"Hello little angel. Are you here to pick me up?"
Alex was baffled. He did not expect that the patient would be able to see him standing in his ethereal Form besides his bed.
"Hello sir, sorry I am not here to pick you up. I am simply waiting for another angel that will arrive shortly."
The elderly man spoke softly. He held no fear in his heart. For him only death was awaiting. He knew that.
"I lived my life without regret. Did the things that I wanted to. I've seen enough for one life. Now my time has come, has it little angel?"
This topic was heavy. Alexander was talking to a dying man that knew what was coming.
"I am sorry I cannot be of more help sir. For your question. Yes, sadly you will soon die. Your life force is slowly dwindling. The machines you are connected to cannot fathom the extent of that.
They will only tell the doctors when its already too late."
Alexander started crying. Silently waiting.
The old man looked at him and rolled over to his side to see Alexander a little bit better.
He looked like the personification of an angel.
From his looks to his clothes. Everything looked angel like.
"Do not be sorry little one. Everyone dies at some point. If you mourn every death like mine it will only bring yourself sorrow."
Alexander looked at the front of the bed. Here he could see the general information about the patient.
Helmut Groß, 92 years old.
"You look pretty young for being 92, old man."
Alexander sniffled a little bit. The old man had already accepted his death. He was the only one that was sad even though he would be fine.
"Tell me young angel, why are you here?"
The old man was being sincere. He was just interested in a story right now.
Intensive care units were horrid places. Everything was constantly beeping and that alone could make anyone insane. Coupled with the heavy attitude of visitors and doctors, patients would slowly lose hope.
"It all started with a new game that came out not too long ago."
Alexander told Helmut of his great adventures so far. Of his accomplishments, his worries and most importantly his newfound job that he was give.
Helmut could not exactly grasp everything the little angle was saying.
In such a little time, the little angel went through too much.
Now that pure boy was seeing his only chance of directly visiting the gods of this world through piggybacking on another angel that would pick the soul of his dead body.
"Thank you for telling me little angel. You just have forgotten a tiny thing. What is your name?"
Alexander was slowly accepting that this man in front of him had only a few minutes left to live.
"My name is Alexander, Alexander Ashford."
Helmut let out a crispy laugh.
"Thank you for treating me like a human instead of a patient, Alexander."
He slowly closed his eyes. It looked peaceful.
The whole situation was not ideal for Alexander.
He already was not that well when it came to his mental health.
Now he had to witness the death of a person he just got to know a little bit.
Had he not talked to him, Alexander would just have silently stood there until the time came.
How could he expect that people close to death could see souls.
The last bit of life force that Helmut had dwindled. Not even the doctors could bring him back now.
They rushed in as the machines went into alarm, but it was already too late.
Helmuts soul left his body and stood up by himself.
He was now standing next to his body as the doctors tried to bring him back.
Feeling a pull, he could go back into his old body anytime he wanted.
Choosing not to, he walked over to Alexander who stood in a corner of the room.
His tears had dried up but a single one could still be seen as Helmut walked over.
"I am glad that you were here by my side Alexander."
Helmut stretched out his hand.
"Hello again. I am Helmut Groß. Nice meeting you Alexander."
They shook hands and talked a little bit more about Helmuts life as he now had more energy than on his deathbed.
The situation was ironic. Alexander and Helmut were happily talking while in the background Helmuts body was being taken care of.
From family to the mandatory visit of the police that made sure that he was not killed, many now faces would periodically enter the room.
After approximately one hour after Helmuts death. Light could be seen from above.
Alexander had seen the same thing before. Haniel had the same glow around her.
He would get the same glow after some time he believed.
It was the sign of a matured divine spark.
His own was now filling up 83% of his soul real. 30% got absorbed by his core. So, he was holding himself a little bit back.
"Helmut Groß, you have lived a good life. You fought for your country, were a great husband and had many friends who cherished you.
Now sadly comes your time to let everything behind you and go to heaven. Are you ready for that?"
The angel that came down just now noticed Alexander. What was another angel doing in this place was on her mind.
"Little angel Alexander here has already helped me making up my mind. With him here, my death was not so bad at all. I died peacefully. I just have one demand for the gods and also you.
Please let Alexander come with me to heaven as he wants to talk to the gods."
Stunned, the angel did not know what to do. Alexander was on another level of herself.
He had the divine spark of a higher order in him, and she felt inferior to it because of that.
What did he want? He was even wearing the clothes that only war angels were wearing during apocalypses.
"Are your intentions pure or are trying to harm the heavens."
A combat ready angel was not a good sign.
"Yes, I am coming with pure intentions. I only want to reassure my job with the gods a I am in control of the players that will eventually get their abilities that they got in the new game choices here in this world.
I am Alexander of the order of seraphim. Could you please accept my wish to go with you to the heavens? Frankly speaking I don't know the way there. I could only hope to get some information from angels like yourself"
Being an angel was one thing. Seraphim were the angels closest to God. If this young one really was one, the female angel could understand why she felt inferior.
It was not looking as if he had told her a lie.
This is something that the gods have to deal with. Not herself.
"Fine, come with us. But you have to fly yourself. I already carry Helmut here."
Alexander smiled. His plan worked.
The thee took off and flew into the sky.
Out of nothing, a golden gate suddenly appeared.
"These are the gates of heaven. They open for everyone with divinity in them.
The next time you can come here by yourself young Alexander."
The gates opened, and they went through.
At the exit of a small tunnel they went through. A large metropolis like city appeared.
This was the kingdom of God. Heaven.
"This is where we will separate. I have to do things with Helmut here to get him started.
Meanwhile you can go to a huge building that looks like a church that will appear if you fly north from here for about 200 kilometers."
Alexander and Helmut talked a little bit more until the angel pressed them to end their conversation.
"A little advice Alexander. If you have something else to wear, please do. It is not respectful to wear combat clothes when visiting the gods."
The angel flew off with Helmut into the distance after the little advice.
Alexander could have guessed that on his own.
He received formal clothes as well.
Quickly changing into them, he left the gate area and went into the direction the angel told him.
The kingdom of God was separated into different time zones. The further he went into the direction the angel told him, the older the buildings got.
It was a trip on memory lane for history lovers. Long vanished styles of buildings could be seen everywhere.
The kingdom didn't discriminate against different countries of groups of humans.
Therefore there was a mix of everything in each zone.
All in all it was a nice experience.
He knew that he was getting closer towards his goal as all that could be seen right now where large temples and even some early pyramids.
Some seeming even more advanced than modern buildings.
Maybe in this early stage of civilization, the gods themselves took care of humanity and built things.
Structures that were only possible through magic could be seen anywhere in the later zones.
What had happened to the world that this was once possible and then suddenly not anymore?
But by now, Alexander could see the mega church that the angel spoke of.
Mega was the right description Alexander could make off it.
By the looks of it, it was many kilometers high and wide.
It was a sight to behold. Looking far too old to be considered a church, but also with similar aesthetics to the early buildings, Alexander guessed that the gods really helped humans build things in the early days.
Maybe at some point in time they lived on earth alongside humans.
Flying towards the church, Alexander was not once interrupted in his flight.
He could see many angels flying around the kingdom, but they all had a set goal they wanted to do.
No one would stop by his side as Alexander was flying relatively fast towards the temple of the gods.
He seemed to have to do something there, so the angels respected that.
From afar the mega church seemed massive. Standing right before the front gate was something different entirely.
Alexander felt awe as he got closer to the gate.
There were no guards beside the front gate. Many runes were etched into the gate.
Seemingly for protection, but Alexander did not know runes. He could only guess.
Just to try it out, Alexander activated his divine spark and imbued his clothes and body in a golden aura.
For mature angels, this was the norm. They did not even try to hide their aura. Because why should they? There was no need to hide.
Alexander on the other hand had to manually activate the not fully matured spark in him to achieve similar results.
He walked to the gate with his hand stretched out and touched it with a weak push.
The angel that got Helmut did the same thing with the gates of heaven.
She did not push them open. They opened for her as she touched them with her hand.
Copying that action seemed to work as not the entire gate was opened, but only a 5 meter tall door appeared within the huge gate where Alexander was standing.
This door was convenient.
Entering through the gate, Alexander walked confidently into a large hall that was filled with humble art. The front hall felt like a large hall of fame.
Similar to the church he visited in the other world. Many statures could be seen when walking through.
The major difference was that these statures were not of gods, but of ordinary people that did huge things for society.
Walking through the hall of fame for a good 10 minutes, Alexander found a desk with a busy angle shuffling through a stack of paper.
It seemed as if computers were too new for the temple of gods.
"Hello, can I talk to you for a second?"
Alexander asked meekly. He did not want to upset an office lady.
He sat down on the single chair that was present and let the office lady do her job.
Like all angels she was a beauty. Wearing a blue golden vest and a single golden monocle lifted her status from the ordinary angels however.
It had a lovely touch.
"Are you Alexander the seraphim?"
She nonchalantly asked him that without looking at him.
Oh damn. The gods are prepared for his visit. At least more than him.