What if it’s like the Pied Piper story and they just wonder away, pulled by some unknown force, and disappear. Some have not been affected (are immune or whatever), and so remain as the survivors?
So, basically, a guy comes with a flute and takes rats away with the flute to save the town. Then later, the same guy’s flute attracts children and the children follow him and they’re never seen again.
It’s unclear if he had ill intentions… Some versions write it so that you don’t know if he was trying to take the children all along or not.
On Alagossia, ghosts, spirits, phantoms, and zombies are called Os’zars which means the living dead or the dead who still breathes aether. Os’zarin is when an Os’zar takes possession of a body or some object.
However, those who are banished or exiled or kicked out of something or someplace are called Ghosts. They are treated like ghosts as they no longer exist and are considered dead to others.