Month One: Gotten Loose

"Well, nothing is wrong with your home, per se, but it's just... inconvenient to those of us on the surface. You're underground, under the Earth," Sky explained to Providia. She had a curious, studious face on while analyzing what he was telling her. She almost didn't want to listen, but was forced to by Gabrielle's sudden interest.

"Wow, really?! That's so cool! Hey, we should go up there and see what they have!" She commented. Gabrielle helped the two men up and ran over to the brightened hole that Sky and Carl fell down, looking up while exclaiming in surprise.

"How would we move a whole city up to the surface?" Providia asked Sky. He took a second to consider the best way out of his situation, then turned to Providia while offering a solution.

"Why don't you be our sister city? We could work together and bounce off of each other for the future instead of living under and on top of each other like this. How does that sound?" Sky asked Providia. She took a moment to consider the possibility and clapped her hands together.

"Yes! I like the sound of that! There's just one problem... so, we wandered over to Rubeki territory after the attacks stopped from Providence and her forces, but not a single one was left behind," Providia claimed.

"Well, there shouldn't have been, because Providence is dead. Therefore, the Rubeki should've followed her. Are you saying they shouldn't have been dead? Or that they weren't?" Sky asked next. Carl started to get nervous while hearing the tone of the conversation change.

"Well, that's exactly it, they were supposed to be dead, but they never did end up dying. After the fight with Providence, The First Trial entered a period of stagnation, and all Rubeki started to roam freely on their side of the city. As soon as we ended up here about a month ago, they all vanished and we can't figure out where. So, if they follow us up, it could be a rerun of everything that happened in The First Trial," Providia said.

Carl and Sky started to think deeply now, considering that it was very possible the Rubeki burrowed out of the city as soon as possible, but they shouldn't make it through the Earth's core considering how hot it was.

"Huh, I'm stumped... I think, maybe the best-case scenario here is that we can all exit the city and hopefully they start popping up again. Maybe they're scared of their new environment. But, before we get to that, I have to consult with my co-leader about where we plan to move you guys. I unfortunately don't call the shots around here without her," Sky confessed to Providia. She was very understanding, taking a seat on a nearby rock with Gabrielle.

"Carl, you stay here and I'll bring you back up once we get everything figured out," Sky said, walking over to the hole in the ceiling, and jumping up to the top ledge after reinforcing his feet with strands.

Sky made it up seamlessly, running to the entrance only to find Ruby there with Shike, Belle, and Boo. Alexia was unfortunately nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, you guys are all here! I'm half surprised Dani didn't show up with you. So, Ruby, we have an issue at our hands... but it's not as bad as you might think," Sky told her. Shike, Belle, Boo, and Ruby all followed Sky, dropping below the surface and ending up in a spire of light shining from the sun all the way down to the bottom of the cave. Once at the bottom, Providia noticed who was brought with Sky.

"Shike? Belle? Boo?" Gabrielle asked, watching the three immediately erupt in excited surprise and a tackled hug. Ruby smiled, staring at the eccentric outfit Providia was asking for a moment before turning to Sky for clarification.

"This is Providia, and that's Gabrielle. They're people from my time in The First Trial... and that city behind them, that's why the cave collapsed in. Nobody was hurt, but it had taken a hefty chunk out of the ground after it warped here about a month ago," Sky told Ruby.

"I guess it's a bad thing these things don't surprise me anymore... nice to meet you, I'm Ruby," Ruby greeted Providia professionally.

"So, what I wanted to propose to you is that we help Providia move out of this... hole, and we put her up on the surface with us. We can expand the manpower of our city, and bring in people that I used to know... I know that's more of a benefit for me than you, but what do you think?" Sky asked Ruby. She chuckled, looking at Providia, then her city.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said we didn't need the people or the manpower. We could use both, are you willing to make that move?" Ruby asked Providia on her own.

While they were lost in their own conversation, Shike, Belle, and Boo were all clutching tightly to Gabrielle's side. They thought she died in that world along with a lot of other important people, so seeing her again pleased their hearts. They began to talk about their journey so far, recounting things like Illya's fight and Sky's fight with Cole that they acted out with fake noises and gasps of awe. Gabrielle was impressed, watching the group of three work together as well as they did in the past.

"Is Alexia okay? What about Myth? Mitra?" Gabrielle asked. It took a solemn turn, but Boo explained what happened to her two friends, ending the explanation by saying Alexia was alive and fine. Gabrielle spoke her condolences quickly, remembering the two kids she loved just as much as the others.