This is my sealed memory...
In the memory, I sat there blankly, holding Alice's body, stroking her soft golden hair, quietly watching the long dusk slip away.
There was a heavy, blocked feeling in my chest, yet my heart felt as though it had been pierced open, aching with a complexity that defied description. What a contradictory feeling it was.
I silently gazed at the back of "myself" sitting dazed on the sofa, a storm of emotions churning in my chest.
"Arthur, you really are just the pathetic coward everyone says you are..." I murmured to that "myself," but unfortunately, he could not hear me.
"I" sat there so quietly that even I could not guess what was going on in my own mind.
Was it grief over my daughter's passing? Or was it the guilt of failing to keep my promise to my wife? I asked myself these questions over and over again.
"Have you come..." I muttered, looking toward the window. A small bird, entirely golden in color, perched on the windowsill. It looked exactly like the one on the bedroom pendulum clock.
"You've done so much. What on earth is your goal?" I asked the little bird on the windowsill. It tilted its head to look at me, then suddenly opened its beak and spoke with a human voice: "It seems you have already discovered the truth of the matter, Arthur. Since you already know, I can give you the chance to ask three questions. You may ask me now."
"Who are you?"
"I have many names: the Daughter of Primordial, the Spirit of Floating Life... But I think 'golden owl' is the name you are most familiar with."
"So it really is true... You are the golden owl. I never imagined... that we would meet in this way."
"You don't seem shocked at all... Can you tell me why?" The golden owl wore a remarkably human expression of confusion. For some reason, I always felt that expression was somewhat familiar.
"Haven't we met once before? Come to think of it, if Gibbs hadn't told me that story, I truly wouldn't have connected you to everything happening behind the scenes. Sky bird that masters dreams and memories, to me... are you an enemy... or a friend?"
"What do you think?" The golden owl seemed to curve the corners of its beak into a human-like smile.
I said nothing, merely staring coldly at the golden owl standing and smiling on the windowsill. I changed the subject, asking, "What is your purpose in taking Alice away?"
"I don't think you need to know." The golden owl lowered its eyelids, looking as though it were deep in thought, or perhaps sinking into sorrow.
"Then do you think... I will let you take her away again?" I said coldly, my eyes filled with killing intent as my knuckles cracked from clenching my fists so tightly.
"You only need to know that I will do nothing to harm you or Alice. As for the rest, when the time is ripe, I will naturally tell you the whole truth." The golden owl hopped over to the "myself" sitting on the sofa and tugged at the corner of Alice's dress with its beak. Suddenly, its body burst forth with a brilliant golden radiance, its warm touch gently soothing my scarred and battered inner self. The "myself" on the sofa simply passed out, sinking deep into a dream...
"Farewell, Mr. Arthur." The golden owl shook its body, its form instantly expanding. It gently picked up Alice's small body by the corner of her dress, turned its head, and said to me, "Arthur, don't lose hope in life..." Its gaze was exceptionally tender, and for a moment, I felt as though I saw a familiar figure. It beat its wings and took flight, stirring up a gentle breeze that swept past the window frame into the sky. Its figure melted into the afterglow of the setting sun, blending with the sun itself until it finally vanished from my sight...
...
I snapped my eyes open. A warm liquid streaked across my cheek, hot and wet. Blood trickled down my face and dripped onto the floor, mingling with the red wine that had spilled across the boards.
I slowly sat up, my blurred vision gradually clearing. The first things I saw were the customers' looks of astonishment and disgust. Gibbs was crouching beside me, sweating anxiously from the panic. Seeing that I had regained consciousness, he finally showed a look of relief.
"Sutton! You went too far!" Gibbs turned his head to glare at Sutton, his voice laden with barely suppressed rage.
"Heh... Arthur, how have you fallen so far after all this time? To have grown this weak, what a disgrace..." Sutton sneered relentlessly.
Gibbs clenched his fists and started to stand up, but I pressed down on his shoulder, shook my head at him, and let him help me up.
"I'm sorry, Miss Betty, for making such a mess of this place... Please tally up the losses, and I will definitely come back tomorrow to compensate you." I clutched my chest; it was throbbing with numbness. Sutton's kick had been vicious, clearly intentional.
Amidst the wary gazes of the crowd, Gibbs supported me as I shuffled over to White. Looking at his bruised and battered face, a heavy wave of guilt washed over me. I apologized to White, saying, "I'm sorry, White..."
White turned his face away and simply waved a hand at me. "Tch... You little punk, you really went for the kill. You nearly scared the life out of your old man."
I could only offer a bitter smile, patted his shoulder, and said, "I'll buy you a drink sometime," before Gibbs helped me stumble out of the tavern under everyone's watchful eyes.
"Where to?" Gibbs asked.
"Mmm... home."
...
Home... could I still be considered a person with a home?
Staring at the familiar yet estranged wooden cabin standing quietly on the hillside in the distance, could that truly be called a home? It was nothing more than a house of mine.
I twisted the creaking wooden door open. The empty house was chillingly quiet. The little girl who used to laugh and run into my arms the moment she saw me come home was nowhere to be seen. The silent hallway, the deserted living room, the hollow bedroom—these things I feared the most had now become all that I had left...
Clara, what should I do...
Meanwhile, deep within the desolate forest, inside a cave somewhere high up a mountain...
A woman sat cross-legged deep within the cavern, her eyes closed in serene peace. Golden sunlight streamed down through an opening in the roof, casting an even more holy radiance upon her naturally golden hair. The woman possessed an ethereal, transcendent beauty. A few strands of slightly disheveled hair hung across her forehead, making her look all the more breathtaking and enchanting.
The woman's hair was a mix of gold and white, though the white threads were gradually fading away, replaced entirely by a golden hue. A small bird slowly descended from the cave opening, landing on the woman's shoulder. It chirped softly as it nuzzled and pecked at her earlobe. The woman's eyelids twitched slightly, and her nostrils flared as she breathed. "Is that so... Arthur knows..."
"It seems it is time..." The woman gently looped her arms together, and a sleeping young girl appeared cradled in her embrace.
"Alice, it's time to go home..."