"No," Leora said. "Ghosts are monsters. They aren't the souls of the dead. Emily's the exception. She's the first of her kind.
"When she died and turned into a ghost, she lost her memories... but her experiences are embedded into her soul. She doesn't remember her family or what happened, but those feelings remain."
"So that's why she loses control when she sees me injured."
Isaac glanced down, thoughtful.
"Exactly," Leora said. "That instinct comes from loss. She might not recall it consciously, but the emotions linger in her soul."
There were so many questions he wanted to ask. What was the Netherworld? Why had it been destroyed? And—
He blinked. Something just clicked.
'How much time has passed since Netherworld was destroyed?'
'Leora just explained that Emily and her family were all Apex-rank species. But all Apex-rank species went extinct when the apocalypse arrived.'
'Emily's status says she was 19 when she died. But it doesn't say her actual age.'
'How old is Emily?'
