Calm and Calamity

Chapter 66

'Salim suggested that I write some of my memories down in case I ever lose them. I don't know what to write. Honestly, I think it's a bit too late for that as I've already lost my memories to the curse. However, Salim believes that I might actually make some good moments that I want to remember. How he thinks I'll find any sort of happiness in the Eternal Abyss is beyond me...'

Harmony froze, her heart catching a beat.

But that wasn't possible.

That was handwriting, and yet she did not remember writing any of this. Not only that, but the name above it was 'Sky' not 'Harmony'. So perhaps she and Sky just had similar handwriting; yes, that must be it.

On the second page was someone else's handwriting:

4: Sky

'Sky found out about the truth, and yet she continues to believe that she can escape from here. I promised Sky that I would keep her memories safe for her, and I shall stick to that promise. Though I failed her before, I wish to make this one thing right. Below this, I shall record our time together when she was Sky and the people she was before.

-Salim.

Salim...

So, this Sky seemed to be an acquaintance of his. But what did he mean by 'the people she was before'?

Harmony continued to read, discovering that Sky and Salim worked together to try and escape from the Eternal Abyss but always failed. Salim had given up, yet Sky was too stubborn and continued her attempts, leaving him behind.

Turning the next page, there was a new chapter titled: 5: Rowan.

Again, it was Salim's handwriting. It was like he was writing about the same person before, only with a different name. This Sky and Rowan were both dancers and desired to escape, ultimately leaving Salim alone when they learned about 'the truth'.

Harmony flicked through the pages, seeing that all of the chapters had a different name next to them but with the same person in the drawings and paintings, a person that looked exactly like her.

Some sections were not written by Salim but by names that Harmony did not recognise. They wrote about their time together with this person and then left behind for various reasons whilst the other tried to escape the Abyss.

Chapters 26 to 28 were written by Ivette, though again supposedly about different people due to the other names, yet they sounded like the same person. Ivette wrote about growing the first successful cutting of the Abyss Plant with Maria, establishing the trading post with Emerald, and finally, the short section of her days with Flora. All three of them left Ivette to escape.

Afterwards, the two sections were with Reggie, written by Salim; one about a girl called Willow and the other about Viola.

Harmony turned the next page and found it blank save for the heading at the top:

31: Harmony.

*

With the repairs finally finished, everyone involved packed everything up before leaving to their own devices, mainly to rest. Corinna, on the other hand, did not want to relax and wanted to keep working. She had spent so many days recently just cooped up inside doing nothing practical or valuable to the community, so she decided to make up for all that time.

As a homebody, Corinna had plotted through several new projects and designs, one of them being a slight adjustment to the irrigation system for the Abyss Plants that should improve the potency by two per cent.