During my stay in the Ruby Sea, one constant has been the ever-present Heaven-on-High, an incredible tower looming over every shore as far, and as high, as the eye can see. One can hardly look up enough to discern where the sky begins and the stacked tower ends, if it ever truly does.

The tower can be found at Onokoro, the island headquarters of the Ruby Confederacy. Legend has it that Heaven-on-High is a stairway built by the kami, who descended down its strange steps when they left their home. Unfortunately, those I spoke with on the island were hush on its true nature, and wouldn’t allow me inside.

According to the head of security at Onokoro, Sazaki, Heaven-on-High received its name because “the only people to have ever seen the top of it are now all in the heavens.”

The island of Onokoro itself is considered by many to be holy ground, and so there are a sizable number of locals who simply will not approach for fear of disturbing whatever force may be guarding it. The confederacy, of course, sees this as an advantage.

Curse or no curse, as a traveler I simply had to visit for myself. The landmark remains a mystery. No one alive knows its purpose or how it came to be. We can only gaze up and wonder.