Chapter 624 Prophecy
Alina looked down at Boo.
The little ghost was still sleeping, unaware of the revelation happening around him. Unaware that the priest who visited him, who brought him toys, who let him talk for hours about nothing, was his father.
Her heart ached.
She looked up.
Sir Santo was walking away.
He was moving toward the door, toward the hallway, toward Class D. His steps were slow, heavy, as if each one cost him something. His wings dragged behind him, and his halo flickered like a candle in the wind.
"Wait," Alina said.
She gently transferred Boo to Miss Kelly’s arms.
"Take care of him," she said.
Miss Kelly nodded, holding the sleeping ghost close.
Alina ran after Sir Santo.
She caught up to him in the hallway, near the door to Class D. The corridor was empty and dark, lit only by the faint glow of the priest’s dim halo.
"Wait," she said again, breathless.
Sir Santo stopped.
He didn’t turn around.
"What?" he asked, his voice flat.
Alina stepped closer.
"Want to know?" he said, still not looking at her. "Is that why you followed me?"
"Yes," Alina said without hesitation. "I want to know."
Sir Santo was silent for a moment.
Then he turned.
His eyes were distant, unfocused, looking at something far away, something only he could see.
"I lost him," he muttered.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"We were living a happy life. My wife, my son, and me. We were happy. So happy."
His hands trembled.
"But because of the earth Worms, I lost him. I lost my wife. I lost everything."
His voice cracked.
"I had no power back then. I was just a man. Just a husband. Just a father. I couldn’t protect them. I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t do anything."
Alina’s eyes filled with tears. She felt bad for his family and Boo. No one should go through this, and she had no idea how he handled such a situation. If she were him, she would have broken down.
Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Sir Santo went rigid.
His wings stiffened. His hands hovered in the air, uncertain.
"I’m so sorry," Alina whispered. "I’m so sorry."
For a moment, she thought he might break. She thought he might collapse, might cry, might finally let go of the grief he had been carrying for years.
But he didn’t. He pushed her away gently but firmly.
"Don’t," he said, his voice cold. "I don’t need pity."
His eyes met hers.
"And don’t hug me. Except for my wife, no one touches me. No one."
Alina stepped back, raising her hands in surrender.
"I’m sorry," she said. "I didn’t mean to—"
"I know," he interrupted. "But I cannot, I will not, accept comfort from anyone else. Not until I find her."
Alina frowned.
"Her?"
Sir Santo didn’t answer.
He looked toward the window, toward the dark sky.
"So Boo’s soul..." Alina said slowly, the pieces still clicking into place. "That’s why he was in the ghost tower."
Sir Santo nodded.
"But why didn’t you send him to be reborn?" she asked. "Why keep him as a ghost?"
Sir Santo’s jaw tightened.
"I kept my son’s soul with guardian ghosts in the ghost tower," he said. "They are not ordinary caretakers. They are guardians. Protectors. They keep lost souls safe from those who would harm them."
Alina’s eyes widened.
"Guardian ghosts?"
"Yes."
She thought of the ghost elders. They looked so lazy without energy all day; she didn’t expect them to be guardian ghosts.
"They have been watching over him," Sir Santo continued, "since the day I brought him to them. They have kept him safe. They have helped him grow. They have loved him when I could not."
His voice broke.
"I was not allowed to visit him for many years. The rules of the tower, the terms of his protection, I was prohibited from seeing him. It was too dangerous."
Alina’s heart ached.
"How many years?" she asked.
Sir Santo’s eyes were distant.
"Too many."
He looked at her.
"But then I sensed it. My mate. She was going to appear soon. I could feel her, somewhere out there in the human world, waiting to be found."
Alina’s breath caught.
"Your mate? Human?"
Sir Santo nodded.
"There is a prophecy," he said. "Once my mate and I are reunited, Boo will be granted a normal body. He will no longer be a ghost. He will be alive again with flesh and blood and a heartbeat."
Alina’s hand flew to her mouth.
After a while, she asked, "Who is your mate? Do you know?"
Sir Santo’s eyes softened, just slightly, just for a moment.
"I think she is human," he said. "I can feel her, but she does not remember me. She does not remember our life together."
He looked toward the window again.
"But she is out there somewhere..Waiting."
Alina felt a warmth spread through her chest.
Boo would have a mother and a father. A real family.
"I’m happy for him," she said softly. "For Boo. He deserves that."
Sir Santo nodded.
"Yes," he said. "He does."
He turned to leave.
"Sir Santo," Alina called.
He paused.
"Thank you," she said. "For telling me. For trusting me."
Sir Santo was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "Do not tell him. Not yet. He is not ready."
Alina nodded. "I won’t."
Sir Santo walked away.
His wings dragged behind him, and his halo flickered, and his heart was heavy.
***
After the conversation with Sir Santo, Alina stood in the empty hallway for a long moment, her mind still spinning with everything she had learned. The priest’s words echoed in her ears, his son, his wife, the prophecy, the mate who was somewhere out there in the human world, waiting to be found but she couldn’t stand here forever.
The children needed her.
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and walked toward the nearby medical emergency camp.
The camp had been set up on the far side of the playground, where the grass was still green and the earth hadn’t been torn apart by worms. White tents glowed in the fading light, their canvas walls illuminated from within by soft, warm lanterns. Healers moved between them, their hands glowing with gentle magic, their faces tired but focused.
Mothers sat on benches, holding their children, crying, laughing, talking. The air was thick with relief and exhaustion.
Alina looked around, searching for familiar faces.