Kai stood at the base of the dormant volcano, its peak lost in the clouds. The villagers had warned him of the dangers that lay ahead, but the murals' call was too strong to ignore. With a deep breath, he began his ascent, the only sound his heartbeat and the constant patter of rain.

The climb was treacherous. The rocks, slick with moss and water, offered little grip. More than once, Kai's foot slipped, sending stones tumbling into the abyss below. He pressed on, driven by the promise of the murals and the hope they represented.

As he climbed higher, the air grew colder, the rain turned to sleet, and the wind howled like the spirits of the storm. Kai wrapped his cloak tighter, his fingers numb but his resolve unyielding.

Hours turned into days, and Kai wondered if the peak was a myth, a story to keep the children dreaming. But then, through a break in the clouds, he saw it—the summit, and beyond, the silhouette of a city against the sky.

With renewed vigor, Kai scaled the final stretch, his eyes fixed on the horizon. As he crested the peak, the clouds parted, and for a moment, the rain ceased. Kai had reached the Ascended City, the last remnant of a world before the flood.

The city was silent, a ghost of its former glory. But it was here, among the ruins of the Cloud Architects, that Kai hoped to find the key to the sky's salvation.