As the gang entered the Rendil Temple's central chamber, silence descended upon them. The earthy aroma of disturbed soil and the musty smell of decay lingered heavy in the air. Through fissures in the collapsing ceiling above, light spilled onto the devastated ground.

In the midst of the debris, lifeless tree shapes with cracked and gnarled bark stood like mute sentinels. Wooden vines were twisted and slithered across the ground, looking like petrified snakes with their vivid colours turned to drab grey. The vivid life that flourished just outside the temple walls was in sharp contrast to the scene of ruin and misery.

"This place... it feels wrong," Lukio’s voice was barely audible above the gentle sigh of the wind that whistled through the chamber.

"Indeed," Bishane, the elder Windweaver, agreed, his brow furrowed in concern. "The energies here... they are twisted, corrupted."

Daichi, ever the observant one, pointed towards the abundance of vegetation that choked the chamber. "Hey, Master Sorah, how come this place is so overgrown? The other parts of the temple were just... dusty old ruins."

Sorah, who was scanning the surroundings with a critical eye, answered, "These roots and vines... they are remnants of the battle I fought here a few days ago. The Vice-Marshal Commander I encountered... his Vayrukumer was capable of manipulating the wood element, of transforming the very earth into living weapons."

He gestured towards the petrified serpent-like vines. "These... they were once his allies, his Earth Dragon Plants."

Anya, who was peering over her mother's shoulder, shivered and whispered, "They look scary, Mama."

Elara reassured her daughter. "Don't worry, Anya. They're just plants now. They can't hurt us."

With his straw hat swaying with every step, the Rice Guru, hovering a few feet above the floor, warned, "Watch your step, everyone. These roots and vines are treacherous. One wrong move, and you could trip and break a leg."

They proceeded cautiously by stepping over the rubble and the twisted vines while remaining alert for any sign of danger. Daichi, still wary of the petrified Earth Dragon Plants, kept glancing nervously over his shoulder, half expecting them to spring to life and attack.

"Do you think they'll... you know... come alive?" he whispered to Sorah.

Sorah responded, "No, Daichi. They are merely remnants of the Vice-Marshal Commander's power. They pose no threat to us."

“Phew… that’s a relief.”

Eventually, they reached the centre of the chamber, where a circular platform of smooth, polished stone rose from the ground. Intricate carvings adorned its surface, depicting scenes of swirling clouds and celestial beings.

At the edge of the platform, there were a few points, each marked with a different elemental symbol, where specific objects were to be aligned. Sorah recognized the symbols - air, fire, water, earth, and aether - the five fundamental elements that governed their world.

Sorah announced, "This is it… the Cloud Portal." He turned to the Rice Guru. "How does it look? Can you get it operational again?"

With his hands tracing the markings on the platform, the Rice Guru responded, "Most definitely. As long as we retrieve all the pieces of the Cloud Stones, broken or not, I can mend them and reactivate the portal."

Sorah's eyes lit up with hope. "Then let's get to work!" He turned to the others and said, "Spread out and search the chamber. Look for any fragments of stone that seem... out of place."

Scanning the debris and rubble for any indication of the Cloud Stones, the gang dispersed.

Daichi, eager to prove himself, picked up a large rock and hurried towards the platform. "I found one!" he exclaimed proudly, presenting the rock to the Rice Guru.

The Rice Guru peered at the rock with a frown. "That's just a regular old rock, young one," he said with a hint of amusement. "The Cloud Stones are... different."

He gestured towards a pile of rubble near the edge of the platform. "Look for stones that are smooth and polished, with intricate carvings on their surfaces. They're usually round or oval-shaped, and they glow with a faint, ethereal light."

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Daichi flushed with embarrassment and hurried back to his search. The others, guided by the Rice Guru's description, began to find fragments of the Cloud Stones. Their formerly vivid colours had faded with time and dust, and they were strewn all over the chamber, hidden beneath dirt and rubble.

Sorah excused himself; the Rice Guru giving him a subtle nod since the others were preoccupied with the hunt. He moved away from the flurry of activity, his hands still firmly gripping the Dawn Sky Crusher. His insides ached with uneasiness.

Sorah stomped the staff in the ground and said, "Extend!"

The ancient wood responded instantly and began propelling him upwards.

He ascended swiftly, the chamber walls blurring past him as he rose higher and higher. He reached the apex of the temple and, with a final push, propelled himself through a narrow opening that led to the rooftop.

Emerging into the brilliant sunlight, Sorah shielded his eyes with a hand as he took in the breathtaking view. Situated on a lonely mountain crest, the Rendil Temple provided a wide view of the surroundings. As far as the eye could see, rolling plains were interspersed with brilliant wildflowers and little groups of trees. The craggy summits of the Terravolt mountain range towered in the distance, their snow-capped peaks penetrated the clear blue sky.

Whiff!

Sorah inhaled deeply, savouring the fresh air and the sense of freedom that came with being high above the world. He moved towards the edge of the rooftop and sat down cross-legged on a flat surface with his gaze fixed on the horizon. The wind, carrying the scent of distant rain and the earthy aroma of sun-baked soil, whispered secrets in his ear, tales of a land both harsh and beautiful.

He closed his eyes, letting the sounds and scents of the mountains wash over him. For a brief moment, he forgot about the dangers that lurked below, the pursuit party that was surely on their trail, and the volatile power of the Sage Curse. He was simply... present, at one with the wind and the sky.

…

A short while later, the Rice Guru was hunched over the platform, examining a pile of broken Cloud Stone fragments. With a muttered incantation and a flick of his wrist, he summoned a swirling cloud of golden glyphs - his unique Cloud Script. The glyphs danced and swirled around the fragments, knitting together the broken pieces with their ethereal energies.

A soft hum sounded as the fragments began to glow. The cracks and fissures that marred their surfaces slowly faded, and the stones were restored to their original form.

"There," the Rice Guru said with satisfaction as he held up a whole Cloud Stone. "One down, six more to go."

Brokk, who had been watching the process with a look of astonishment, exclaimed, "That's... that's incredible! I thought those stones were beyond repair."

He then frowned and added, "But... how can one stone be so large? I thought the fragments I found were from multiple stones."

The Rice Guru responded, "The Cloud Stones are not ordinary stones, my friend. They are infused with the power of the Aether, the fifth element, the very essence of creation. They are conduits of energy, capable of manipulating the fabric of reality itself."

“The Aether is…” Brokk trailed off, unsure of what to say. He knew of the Aether, of its mysterious properties and its connection to the ancient civilizations that had once ruled the realms, but he had never truly understood its significance even though he could conjure Aether Steam.

"The Aether in its primordial, unmanifested state is the source of all magic," the Rice Guru continued. "It is the energy that flows through all living things, the force that binds the realms together. And the Cloud Stones are fragments of that power materialized, remnants of a bygone era when the Aether flowed much freely through our world. Though all Elementalist can invoke Aether Steam by burning their life force, Nowadays, it is very rare to come across someone with the pure Aether affinity potential."

He gestured towards the platform. "This portal... it is powered by the Cloud Stones. They create a bridge between the realms, allowing passage between the Aerithra and Terravolt Kingdoms seamlessly."

“Oh, I get it know.”

Brokk nodded slowly, still struggling to grasp the enormity of the Rice Guru's words. He had always believed that the elements - air, fire, water, and earth - were the fundamental and most superior forces of nature. But now, he was beginning to understand more about the fifth element, a force that transcended the others, a force that held the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe.

“Keep searching, my friends," the Rice Guru urged, clapping his hands together. "We need to find the remaining Cloud Stones before those Sand Devils catch up to us."

“Yes, we should get a move on.” Brokk nodded, then he turned to Plutak. "Come on, brother. Let's use our TerraFlow Kana to clear away some of this rubble. We'll find those stones in no time."

Plutak’s muscles was aching from the earlier exertions, thus he grumbled but agreed. As they worked with the surrounding ground, the two brothers' hands glowed emerald-white as they channelled their TerraFlow Kana together.

With practiced ease, they shifted and lifted large chunks of debris, revealing hidden crevices and pockets where fragments of the Cloud Stones lay concealed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“Easy there, you two," the Rice Guru cautioned, watching them work. "Don't be too aggressive with your Kana. You could shatter those stones into even smaller pieces, and then I'll have even more work to do."

After taking his advice to heart, Brokk and Plutak started moving with more precision and control. They continued their search, working in tandem with the other Aerithrans until almost all the remaining fragments of the Cloud Stones had been retrieved.

"Kyuuu!" Woodworm became involved in the hunt. It used its little legs to scramble over the debris while its sensitive antennas searched for concealed pieces.