Zephyr, a wisp of a boy with hair the color of burnished copper, clung precariously to the skeletal frame of Zephyr’s Lament, the last bastion of humanity clinging to the bruised sky. Below, an endless expanse of swirling clouds obscured the memory of a world long drowned. The Lament, once a marvel of gleaming chrome and vibrant life, was now a weary giant, its metallic hide riddled with rust and its once-lush gardens choked with weeds.

Zephyr, named after the city itself, navigated the treacherous scaffolding with the practiced ease of a spider. He was a Scavenger, a caste tasked with salvaging what little remained from the forgotten depths below the clouds. Today's haul was meager – a dented canister and a handful of frayed wires. Disappointment gnawed at him. The city’s core, the Lifeblood, a humming contraption that kept the Lament afloat, sputtered with each passing day. Without scavenged parts, it wouldn't be long before they all plummeted to the oblivion below.

Reaching the docking platform, Zephyr was met by gruff nods and weary smiles from his fellow Scavengers. Amongst them was Kai, his closest friend and fellow inventor, his face etched with concern. "Not much luck today, Zephyr?"

"Just scraps," Zephyr sighed, dropping his meager collection into the communal bin. "The Lifeblood coughs like a consumptive old man. We need a miracle, Kai."

Kai, his broad shoulders hunched under the weight of their shared burden, nodded grimly. "There's a rumor... an old legend. About a hidden vault deep below, filled with technology from the Before Times."

"The Archivists scoff at such tales," Zephyr scoffed, though a spark of hope flickered in his eyes.

"They scoff at a lot of things," Kai countered. "What if it's true, Zephyr? What if the answer to saving our home lies buried beneath the clouds?"

The idea was intoxicating, a forbidden fruit dangling before them. Venturing below the cloud barrier was strictly forbidden. The swirling storms below were rumored to be home to monstrous scavengers, remnants of a mutated world. Yet, the alternative – watching their city crumble – was far worse.

That night, under the watchful gaze of a single, sickly moon, Zephyr and Kai snuck past the slumbering guards, a stolen map clutched in their sweaty palms. Their descent into the unknown began with a rickety elevator plunging into the churning white abyss.