayman made it down.
Rayman slowly walked to the open space where he spotted Ly, floating in midair while she was meditating while a dozen flying blue and silver small orbs around her.
Sensing someone was near, Ly slowly opened her eyes and turned herself while still floating in midair and in a sitting lotus position. She formed a small smile when seeing it was Rayman who approached her "You have returned."
Rayman nodded "Hi, Ly…" but being a bit nervous, he said, "Uhm… sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."
But Ly slowly shook her head while she still smiled at him "It's quite alright, Rayman. What can I do for you?" Ly asked.
Rayman scratched the back of his head "It's just… I was wandering about something."
"About what?"
Rayman never felt this kind of nervous before. But gathering some courage, he asked her, "It's… it's something that my friend, Globox told me earlier… about you, and… I wandered… Why do you feel the need to be alone all the time and not letting anyone near you?"
Ly raised an eyebrow in surprise when Rayman asked her that little rumor about her. But then she smiled as she floated down the ground and stood up "Oh. It's not that I'm not letting anyone around me, Rayman. In fact, I love the company of friendly people."
"You do?" Rayman asked with some surprise "Then… why do you live down here so isolated? I mean, it must feel lonely out here all by yourself."
Ly gave a small chuckle as she walked over to a tree stamp and sat on it "Yes… it does feel a bit lonely, but… I am not entirely alone. The spirits of the Primordial Forest and the Red Lums keep me company," Rayman sat next to her as Ly told him why she chooses to remain deep in the forest and mediate "Honestly, the reason I live deep in this part of the forest, is because this place helps to better connect with the life energy of the world," she pointed down the ground, which was covered with moss, plants and some trees and almost impossible for anyone to notice.
Ly removed some of it, showing that underneath it was a small part of a stone floor, which Rayman looked at it with curiosity.
"You see, what most people don't know, is that in this part of the Primordial Forest once stood a small temple where long ago the ancient creators were worshiped, those who'd shaped our world countless of eons ago. As I could feel the peaceful energy coming from this place of great importance to our ancestors, I made my living here."
Rayman scratched his chin "An old temple once stood here? I never would've thought of that," he then wandered "And… do these spirits of the Primordial Forest speak to you?"
Ly nodded "They do,"
"And what do they say?"
Ly gave a small giggle and asked him back "You're a very curious one, aren't you? Hihihihi."
Rayman shrugged "Who wouldn't be? It's not like that I can hear what these spirits of the forest tell. The only thing I'm hearing of the forest are the crickets or the wolfs during the night and they don't say a single word!"
Ly giggled again "I can imagine that."
As the hours went by, Rayman began telling Ly all about his adventures ever since he was created by Betilla the Fairy and her Nymph sisters, including the many friends he'd made over the years. Finally, Rayman told Ly about his last adventure when saving the world after Mr. Dark stole the Great Protoon which unbalanced the Glade of Dreams, threatening to turn the world into a place of evil and darkness for all eternity.
Though Ly had heard some tales about Rayman saving the world recently or having blurry visions about the events while in meditation, she was fascinated as how well detailed Rayman told it, though he sometimes overdone a few parts that he wasn't scared when facing Dark's followers.
Ly could clearly read from his face that in reality he was scared sometimes. So, she said in a calming way "There's no shame of being afraid when facing evil, Rayman. You don't have to pretend that you weren't."
Seeing Ly's point of view, Rayman sighed and stated, "Well… maybe I was a bit scared, especially when finally facing Dark. Fighting him was actually the scariest fight of my life so far. But as I had to keep thinking about all that he'd done, all the people that were suffering because of his evil ways, I kept on fighting," he chuckled, forming a smug, "which I won in the end."
Ly giggled "So I've heard," then she wandered "And you have no idea what happened to Mr. Dark?"
Rayman's smug faded and answered, "Honestly, Ly… no, I don't. I was a bit worried that he might return any moment. But Betilla and the other Nymph fairies couldn't sense Dark's energy anymore nor did anyone even spot him anywhere. So," Rayman shrugged "I think he's probably dead." He then continued his tale "So, after Betilla and the Nymphs decided to merge the Great Protoon with the Heart of the World in order to keep it better safe from evil hands, I'm basically… just enjoying life and have fun with Globox and his children, and my other friends whenever I'm around."
Ly nodded "Well… that sounds nice."
Rayman nodded. He then asked her "So, uhm… what do you like to do?"
Ly looked at Rayman with a raised eyebrow "Me?"
Rayman nodded "Yes. Surely you must have some… hobbies, besides meditating all the time?"
Ly gave a small chuckle "Well… yeah, I do. In order to keep myself fit… and do many obstacle courses, either here in the Primordial Forest or other parts of the world if I have the energy to transport myself that certain location."
Rayman nodded, liking that kind of hobby that Ly does in her free time "Wow. Obstacle courses, huh? That sounds like fun! You should show me sometimes!"
Ly was a bit surprised by Rayman's enthusiasm, but then smiled "Sure," she rose up from the tree stamp while he tail slowly moved around her "but… not now, as it's too dark to have an obstacle course," she then gave a small yawn "And… I'm also a bit tired."
Rayman scratched the back of his head "Hahahaha. Yeah, that's true," he then asked as he rose from the tree stamp "Tomorrow, maybe?"
Ly formed a smile and nodded "Sure. Meet me here at sunset, okay?"
Rayman nodded "I will!" he then ran away out of excitement, but then stopped and turned himself "And Ly?"
"Yes?"
Rayman couldn't find the words for a moment and just said "Uhm… Goodnight, Ly. See you tomorrow." And then left, making his way back to his treehouse to catch some sleep.
Ly formed a small smile while watching Rayman leave "Goodnight… Rayman."
- The next day -
The black orb drone was flying over an open valley, spotting several Red Lums. The drone flew closer to them, using its camera and scanner to study the Lums. After it was done, it transmitted all the data using its satellite dish while beeping robotic codes. The drone then flew away.
Meanwhile, Rayman met Ly at her place. As soon as the sun was up, Rayman quickly went to meet her to do the obstacle course with her.
Seeing Rayman approaching, Ly smiled while putting her hands on her hips "Hey, you made it."
Rayman nodded "I'm ready for the obstacle course, Ly!" he called with enthusiasm.
Ly chuckled.
"So, when do we start?" Rayman asked impatiently.
Ly raised her hand "Calm now, Rayman. I haven't even told you which way we go."
Rayman chuckled while scratching the back of his head "Right. Sorry."
"Don't be," Ly ensured.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, using her magic to create a Silver Lum in her hands. Rayman was astounded as to see how Ly creates Silver Lums.
Then, the Silver Lum that Ly created then splintered into smaller and dozens of Silver Lums, all heading into the forest, showing a path.
"Follow the Silver Lums. They show the way through my obstacle course." Ly stated.
Rayman nodded and was ready to race. Ly gave a small chuckle while she too stood ready to run.
"Bet I'll be faster than you, Ly," Rayman said with a small smirk at her.
Ly formed a grin as she looked at him "First see if you can keep up with me."
"Oh, you're on!"
"Okay. On your mark." Ly said before starting countdown "3… 2… 1… RUN!"
Rayman and Ly sprinted into the woods, heading to where the first Lum showed them.
To Rayman's surprise, they went down a hill which was slippery, causing him to slide down, but Rayman managed to keep balance. But to his bigger surprise, he saw Ly running even faster down the slippery hill using both her arms and legs, bypassing him and jumped high, using big thick spiderwebs as a trampoline to get to the other side!
Rayman did it too and managed to get to the other side too.
"C'mon!" Ly called to him.
Rayman tried hard to keep up with her, but she was clearly faster and could jump way higher than Rayman could while also keeping an eye on where the small Silver Lums showed the way. But Ly clearly knew the road by heart.
"Whoa…!" Rayman said while panting "She's… faster than I thought."
Then, Ly jumped down near a river, using a long stick to swing on it like a trapeze before landing on the ground.
Rayman jumped down after her but had to use his hair-helicopter to prevent himself from crashing down on the ground or fall into the water.
Ly then jumped on a hill where a ladder stood, stopping on top for a moment and waved back to Rayman "C'mon, Rayman! Try to keep up!"
Though he felt he was like out of breath, Rayman wasn't going to give up and jumped to the ladder and climbed up fast before Ly sprinted away, heading to the next Silver Lum.
Ly then used her fast-climb abilities, nearly similar like a cat, to climb a cliff with lots of roots and got all the way to the top in less than 5 seconds.
Rayman tried to keep up by climbing the roots but took him longer as he wasn't as fast or athletic as Ly is "She's… really… good…!" Rayman panted while climbing over the edge, sprinting after Ly, even though he was feeling really out of breath.
"Keep up, Rayman!" Ly called to him while jumping over to the other side, using a big thick spiderweb as a trampoline again "You're almost there!"
As they bypassed the 17th small Silver Lum, Rayman saw to his surprise a few of Globox's children cheering for them "Go Rayman! Go Ly!"
As they finally made it to the end of the obstacle course where the final small Silver Lum was floating, Rayman stopped and fell on the ground while he panted.
Ly giggled with joy "That was fun!" the small Silver Lums returned back to Ly fast as she reabsorbed their energy. As she looked back, seeing Rayman out of breath, Ly became a bit worried and sat on her knees next to Rayman "Are you okay, Rayman?"
Rayman, still panting, glanced back at Ly and gave a small nod "Yeah… just… give a minute…"
Ly giggled again "I have to admit, Rayman. You sure are fast."
"Thanks…" Rayman said.
Ly crossed her arms, and asked in a teasing way "C'mon, now. I thought the savior of the Glade of Dreams would take my obstacle course without problem?"
Rayman rolled his eyes "Well… there really hasn't been… any danger… lately," but feeling somehow that those words might've insulted Ly, Rayman quickly apologized "I'm sorry, Ly. It's nothing against you or your obstacle courses. It's just… everything has been peaceful for a long time and nothing bad has happened, so…" he sighed while sitting straight and scratched the back of his head "…so I kinda became a bit lazy."
Ly ensured him as she patted his shoulder "It's okay, Rayman. None taken. And I understand you don't want to be all serious the entire time," she then shrugged "but, you never know, right?"
"About what?" Rayman asked with a raised eyebrow.
"New kinds of dangers or evils could appear at any moment. Maybe not now or tomorrow, but maybe someday," Ly said in a calm and peaceful way while crossing her legs in the lotus position "So, it's good to at least be a bit prepared when that moment comes, like exercising by doing the obstacle course."
Rayman shrugged "I suppose." Then he wandered and asked her "So… was I like… the first one that joined you on your obstacle courses?"
Ly shook her head "No, not really. Sometimes when I do an obstacle course here in the forest, some of Globox's children tried to do the course with me, but they never managed to keep up as I was too fast for them, or it was too hard for them."
"But I am the first that managed to complete it together with you, right?"
Ly nodded "That's right."
That was when Rayman's stomach began to growl, which made him blush out of embarrassment.
Ly however giggled "Hihihihihihi. You were probably too excited for the obstacle course, that you didn't took any breakfast, huh?"
"No, not really." Rayman admitted while giving a small chuckle.
Ly stood up and looked at a nearby tree, which was carrying lots of delicious grapes. Ly formed a magic orb in her right hand and shoots it to the top of the tree, making it's fruit fall on the ground!
Rayman's mouth fell wide open in surprise "Amazing! You can also shoot energy orbs, like me!"
Ly shrugged as she gave a smile while picking up the fruit "Of course I can. You didn't think you were the only one in the world who could do it, right?"
Rayman gave a shrug while Ly walked over to him with lots of fruit in her hands "I don't know… maybe," Ly gave him some of the fruit "Thank you." Rayman said.
"You're welcome."
Then, the children of Globox that were cheering them on before, appeared and walked over to them.
Rayman noticed that they were staring at the fruit that he and Ly were eating. So, he asked with a smile "You guys want to have some too?"
"Yes yes, Rayman!" the three children of Globox cheered.
Rayman and Ly shared a small laughter before Rayman stood up and shoots a few energy balls at the fruit tree to give some to Globox's children.
Meanwhile, the black orb drone was scanning for any magical traces, which leads him into the Primordial Forest…
After having finished their shared breakfast along with Globox's kids, Rayman and Ly walked through the forest together, heading back to Ly's place.
"You know…" Rayman said "I would love to do this more often, Ly."
Ly looked at him surprised at first, but then smiled at him "Me too, Rayman."
Then Rayman wandered "But… besides meditating and doing obstacle courses to remain in shape, are there other things you like to do?"
Ly felt a bit shy to tell. But trusting Rayman enough, she says "Juggle."
"Huh?"
"I like to juggle sometimes too." Ly stated.
"Really? I didn't expect that." Rayman said "Could you show it to me?"
Ly thought about it for a few seconds, but seeing the smile on his face, Ly giggled "Well, since you're asking it nicely… okay."
She used her magic powers to make 3 small red balls appear in her hands and started juggling with them.
Rayman gave a nod, seeing she wasn't so bad in juggling.
Noticing this, Ly raised an eyebrow at him "What? Not impressed?"
Rayman shrugged "Well, I…"
Ly gave a giggle "Check this out." She then suddenly used her magic to summon 3 more balls and was now juggling with 6.
Now Rayman was really impressed with her professional juggling skills "Wow, Ly. You're really good at this."
"Thanks. Now, watch this."
Then, Ly juggled with all the 6 balls using just one hand before tossing them all far I the air and perfectly caught 2 on the neck, 2 on her back, 1 on her head and the last one caught it with her teeth.
Rayman clapped for her "Wow! That was brilliant! You really got the talent for it."
Ly smiled before making the balls disappear "Thank you, Rayman. It took me years to master it."
Far above them, the black orb drone spotted Rayman and Ly, taking recordings of them with his camera and scanned them, watching them talking while smiling, even sharing a laughter.
The drone, on its red computer vision, showed:
NAME: RAYMAN
SEX: MALE
SPECIES: UNKNOWN – POSSIBLE MAGIC CREATION
POSSIBLE POWERS: THROWING MAGIC ORBS, PUNCH, HELICOPTER HAIR
DANGER TO INVASION: 87%
NAME: LY THE FAIRY
SEX: FEMALE
SPECIES: FAIRY/ELIVISH?
STRENGTHS: TRROWING MAGIC ORBS, PUNCH, KICK, GYMNASTIC SKILLS, HIGH MAGICAL POWERS
DANGER TO INVASION: 85%
When the black orb drone was finished with its scanning, it flew away.
Having heard a zooming voice nearby, Rayman looked around "Did you heard that?"
Ly looked around confused "Hear what?"
"I don't know," Rayman stated, getting suspicious "It was like… a bit loud zooming noise."
Using her better hearing, Ly focused for a moment. While hearing only the sounds of the forest like birds and mosquitos, she heard the strange zooming voice that Rayman heard "Wait… I'm hearing it too," she looked up the trees "It came from there!" she jumped high and climbed fast to the tops of the trees.
At the top of the tree, Ly looked around, hoping to hear the strange voice. But not hearing it anymore strangely, Ly jumped down from the tree and landed near Rayman.
"Did you saw it?"
Ly shook her head "No. Whatever it was, it's gone now."
Unknown to them, the drone had already escaped and was now in the middle of Ly's place, scanning around as it sensed high traces of magical powers in the area. After analyzing the data on its inner computer, it has calculated the source, leading him far deeper into the Glade of Dreams.
The drone quickly flew up above the Primordial Forest before coming to a stop and sends out all the data it gathered into space before silently continuing its work on scanning anything else useful in the forest.
Back with Rayman and Ly, both had returned to her place.
"Thank you again for the wonderful time, Ly."
"You're welcome, Rayman," Ly said with a smile.
"Tomorrow again?"
Ly nodded "Sure. If you want?"
"Yeah, I'd… love to." Rayman said while hiding a blush.
"Me too."
Rayman, not knowing what to say, then said, "I should… go now."
Ly, feeling somehow a bit disappointed that Rayman was going to leave, said with an understanding smile "Oh… okay. Well… see you tomorrow then."
Rayman nodded "Yeah… we will. Bye Ly." And made his way back to his treehouse.
But along the way, Rayman became frustrated of what he just said "Uuugh! Why did I say that I should leave? I mean… I did want to spend more time today with her, but…" he became even more frustrated as he buried his head in his hands, feeling both angry and confused "Ugh! What is wrong with me?!"
"Are you okay?" A voice called to him.
Rayman turned, seeing it was Globox "Oh, hey, Globox. I didn't hear you coming."
Having heard Rayman talking to himself, Globox wandered and asked him, "You look a bit angry. Something bad happened?"
Rayman ensured him "Oh no, Globox. Nothing has happened. I was just…" he didn't know how to explain it.
Globox raised an eyebrow at him. But them smiled and suggested, trying to cheer him up, "Want to skip rocks near the river?"
Thinking for a moment, Rayman gave a simple shrug "Sure, why not."
Globox smiled as he and Rayman made their way to the river nearby. But despite skipping rocks on the water with his best friend, it still didn't quite help Rayman to get his mind straight, not knowing what to do with these newly found emotions.
Ly, meanwhile, who sat with her legs crossed in the lotus position and floated in the air, was also in deep thought, as though having become friends with Rayman so fast and both enjoy each other's company, she's feeling different in a way she'd never felt before as these emotions are so new to her.
Ly gave a small sad sigh while resting her head on her elbow 'Why do I feel like this? Why does it feel so right and yet so confusing being around Rayman? Sure, it's nice to have such a nice friend as Rayman. But yet… I feel so… different about it.' these thoughts in her mind made her a bit worried 'I just hope this won't ruin anything between us. I mean… we don't know about each other that much yet… but still… I feel like he's the only person in the world I want to remain… close to…'
While scanning for leads of the magical traces it found at Ly's place, the black orb drone spotted Rayman, Globox and his children near the river, skipping rocks.
The drone scanned Globox and the children, showing on its red computer screen:
NAME: GLOBOX
SEX: MALE
SPECIES: FROG/TOAD? – UNKOWN
STRENGTHS: NONE
DANGER TO INVASION: 8%
The drone quickly transmitted the data before quickly flying away.
Rayman again heard that same zooming noise and quickly looked around, making him miss skipping the rock and splashed in the water.
Globox shrugged "Don't worry, Rayman. You'll get it next time."
"Didn't you hear that, Globox?" Rayman asked.
Globox looked up for a moment but gave a shrug "Yeah. That's a big mosquito."
Rayman was getting suspicious. But not hearing it anymore, he shrugged and continued skipping rocks with Globox and his kids "I guess I'm only imagining it."
- Meanwhile, somewhere far in space -
Around a half-destroyed planet, being mined and ripped apart down to the planet's corn from almost all its valuable resources, a massive spaceship flew around it. This 'spaceship', looking like a massive pirate ship, was the infamous Prison Ship, The Buccaneer.
This massive ship, which inhabited tens of thousands of robotic pirates, belonged to the leader of the Robo-Pirate army, the most fearsome pirate warlord in the galaxy; Admiral Razorbeard.
Deep onboard, a large crowd of Robo-Pirates were celebrating, laughing, dancing and drinking Rum-Oil like real pirates.
Then, an elevator bell ringed, making all the Robo-Pirates stop what they were doing as the elevator doors opened. The Robo-Pirates looked in shock at the elevator, revealing to be their leader, Razorbeard.
In a split second, all the Robo-Pirates dropped what they were doing and stood straight, saluting their leader.
From the elevator, Razorbeard stepped out, revealing he was actually a short robot with a peg-let, wearing a huge admiral's hat and stripped red-and-white trousers. On his face he had a large, crooked steel beard looking like a razor blade.
Razorbeard walked forward on the stage that was at the back of the room and spoke to his soldiers "Men! Today is a glorious day. Another world has been stripped of its precious resources to aid the mighty Robo-army and tons of shining gems and golds added to our enormous treasure!"
The Robo-Pirates cheered while some toasted with their big glasses of Rum-Oil.
"For years, we've plundered over a hundred worlds, sending fear to all who stood in our way and leave their dear worlds in complete chaos, showing the galaxy to never underestimate the almighty Admiral Razorbeard and the all-powerful Robo-army!"
The Robo-Pirates cheered even louder, with all cheering for their leader "RAZORBEARD! RAZORBEARD! RAZORBEARD! RAZORBEARD! RAZORBEARD!"
But then, another elevator opened, with the doors opening and a somewhat different looking Robo-Pirate quickly stepped out, tripping over in a clumsy way and fell hard on the ground.
The other Robo-Pirates chuckled at him.
Razorbeard rolled his eyes as he saw it was his right hand and lackey, the Spyglass Pirate, who was a mechanical genius and designed and build many of Razorbeards, weapons, inventions and warships. Though he was glad to have a mechanical genius at his side, most of the time, Spyglass pirate annoyed him because of his clumsiness and somewhat dumb behavior, which resulted him being lacked the respect of any of the other Robo-pirates.
While Spyglass Pirate raised himself and puts back the bandana over his head, he quickly walked over to Razorbeard "Captain! Captain! I have great news!"
Razorbeard glared at him "Spyglass! Can't you see that I'm in the middle of a speech here? And I'm and admiral, you buffoon! ADMIRAL!"
"But… sir… it's about the drone we've send to that planet you told me to. It has successfully landed and has already send some valuable information."
This caught Razorbeard's interest "Mmm." He gave him a nod "Very well, Spyglass," but gave him another glare "but this better be worth my time!"
Spyglass nodded.
While Razorbeard stepped off the stage, Spyglass hurried back to the elevator. But was then tripped by one of the Robo-Pirates on purpose, causing Spyglass to trip over and rolled over the floor, crashing hard against the wall next to the elevator!
All the Robo-Pirates laughed at Spyglass.
Razorbeard groaned with annoyance as he walked over to Spyglass, hitting him in his head with his peg-let "Get up, you idiot! You make me look like a fool!" and walked into the elevator first.
Spyglass nodded and quickly got up before going into the elevator too, pressing the button. Spyglass looked at the Robo-Pirate that had tripped him on purpose, pointing at him and warned him "You'll pay for that, soldier."
The Robo-pirate however innocently whistled and said, "I didn't do that."
Some Robo-Pirates chuckled.
The elevator doors closed, making the elevator move down. When it stopped, the doors opened, revealing to be a lab and communications center.
Spyglass came out first, pressing several buttons on a large keyboard while Razorbeard demanded "What's the news?"
Spyglass showed the data that the drone had collected so far on a large red computer screen on the wall "Drone 45-0, as I said, made a successful landing on the planet, which is called… The Glade of Dreams."
Razorbeard looked unamused "What a pathetic name for a planet."
With pride, Spyglass showed the very interesting data "Based on what Drone 45-0 has gathered, confirms all the rumors and tales about The Glade of Dreams, with the charts showing a significant high number of magical powers which are far more powerful than the other worlds we've pillaged in the past. If the data the drone has gathered so far are correct, sir, the source of the planet's enormous amount of great and untold magical powers we've never seen before must be like a thousand… no millions of times more powerful… possibly even close to like… divine-like."
This made Razorbeard form an evil smirk "Excellent," he began to imagine in his head what he could accomplish with such powers "With these powers in my hands, I won't be just some typical pirate-warlord. No. I would be powerful enough to plunder and enslave the entire galaxy! I would be like a god, with the universe as my own playing ground!"
That was when Spyglass added "Actually, sir… that might be far more difficult that we think."
"Difficult?" Razorbeard glared back at Spyglass.
Spyglass nodded and showed the pictures and scans it made of the lifeforms the drone has scanned and researched so far, with a couple of them showing Belitta the Fairy and her Nymph sisters and Rayman and Ly "The drone spotted very powerful beings on The Glade of Dreams, having powers that could possibly threaten your brilliant invasion plan, sir."
Razorbeard looked at the pictures on the screen, glaring at the picture of Rayman "So this is the so-called hero they talk about, Rayman?" he scoffed that he would be a problem, or the fairy Nymps, or even this fairy-elvish looking girl "They can't stop the inevitable."
As Razorbeard walked over to a large book at the corner, Spyglass tried to warn Razorbeard "But… but… sir, this Rayman has possibly more up his sleeves than we can imagine, and… he has already saved his world several from other internal threats almost singlehandedly. Worse, these… fairies possess powers that our soldiers won't stand a chance against!"
Razorbeard opened the large book, looking at the ancient pages while he said "Spyglass, Spyglass, you dumb oaf. Their weakness is right under their very noses."
He turns a page, showing legends of the Glade of Dreams, including the mighty Heart of the World.
Razorbeard formed an evil smirk "The data the drone gathered finally proves that the legends are true. Their magic… their Heart is the true weakness of these magical flies, the source of their strengths and power. Once we find it and destroy it… so too will their power."
Spyglass smiled bright, knowing what Razorbeard is planning "Hey! We could… destroy the Heart of the World… and THEN laugh the invasion!"
Razorbeard narrowed his eyes at Spyglass, before hitting his leg with his peg-let "I MAKE THE PLANS AROUND HERE, YOU WORTHLESS SEA SNAIL!"
Spyglass rubbed his leg and nodded with fear at Razorbeard "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."
"Make sure that that drone of yours finds the exact location of the 'Heart of the World'," Spyglass heavily nodded and went to work straight away while the robotic admiral made his way back to the elevator, rubbing his hands with an evil smirk "In the meantime… I have an invasion to prepare. Hahahahahahaha!"
A/N: I was originally planning to post this new story before Christmas, but because of private stuff and me having been sick, it was delayed till after new year.
So, I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far and are pumped up for what comes next while Rayman and Ly's friendship slowly blossoms into something more while Razorbeard and his Robo-Pirates prepare for the inevitable invasion. Leave a like and review and I'll see you all in the next chapter.