In ancient times, gods walked among humans. Immortals descended from the sky to teach philosophy and medicine. Demons rose from the earth to teach agriculture and warfare. The boundaries were open, and the traffic was constant.

But a great conflict — a war between two factions of immortals, the details of which have been lost — forced the Heavenly Emperor to sever the connection. He broke the great ladder by which heaven and earth were joined.

The human hero Ju Song tried to climb what remained of it. He got very close. Then he fell. The fall killed him. And the pieces of the ladder scattered across the sky as stars.

From that day, the realms were separate, and humanity was truly alone.

This is the Chinese story that most resembles the Tower of Babel. But in the Chinese version, the breaking of the ladder was not a punishment — it was a wound. The gods themselves were diminished by the separation. Heaven without earth is incomplete. Earth without heaven is orphaned.

The gods built walls they could not cross. And ever since, they have been trying to find doors.