The Abyss.
　I was there again.

　There was a big eyeball in front of me. Underneath the eyeball was still the mouth that had come out when we parted before.

'I can't believe you're here again. You're so weak, you too.
I'm gonna need your help...

　I said at the opening.

'I was hoping you'd say that.
Can I borrow it?
'Yeah, but I can't help you any further without telling you everything. You're quite a pain in the ass, aren't you? I am.
What's the story?
About the mark, about myself, and about all the things I'm going to do. I can't help you unless you let me hear it and shake your head.
....

　I'm not sure what you mean. But I decided not to ask any questions and just listen to what the eyeball said quietly.

First of all, let me tell you what I am. I am the Abyss King, the ruler of this Abyss. But since there is basically no one else in here but me, there is nothing to control or anything else.

　This centerpiece is called the Abyssal King. It's a name that is as it sounds.

"I'm the one who can't leave the Abyss. Every day I'm bored, until one day, a human enters the abyss. A human infiltrated the Abyss. By accident. I was the one who carved the mark on that thing. It's the same as the one on you. The moment I made the mark, the human was mysteriously endangered more often than not. And every time he thought he was going to die, he would come to me, and I would help him. And guess what. My consciousness and his consciousness became one and the same, and eventually his consciousness became no different from mine.

　Hey, what are you talking about? Identification?　And because of the imprint on it, is there more at stake?　
　Does that mean that with this imprint, I'm more likely to encounter situations like this that make me want to ask for this guy's help?

He's outside the Abyss now, but I can know what he sees and hears. I can control that person at will. Already that person can't move his or her body at will.
Well, wait. This is your conscious mind talking to me.
My consciousness can be in many places at the same time. Well, that's a hard feeling for a human to understand.
'So what's your point?'
'If I help you any longer, I'll have control over your body.
''Is that why you were helping me?''
Yes. My goal is to rule the world outside the Abyss. Well, I can't do that now, because if I try to do that, there are people who won't shut up. I'm in way over my head. We want you as our new handmaiden.

　This guy wasn't supposed to be good, and it seems he was right.
　He was evil.

'Why did you flatter me? Why didn't you just shut up and lend me a hand?
If you don't explain it to them and convince them, it can go wrong. There are cases where the original person's consciousness remains intact for a little while, and they behave in ways that were not expected. The Black Knight, for example, is a failure. He was a failure. I can make you carve a mark, but it's too risky to do anything else.
What are these brave men? Are they your pawns?
'No, no, no. 'It's a little difficult for me to hunt you down with my pawns because of the circumstances. Well, with that imprint, you're automatically hunted down. So there's no need for me to do anything about it.

　I knew it. Is the mere presence of this imprint supposed to bring danger to me?

''Well I'll ask you one last question. Why me?
''That's because you have [corpse absorption]. There are people in this world who have unique and powerful skills that others will never have. I call those people the Irregulars. Only these irregulars can carve my mark. All skills possessed by heretics (irregulars) are skills that have passed the test of time, so just like [corpse absorption], there are some restrictions on them. By using my power to break this restriction, I'm giving power to the Divergent (Irregular). Also, a female heretic (irregular) occurred at the same time as you, right?　Riko Satomi, was her name?　I'm engraving on that one, too. I haven't been as miserable as you are yet, but it's probably only a matter of time before it's too late. Well, it's none of your business anymore. You didn't have to make me listen to it.

　Perhaps it was because he was confident that he could make my body his own from now on, the Abyssal King (Abyss King) said.

''So?　What do we do?　Do you need my help?
....
What's the answer?　Because we're here. The only people who can come here are those who want to help you, no matter what. The only people who can come here are those who have something they want to sacrifice themselves to achieve.
Even if you take my body, that doesn't mean you'll kill a brave man for it.
I'll kill him. He's too strong. I don't see any reason not to kill him and absorb him.
"What about Mek and Raina?
"You give me your body, and I'll save you. Well, believe it or not, that's your choice.
....
What do you want to do?

　I didn't pause at all.

I need your help.

　I asked.