Thick sweat drops escaped his acorn-brown hair as he ran down the narrow path, chasing the blonde girl. Their footsteps tapped like a mechanical clock, their breaths running short and shallow.

The boy had almost caught up to the girl, he tried to grab the red ribbon she wore around her waist and got a hold of it. The girl tripped and they both fell to the ground, both panting and gasping for air.

"Where are you going?" He asked, catching his breath. The blonde girl glanced at him and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going up the tower. Remember what I told you Baam? I can get to the outer world if I can get to the top of the Tower. I will see blue sky during the day and starlight in the night."

Her voice softened as she recited what he had heard so many times. It almost sounded like a prayer to him now. She put her frail hands around his red cheeks, grazing his skin. She wasn't so sure if someone like her was allowed to touch him but what God would punish her?

"I'm sick of living in this dark world."

The ground beneath started to glow in blinding light. As the girl noticed, she closed her eyes and smiled, welcoming the embrace.

I'm sorry, Baam, forget about me."

"No! Rachel! Don't go!" The boy's eyes widened. He tried to hold onto her grasp but she was fleeting, sinking into ground.

"Please don't do this!" He grabbed the ribbon, trying to hold something, anything. "If you go then I'll follow you until I die!"

His proclamation rang firm from the cave walls and reached the girl's ears before the nets of light swallowed them.

Don't go Rachel.

Don't go.

Please.

The first thing Baam noticed was the cold ground that pierced his shoulder blades. He figured out he wasn't dead, not yet at least.

He flung his eyes open and saw his pale hand stretched towards the ceiling. He didn't know how it got there. Warm candles plastered the walls, where paintings he did not understood were carved into the stone.

He pushed himself off the ground. The walls did not end though, they reached far up into the dark. A purple cross gleamed in the endless sky above his head.

Am I in the tower?

"My- my, it's been a while since there's been a visitor like you here."

Baam flinched and spun towards the voice. From the shadow a rabbit like creature tapped into the light, holding a golden staff with 2 blue balls on each side. His mouth reached from one ear to another and his eyes were nowhere to be found.

This strange thing must have crept right out of hell, he thought to himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Baam. My name is Headon, I am the guardian of the first floor of the tower."

The boy took a step back, wary of this creature.

"How do you know my name?" A thought stroke his mind and his eyes widened. "Rachel, she must have been here! Did you see a girl with blonde hair?"

Instead of answering, Headon pointed with his staff towards the sky.

"All answers are up there. That's all I can tell you. If you want to find your answer and your girl, head up. Whether you are looking for wealth, immortality, absolute power, magical abilities or mysteries, just head up. All the truth, glory, and happiness of the world are all up there. The tower is such a place."

Baam gazed up the endless sky. A feeling of unnatural awe consumed him. Was the answer really up there?

"But remember that it is a hard and painful journey to embark on."

If Rachel really was up there, then he had already made his decision.

"I would take any risk. Just to see her."

Headon chuckled and rows of deadly teeth glanced behind his lips.

"Very well. I like your resolve. Let's proceed to the test and see if you're qualified for the next floor."

"A test?" Baam looked confused.

"If you pass the Test, you can proceed to the next floor. Tests are decided by the administrator and rulers of each floor. Of course the difficulty varies depending on which floor you are on. And for this one you have to pass my test," said the rabbit and swung his staff. The wall behind him rumbled and vanished and bright blue light blinded Baam for a short moment.

A metal cage appeared in front of him, the thick iron bars towering like tree trunks. What was behind those metal bars though was what made Bam's heart skip a beat.

Long drawn, aquamarine eyes stared at him and seemed to muster his soul. Two pointy horns spread to each of the monster's head and his long beak stretched a dozen rows of sharp teeth.

"What is that monster?" Baam managed to squeeze out.

"That monster is the White Armored Eel. A big fish that lives in the shinsu flowing through the tower. Usually he has a mild temperament but he hasn't eaten for a few months so he is quite aggressive at the moment."

Baam's eyes followed the Eel, which swam gracefully through the Shinsu.

"What do I have to do?" He asked Headon.

"The test is simple," he said in an amused tone. "You need to go inside the bars and pop that black ball over there." The rabbit pointed forward and Baam spotted the ball. It rested on the ground, perhaps twenty feet from him.

"It is designed to pop when hit hard enough. Just pop the ball and you have passed the test."

Headon ended his explanation and turned towards the boy. He handed him a weapon, a small hatched no bigger than a kitchen knife. Its blade was thinn and the wooden handle rested awkwardly in his hand as he weighed it.

"Are you afraid of him?" The rabbit's expression was unreadable.

Baam couldn't answer. Headon shook his head and chuckled again.

"If you're afraid of that fish, how can you pass the test? If you're afraid, you'll never find the girl you're looking for. A girl alone in this tower, it sure makes me worry."

His words rang inside the boy's head. He wouldn't see her again? No, that wasn't right, he decided.

"But think clearly, Master Baam. It is almost impossible for you to pop that ball. Taking this test is suicidal. That eel is very fast and agile in the shinsu, you won't be fast enough to escape. You will end up as his prey."

I don't want that. I want to see her, right now.

"Rather than committing suicide, you should just forget about-" Headon stopped talking as the boy brushed past him. The rabbit smiled, revealing his eyes for the first time which glued to the fearless boy, sparkling with excitement.

"Welcome to the tower, Master Baam."