The Clockwork Heart of Aethel

High above the toxic shroud that smothers Old Earth, the city of Aethel, a breathtaking archipelago of interconnected islands, clings to life.  Its existence hinges on the Sky Saints - colossal clockwork automatons revered as gods, maintaining a delicate balance of gears, steam, and precarious hope. But Aethel's rhythmic pulse is faltering, its gears grinding towards a devastating descent. Ardan Korrick, a brilliant sky-engineer haunted by the tragic loss of his sister, discovers the truth: Aethel isn't failing, it's being sabotaged.  The Grounded, survivors dwelling in the toxic depths below, are plotting the city's downfall, seeking to harness a forgotten power they believe will rebirth humanity.  Their charismatic leader, Judy Barry, sees Aethel's destruction as a necessary sacrifice. Ardan's only hope lies with Emmerith, a Sky Saint unlike any other.  Her awakening reveals a chilling prophecy and a hidden path - a perilous journey into the ruins of Old Earth, to find the Clockwork Heart, a device capable of saving Aethel or unleashing a catastrophe that mirrors the past. As islands plummet from the sky and the Grounded close in, Ardan must confront not only the toxic wasteland and a vengeful enemy, but also the ghosts of his past and the lies upon which Aethel was built. He must choose between saving a city founded on deception or risking a power that could shatter their world anew.  In the heart of Old Earth's ruins, a final confrontation looms.  The fate of Aethel, the Grounded, and the very future of humanity hangs in the balance. Can Ardan find a third path, a way to bridge the divide between the sky and the ground, between faith and progress, before it's too late?