The monster eventually came into focus, right in front of Calypso. Tellingly, the fact it remained still brought a more palpable sense of dread than it immediately attacking.

But as it stood there… Calypso realized that she wasn’t quite “seeing” it. In fact, her point of view was this fixed position. The scene around her was hazy, featureless. She wasn’t sure if she was truly “there”.

But the monster was. The Grim Subsumed, the thing that was meant to be dead within her, very much alive.

Same lurching frame. Same composition, bone that was made whole by decomposing moss and rot. Same melted skull, despite possessing no eyes or lips, the shape of the sockets and how the jaw was barely hanging on gave this frozen expression of agony. Same haggard breathing that never made sense in the first place. But now, Calypso can see that as it subtly rose with the staggered intakes of air, the bones themselves began to swell before thinning.

Gazing upon the threat almost… Had a hypnotic quality that Calypso couldn’t explain. Luring her in…

***

“—Please Ms. Grimes, stay with me, you have to stay alive this time…”

Calypso belted out a hoarse cough, that causing her vision to focus on her professor. Covered in sweat and black blood. Her glasses off, her brow furrowed tensely despite the attempt with the rest of her face to keep still, calm.

“I need you to listen to me—can you understand me?”

Calypso tried to nod, and a scream tore through her throat for good measure.

“This isn’t your fault. I meant—so many things I still have to teach you… You’ve transformed—in quick succession with not enough time in the interim, your halves begin to merge erratically—and this isn’t your fault…”

The professor raised Calypso’s arm into her blurry field of vision. It was just a skeletal arm. No flesh, no semblance or sign that it had some hint of life before. And yet it twitched once Calypso tried to move it.

“This is the worst-case scenario, dear… I’m afraid—I’m afraid I have to tear apart all the longstanding deformities, one by one. Okay? This is going to be painful, but I need you to stay with me so you can heal properly.”

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Calypso tried to move her head once more, and immediately grasped the nature of how it hurt like hell. The entire right side of it, whatever state it was in, was digging directly into her human half. Upon listening to her pained pants, she heard the air whistle from her throat, leaving a lot to the imagination.

“It’s okay dear, it’s going to be okay…” Mrs. Moses tried her best to soothe her student. “You’re the last one—I’ve already helped Ms. Pratchett and Ms. Noel… You can much faster than them, it’ll be done before you know it…”

There was a sickening crackle, that resulted from a vicious tug.

The last thing Calypso took in was the image of her professor throwing away her skeletal arm.

***

The Grim Subsumed loomed over her. Despite lacking a body in any traditional sense, she felt the haggard breath hitting against her trembling skin. Can feel the malintent radiating from its body.

It couldn’t speak, probably couldn’t without stealing Calypso’s tongue. But she did hear something. She heard its pleas.

Give in.

There’s no point, now.

You’ve done everything that you could have.

Now surrender to it. The death you still crave.

***

“—Calypso, please! You’re stronger than this—you have to keep awake!” as Mrs. Moses tore away the skull that grew outside of her head.

***

All Calypso could see was the face of her skeletal demon.

Isn’t this how you started?

Laying down—someone forcing you to stay?

Wouldn’t it have been better if you did give up, then?

Right that wrong. End what has been terrible choice after terrible choice.

***

With trembling fingers, Mrs. Moses forced Calypso’s left eye open by prying the eyelids back. And kept stretching them, trying in vain to keep this horrible process somewhat humane.

“Forgive me, Calypso.”

A sudden shift to darkness was accompanied by a wet squelch.

***

It was nothing but the empty sockets.

Face your sad reality. There is nothing but pain and sorrow like this, in your every waking moment.

Face this truth, so you can finally be free.

You could even meet her again.

You could meet your father again.

Now fall.

Fall into the lull of the void. And it will embrace you and give you the closure you never had.

***

Calypso found herself in a death grip, instantly tensed as a result.

But considering the… Warmth, the smell of scented lotions with a twinge of outdoors.

She didn’t need her eyes to focus, to know that it was her cousin.

Calypso felt the tears brewing, herself shaking with this surge of relief.

“It’s okay, Cal…” Sal assured her with a wavering joy in her tone. “Yer safe now.”