A took a few steps back. "This door… maybe this is the exit." He placed one hand on his head. "I have to open it. That girl turned into the same flowers… I remember it. The same flowers from that valley where K took me when he pushed me into the void. I have to go there."A started walking but stopped shortly after. "But where am I?"He looked around, but there was nothing except the door. His eyes filled with fear as he searched desperately for something else.At the same time, K looked at the Executioner. "Why are you asking me questions like this? Are you trying to waste my time so you can somehow bring A here?"The Executioner replied in an evil, heavy voice, "Why do you think I am doing things like this? You are weak now, K."K laughed. The chains around the Executioner tightened."Well, I may be weak now, but I am still strong enough to make you regret it."The Executioner tried to grab his hand, but the chains gave him no chance. K started walking toward the door while the Executioner kept screaming."You all are going to pay for this! Just wait and watch how these humans kill each other and destroy nature one day. You will re…"K closed the door. "Seriously, he speaks a lot. But I can't let him destroy what I have achieved when I am so close to success."K started walking through the upper garden. "After years of trial and error, I am finally capable of creating an almost perfect plan."He picked up a flower similar to the one the girl had turned into. "Sometimes I think the Executioner is right. Humans have crossed many lines and their crimes keep increasing."He walked along a path surrounded by white flowers. "The same questions I ask myself: Why do I keep doing this? Why do I have to sacrifice everything just because I wanted a world where no war existed? I have already paid everything and now…"He stopped in front of a tree and placed the flower under it. "My last offering and my last visit here. I am going to finish what you started years ago."K looked at the engraved words on the tree trunk. He placed his hand on them, covering the words with blood."Still, even if I forget who you are, how you looked, your voice, or the time we spent together… I remember nothing." K's hand slowly traced the engraved words. "Your words are the only thing I remember."K fell to his knees. "I can't… How much more is this world going to take from me? I lost my brother, my love, my emotions, my time, my…"K stopped speaking and simply stared at the tree. Then he stood up and turned around. "I am really close to collapsing."He took a deep breath. "I can't let myself break now when I am so close to my goal. Just a little more… then I will join everyone."K started walking. Tree leaves fell with the wind. As he finally approached the door, he turned back one last time. At this point, he knew there was no turning back. This was the last time he would visit this place."Time to find A."He entered the door and closed it. A faint humanoid figure watched silently as the door closed. K walked into the darkness. A small fragment of light glowed ahead."Just a little more. I can see the light. I will not let you escape this time."Chains suddenly moved behind him and wrapped around his waist and hands."I am not stopping this time."The chains pulled back, trying to stop him. As K raised his hand toward the light, the chains wrapped tighter. The background suddenly changed—K was now standing in front of the same iron door."A, I am coming for you. Run as much as you can… because I am after you."A, who was still looking around confused, thought, "Is this the same place I was standing before? These surroundings look the same. No matter how far I go, it keeps repeating like I am in an endless maze."A kept walking. "How much time have I spent here?"He looked at the watch, which was not working. "Of course. Why would you work?" "But still, K gave me this watch and that girl gave him the mask. Is there something I am missing? Maybe some hidden meaning."A examined the watch. "It's just a regular watch. But why did it start working near the gate? And I remember when K gave it to me, it was working. Then why did it stop? Is it because this watc…"A heard footsteps. A lot of people were moving toward him. As they came closer, A realized they were the same faceless creatures."Not again!"A started running as fast as he could, but the creatures caught up easily."No, not this time…"A slipped and fell, but fear kept him moving. He started crawling."N…o…"They grabbed his legs. A struggled desperately, trying to free himself. In panic, he threw his hands around searching for something to use as a weapon and screamed for help."STAY AWAY FROM ME!"He found a branch. With all his strength, he swung it and hit the creatures. They ran away. A didn't understand what had just happened."Why did they leave so easily?"A looked around while catching his breath. "Where am I now?"He noticed blood on his hands and saw that the branch he was holding was burnt. He looked around and found a burnt tree."What happened to this place?"A walked closer to the tree. "It looks like this tree burnt just a few hours ago."Something shiny caught his eye. He moved closer and cleared some ash to find a broken key."Is this supposed to be used somewhere?"Before he could figure it out, a loud scream echoed. "What's t—"He saw a creature bigger than the previous ones. A slowly stepped back. The creature jumped on him. Before A could react, a door appeared and he fell back inside it. The door closed. A was completely stunned.K looked at him and laughed. "Well, how does it feel to see death this close?"
— END OF CHAPTER 18 —