Calypso’s mind was taut in knots, working out what to do now and what was going to be her new future.

The fact that the forest was coming to life didn’t really help.

Framed in the pulsating, stormy red night—the trees around the monster girls creaked to life. As the energy flooded within the roots, it was as if they also developed a quickening pulse. But said pulses were trapped within the stiff structure of the bark, so that movement was sudden, only shifted about within erratic burst.

Regardless of how slow and gradual it was, the trees were aiming directly at the trio. Surrounded them within enough time.

Gale stepped forward, and guarded Natalie and Calypso. Clapped her hands together and closed her eyes.

“Hahahaha—surely I’m totally gonna stop these guys, because they’re plants and I’m a plant, and I can finally be useful for once, right~?” There was a peppy bitterness in her voice.

She reached out, and the witch-like branches slowed to a halt.

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But only briefly.

They then continued forward, folded the smaller branches so they transformed into wooden spears, as they whistled through the air.

“Pffft, of course~!” Gale said, dejectedly.

Thankfully, Natalie continued to be the MVP of the trio.

The fly monster girl quickly fluttered to Gale’s side, and used all available might to rip the swamp monster girl from her stump that was once her legs.

Calypso had to act. Natalie could only bob and weave through the air with the added weight, and Gale lacked any legs now that she attempted to convene with nature.

She tried to summon her gemstone, to surge at the back of her hand. The veins bulged, the bones moved out of the way… Yet the process staggered. Stopped.

Calypso had to take matters into her own claws.

Taking a sharp, bone claw of the other hand, she used it to drag the back of the trembling hand open. Prying the already healing skin flaps to circle around the unearthed gem, stained with black blood.

As her scrunched face was quickly illuminated with a dull flash, Calypso knew that this moment was the mood setter.

Not only in pain mentally, but severely limited physically—just when she finally got a grasp over her magical powers. Due to the forced transformation of the Terrortide, on top of the barely contained anguish of possibly losing her family, Calypso was completely lessened.

She wished she could say in that moment. But she’s oddly expected this, by this point.