As his thoughts sank into the Remembrance once filtered by his brain but now surfacing clearly, Qi Zhimu finally understood where that familiar warmth came from.
It was his mother's embrace from childhood.
No worries, no anxieties; he could fall asleep in peace.
Qi Zhimu relaxed completely, his lips curling into a smile for the first time in 157 years.
Remembrance long sealed away now surged back like a tide.
So that's how it is... let it be.
"Pity only that you see not the joy and sorrow, sigh only that fate has placed us on different shores."
"The northern wind swirls snow, blowing down the blossoms; the past flutters by, disturbing the heartstrings."
"Ten thousand words cannot tell it all; only the empty lingering of Remembrance remains."
"In the end, solitary plum blossoms fill the cold years; the youth of that time can never be found again..."
At the moment Qi Zhimu's eyes were about to close, a tear slid from the corner of his eye, silently seeping into the ground.
"Clarice, thank you for staying with me until the very end..."
It's time for me to go.
Take care.
[Remaining Lifespan: 25 minutes 34 seconds → 0]
Clarice's attention was still on the poem Qi Zhimu had recited; the next second, after hearing his thanks, she realized he had stopped breathing in her arms.
Her arms trembling, she gently moved Qi Zhimu's head onto her lap.
A clean smile rested on his face, like a child who had finally let down all defenses and drifted into dreamland.
He passed away so peacefully.
Clarice's vision blurred, and large tears rolled down, falling onto Qi Zhimu's cheek.
Her fingers gently traced his profile as she spoke in a choked, raspy voice.
"...You almost became a liar again..."
You clearly said you knew when you would die and didn't need to celebrate your birthday early.
And the result?
In the end, you still didn't make it to 175.
Why... why wouldn't you stay a little longer, to feel a bit more of the warmth I gave you?
Clarice leaned down, her forehead gently resting against Qi Zhimu's.
The night was silent.
After a long time, Clarice's lips moved slightly, leaving a kiss on Qi Zhimu's cold lips.
Her fingertips brushed over his closed eyelids as she slowly straightened her back.
Just then, Qi Zhimu's youthful appearance began to fade, gradually reverting to that of a white-haired, peaceful-looking elderly man.
The night was still long.
Clarice took off her coat and gently covered Qi Zhimu with it, then looked up at the starry sky.
How she wished that not long ago, Mr. Qi had told her himself—
That after death, he would turn into a star and watch over her from the sky forever.
Lies can at least provide emotional solace, can't they... Clarice held Qi Zhimu like that until dawn.
The morning sun dispelled the long night, bringing warm light to all things that had endured the frost.
The morning glow fell upon the two in front of the Bamboo House, yet neither could feel the warmth.
"Life is a circuitous labyrinth; we have nothing but Remembrance."
A figure with an obscured face appeared quietly, stopping a few meters away.
Hearing the familiar words and the unfamiliar female voice, Clarice slowly looked up. Her eyes were dim, but she showed no surprise, only silence.
She had known for a long time that she had been chosen.
Being able to see the phantoms of past Remembrance before was the best proof.
"Do you want to remember him, to remember his life?"
"What price will I pay?" Clarice asked in return.
"Until you are willing to reveal yourself, people will have no way of knowing you exist."
"Just like how before people saw a Black Swan, they never knew swans could be more than just white?"
"Just like that."
"I understand."
"Are you willing to spend your entire life collecting Remembrance?"
"I am."
"Are you willing to give up your physical body for this and accept the mutation of your self?"
"I am."
"If one day you no longer exist, what will you leave to the world?"
"My Remembrance. There lie the seeds of the past, and they will be reborn in the future," Clarice answered.
In an instant, a gaze traveled across the sea of stars and landed on her.
"Welcome to the Garden of Recollection, Miss Clarice."
Some Remembrance is trivial and warm, some Remembrance is grand and vast.
Some Remembrance is as docile as a pet, some Remembrance is as uncontrollable as a wild beast.
The moment Clarice became a Memokeeper, her Remembrance became quiet and peaceful, as if surging waves had found their own harbor.
"Call me Black Swan."
Before the day of reunion arrives, people have always thought the past meant a final farewell.
Swans are not only white, and saying goodbye might not necessarily be a final farewell.
The member of the Garden of Recollection who guided her nodded, and their figure then faded away, leaving quietly.
The tenderness in Clarice's... no... Black Swan's eyes, reserved only for Qi Zhimu, grew even deeper now.
Countless fragments of Remembrance swirled around her, eventually vanishing.
They hadn't disappeared; instead, they had become a seed.
People think they are facing the present and the future, yet no one knows that everyone is actually walking toward the past.
"Mr. Qi, I can finally engrave you in my heart... for all eternity."
Black Swan picked up Qi Zhimu, her feet leaving the ground as she floated back to the Bamboo House to do one last thing for him.
—Buried under the plum blossoms, returned to the dust.
This was his final wish.
The entrance to the folded space inside the Bamboo House was still hidden, but Black Swan could now enter it without any hindrance.
There lay the place of eternal rest that Qi Zhimu had prepared for himself.
"Meow..."
Seeing Little Orange, a flash of sorrow crossed Black Swan's face.
"...You're here too..."
She carefully laid down Qi Zhimu's body, and Little Orange jumped up, rubbing its head against his cold cheek.
"Meow..."
Its voice was trembling; it was grieving.
Black Swan took a deep breath and brought Qi Zhimu's belongings: a White Coat and a type of chinese lute.
She carefully folded the White Coat and placed it beside him along with a type of chinese lute.
Having finished this, she gazed at that aged face, lost in thought.
"I'm sorry, I cannot accept fate as calmly as you did..."
"I'm sorry, I took your Remembrance, only to selfishly keep you in my heart forever..."
"If you have a next life, and we can meet again, I hope you can say to me, 'Long time no see'..."
After an unknown amount of time, Black Swan's finger, hovering over the start button, finally pressed down gently.
The entrance opened, revealing the dark space within.
Watching Qi Zhimu's body being slowly sent inside, she closed her eyes.
The hatch closed, and flames ignited inside, completely engulfing Qi Zhimu's body.
Sending off a loved one with one's own hands is perhaps the most painful thing in the world.
But no matter how painful it was, she would see it through... because she already possessed everything about him.
For Mr. Qi, today was the Great Cold, his birthday, and the anniversary of his death... A few hours later, Black Swan, holding the urn, appeared before the old plum tree at the top of the back mountain.
It was midday, and the winter sun shone upon the plum blossoms covering the mountain; the scenery was like a dream.
"You originally... intended to pick plum blossoms today, didn't you..."
In the end, it was missed.
After burying Qi Zhimu, Black Swan erected a stone tablet for him.
After a long silence, she finally let out a sigh filled with complexity.
Her fingertip traced in the air, and five words appeared on the surface of the tablet.
[Tomb of Qi Zhimu]
The wind picked up, swirling down plum blossom petals and sending them toward the stone tablet.
An orange figure darted out from behind and crouched at the base of the stone tablet.
A person and a cat bathed in the warm sun, keeping watch there.
For a long, long time...