User blog comment:Real Godisme/Chapter 481/@comment-24228963-20160412031951

Even though it is named "Historia of Corpses" I don't think some of them are really dead. Based on the translations, Neinhart says that they are emotions that can be found on a person's heart and the history of that person. If you think of it, Ikaruga didn't die in the anime even though it wasn't showed in the manga. Ur never really died, she became part of the sea like how Ultear is part of time but still alive. Azuma didn't die - he transformed into a tree which is like you guessed, a living being. Well thats just my take on it.