Chapter 1: Second Chance
Ace reached Heaven’s Gate.
He trudged along a marble path that cut through puffy clouds and a golden sky, limping toward the towering white doors. His wounds throbbed, but the weight of lost lovers, friends, and countless lives felt heavier. Soon, he told himself, the nightmare would end and a peaceful future could begin.
When he neared the doors, they swung open on their own. A gold light spilled out and blinded him for a moment.
As his eyes adjusted, he spotted angels floating above the path in two neat rows. They were not graceful women with feathered wings. They were oversized eyes, taller than grown men, ringed by long white lashes, their stares cold and condescending.
Ace felt as if he had crossed from one gate to another. This realm looked pleasant, but its dwellers were grotesque.
"Top One Ranker, Ace Avalanche. You have made it to the top. As revealed, you earn one wish strong enough to change your world’s future," one angel declared, its deep voice echoing through the realm.
Ace drew a long breath. At first he had fought to survive, but the friends he met showed him life held more than raw endurance. Now they were gone, leaving their dreams in his hands. Those dreams could live only if the apocalypse ended.
"I just want this apocalypse to end," he said.
If the chaos ceased, he and the other rankers could clear the gates and monsters. Scars would remain, as would people with strange skills and bloodlines, but order could return.
"You could not have asked for anything more disappointing, Ace Avalanche. You survived and reached the top, yet weak humans have corrupted you," another angel sneered.
"It’s amazing he climbed to Heaven’s Gate with such a frail resolve."
"Haha! Humans are so weird."