[A starts to recall all the fragments of his memories.]
Calm down… calm down. Let's start from the beginning. The bullying in middle school… the part-time job incident… No, wait—that didn't happen. I… but I am an orphan… No, I have parents, but—
[He stops trying to remember, but all his thoughts and memories are overlapping with each other.]
My head… Why can't I remember my real memories?
[Meanwhile, K enters the Blood Garden. He is holding a humanoid figure in his right hand. After a few steps, he throws it, and the humanoid figure lands near the Executioner. K speaks with a cold voice.]
"You're really forcing my hand. Do you need to say anything before I decide what to do with you?"
[The Executioner picks up the humanoid figure and throws it into the blood lake. Then he replies in a calm voice.]
"What did I do wrong? You wanted to prepare A. I only helped him face his fear—the fear of his past."
[K replies with a cold voice.]
"And how did you help him? By sending this clone of me, trying to break his mind so you could easily trap him here and take him over?"
[The Executioner replies with a slightly mocking voice.]
"Oh, come on. It's harmless. Why do you think his mind can be easily controlled when he still acts like he doesn't remember what he did in his past? K, you and I both know what he was in the past. He let two hundred people die just because he got scared—just because he was afraid. The fear of death… I love it when humans try to challenge it and fail miserably, when they think they can avoid death. K, this is why I've always said humans can never change. They always dig their own graves and then start shouting for help. It's a fact that their fear can easily make them forget everything—every rule they made, every relationship they have, even love."
[K walks over and sits near the lake. He speaks in a calm voice.]
"Fear is truly strong. The true faces of humans are exposed when they are afraid."
[The Executioner smiles and stands behind K.]
"K, tell me—did I do anything wrong? I just wanted to prepare A for our plan. Just think: the method I chose is the best one. If he is a perfect candidate, he will survive. If he is not, then we can start looking for a new one. You've already spent years and twenty-one subjects just to find a perfect candidate. Master is still waiting for the result. Time is running out."
[K looks at his hand but doesn't speak.]
"K, let me help you this time. We are close to winning and finally making our sacrifices worth it. Even the girl's sacrifice. K, let me handle it."
[He places a hand on K's shoulder.]
"Let me do this job, and you can rest. K, you've already done a lot of things. Now rest and let your brother take care of it."
[K finally stands up. His mask is still on his face. He looks at him and finally speaks, a little sadness in his voice.]
"I'm tired of it. Of everything. Tired of chasing the dream. I… I just want everything to return to normal, like it was in the past."
[The Executioner still has a little smile as he speaks.]
"I know, K. You've already done a lot of things alone. Now I'm going to help you, and then you'll see our dream come true. And maybe we can—"
[K speaks before he finishes his sentence. K's voice is cold.]
"You know what has shamed me from the beginning? That I am your brother. The most horrific thing in my life."
[The Executioner is stunned. His eyes open wide; he is completely shocked.]
"Every single day and night, I regret this truth—that I am your brother."
[K pushes him away.]
"You are nothing but a black spot in my life that I want to remove but can't. You know what the worst day of my life was? The day I realized you are my brother. You are good for nothing. You only create problems for me. You never let me live my life freely. You wanted to know the real reason why I trapped you here? Because I'm tired of carrying your burden."
[The Executioner doesn't speak. A tear of blood rolls down from his eye and falls on the ground. At the same time, K reaches for the door.]
"Don't you even dare call me your brother."
[The Executioner finally breaks down. With all his strength, he tries to reach K. In the process, the chains snap.]
"Please say this was all a lie. I only have you as my family—my brother. Please, K. Please…"
[New chains bind him before he can even reach K. His hand is only a few inches away.]
"K, please don't say things like that. We are—"
[K speaks with a completely emotionless voice.]
"I am no longer your brother. You are a stranger to me now."
[The Executioner falls to the ground. More chains wrap around him. K exits the Blood Garden and enters the upper garden. After a few minutes of walking, he is standing in front of a cabin.]
"Still looks new. My final last visit to this place."
[K walks near the cabin and places his hand on the carved words on it.]
"I hope the Executioner doesn't try to create problems now."
[The cabin starts burning, and a few minutes later, only ash is left.]
"I think it's better to burn things that hold bad memories of the past."
[He picks up a fragment of a key.]
"One more to go."
[K walks toward the door. Before he grabs the doorknob, he falls to his knees, his forehead pressed against the door. He stays there for a few moments before standing up again and opening the door. A is still there where he left him. K speaks.]
"Did you figure out anything about your memories, A?"
[A doesn't look at him. His voice is broken.]
"I… didn't understand… what truly happened in my… past. Every event just makes me feel sick."
[K drops the piece of the key in front of him.]
"As expected from you. Now take this. We still have a long journey to cover."
[A stares at the piece of the key before picking it up. He speaks.]
"Where did you find it?"
[K doesn't reply. He only walks toward the new door that appears in front of them. He enters it. A takes a few moments before following him. As he enters the door, he sees a bunker in the middle of the city. He looks at K and asks,]
"Where are we now, K?"
[K replies in a calm voice.]
"We are in the middle of the city, and we are going to witness a major deal between enemy countries."
[A looks around and sees posters that read "The Start of a New Beginning." He walks near a poster and realizes it is a worldwide invitation for every country in the world.]
"World Summit… What are we doing here? Did you plan to—"
[K replies in a calm voice.]
"Like I told you before, I didn't do anything. We are here to learn more about human political structure. In this summit, we will meet the good and the worst leaders of each nation. I think it's a good time to resume the topic of the political structure of this world. This is the perfect presentation of all political ideologies. Well, there is still some time left before the summit starts. How about we take a walk?"
[A freezes. He starts to remember what happened the last two times. K looks at him and says,]
"I know what you're thinking, but I assure you that those events will not repeat here… or maybe we can hope for it."
—END OF CHAPTER 21—