Harm and Harmony

-Chapter 78-

Day: 97

Days Left: 5383

Lives Saved: 0

Though they had reached an accord, there was still an apparent awkwardness between Corinna and Harmony. During the blood moon, they had spent their days locked indoors, as usual; however, their board games and dancing seemed ineffectual at lightening the mood. They flinched at each other's touch and avoided direct eye contact, choosing to focus on the walls or the ground. Their argument lingered in the air, still silently continuing in their minds. Neither of them was satisfied with the outcome, only temporarily relieved that the dispute was on hold.

Harmony still continued to wait on top of the rock spire for the portal to open. Corinna still continued to wait on the beach for her to return back to the ground.

Whilst perching on the summit, Harmony repaired the fallen bridge and created additional supports. Remembering her failure from before, she rested her head in her palms, her fingers becoming trapped in her tangled black fur. She had hesitated, faltered when Corinna had smiled. Against all logic, she did not tell her to leave. Her eyes were drawn back down to the surface, where Corinna sat on the sand, humming a repetitive tune whilst writing in her notebook.

It would be best for both of them if they stopped living together.

It would be best if Corinna left.

Corinna noticed Harmony looking down at her and waved back.

Harmony whipped around, forcing herself to concentrate on her escape plan but she couldn't. Her eyes would always glance back to Corinna, checking the shore in case the imps would return.

Dropping her tools, Harmony hands reached to the back of her neck, the talons scratching and scraping at the skin until it bled. The night when they first met crept into Harmony's mind, how she had almost escaped, how Corinna had prevented her, how Harmony wanted to kill her. She played this memory on loop in her head, fueling her desire to escape. She no longer looked back down at Corinna.

Her mind only yearned for one thing, and one thing only.

Corinna, from down on the surface, gazed up and watched Harmony work. Her mind became so distracted and lost in thought that she stopped writing altogether. It was only until the notebook slipped off her lap that she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

If she ever stopped thinking about her family, she soon found herself forgetting one of her relatives completely. She would find their name in her family tree, feeling as if she knew them, but the name felt strange and new on her lips. Repeating their names over and over sometimes helped, salvaging fragments of her memory. Still, the majority of the time they were unrecoverable, leaving a void in her mind where they should belong.

A cluster of rocks from the spire collapsed into the ocean, sending cracks that travelled upwards to the chimaera.

"Harmony!"

The ground crumbled underneath Harmony's feet. She grabbed the edge, but that too broke and she fell. The harness caught her, and she struck the side of the rock tower, hanging from the rope. Harmony looked down, seeing Corinna below at the foot of the spire calling out her name. Ignoring her, Harmony climbed back up to the summit against Corinna's behest.

"Harmony!" Corinna begged. "Harmony! It's no longer safe! Get down, please!"

Harmony sat back down on the summit, relieved that her constructions were undamaged. Her escape plan was still in operation.

The wind began to howl, drowning out Corinna's voice. Harmony clung to the harness, digging her claws into the earth to keep herself grounded.

Corinna continued to plead for Harmony to come down, no matter how futile she realised it was. She snapped around, realising that she had left her notebook on the sand. Hesitating, glancing back at Harmony, Corinna dashed towards her notebook. A gust of air flipped the notebook over then it slid across the sand. The wind pushing on her back, Corinna lept closer to it, she plunged her spear into the sand, holding onto it with one hand and reaching out to her notebook with the other. Once she had caught it, she brought it close to her chest, cradling the notebook in her arms. She pocketed it safely into her backpack then looked back at Harmony, seeing her struggling to fight against the wind.

Harmony heard Corinna's voice breaking through the howling of the wind. She glanced down, seeing Corinna clutching desperately onto her spear that was embedded into the sand. Her feet left the ground briefly, but she managed to pull herself back in by kneeling down on the sand.

"Please! We need to go!" Corinna yelled. The sand irritated her eyes, their invasion causing her eyelids to flicker and twitch sporadically. She wiped them away with her sleeve, pulled her hood up, and closed her eyes.

Something seized her arm. Claws pierced into her skin.

She opened her eyes, finding Harmony grabbing hold of her.

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