K looked at the watch on A's wrist and continued, "I don't really remember how many days—or perhaps years—I have spent here. There is no proper time in this place."A's eyes widened as he stared at K. In a low, terrified voice, he said, "You… you're lying, right? Like before."K's expression remained unchanged. "Why do you think I'm lying to you, A? I'm only telling the truth."A fell silent. No words came out for a long moment. K continued, "Don't worry. I understand how it feels when this reality hits you. This world is a perfect replica of the real one. As for the memories you see here—they are yours, not others'."A looked at him, his voice still terrified. "But I don't remember having parents, or the Lotus Hotel incident. Which one is real? And if everything is real, then…"He went quiet. More memories flooded in—one where he was stuck in an orphanage and never left. "What is going on?" The watch hands began spinning anticlockwise. "No, wait… I only had a mom. I… my head…"K placed a hand on his shoulder. The watch hands stopped moving. "All these memories are real," K said calmly, "but not in the same reality you came from."A's eyes looked as if he might cry. "My head hurts. Why are you talking like this? What is this place really? Why are all these memories real?"K replied in his calm voice, "This world—as I've said—has many names: the Unwritten, the Wandering Land. In all the time I've spent here, I've discovered many things and come to understand how it works. It is a middle ground between countless parallel universes. A place where every universe connects with the others. As for the memories, somehow your brain connects with other versions of you."A glanced at the chessboard, then back at K. "How can you be so sure this is the middle ground between parallel universes?"K moved the king piece on the chessboard and answered calmly, "Like I said before, it's all my assumption. There is nothing else that can describe this world, and it is the most logical answer."A moved the white king piece. "So you're saying we are trapped in this Unwritten world with no escape? What's happening to me now?"K moved his queen piece. "The longer you stay here, the more memories will collide with your original ones. They will stack up and overlap again and again until you completely lose your sanity. At that point, you will have no control over yourself. And worse—you could become one of the faceless ones. Those entities you've seen before."A's hand froze on a pawn. He took a deep breath. "So you're saying if I spend more time here, I'll lose my mind completely and become part of this place?"K moved his knight piece. "Yes. You become part of this place with no return. However, if you somehow manage to control yourself amid the madness, you won't transform into one of the faceless ones. But the memory overlapping will never stop. Just like the multiverse's expansion—each decision people make creates more branches, like a tree that keeps growing."A moved his bishop. "So in the end, even if I somehow control myself, this pain will never end. In other worlds, I could be anything possible: an engineer, a doctor, a pilot, a teacher, a scientist…"K moved his queen back. "A criminal. A dictator. A politician. Or evil. The possibilities are countless. Somewhere you have already died. Somewhere you are alive. In others, you have a normal life. In some, you have a family. In others, you are an orphan. Maybe you got married. Maybe you stayed single."A looked at the chessboard. Only a few pieces remained. "But still, if this place is a middle ground, why don't all the memories come at once?"K moved his last pawn. "According to my theory, we only see the memories of those universes where the other versions of us have died. Those memories are stored in specific areas of this world and wait until you reach them—just like a black box recovered after a plane crash."A made his final move. "That's why you always take me to selected places. Does that mean the extra memories I've seen are because I ran away last time?"K delivered checkmate, picked up A's king piece, and said, "Now you understand. So I think I should explain it fully. According to me, there are nine original universes. The others are formed by the decisions of people. Each universe holds a small part of our soul. After our death, that part of the soul goes to the nearest universe. You've seen people who claimed to experience déjà vu—it's because of those soul fragments. Like I said, only nine original universes. The rest are just copies created by decisions. This place is the junction where they all connect to the original nine."K paused, then continued, "I have seen countless memories, and they all lead to failure. I don't even remember how many times I tried to take my life, but I couldn't. These memories keep overlapping to the point where I start forgetting what I am."A looked into K's eyes. "I remember you said we met before. Was it me, or another version of me?""Valid question," K replied. "Yes, we met before. We meet now, and we will meet in the future. These nine universes are trapped in a loop. Every time one original universe dies, that branch resets completely—like new. Just like cutting an old branch from a tree; after some time, it grows back with new branches."A spoke, his voice calmer now. "This loop keeps repeating again and again. So did you try to find a way to fix it?"K laughed. "Even if I knew, why should I tell you?"A stared at him. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding," K said.A replied, "This is not the time for jokes.""Well, I understand why you want to know how to escape," K said. "But you still have to learn about this world first. One mistake, and you will become like them. If you truly understand everything here, you can gain the ability to see all the outcomes of your decisions in the real world."A looked at the king piece. "Just like a game that keeps repeating until you finally win. So that's how a master is formed."K smiled. "So you finally started to understand it. You're right. But to reach that top, you have to bear even more pain."A picked up the king piece. "So how much are we talking about here?""Enough to make you regret your decisions," K replied."And if I win?" A asked."Then you get the crown."K reply"
-END OF CHAPTER 26-