The gates themselves were flanked by towering pillars, each one adorned with elaborate carvings and embellishments, marking the boundary between the mortal realm and the divine.
The air around Heaven's Gate was charged with a palpable sense of anticipation, as if the very fabric of reality thrummed with the energy of celestial power. "The gate stood as a symbol of hope and salvation, a portal to a realm beyond mortal comprehension, where the souls of the righteous would find eternal peace and fulfillment.
"Despite its grandeur, there was also an air of solemnity that surrounded Heaven's Gate. It served as a reminder of the great divide between the mortal and the divine, a threshold that could only be crossed by those deemed worthy of entry into the celestial realm. "And yet, for those who approached with reverence and humility, Heaven's Gate offered the promise of a divine destiny, a glimpse of the infinite possibilities that awaited beyond its golden threshold."
Ren finished reading the long inscription on one of the giant columns.
"Who's that over there?" Evie asked, pointing at an old man sitting on what seemed like a beach chair, reading a newspaper in his hands. He even had a complete beach attire with flowery prints, adding a touch of whimsy to his otherwise serene demeanor.
There were no wings on his back indicating that he was an angel, but there was a halo over his head, so he must be a soul.
"Should we kill him?" Malifira suggested.
Desira nodded. "Let's kill him."
"Wait," Ren said, stopping the two. "Let's talk to him first and not resort to violence."
Iraelyn and the others looked over at Azazel, and the latter nodded.
"Go ahead, Ren," Azazel said. "But if we see any slightest aggression, we will attack."
Ren proceeded to approach the old man sitting on the beach chair atop the floating cloud on the other side of Heaven's Gate.
There was a considerable gap between the cloud floors they stood upon and the one where the old man lounged, making jumping over to him a perilous proposition. One misstep, and he was certain he'd plummet thousands of meters below, meeting instant death.
"Hey," Ren started, but the old man quickly cut him off.
"Go back. You're not dead. It shouldn't be time for you to cross here."
"My name's Ren, and we want to enter Heaven," Ren persisted.
The old man merely flipped the newspaper in his hands, his hairy legs exposed from his shorts as it crossed over the other.
"You can't. You're not dead yet," the old man replied casually.
"Hey! Listen up, old man! We're not playing games here," Desira said, losing her patience. "Tell us how to open this gate, or you'll get what's yours."
The old man finally pulled his eyes from the newspaper and looked at them menacingly.
"What? Do you want to fight?" Desira challenged.
"I don't want to fight. I will die," the old man said seriously. There was a moment of silence before a collective "HUH?!" echoed through the air.
Everyone were perplexed by the old man's demeanor.
"What's with him? Is he underestimating us?" Iraelyn asked, cracking her fists. "A few broken bones might make him change his actions towards us."
"Stop," Ren said, intervening before any rash actions were taken. He turned to the old man again. "How do we open the gates?"
Iraelyn couldn't fly over it or go around it because the gate seemed to extend whenever they attempted to pass it. So their only option was to open it.
The old man went back to his newspaper, seemingly without a care. "You can't if you're not dead."
"Is there another–"
"Ah, there is another way where you force your way in," the old man interrupted, casually flipping his newspaper to another page.
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?!" Desira shouted, frustration evident in her voice. She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. "Why is this man so infuriating?"
"Are you going to stop us from doing that, though?" Elena questioned the old man.
The old man briefly stared at them with his menacing eyes, causing the others to immediately prepare for a potential attack. However, the old man simply sighed and continued to read his newspaper. "I'm too old to stop you. I'd rather read my paper in peace, so if you want to enter Heaven, be my guest."
"That's so carefree of him," Evie remarked with a hint of amusement.
The tension in the air eased slightly as they processed the old man's response. Ren exchanged glances with the others, silently communicating their next course of action. Despite the old man's nonchalant attitude, they couldn't afford to let their guard down. They needed to proceed with caution, especially considering the gravity of their mission. "Never mind him, let's just bust these doors open," Iraelyn said, and with all her might, she punched the gate with her fist.
However, despite the force that would surely shatter even a dragon's skull, the gate remained unbudging and unbroken.
"This gate is relentless and sturdy," Iraelyn remarked.
"Maybe we can bust it with magic?" Desira suggested, preparing to unleash her most potent spell, but Ren intervened.
"Ren, what are you doing? You'd get killed with Desira's magic!" Vivi said in urgency, as Ren approached the gate.
Without another word, Ren crossed his hand onto the gap of the gates and pulled the bolt from the other side before casually pushing the gate open.
"It's not locked," Ren deadpanned.
Iraelyn, Vivi, and Azazel clapped their hands in amazement. "Oh, Ren! You're a genius!"
Desira cleared her throat. "I knew that. I was just about to do that."
Malifira only snickered at the side. "Let's just go in before you do anything unnecessary," Ren said wryly.
While walking inside, Desira and the others shot the old man scrutinizing looks as he remained reading his newspaper without care.
"Damn that old man. Why did he suggest forcing our way in?"
Against all odds, the old man replied, his voice reaching them even from meters away, "You're not welcomed, so of course, the only solution is forcing your way to enter the gates by opening the bolt without permission. I didn't say anything about using magic and brute strength."
"This old man!" Desira gritted her teeth and was about to attack when Vivi stopped her.
"Enough. Let's just enter and ignore him."
The group did exactly that, and within minutes, they finally entered Heaven.
