Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 91-

Day: 121

Days Left: 5359

Lives Saved: 0

The walk to the Land of the Lost felt as if it went quicker than usual due to Corinna's mind being occupied with thoughts of Rin. So distracted by their argument from earlier, Corinna didn't notice the creature nearby until it was too late.

She froze, finally spotting the amphibian a few metres away from her, its scaly body hunched and crouched, its back facing her. Fortunately, its attention was taken by something else, something in the shallow pool of water in the marshland. Every once in a while, the amphibian gingerly reached out to the pool then it flinched upon touching the water, retreating backwards and clawing at its face with its webbed hands.

Corinna watched out of caution, wondering if she could sneak past the distressed creature whilst it was occupied. So long as she stayed outside of its eyesight, she reckoned she would be safe. Treading carefully on the damp and waterlogged grass, Corinna curved around the amphibian, remaining at a distance so as not to be heard. When she had almost arrived behind a hill, out of view from the creature, she heard a whimpering noise. Hiding behind the grassy mound, Corinna glanced back and saw the amphibian cradling its face in its webbed hands as if it was crying. It shrieked at the shallow pool of water then collapsed onto the ground, curling up into a ball, its dorsal fin and antennae spiking out.

'There are no monsters in The Eternal Abyss'.

Ivette's words appeared inside Corinna's mind. That creature wasn't a monster. It was human just like her, and it was suffering.

Hesitating, Corinna considered whether or not to leave it or help the amphibian. It did once try to attack her but so had Harmony. Treating everyone you meet with hostility and distrust was the standard in the Eternal Abyss. It was the way to survive. Perhaps the amphibian had only attacked her because it had deemed her a threat to its life. Then again, the people down here were imprisoned for a reason, because they had committed a crime so horrendous... or treason against the crown.

Just as she was about to leave the amphibian to its own devices, the thoughts of Jessica invaded Corinna's head: how she had woken up alone and afraid, trapped underneath the rubble, how all she had wanted was someone to be there for her. And then there was Harmony. Her loneliness was strikingly obvious to Corinna. She had become so isolated from everyone else that she had lost the ability to speak. The Eternal Abyss may be an unforgiving wasteland, one that no one could conquer, but having someone standing beside you, someone to help you, made a huge difference. It kept you from turning into a monster forever. And now that she thought about it, Corinna had never seen the amphibian with anyone. Everyone else had formed groups or pairs, but the amphibian was always alone.

Without her even realising, Corinna's body had already begun moving over to the amphibian, who still remained sobbing on the ground. Carefully approaching the snivelling creature, Corinna craned her neck to see what had caused so much distress and pain when she saw something shine in the shallow water. It was a silver rattle with embellishments of flowers and vines. This wasn't a toy for just any ordinary infant, Corinna pondered, her eyes widening when she realised that it was actually made of silver.

Could this have been what the amphibian was upset about? Why couldn't it just have simply reached in and grabbed it? How is it scared of water when it was a literal fish monster?

Regardless of those questions, Corinna plucked the silver rattle out of the shallow pond, the water barely reaching her elbow. As she took it out, the rattle jingled, a sound akin to a soft gust gently causing a wind chime to sway. The noise caught the amphibian's attention, and it jolted upwards, its large circular eyes gazing at the rattle in Corinna's hands.

The young woman, making sure to not make any sudden movements to avoid startling the creature, slowly placed the rattle down on the grass before it. After a long moment of staring back and forth between Corinna and the toy, the amphibian finally picked the rattle up. It cradled it in its hands as if it was the most delicate and precious object in existence. Despite the amphibian unable to smile due to its teeth and lipless mouth, Corinna could tell it was happy, seeing its eyes brighten and soften as it tenderly listened closely to the rattle's sweet chime.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Corinna turned to head back to the Land of the Lost when a hand grabbed her wrist. She gasped and spun around, pointing her spear at the amphibian. It still clung to her but cowered before the blade at its throat. No... it wasn't cowering. The amphibian was bowing, its other hand behind its back, knees the correct distance apart. It was a perfect and immaculate bow, one that many of Corinna's relatives had to perform as they served under royalty and nobility and she too had to learn. But never before had she seen it done so gracefully. Corinna lowered her spear, now realising that the creature was merely thanking her.

The amphibian raised its head and stood tall and straight for the first time, its posture surprisingly flawless with an odd sense of grandeur and discipline. Then, the creature returned back to its original stance: doubled over and crouching like an ape, fascinated by the rattle once again.

*

Corinna eventually made it to the Land of the Lost. Harmony greeted her with a hug and a hurried flurry of apologies.

"I'm sorry," said Harmony, finally releasing Corinna from her embrace. "I completely lost track of time again. I know I did that yesterday and the day before-"

"It's okay." Corinna smiled. "I'm fine, honestly."

"No, it's not fine." Harmony pouted. "You shouldn't have to walk by yourself. It's too dangerous without a mask-"

"You don't have one either-" Corinna clasped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No, no. You're right." Harmony glanced down at the ground. "I... I shouldn't be myself either. I just..."

"Need to find your mask." Corinna nodded. After a moment of silence, they headed back to the house.