Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 74-

Day: 85

Days Left: 5395

Lives Saved: 0

"So, you two made up in the end?" Sumit asked as he cleaned and polished a pile of assorted cutlery with a cloth.

"Not exactly..." mumbled Corinna, pausing to add any new additions to her notebook of memories.

It had been over a week since her argument with Harmony, and neither had mentioned it, refusing to start up another fight. Harmony continued to wait on the rock spire summit for the portal to open despite how weak the tower had become. Not wishing to see her getting hurt, Corinna, for the last few days, decided to spend her time at Ivette's instead of at the beach. She knew that it wasn't a wise idea for if Harmony did fall again, there would be no one there to save her. But the chimaera had persuaded her that she would be safe though Corinna still had her doubts.

"You sure you should be here?" Sumit paused in cleaning a fork, noticing the young woman's blank and expressionless face. "Don't you want to say goodbye and everything if she manages to escape?"

Corinna clutched her notebook tightly. "I think it's best if I wasn't around. Last time she didn't make it because she got worried about me. The time before that she didn't escape because of me too. If I wasn't here, then Harmony would be free. She would be have been free ages ago."

Sumit remained quiet, focused on Corinna and on what to say.

"You should be with her," said a voice.

Corinna and Sumit both turned around and saw Rin carrying a small stack of books and wearing her mask. The black writing shifted and melted into each other like ink dropping into water.

"You'll regret it if you don't," Rin continued. "If she escapes and you never made up or told her how you feel."

For a moment, Corinna caught an expression on Sumit's face. It was something forlorn, yet somehow gentle and controlled as if he was fighting it back. This expression died the instant it was born, and Sumit snapped back to his usual mischievous smirking self.

He gazed at Corinna, his smile small and slight yet still full of warmth. "You should talk to her."

"But what if we end up arguing again?" asked Corinna.

"You can't avoid conflict forever," said Rin. "It can't always be happy and carefree."

After a moment of pause, Corinna looked up at the masked women. "You're right," she said with a smile. "I don't want her to leave without saying goodbye." Standing up, she thanked Rin and Sumit for their advice. Before she left, Ivette tugged at her sleeve.

"Before you talk to Harmony," Ivette spoke in a hushed voice. "There's someone you should meet first."

"Who?" asked Corinna, concerned and cautious by the serious tone of the old trader's voice.

"His name is Salim. He lives not so far from here, just a few minutes away."

"Why do I need to meet him now?" Corinna asked, trying her best to not sound impolite.

"I'm sorry. I should have sent you to him the first time we met."

"Why?"

"He can help you with keeping your memories intact," replied Ivette. Then after a moment of hesitation continued, "and can tell you more about Harmony."

*

Corinna followed Ivette's directions to where Salim lived, all the while passing a tennis ball in between her hands. She was unsure why Ivette gave it to her. Perhaps she would need it to exchange for advice?

Eventually, she reached the destination, seeing a multi-coloured tent pitched in the cover of large moss-covered rocks. Outside of the tent, was an old man heating a kettle over a camp-fire and sat beside him was a rottweiler, which appeared to be asleep.

The man had olive skin with his hair wrapped in a cream material that looked like it used to be a duvet cover before it was adapted into a headscarf. Consuming his entire jawline was a thin silver beard that was neatly combed. The rest of his outfit matched the colour of his scarf but not in the same style as he wore what looked like jogging bottoms and a hoodie that said 'respect the beard'.

As she approached, the man finally noticed Corinna's presence and turned his head.

"Good afternoon," Salim said, nodding in greeting.

"Good afternoon," Corinna replied, her politeness on auto-pilot.

"Blonde hair and freckles... I assume you must be Corinna."

"Ah, yes! That's me," said Corinna. "Ivette tell you about me?"

"Yes, correct. My name is Salim." He motioned to a cushion on the other side of the camp-fire. "Please sit. I trust that you are still new to the Eternal Abyss and wish to hold onto your memories?"

Corinna nodded as she sat down on the cushion. Her eyes glanced at the asleep rottweiler and finally realised why Ivette told her to bring a ball. She handed it over to Salim, who thanked her, and he placed the ball to the side.

"Have you been writing your memories down?" asked Salim.

After retrieving her notebook from her rucksack, Corinna passed it over to the old man.

"Impressive." Salim nodded in admiration as he flicked through the pages, then handed it back. "Most prisoners only manage a sheet of paper. Were you told earlier on about the curse?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been imprisoned?"

"About eighty days."

"And how much of your memories are still intact?"

"I can't remember the small things but everything in my notebook I still can."

"Truly? How fortunate. You must have an impeccable memory. After two months, usually, everyone forgets their entire life."

"Do you not remember anything about your life?" asked Corinna, caressing the brand on her nape.

"Not a thing. Though I do have a photographic memory. It took several years for the curse to finally work on me. However, before then, I managed to chronicle my entire life in detail." He motioned to a large stack of books. Noticing the young woman's bewilderment and shock, Salim explained, "of course, they're not all mine." He picked up a tome that must have been at least eight-hundred pages. "This is my life before the Abyss." Then he picked up an even larger one. "And this is my life in the Abyss. The rest are other prisoners' memories that I have kept safe for them."

"You must have been here a long time..." Corinna stared at the books, then glanced down to her notebook.

"Only one-hundred-and-sixty-six years." Salim waved his hand dismissively. "I know others who have been here longer. What is her name now? Harmony- yes, that was it. She was here before I arrived. And that fish monster too. He's been-"

"Wait, what?" Corinna interrupted, believing that she had must have misheard him. "Harmony's only been here two years."

Salim was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No," he replied. "She has been here for far longer than that."