A spoke, then asked what he had to do.K smiled and moved his hand toward A. "Well then, let's go. Hold my hand, A."A hesitated a little, then took K's hand. "So now what?""Close your eyes," K said.A closed his eyes. The world around them shifted into complete darkness. Then small light orbs began floating into view. A opened his eyes and asked, "Where are we now?""It's a representation of the multiverse," K replied in a calm voice. "Each orb is a replica of a universe.""So this is how you visualize it," A said. "They all look different—their colors." The orbs were divided into nine colors. "Why are they all different?""To identify their original universe," K explained. "Each color represents a universe. The sub-branches of that universe share the same color as the original one."K started walking, and A followed him. "Each one of them has a unique identity. Maybe you don't understand how they work yet, but you will learn."A looked at one orb that appeared completely isolated—no other orbs were near it. "Why is this one different? Every other orb is surrounded by others. Why does this red orb look so isolated?""Because it has something different," K answered calmly, "something linked to my past."A looked at K. "Is that related to the girl?"K started walking again. "It isn't related to her. Come on. We have to reach the center by Wednesday."A said nothing. He kept turning to look at the red orb while following K. A few minutes later, A saw nine giant orbs at the center, forming a circle."They are the original universes," K said.A looked at them. They shone brighter than the others. Then the blue orb grew dull and disappeared. All the other blue orbs vanished as well.A stared in shock. "What just happened to them?"K took a moment before replying. "You just witnessed the phenomenon of a universe's death."A was too shocked to speak at first. K continued, "I know you have many questions. This is a common occurrence. Even the people of that universe chain never know they are dead."A finally managed to speak with hesitation. "What happens now?""Take deep breaths. Calm yourself. This phenomenon is common here. That universe will reappear in three… two… one…"As K finished the count, the blue orb reappeared. "It would normally take trillions of light-years for a universe to restart," K continued, "but because we are at this junction, we can watch it reset in just a few minutes."A looked at him. "Is it even possible to see something like this?""It is," K replied calmly. "After all, this unwritten land has no concept of time. The reason I brought you here, A, is because you wanted to understand the Master's potential and his pain. Look at these original universes and their sub-universes. The Master holds the memories of every single one of them."A looked around in shock. There were countless orbs. K snapped his fingers, and all the smaller orbs arranged themselves in lines behind the giant ones."Each of them," K said. "You only have two, and you cried like a child. Do you still think you're ready for this, A? There are countless memories, each with a different beginning and end. The Master has seen all of them."A remembered how K had explained the Master before. "Is that why you said the Master suffers from unbearable pain? How does he even stay stable with all of it?"K snapped his fingers again. The smaller orbs disappeared, leaving only the large ones. "We humans underestimate our brains so much. In simple terms, the Master has learned how to control his mind so he can suppress the unwanted memories of the sub-universes."Suddenly A realized something. He looked at the large orbs. "Wait—I understand now. The Master has access to all the other universes, which means he can test the outcome of every decision before he makes it. That's why he always knows how to manipulate people. He already knows how to plan his next move.""Maybe," K replied calmly, "but I don't think he needs to. After learning the truth of the world, controlling people becomes easy. Money, power, influence, war, religion, news, sympathy, greed, lust, and hope… Answer me this, A: if people no longer feared hell or wished for heaven, would they still help others the way they do now?"A paused and thought for a few minutes. "I think a lot of people would change, but the kind ones would still help.""Even if those people harm the kind ones?" K asked. "A, this world is not a fairy tale. Like I said before, if you give them the chance, even the kindest soul can become a demon. It's not easy to truly understand humans. Even if you trust someone with your whole heart, they will still betray you if they get the opportunity. Fascinating, isn't it? Humans create rules and then break them. Everyone knows every crime has a punishment under the law, yet people still commit crimes. Remove the law, and those who once feared it become fearless. Then what you see is a massacre—countless deaths."A's hands began to shake. He started sweating. The hands on his watch moved faster again."Are you scared," K asked, "or did you just receive a memory?"K snapped his fingers. The surroundings changed. A now stood in the middle of a city. He watched people killing one another. Blood covered the roads. He heard screams. He tried to find K, but K was gone. A started moving, his legs shaking.He saw one person kill another while saying, "Your face disgusts me. People like you don't deserve to live."A covered his ears and kept walking. Everywhere he looked, people were killing each other for no significant reason. As he walked, blood covered the road behind him. After ten minutes he sat down in the middle of the street. He was not crying—his tears were already gone. The screaming slowly faded until the last person died. Only silence remained, complete and terrifying.A looked around and saw no one. He stood up and began walking with no aim and no destination. A few minutes later, as he turned a corner, he saw a person pinned to a wall by iron rods. The person was dead. When A walked closer for a better look, he fell back in fear. He tried to stand but fell again.The person on the wall was him."Ho… how… what…?"A took deep breaths. "It's not me. Calm down. Calm down. It… it's my other self. Not me."He stood up, his body still shaking. With trembling legs he finally approached the body. Written on the wall were the words: The most useless person in the entire world. He doesn't deserve to live."Why me?"From the top of a building, K observed everything.
— End of Chapter 27 —