"—Abyss, Abyss...!"
"Hm...? Ah, Lost. My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment."
Abyss, who had been reflecting on his past, slowly opened his eyes and turned toward the voice calling his name. He offered a smile full of unshakeable composure to Lost, who stood waiting behind him.
"By 'lost in thought,' do you mean about what comes next?" Lost asked. "Since you went through the trouble of standing upon the stage yourself, I assume you were confirming the steps necessary to lead this to the grandest possible finale?"
"Well, something like that. The conclusion of the story is mine to decide... It is a delightful sensation, being able to reshape the World as I please with but a single Word."
Abyss’s lips curled into a dark smirk as he addressed Lost. After a brief shrug, Lost threw out a follow-up question.
"By the way, regarding those three Reincarnators you scouted. You told them you’d give them everything in this world... Were you actually serious?"
"Ahahaha! Of course! I do not tell lies. I intend to present my collaborators with everything this world has to offer, Clear Plates included! ...However—"
Abyss paused, a shadowy, sinister glint appearing in his eyes. With a face drenched in sheer ecstasy, he looked directly at Lost.
"There is no guarantee they won't tear each other apart for the world I have gifted them. Should that happen, I intend to manage them with the appropriate finesse."
"...So you mean you’ll drag their conflict into a quagmire," Lost countered, "allowing the aftershocks of their war to systematically destroy the world? Is that it?"
"Precisely. They will be so blinded by the enemies before them that by the time the dust settles, only a collapsed husk of a world will remain—one where every person and every object has vanished. When I imagine them stranded in such a wasteland, I simply cannot stop laughing!"
Lost watched with cold, detached eyes as Abyss clutched his stomach and erupted into uproarious laughter. Perhaps sensing the chill in the air, Abyss eventually cut his theatrical display short and adopted a more provocative tone.
"I suppose this is quite unsatisfactory for you. As someone rooting for that exception named Yugo to succeed, it must be unbearably disappointing to see his story end like this. But... this is our role. You’ll simply have to accept it."
"...I don't particularly find it disappointing," Lost replied calmly. "It hasn't been decided yet that your plan will succeed, after all."
"Oh? From the way you speak, do you actually believe I could be defeated by him?"
"The possibility isn't zero, is it? Even you must realize that an Uncertain Element still remains."
"Hahahahaha...! Lost, what you say isn't wrong. However, the chance of that leading to the destruction of my stage is about the same as finding a single diamond in a vast desert... In other words, it is impossible. It would be kinder to yourself to simply give up now so you won't be so let down later, don't you think?"
"...Don't you know, Abyss? A Hero never gives up. If you continue to underestimate Yugo's will and explosive power, you might just find the rug pulled out from under you."
As Lost spoke, it was clear he truly believed in Yugo’s victory. His gaze and the resonance of his voice spoke volumes.
Abyss had found Lost irritating for a long time, but today he felt that annoyance more acutely than ever. Without letting his internal loathing show in his gestures, Abyss maintained his spiteful grin.
"Well, well... thank you for the warning. Now, I should be going. Consider this a token of gratitude for your assistance thus far. I shall ensure you have a front-row seat to the end of this world."
"...Thank you. I suppose I should say, have a good apocalypse."
After their brief exchange, Abyss vanished into the darkness.
Drop appeared almost the instant he departed. She turned to Lost, who was still staring sharply at the space where Abyss had been standing.
"Hey, Lost. Do you seriously think Abyss's Script can be overturned from here? Is that 'Uncertain Element' you mentioned really such a big deal?"
"It is both massive and minuscule," Lost replied. "But Abyss is right about one thing—stopping a plan backed by such immense power would require a succession of literal miracles."
With that, Lost turned on his heel and began to walk away. Drop, who had assumed they were staying to watch the opening act of Abyss’s Show, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Wait, where are you going? Don't tell me you... are going to break the rules?"
"...Now, I wonder. I just have something I want to do, that's all."
"Something you want to do? Like what?"
In response to Drop’s natural skepticism, Lost looked back and flashed a playful, enigmatic smile. He looked straight at the bewildered girl and answered in a lively, upbeat voice.
"It’s a classic development for a Hero Movie—the kind they always pull during a Program Reshuffle Period."