A and K looked at everyone calmly. A spoke first. "Do you have a family…?"K didn't reply. After a long moment of silence, he finally answered, "I had a brother in the past."A took a moment before speaking again. "What happened to him? And where are your parents?"K replied, but this time his voice was not calm as usual. It carried a deep sadness that he quickly hid. "I don't know what happened to my parents. As for my brother… I left him alone in the void. His ideology became a stone in my path, creating problems for me again and again. That's why I trapped him there."A didn't react. His expression showed he had already expected this answer. "Did you visit him after that?"K replied, his voice calm once more. "Yes, I still visit him. But I'm not going to visit him now."Meanwhile, the Executioner lay on the ground in the blood garden, his voice broken. "You left me like the others… I called you brother. I protected you from everything. You were my only family… my brother."He tried to stand up, but the chains grew tighter. "Why, K? Why do you think I am the abomination while humans are the real ones? They have the option to protect nature, but they don't—because of their greed."He tried to lift his hand, but more chains wrapped around it. "You think you can change them? You think they can really change? They are nothing but pathetic creatures, repeating their mistakes again and again, and yet you still believe they are learning."He struggled to lift his head. "You trapped me here. You chose the path of that girl, and now you've abandoned me too—the person who took care of you like a parent. And now you leave me like this…"He laughed. The sound echoed through the garden. "I am the biggest fool in this world… who thought a stranger could become family…"The wind blew, and the darkness surrounding the garden disappeared. Flower petals flowed with the breeze as the chains vanished. The Executioner stood up and saw K standing in front of him. Then K transformed into a child."Do you really regret making me your brother?" the child asked.The Executioner looked at him and raised his hand to attack, but stopped. K's expression remained blank. "Why did you stop? I am the reason you are trapped here. Come on—take your revenge."The Executioner removed his hat and dropped it to the ground. His vision blurred as tears fell from his eyes. "Stop playing with my memories. It's more painful than anything else."The next second, the Executioner found himself standing in front of the same wooden cabin. He looked around, but there was no one. "This…"He walked toward it. As he reached out to touch it, the cabin burst into flames. The forest beside it also burned, and the screams of animals filled the air."No! No! Stop playing with my memories! Can you hear me? STOP IT!"The Executioner ran toward the forest, but the scene changed again. Now he stood in a completely different place. He saw a child holding a burnt bird that had died in his hands.The child spoke. "Do you really want to protect them? Why have you become so weak? Look at yourself—once proud and fearless, now a broken mess. Why do you keep crying over someone who doesn't even consider you his brother?"The Executioner stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the burnt bird."If you don't do anything, then forget about it. You have no right to speak about this," the child continued. "Just look around—how many innocent animals have died because of human greed? If you don't stop them, they will kill the Earth. Think about your dream: kill them all and reclaim the Earth to restore its former glory. Because their greed can never be satisfied."The Executioner saw many burnt animals lying around him. The child stood in front of him. "Look at them. Tell me—what was their fault? Just being born into this world? Why have you become so weak? You have to break free. Stop holding back, or watch them die in front of you."The Executioner tried to grab the child's shoulder, but chains suddenly wrapped around him. The child looked at him and began walking. The landscape changed into a burning forest. The child walked toward it."Why do you always hold back? Just because you think K is your brother? Even though you two are complete strangers, why did you ever consider him your brother in the first place?"The Executioner tried to walk forward, but more chains wrapped around him. With each step, the chains tightened until his bones began to shatter. The child stood at the edge of the burning forest."Once you used to say that you would change the world and make it a better place. But now look at what it has become. Look at how these innocent animals burn."The Executioner took another step. The chains started snapping. "Tell me—what is more important to you? These innocent animals or a stranger?"The chains shattered one by one. "Tell me—what is more important? A stranger who never even called you by your real name, or nature itself—which protected you when everyone else turned their backs and left you to suffer?"The chains finally broke. The Executioner ran toward the child, but more chains appeared. This time, they shattered as soon as they touched him. The faster he ran, the greater the distance between them became.The child laughed. "Even if you try, you can never become your past self. You are weak now. You deserve this."The Executioner didn't stop. He ran faster. "You are not the one who decides what I am. My dream—I am not letting it go. No one matters to me. Not even my brother K."For a fraction of a second, the Executioner saw the child's form shift into a young version of K, who called him "brother." At the same moment, chains wrapped around him and slammed him to the ground. More and more chains piled on until he was completely covered.The background changed back to the blood garden. Flowers bloomed once again. The Executioner smiled, his voice full of confidence."K, you really think you can trap me here like this? Wait for me… because I am the apocalypse you cannot avoid. I love seeing your fear. Look at how much effort you put in just to stop me."More chains wrapped around him. His hat lay on the ground beside him. "I want to see how far you will go just to suppress me. But I am becoming stronger."The chains started covering his face. "This shows how much you fear me. How much I'm enjoying it. I want to see this fear on your face, K. I know you are watching. Maybe you can hold me here for now… but not for long."Only his eyes remained visible, staring up into the darkness. "K… I am coming to reclaim my dream."
-END OF CHAPTER 23-