Soul Body and Ghosts

"No, you have always tried your best to raise me responsibly, it's just that I'm not good enough..." Helena sobbed as she heard the Grey Lady's words.

"No, it's that I set my expectations too high for you," Ravenclaw shook her head and smiled. "I always wanted you to surpass who I was, setting overly ambitious goals for you, while neglecting the sequential, phased, and individual differences in education. I should have nurtured you step by step, in stages, and according to your aptitude, but unfortunately, I was too impatient back then, ultimately putting unbearable pressure on you..."

"I always thought that extraordinary wisdom was humanity's greatest treasure. It wasn't until you left that I finally realized that beautiful family love is just as great!"

Upon hearing this, Helena was already sobbing uncontrollably, and glistening tears streamed down her delicate cheeks, disappearing into the air drop by drop.

"Alright, you're almost a thousand years old now, why are you still so prone to crying?" The Grey Lady laughed as she stood up from her bronze chair and opened her arms to Helena.

Xiwen released Helena's left hand and gently pushed her into Ravenclaw's arms.

When the two came into contact, the Grey Lady's pure white marble body miraculously shimmered with a crystalline light, and Helena's ghostly body actually touched her!

In that instant of embracing, the mother and daughter finally resolved the misunderstanding that had spanned a thousand years.

After a long while, the Grey Lady released Helena, turned to look at the bored Ghost Xiwen floating beside her, and said, "Mr. Ghost, it seems you haven't introduced yourself to me yet?"

"Oh, okay!" Xiwen pulled his wandering thoughts back, and once again recited the speech he had memorized perfectly, saying fluently, "My name is Stephen Strange, from an ancient civilization of the East. Because of my love for traveling the world, I deeply felt the limitations of my physical body, so I voluntarily cast a spell..."

"Wait a moment, Doctor Strange," The Grey Lady said softly, her wise gaze sweeping over him. "I think we should be more honest with each other. There's no need for me to repeat this platitude. What do you say, Doctor Strange?"

Xiwen was deeply shaken and stared blankly at the Grey Lady.

Ravenclaw smiled confidently and said to him, "Actually, I haven't studied the human soul much, but Salazar is an expert in this field, and I've learned a lot about the soul from him as well."

"A ghost formed normally isn't a complete soul; it's merely a fragmented spirit remaining in the world due to its obsession. Therefore, it cannot absorb new knowledge or skills, and it forgets many things that happened in its previous life. Like Helena's current state." She looked at Helena with pity. "That's why no one would acknowledge ghosts as a form of immortality."

"However, your state doesn't seem to reflect this, Doctor Strange. I can see that your soul is perfectly intact, and even now, you are unconsciously drawing upon the magic dissipating in the air around you."

"Even if one could voluntarily relinquish their physical body and become a ghost, to move freely like a true ghost, one would have to sacrifice a portion of their soul's weight based on a single conviction. However, doing so would also mean losing the ability to acquire knowledge and skills. Therefore, this reason simply doesn't explain your current state."

"Therefore I can conclude that you are not simply a ghost, but a genuine Soul Body!" Ravenclaw looked at Xiwen with intelligent eyes and said with absolute certainty.

"Stephen, you..." Helena looked at Xiwen in disbelief, too shocked to speak.

"Should I say that she truly lives up to her reputation the Grey Lady?" Xiwen sighed heavily, forcing a wry smile. "I'm sorry, Helena. I lied to you."

"No, I don't believe it!" Helena couldn't believe it. After the joy of just being reunited with her mother, did she really have to go through the sorrow of being deceived by her partner?

"That's why I say, Helena, you're too trusting!" Xiwen sighed.

He knew that continuing to conceal the truth was pointless at this point, and slowly revealed his origins. "I come from another world, and grew up in a sacred place for magical practice called Kamar-Taj. Because my soul was incompatible with the universe..."

He recounted in detail his story of how his soul was incompatible with the universe, which led him to cross the Multiverse and ultimately be accepted by the current world. He also talked about his relationship with Xiwen Rozier.

"... The Multiverse?" The Grey Lady listened to Xiwen's story with a wistful expression, but ultimately shook her head regretfully.

Helena breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Xiwen's account and said firmly, "So you didn't lie to me at all; you just didn't tell me some things!"

"You did indeed live in the East in your past world, you did indeed have a great teacher, and it's true that you were sickly as a child! So you never lied to me!" she said to Xiwen with a smug look on her face.

"Huh?" Xiwen was completely stunned and began to doubt whether he had lied to Helena.

The Grey Lady chuckled and began asking her curious questions, "So, after you came into this world, you were accepted into Xiwen Rozier's body, right?"

"That's how it is," Xiwen nodded and said.

"Then what about the original soul of this body?" Ravenclaw stared intently at Xiwen and asked sharply.

Hearing her question, Xiwen shook his head helplessly and said with a wry smile, "Actually, I also want to know the answer to this question. After my Soul Body entered my current body, I didn't find any trace of the original soul in this body. Logically speaking, even a newborn baby shouldn't have this problem!"

The Grey Lady pondered for a moment, a look of realization dawning on her face. Then, with a heavy expression, she said, "Then it's very possible that someone harmed this baby before you even came into this world. I've heard of more than one kind of Dark Magic that obliterates souls!"

"What?!" Xiwen's eyes widened suddenly, and he said angrily. "So that means someone has been targeting the Rosier Family for a long time! And they even went so far as to harm an infant?"

"Logically speaking, if that person hadn't harmed the baby, you wouldn't have this new body. You should be thanking him." Ravenclaw said, staring at him with a half-smile.

"It's different!" Xiwen shook his head and replied. "If the price for obtaining a new body is a living life, then I'd rather not have this body!"

"Besides, it was Sandrine who made me experience maternal love for the first time. Deep down, I've already accepted this new identity. I will protect the past, present, and future of the Rosier family. This is the destiny I accepted the moment I received this body!"

Xiwen's eyes gradually hardened.