Sonia remained deeply skeptical.

After all, she had borne witness to the heart-wrenching sight of Theodore's departure into the unforgiving crematory flames. If this person before her were indeed Theodore, then who had she glimpsed during the cremation, and why? Furthermore, the hospital had confirmed the identity of the deceased as Theodore.

Her concern for Ariana weighed heavy on her heart. She couldn't bear to see her friend lost in a bewildering haze, haunted by a phantom.

Sonia gazed into Ariana's eyes and spoke softly.

“If this truly is Theodore, why hasn't he sought you out? Why hasn't he plastered the city with missing person posters? When you suffered in that hospital, fought through foreign lands, and battled heartbreaks, where was he?"