The wars were coming more frequently now, and the group of scientists knew that the children would not longer be safe. There could not be a solution to the violence and conflict that had consumed the others on their planet, so quickly they stole away into space, to a new world, as the old one breathed its last; the scientists and children had made it to Green-Sky.
It took huge amounts of Spirit, made easier by acts of Uniforce, to build the civilization of Orbora, the cities built in large trees called grunds, but it was begun and other matters began to occur to the scientists, such as the governing of the people on Green-Sky.
The two main schools of thought were of D'ol Wissen, who believed the people should be kept blissfully ignorant of their violent past, and D'ol Nesh-om, who believed that they should be told everything so that they would not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. However, D'ol Nesh-om died suddenly and D'ol Wissen banished his followers deep below the surface of the forest floor, then used his massive grunspreking ability to expand the Root so that they would never be able to emerge. From this massive Spirit exhertion came the Wissenvine, which put forth the Wissen Flower and Wissenberries, a delicacy with relaxing effects.
In time, an alternate entrance was built to banish yet more who still adhered to D'ol Nesh-om's teachings, and these Kindar were drugged into amnesic haze as they stumbled through Erda, as the area below the Root came to be called. A society was formed below the surface, and they called themselves Erdlings, determined one day to return to the land above, their rightful home.
Many years passed...
On the day of his Second Counseling, Raamo D'ok never imagined that he would be one of the two picked each year to become a Chosen, an Ol-Zhaan. D'ol Falla herself had recommended his appointment and had even spoken to him directly at his Counseling, and so Raamo was enthusiastic about joining the prestigious council of wisdom that had governed Green-Sky for so long.
However, all was not as it seemed. Quickly Raamo became suspicious of the things around him that he had so long believed in, and indeed it was founded, for soon after Raamo met not only the dynamic and beautiful Genaa D'anhk, but also he met Neric D'akt, who told him of many suspicions he harbored about the Ol-Zhaan, and especially their clandestine "elite" group, the Geets-Kel, who he believed were responsible for the disappearance of certain Kendar who got too close to the truth.
At first Raamo was doubtful, but soon his pensing skills became useful, and he decided to accompany Neric down to the forest floor, a forbidden place for all Kendar. While there, they met a girl they thought was Fallen, Teera Eld; however, she was an Erdling, from below the Root, but she did not tell them for fear that they would kill her. Sympathizing with her, they returned her to Raamo's house, where his ailing sister was healed by the arrival of her new friend. Raamo and Neric were then found out by Genaa, who demanded to know their plans but gave them a pledge that she would not betray them, at least for the moment.
Soon after, many events transpired and Teera was revealed to be one of the dwellers below the Root, who had been given the name Pash-shan and rumored to be horrible monsters that killed any that might venture to the forest floor. This gave Neric the confirmation he needed, and the three young Ol-Zhaan began to form a plan to reunite the two peoples of Green-Sky.
Genaa was won over by Teera's emotion when she visited her before the others and unbeknownst to them. They later caught up with her on the forest floor, where they discovered that she had found out her father was still alive, and after a touching reunion, the three returned to Orbora. However, things were not to remain so pleasant for very long; soon after this, Pomma and Teera were abducted by the Geets-Kel and were put under the threat of actual harm if the Rejoyners did not obey their commands to never spread the truth to the other Kindar. D'ol Falla and Raamo promised not to act before appearing in front of the Council, but Genaa and Neric were below the Root and were to return with Genaa's father, Herd, to convince the Kindar that their story was true.
Upon returning, they received a cold welcome from the Geets-Kel and almost were harmed by D'ol Regle, but the two children had actually achieved the mythical Uniforce and seized the weapon of destruction from Regle's grasp with kiniportation. The Geets-Kel now turned to the children as a sign of hope, but Raamo warned them not to idolize the children as they did; no-one heeded him well in the joyous times, however, and the Celebration of Rejoyning was scheduled to be in the near future.
The people were told, and they reacted badly until they were shown the two children, who restored their faith instantly. The Kindar were looking for something to believe in, any omen to show them that everything was for the best, and they saw that in Pomma and Teera. Soon, every Kindar and Erdling knew the truth about the division of the two people and the truth of the matter of their ancestors and the destruction of their origin world.
But there was to be disaster. Even though the two socities began to intermingle and mix, there were needless prejudices and age-old myths that had yet to be fully banished. Even the discontinuing of the use of the title "D'ol" did not fade out for some time, and Raamo was totally uncomfortable for some reason with the children's elevation to the levels of the former Ol-Zhaan, but there was more to fear: the Nekom still was very active despite its banishing to Farbelo, and even D'ol Regle and D'ol Salaat had established Wissen-wald, a refuge for the traditionalist Kindar who embraced the old ways and did not wish the Rejoyning to happen.
Suddenly both the children, the weapon of destruction, and Axon Befal all went missing and then there was a great deal of despair for the newly-united Green-Sky that anticipated the Rejoyning Celebration with excitement. Raamo seemed very pensive throughout this whole affair and might have even began to realize what was happening, but most of what went on was a phenomenal misunderstanding. The weapon was returned shortly after it was taken and even though Befal claimed to have the children, reliable sources later revealed that he did not, and also Wissen-wald became abandoned, as D'ol Regle was addicted to the pavo-berry, a fatally affecting drug; now D'ol Salaat was in charge of the hostile traditionalist Kindar. Raamo demanded that the weapon be put into the Bottomless Lake below the Root, and he himself did so, seizing it at the last minute and plunging into the lake himself.
Pomma and Teera arrived at the Rejoyning Celebration, revealing that they were simply at the Garden with Charn, a friend of Teera's. Apparently nobody had looked there, so they were not located in the one place that everyone should have known to look. D'ol Falla finally saw Raamo's point in not wanting the people to put faith into something like the children, because that was what caused them to vanish in the first place, but then Pomma and Teera showed D'ol Falla what they did as the children they played with in the Garden are now able to use Uniforce, and they simply think it is a game. The people achieved a new sense of union since they all seemed to console one another during the absence of the children, and now that they were back and the tool-of-violence had been forever buried, the people of Green-Sky began to move on with their lives, although somewhere at the back of their minds, Raamo lived, and their hearts were nonetheless heavy despite what good had come from the return of the children.
Just after the Rejoyning Celebration, D'ol Falla received a disturbing vision, one that convinced her Green-Sky was in danger unless their Spirit-Leader could be recovered, and in this vision she saw Raamo, but she could not make out the surroundings and her eyes then returned to the immediate world before her. Alarmed, she called to her the five most likely to succeed in the task she would give them: Neric, Genaa, Herd, Pomma, and Charn.
Explaining the nature of their quest, D'ol Falla bade them all go out through Green-Sky and attempt to raise their Spirit while at the same time finding information as to the true whereabouts of the lost Raamo. They agreed, just as D'ol Falla had known they would, especially Pomma, who was more than enthusiastic about finding her brother and bringing him back to Orbora. Immediately Pomma and Charn set out together, while Teera waited patiently with D'ol Falla, wishing to herself that she too were able to glide well enough to accompany the others; but not only that, she was also needed at the Garden to help teach Spirit-skills, and so Teera stayed.
Herd explored mainly the surface villages of Upper Erda and mingled with the Erdlings, while Genaa searched the grund villages tirelessly, bringing her Spirit skills up to where she could not only pense, but also grunspreke and, to a limited extent, kiniport as well. Pomma and Charn, meanwhile, were exploring mainly the Sky Grund, and they met with D'ol Nesh-om after taking a short nap in the Sky-Nid. After receiving his blessing and another clue to the prophetic vision of D'ol Falla, they also were granted the Spirit Bell. At first Pomma thought it was a dream after she awoke, but then the very tangible bell convinced her otherwise.
Neric quested mainly on his own, going quickly to those he thought could help his Spirit levels, but he quested with too much haste and was just as fast captured by the last few members of the Nekom. Able to kiniport objects, he quickly escaped with a Wand of Befal, which he used to slice through the hedge that stood between him and freedom. Eventually he made his way back, and on the way he encountered a child in the Garden that made him reconsider his choices that he considered beneficial to his Spirit. He now realized that he had to find the others and tell them about what he had learned, for the child had also told him another piece of the vision.
Meanwhile, Genaa found D'ol Falla's key and an old key to the temple, both of which had been hidden in different trunks of the Temple Grunds. Returning to the Vine Palace, Genaa tried to give the key back to D'ol Falla, but she refused it, saying that Genaa was meant to use it. Following the wise woman's advice, Genaa found the Spirit Lamp in the Room of the Forgotten and went out to find the others as well.
In a short amount of time, the five questers had reunited with their holy items and steeled their courage to make way below the Root. It was no easy journey for any of them but Charn and Herd, and although Pomma tried to pretend she was comfortable, it was apparent she was not, since Erd had changed so much from what Teera described it to her to be. The party split up in order to cover more ground with more speed, Herd taking care of the children and Neric and Genaa trying to locate a clue as to the whereabouts of the Bottomless Lake.
The children and Herd found Vatar, who showed them a secret way to find the Lake, and they thanked her and tried to find the others, but unfortunately, both the Nekom and the followers of D'ol Salaat did not want them to return Raamo to Orbora, and they attempted to stop the three; Herd once again distracted them and they were tricked into attacking one another. While they did this, Herd escaped with the children into a tunnel that he was sure would reunite them with the others.
Genaa had lost Neric when a freak miniature cave-in split the two of them up, but the girl began to follow the sounds of running water and eventually came upon what she knew must be the Bottomless Lake. With great excitement, Genaa scrambled down the sides of the cave near the lake and scoured the area, but there was no sign of Raamo...however, a lapan scurried past and as she looked after the small animal, her eyes caught glimpse of a cliff...and her long-lost friend.
He was terrified to fall again, but he was also trapped on a cliff, and Genaa did not have enough Spirit energy left to kiniport herself, so she was stuck on the ledge. However, soon after that, Neric showed up and became overtaken with joy at seeing his much-loved Raamo, alive and well. Soon behind him were Herd and the children, all of whom had met Neric in an adjoining tunnel and followed the sound of water to the lake.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. Even though all of the questers were far too exhausted to kiniport themselves or even a shuba over to Raamo, Pomma somehow was able to assist the others in achieving Uniforce, and they all kiniported over to Raamo. Pomma had been carrying an extra shuba with her, as D'ol Falla had somehow suspected she would need, and she was the one to hand it to her grateful brother, who congratulated them all and returned with them to Orbora, to grand celebration and joyousness among the people, chiefly of all D'ol Falla.
The future of Green-Sky seemed bright and secure, now that the great pieces of the puzzle had been fit into place and the picture began to become apparent. Raamo had, by his very existence, begun the revolution to this Rejoyning, and by his return at the hands of the five noble questers, he had strengthened that same bond.
At last, Green-Sky was truly one, in joyful celebration and in jubilation, as well as hope, for a bright green future.
