Once upon a time, in a faraway land─stood a kingdom so prosperous and rich with resources. The kingdom had reached the peak of a most great civilization. Advanced culture, literature, and technology so great at its time made its people arrogant and proud.

“For ‘twas by our strength alone to build a kingdom so marvelous, we shall do the same again. This time, let us build a tower so high it will reach heaven. We shall live amongst the angels in the eternal tranquility of Eden.”

It was Richard, a handsome young man with great pride, who spoke loudly and surely. His figure stands tall amongst the gathering crowds. Upon hearing his words, the crowds are torn into two, those who support him and those who do not.

“Now, what kind of nonsense was spouted by those lips of yours? God’s wrath would surely befall you! The King shall punish you!” Said Alan, the King’s Right Hand.

 “Only a fool King would let go of a chance as brilliant as this! We human can do anything as long as we wish for it and try to realize it! Nothing will stand in our way!” said Richard again.

“We can do anything! Nothing will stand in our way!” People are cheering loudly.

Richard and his followers start to gather resources needed to build the tower. The King’s Right Hand silently drew himself away from the scene in a hurry to see the King.

“Your Highness!”

“Yes, Alan, my great advisor,” the King’s deep voice is heard. “Why is it that you come to see me in such a hurry?”

“I have come to bring upon you a bad news. Richard─that young man who used to be a trainee in the Kingdom’s military...he put an act of complete nonsense.”

“What kind of act?”

“He wished to build a tower so high it would reach heaven...”

“A nonsense act, indeed!”

“Your Majesty, what shall I do?”

“I will have to have him here before my eyes. I shall bring upon him a great punishment.”

“Then I will bring him here, your Majesty.”

“Make haste.”

Alan bow down, then turn around and starts to walk. The King’s eyes follows him until he disappears in the far.

                                                                                              ***

It is impossible to capture him, as Richard is the strongest man in the whole kingdom. His skills and strength far exceeded any other. He can yield almost every weapon possible, The Zweihander, Rapier, Dagger—even bow.

 “Hundred of persons aren’t good enough to capture me.” Richard laughed.

Alan let out a frustrated sigh. He hesitantly pulls a Dagger from his pouch. He is only an advisor—he doesn’t know how to fight well. But now he has to challenge the strongest man to a duel.

“I could easily exterminate you,” Richard pauses for a second. “But I will give you a deal.”

                                                                                              ***

“I thought capturing Richard will be a far greater trouble than this.”

“Actually...” Alan stopped. Still kneeling down, he looks up to see the King's face for a second.

“Yes?” The King asked.

Alan couldn’t say it. That Richard was “captured” because they made a deal. The deal is to let Richard build the tower until it near its finishing, as well as convincing every townspeople to help build the tower. Alan agreed because he thought that it’s impossible to finish the tower in a short time even with every people lives in the Kingdom worked on it.

But he was wrong. Now, the tower─although still unfinished, stood proudly with ridiculously high height, as if reaching the sky.

Richard then follows Alan to the palace. As he stands before the King, Richard is surprisingly quiet and obedient.

“Fool! Have you not known the essence of your foolish act? You defied God! We human should know our place. Being proud and arrogant will lead us to ruin!”

“I dream of a better world—a better place, a complete utopia. My King, have you not known your people’s act of killing each other because of wealth? We are prosperous, yet that lead us to ruin. The peace we proud of is only on the surface. The truth is, people envy each other and try to take what’s not theirs. Greed had sullied their souls. So I wished for that better place called heaven, where peace is not fake!”

“I had not known of that.” The King looked at his advisor.

 “I dare not worry you, My King. As with the troubles, we were secretly working to settle them,” said Alan.

The King lost his composure. “Regardless, Richard had committed a wrong act and therefore shall be punished! You shall be sent to the underground prison while I converse with my advisor!”

                                                                                                  ***

Some nights later, the sky is strangely clear and the light of the full moon ignite the entire sky. A door opened and a figure walks in discreet through the quiet corridor until she arrives in front of the staircase leading to the underground prison. Luckily, the guards are sound asleep. She proceeds down the stairs.

“It is dark and damp in here."

“You are...the Princess!”

Richard is amazed at the sight of a gorgeous woman before his cell.

The Princess walks closer. Even with only the light of torches, she can see how handsome Richard is. The Maiden had her heart captivated.

"What makes you come to see me, Princess?"

“I overheard about you and this matter intrigued me. Why would you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Building a tower so high ‘twill reaches the heaven.”

“I wish to reach heaven and live happily ever after there.”

“Fool. We are only human.”

“Because we are human, I know we can.”

“We are likely a very great, advanced and civilized creature ever lived on the Earth. But still, some things are off-limits.”

“I want to go beyond those limitations! Don’t you see the world you are in now, Princess? Human had overcome lots of limits put by God upon them, and we keep on advancing—it’s just a matter of time before we achieve lots of great things, one of which is to occupy the land of heaven!”

“Silence! Don’t you dare to blabber such disgraces!”

“Don’t you want to see it, Princess? The graceful flowers in Eden which are nowhere to be seen here? Don’t you want to live happily ever after—with me, like in fairy tales?”

“What?”

“Come, Princess. Take my hands and we’ll go beyond the realm of stars.”

“I would never fall so low as to let myself wrapped by the hands of darkness...” The Princess hesitates. “Yet strangely, my heart wishes for it...“

“I am Richard, My Princess.”

“I...am Julia.”   

Julia returns to the upstairs to take the key from the sleeping guard and free Richard from his prison.

                                                                                              ***

“Thou hath disgraced thine own self, Princess. I give you two choices: keep walking in the darkness or go back to the path of light. Now, answer.”

As soon as the dawn lifts, the palace is in a great panic. Richard is nowhere to be seen and the Princess is soon known to be the one who caused that.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. My father surely know what my answer will be.”

The King's eyes are intense as if set ablaze. But the Princess did not avert her gaze.

“Begone! Thou art a traitor to this kingdom!” The King paused. “That’s what I should have said. Yet─because you are my daughter, I humbly giveth the time for you to re-think. Go and come back here by the rise of the sun! That will be your last chance!”

The Princess left, and never returned.

                                                                                               ***

“So this is her answer...” The King mourns.

“Such a devastating regret, Your Highness. Julia is a sweet girl. She must be tricked.”

 “Romi, as you are my most trusted person right now—I hereby assign you to the task of killing my daughter, also your future-wife. Please end her life swiftly for I despises the thought of my daughter in pain...”

Romi’s lips curves to form a sad smile.

                                                                                               ***

It takes him some days until he finally reunites with his fiancee. Romi finds her in a small house in the deep of a forest. She's picking some herbs while humming. It pierces his heart because he had never seen her in such a great happiness.

“My Lady.”

Julia is surprised. “What are you here?”

“I came to ask you to return. My Lady...what have you done? “

 “What have I done? That’s the question I should ask myself. I don’t know, the thought of betraying my father never crossed my mind. Yet blinded I by love, mesmerized by his ambitions and here I am...”

“Then, please say that you’re doing this out of your little understanding of the real situation, and come back with me.”

“No. This is the path that I have chosen. I forsake everything to realize that man’s impossible dream. I am fully aware that I hath delve myself into the river of disgrace. Still, I chose this. That’s what love doth to you. ‘Twill turn you into a fool.”

“Then forgive me. I shall condemn you to your death, even though you’re the Lady I loved dearly. I had no choice but to obey His Majesty...”

“Do it.”

Julia closes her eyes. Her beautiful pupils disappear from the sight. She stands still, gracefully as ever. Romi takes some steps forward while yielding his rapier, then swings it.

The rapier stops in the air before falling to the ground with a loud sound. Julia open her eyes, they’re filled with sorrow─reflecting her heavy heart.

“It’s not like you to froze at the sight of an enemy.”

“I beseech you to go! I would loathe to expend every hatred directed towards the person I loved.”

“I am not worthy of such devoted love. Just end this wretched life...”

“I can’t take the life of a person I hold so close to heart.”

“Why spare my life? You would have me live in shame!”

“Just like how your love turned you into a fool, my love for you is also the same,” Romi answered weakly.

Tears begin streaming down Julia's delicate cheeks.

“Forgive me, for severing the red string of fate which bound us and twists it to another person. Yet, I cannot go back—neither did I wish to go back. I cannot just throw away this love! That’s why you have to kill me! So I can forgive myself and maybe—be forgiven—by God and by those I had betrayed.”

“My Lady, Lift up your face. Now, go...”

                                                                                                ***

That day, the wind feels weird as if bringing a bad omen. The skies were crying since the morning. Animals are nowhere to be seen. They fleed somewhere—but, flee from what? Richard keep on wondering as he gazes at the sight of the tower of his dream. Just a little bit more before he can reach heaven.

At the dusk, that dream and every other dream are shattered. A severe earthquake shakes the Earth. Thousands of people fall from the tower and the people below got killed by debris. Richard stands frozen as he watches everything around him crumbles. A big part of the tower strikes him down.

Romi desperately tries to reach Julia. When he arrives at the small house where Julia resides, it's not a house again—only ruins. Julia lies down beneath, lifeless. He takes Julia’s hand before drawing her into his arms. He cries and keeps on embracing Julia’s lifeless body days by days. Until one day, when his weakened state cannot sustain anymore.

As Romi stands before the door to the death, he whispers, “Hear me, O fair maiden of the now land-of-dead. I bid thee farewell. And you too shall fare I well. Someday, if by any chance can the severed red string of fate be intertwined again—though impossible it may seem, we shall meet again...”