Meanwhile. . .<br/><br/>Far away from the bustling towns and busy city streets of Crash, in the darkness of an underground cavern, a frail light burned. Smothered in blackness, it's white glow wavered, as if it were the last remaining coal from a long-abandoned fire, or a lone candle holding its own against eternal night.<br/>Yet this was no fire coal, and no candle. This was a crystal.<br/>Shimmering with white light, and subtle tones of blue and green, the crystal of élano sat on a stone pedestal. Though very small it pulsed defiantly, pushing back the heavy curtains of darkness. Stray beams shot out from its core, flickering over the cavern walls, the torn strands of spider's web. . .and the hideously scarred face of a man.<br/>The man scowled at the crystal, his hollow eye socket pinched in anger. "Damned crystal! Do as I command, mmmyesss, or know my wrath!"<br/>The crystal merely swelled a bit brighter.<br/>"Do as I say." growled the man. His perfectly manicured fingers curled into a fists. "You must obey me! I command you to darken, to bend to my will, mmmyesss. How dare you resist my spells? My magic? Do you not know that I am the greatest power in all of Crash?"<br/><br/>"No," crackled a thin, disembodied voice from the darkest corner of the cavern. "You are not."