A struggled against the hands, but their grip was far too strong. He turned his head to see where they were dragging him and saw a massive abyss."Noooo! Please stop! Nooo!" A screamed.He tried to break free, putting every ounce of strength into resisting, but the hands easily overpowered him. At the last moment, they pushed him toward the pit. Just then, K reached out in time and grabbed A's hand before he could fall."What happened, A? How was your experience?" K asked as he pulled A up to safety.A, breathing heavily, demanded, "What is this? Why are you doing this to me? Why don't I even remember you? Let me go back home to my fa—"A stopped mid-sentence."What happened?" K asked. "Did you forget something, A?""My family… I don't even remember a single thing about them," A said in shock. "What is wrong with me? No, it can't be possible."A looked at K with accusation. "You… you must have done something to my memories, to my brain. Tell me what you want. Why are you doing this? Wait—everything, even this meeting… it was all your plan, wasn't it?"K smiled and said, "If I said it was all my plan, would it change anything between us? You are still that hopeless person, while I am better than you, A."Unable to control his anger, A grabbed K's collar and tried to punch him. But his body froze again. K grabbed A by the neck with a cold voice and a deadly look in his eyes."A, this is your last warning." His grip tightened around A's neck. "If you try to attack me again, I will break this neck in no time."K's grip became so tight that A would have died if he did nothing. A tried to speak, "F…f…g…ju…lkk…""What are you saying?" K asked mockingly. "Oh, it looks like you want me to release you. How wonderful."K released A's neck. A breathed heavily and coughed violently."W…why… why my—" A struggled to speak while catching his breath."Oi, take it easy," K said. "I will not let you die like this. We have to—or rather, you have to—complete the journey, A.""What do you mean?" A asked.K replied, "You are in my domain. Everything that happens here is under my control—even the fact that you are breathing, because I want you to survive."K removed the wristwatch and handed it to A. "Take it. I do not need it anymore."A stared at the watch before taking it."Now you understand that this place is beyond anyone else's reach," K said. "So tell me, what do you want to know, A?"A gripped the watch tightly. "Why should I believe your words?"K replied, "Because I know humans can do anything for their survival. I know how fear makes humans show their real selves to others."A thought for a moment before speaking. "Why should I believe that you are telling the truth and not just another lie?"K smiled. "Do you remember that famous question? If I have a butterfly in my hand and ask you whether it is alive or dead—if you say it is alive, I will crush it before opening my fist. If you say it is dead, I will open my fist and you will find it alive. The same situation applies to you here. You do not know whether I am speaking the truth or if everything you see is a lie. Your fate is in your hands, A. One wrong move and…"K laughed.A, still looking at the watch, said, "Yes, I am in your domain. I may not be able to escape from here, but I will survive this.""Like that incident," K added.A didn't react this time, but his eyes showed clear signs of fear and something he desperately wanted to forget.K continued, "You know eyes never lie. But for now, I will not push this topic any further—if you tell me why you so easily accepted everything here. Why aren't you asking more questions?"A replied, "Because you don't give the right information. You only say what gives you the maximum benefit for your plan."K smiled and started walking. A followed him."A, I am really happy you are learning so quickly," K said. "The people who understand how to use information can easily shake the entire world. Just a few words, and the world burns.""As expected, you claim the world burns with only a few words," A said.K replied, "Yes, only a few words. Because humans can easily be divided. Hate spreads far more easily than peace and love. The more divided they are, the easier it is to rule them—just like puppets."A asked, "Why? Just why do you even think like this?"K said, "Because it is the truth. You cannot deny it. Seriously, these fools would rather fight each other instead of coming together to create a better world and solve its problems. They think they are better than others, forgetting the fact that they are all humans. You know why people can be so easily manipulated by the top 2 percent."A remained silent but put on the wristwatch. It showed 20:04 PM. K turned to look at him with a smile and put on a mask with a wide smile printed on it.A asked, "Why are you wearing that mask?"K placed a finger on the smiling mask and said, "Because it is time for a new journey. And now, I can finally say you are qualified for it, A."A door materialized in front of them with the number 716 on it. A looked slightly surprised.K said, "Come on, I thought you wouldn't get surprised anymore. But it's okay. So, A, are you ready?"A replied, "Do I have any other options?"K opened the door while saying, "Well, I guess the answer is yes. Now let's start this journey."A saw a bright light coming from the door. He watched K step through it, then took a deep breath and followed.K's voice echoed: "This is just the beginning of Project 22.". — END OF CHAPTER 10 —
