Chapter 13 - CHAPTER 13 THE GARDEN 2

K adjusted the mask back onto his face, then walked toward the Executioner and asked, "So you finally feel excited now?"The Executioner moved his head. His full body remained covered in dark shadows like smoke. "You know how long I have waited for this moment—just like you. From the day you locked me here, every single second I waited for this. Bring him here. I can't wait any longer."K walked over and sat near the lake. The Executioner sat beside him.K replied, "I told you to wait a little longer. So, how about a chess game? Do you want to play?"The Executioner picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. The stone made no ripples, no waves, and no splash—as if nothing had happened. "You already know my answer. You always win against me. Even if I feel like I'm winning, you turn my victory into defeat at the very last second."K said, "It's all because you only focus on victory and not the game. That's why you always lose."The Executioner pulled at the chains holding him and said, "K, how about you let me go free for an hour? I promise I won't do anything. I just want to take a walk outside this garden."K's voice turned cold. "Do you really think I will let you free after what you did in the past?"Suddenly, K's hand pierced through the Executioner's chest and ripped out his heart. In a cold voice, K continued, "Do you really think I forgive you that easily?"The Executioner coughed blood. K held his still-beating heart as blood dripped down his hand. "How you nearly destroyed A…"The Executioner struggled to breathe and fell flat on the ground. His blood began covering the earth.K spoke while slowly crushing the heart. "Every mistake you made… all those previous failures… were because of you." He crushed it completely. "And you still want me to forgive you?"The Executioner's body showed no movement.K threw the fragments of the heart into the blood lake and said in a cold voice, "I wish I could kill you forever."As soon as K finished speaking, the Executioner sat back up in his place. The wound and his heart began regenerating. He coughed blood and said, "Hmm… how much I love seeing this side of you, K—when you lose control and try to kill me. But it's a fact that you can't kill me, and I can't kill you." His wounds healed completely. "Neither of us can die… not until…"He went silent. Flowers began blooming around them. K picked up a flower and said calmly, "This land, the lake—everything you made is an abomination. Just like you."As they looked toward the lake, faceless humanoid creatures began standing near the blood lake. Before anyone could move, a massive claw formed from the blood and rose from the depths. The Executioner said, "Looks like the show is about to start."The claw grabbed one of the faceless creatures, crushed it, and dragged it into the lake. K watched and said, "So this is what you enjoy every day.""Like I said before, their greed kills them. Not me," the Executioner replied.Multiple claws rose from the blood lake and began crushing the creatures. Blood from their bodies fell into the lake. K, still looking at the flower in his hand, said calmly, "Well, I think you are right. This is not as bad as it looks."The Executioner spoke with rising emotion, his hands resting on his chains. "It would be better to erase the main source of the problem. I don't care about those humans. They never learn. They only cause destruction to this beautiful, magnificent world. Killing them is not a crime. They never care for others. They break rules just for fun, destroy nature just because they think they can do anything with this world in the name of development—killing forests, destroying oceans, and polluting the air. Do you still think Project 22 has the capability to stop it?"K remained silent, still staring at the flower.The Executioner smiled. "Lost your voice, K? You trapped me here in the lowest level just because you fear me. You fear what I am capable of. If I were free, like I said before, we could stop wasting time. Give me a chance, K. I promise our dream will become reality in less time."K looked at the lake, which was now completely still again, as if nothing had happened. "You really try to mess with my head."They both looked at each other and started laughing.K said, "Oh really, you are funny sometimes. Tell me—why do you think I locked you here in the depths of the void?"The Executioner replied, "Because you think I am a disaster. But my birth is because of humans. You live in the upper garden, you left A in nowhere, and you captured me and locked me here in the depths of the void—all because of what I believe."K dropped the flower. "You only believe that if all humans are removed from the Earth, it will restore its former glory and begin a better world. Despite the fact that you are human too, you hate them so much."The Executioner took a deep breath and threw another stone into the lake. "Yes, I hate them more than anything. You can't disagree with me. Why do I hate them? Even in the past, you also hated them, but you believe you can change them, K. I can't take this suffering anymore. I… I…"K stood up and started walking toward the door. "I know how much pain you have endured because of humans. But I can't let you go. I can't let you ruin my experiment again."He grabbed the doorknob and began opening the door. The Executioner, without looking back, said, "At least call me by my real name. It's been years since you called me by that."K didn't look behind as he stepped through the door. "Just wait for the right time."Meanwhile, A was still in the same place, covering his ears. The voices of the unknown grew louder and louder."WE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU… YOU ARE GUILTY… KEEP RUNNING AWAY, YOU COWARD… LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE… MY KIDS DIED BECAUSE OF YOU… I LOST MY MOTHER… I LOST MY FAMILY…"A screamed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! STOP IT! I… I…"Shadowy hands grabbed his arms and legs and began pulling him."HELP! HELP! HELP!"Suddenly, A felt a slap across his face. He slowly opened his eyes. The sky was clear. He found himself lying in a grassy field.K's voice came from beside him. "So, how was your experience?"A looked around. K was standing near him."Well, it looks like you are still not ready to accept it," K said. "That incident was not your fault. The more you try to run from it, the more deadly it becomes."A spoke in a low voice, "You know how many people died just because I wasn't there. Their family members' questions… their eyes still haunt me. It all happened because I…"K replied calmly, "Even if you had been there, you could not have saved their lives. You are still stuck in the past."A begged, "Please end my life. I can't carry this pain anymore. I am losing my mind. Please end this pain."K grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "Pathetic. You are a total waste of my time."K's grip tightened around A's neck. A struggled but did not try to stop him. — END OF CHAPTER 13 —