A and K were still sitting on the bench. A spoke. "So, what's his name?"[K replied in a calm voice,] "His name is Executioner. He is someone I once considered family, but now I have no ties with him."[A looked at him and asked,] "What do you mean by 'considered as brother'?"K continued staring at the flower while replying, "Yes, we are not blood-related. I don't even remember when we first met. It was like we decided to become a family—two orphans who became brothers."A tried to speak but stopped himself. He looked at the people around them. After a moment, he finally asked, "So why did you cut ties with him?"[K replied without any delay,] "Because I don't want his ideology to ruin my plans. I can't afford failure after coming this far. That's why I trapped him in the void forever."A was completely shocked. He tried to speak but remained speechless. K continued, "Don't give me that look. I did what I had to do to prevent even the smallest failure. After all, this world only recognizes the winner."A finally spoke. "So you are playing for victory… but what will you do when there is no one left to celebrate your win with?"[K replied calmly,] "I knew the consequences from the very beginning. I chose the path of walking alone. Even if my victory means the end of my life, I will accept it."A didn't react. He spoke in a plain voice, "Is it even worth it to sacrifice everything you love just to achieve a victory you can never celebrate with others?"K stood up and walked toward the flower. Its bright red color looked majestic. "Even if no one joins the celebration, even if I sacrifice everything… in the end, when I die, I will have no regrets."K looked up at the evening sky. The city lights grew brighter as the orange glow mixed with a few scattered clouds. "Sometimes I wonder what lies far beyond these limitations—a world beyond imagination. There are countless worlds to explore, yet humans choose to stay here."A looked up at the sky. "Do you really think there is life in space? And even if there is, why should we have to leave Earth?"[K replied calmly,] "Because this is the next level of human evolution. I don't know if any life exists beyond Earth, but I do know that the longer humans stay here, the lower their chances of survival become."A looked at him. "Why did you suddenly start talking about space when we were discussing human reality? Why this change from the main topic?"K picked up the red flower and spoke, "Well, not everything needs an explanation all the time. I think people will understand what I meant. As for our main topic, the world summit is starting. Let's go."A remained silent. They both started walking toward the main building where the summit was being held. Upon entering, A noticed that no one stopped them, as if they were invisible. He wondered whether this was the real world or something else."K, you said this is your domain. Is it possible that all the events I've seen here were planned by you? How can I trust you and this place?"K stopped and turned back. He looked A directly in the eyes. "Do you really think everything you've seen so far is a lie? Deep down, you acknowledge that every scene you've witnessed and every word I've spoken is the truth—the truth you cannot deny, no matter how hard you try. And if you still deny it, you're only giving yourself false satisfaction by calling it all a lie."K paused, then continued, "A, I gave you two choices before, and you chose this one." A remembered the two doors. He started hearing faint whispers."A, you have to understand—even though this is my domain, there is no lie here. It's not your fault for questioning."A looked around, then said, "Like I even have any options other than following you."K laughed lightly. "As expected from you. Now, we should go."They finally entered the main meeting room. A saw leaders from various countries already seated. K said, "Well, I think it's going to start soon. So, A, meet them—the leaders from all the countries. Isn't it fascinating? These same leaders who once declared war on each other are now sitting under the same roof. Tell me, A, what do you think? How many of them are really going to vote for peace?"A stopped focusing on K. He tried to look at all the national flags, attempting to recall anything from the past. But even after a minute, he recognized nothing.K's voice pulled him back. "A, over here. These are our seats."A walked over and sat down. The meeting began, and A watched as everyone voted for peace.K leaned closer. "Look at them. What do you think—how many of them truly want peace?"A observed the room. Everyone was talking about land and resource distribution, national security, and diplomatic ties. "I don't know what to say. They all look concerned about their nations' development."K removed his mask. A noticed his face now looked a little older. K leaned back and said, "For better explanation, I divide them into three categories: Red, Blue, and White.""Blue nation leaders are the corrupt ones. They only care about their own luxury, not the nation. If anyone tries to stand against them, they disappear and are never found."A looked into his eyes. After a moment of silence, K continued, "White nation leaders are those who truly want peace and development for everyone. Red leaders, on the other hand, have only one goal: to reach the top and control the world.""At the end of the day, even though they all claim to care about their sovereignty, there are wolves hiding under sheep's clothing. Only a few leaders genuinely want peace and development for all. Some care only about their own nation's growth and how to destabilize others. And then there are those who want to become number one so the entire world bows before them."K's voice grew serious. "Whenever a leader tries to make his nation powerful, other leaders spend money to destabilize it. The harsh part is that the people living in that nation often sell themselves for a little money. They defame their own government until it collapses. Then, the outsiders plant a government that will do exactly what they want. This new government brainwashes the people until they fully believe in them. These kinds of leaders don't completely stop the nation's growth—they use it as a testing ground for their weapons, biological and chemical, or sometimes for banned medicines on human subjects. You know those medicines that are prohibited for human trials, yet many such incidents have happened in the past."K paused. "Yes, it's difficult to tell who is truly good or bad among them."A looked around. There were many young leaders and older ones. Some looked serious, others excited. Even sitting this close, I really don't know how to tell the good ones apart.K's voice returned. "It's pretty hard to figure out who is right and who is wrong, A. Maybe the serious ones, or the relaxed ones, or the old ones. Think about it, A—if you can't even identify a single one correctly, then I should consider you a waste of my time. Think carefully."A tried to analyze everyone, but it was difficult. He wondered about the probability of randomly picking a Red, White, or Blue leader."The clock is ticking, A. Pick one."Suddenly, A realized something. "You're trying to trick me. Just like that time with the butterfly. No matter how carefully I pick one, the probability of your win will never change. You will always win."K smiled and put his mask back on. "So you remembered. Yes, you could say it's like that. No matter how hard you try to understand their true personalities, you can never fully figure them out. Well, you can spot the leaders who genuinely want peace, and also the Blue nation leaders. Due to their corruption, only a few people in their nations are free from poverty—and those few are usually the high-profile political elites.""But it's hardest to identify the Red nation leaders. They never reveal their true intentions. They present themselves as peaceful on the surface, but behind the scenes, they fund anti-national activities in other countries, disrupt trade markets, suspend treaties, and more. A, in this world, there are only a few people who truly want a bright future."
-END OF CHAPTER 24-