Discussion

[Kai, Prince of V]

An immortal with temporary life? A bit of an oxymoron, is it not?

[Daiwa Scarlet]

"Yes, but your immortality is not true immortality. As stated before, there was an 'improper binding' with your attempt."

[Kai, Prince of V]

If I am not a true immortal, then what am I?

[Pokedude12]

"Well, seeing that your body's in the Crypt, I'd say you're a ghost."

[Kai, Prince of V]

Even I cannot argue with that.

Then, I have a final question for all of you: What exactly went wrong?

[Chatt]

Unfortunately, I'm out of time. Therefore, my answer won't be nearly as researched nor detailed as I would have liked it.

However, I believe that Previs (obviously) messed up your ritual to give you immortality. He did this using a weapon which had Inanime on it. Iname has the effect of cancelling the flow of an enchantment. However, he must have used Potentia to power the Inanime. This spell is not as powerful as using Incante for a power source, which is what the princess used. Therefore, instead of simply cancelling the spell out, resulting in a painful death for the princess, it resulted in the half life she is forced to live now.

The resulting energy resulted in the princess's sphere being damaged.

(OOC: I made this at 5:00 AM so I take no responsibility for sounding stupid)

[Daiwa Scarlet]

"So you wish for us to do the work Crendor had not... but I fear there is not much that someone with little experience of alchemy can do. Either way, the obvious answer to your question would be that Previz interfered. He even called it his "final performance." How he did so is beyond me, but a telekenetic crush doesn't seem out of the question with the abilities he had in his arsenal and the fact that the cracks on your sphere are from some kind of pressure. Of course, he could very well have manipulated time or space and simply created the cracks with his super human strength. As it seems an important tool for any alchemist, you probably also had a vessel imbued with Inamine in case anything went wrong. Previz could have used the vessel to interfere with the binding. Another possibility is that he simply taught you the Immortalis spell the wrong way or performed the ritual improperly, but that does not explain the crack.

Whatever the case, it resulted in an improper binding. You became a ghost, although perhaps your body may have gained 'immortality' as it is still perfectly preserved... Unless the preservation is due to some latter efforts to keep the body in perfect condition in case it was necessary later. Being a ghost can also be considered a form of 'immortality' as you will never die...

As there is little record of you giving reason for Previz's betrayal, perhaps we need to look further in the past for the answer. King Meirin had once jailed the alchemists... or the ones he could captured anyway. I assume that did not last very long as I imagine it difficult to perform the ritual for Immortalis while in jail. Keeping a person with “unnatural powers” imprisoned might also have proved dangerous. Previz may even have offered you the chance at immortality at this point, but if he did not, then he did after he was freed. You fell for its allure which eventually led to your becoming a ghost."

[Deleted]

"How unfortunate."
A small, quiet voice muttered. And it was unfortunate in many ways, these past events and the ones that were repeating now. But there was another problem. According to many items and the accounts of some of the courtiers here...
"How is it that some who have already gone through this survived the same ordeal last year?" Bambi asked rather curiously. "Does this event not require a total blood sacrifice? Then again, I'm still not entirely familiar with the basics of Alchemy. Or magic. But based on Junko's words... before she died.... some of you went through this already. There is even evidence that some people who are here died previously. What happened to the 'survivors' of that past visit?" the woman continued, narrowing her eyes.

"That aside though, it seems more like you are leaning to confessing. Your Highness."

[Indrid Cold]

"I BELIEVE I CAN ANSWER THAT!"

*Indrid slowly rises from the floor, and addresses the Princess*

"You see, you were not alone in your crimes. You were not alone the night you performed the ritual in the Grand Ballroom so many years ago. You had with you a young man, whom you planned to make immortal. I speak of you, Nascio, poisoneer!"

*Indrid points at the prince*

"I have found evidence in this castle of several things, but for now, I will go on a tangent. You all see, the princess was in love, in love with a man named Nascio. She was very devoted to him, as many of us heard in the King's mirror. This lead to them becoming "quite the dangerous pair" as Previz once wrote."

"Why does any of this matter? Because, love made the princess alter the immortalis spell, a spell that is meant to grant a single person immortality. That night of the grand ball, Nascio stood with her and the spell went horribly wrong. Not enough was given in exchange for what was being asked. The container meant to hold a single soul couldnt bear the weight of two souls, and cracked. The container I speak of was inside of the princess's coffin!"

[Satori]

"PERHAPS I SHALL CONQUER THIS TRIAL!" 

"I think I already hold the answer to everything! Why you screwed up Imortalis and became who you are now. As previously mentioned earlier, Previz was plotting to screw up your attempt at Imortalis during the Ball. How exactly he did that remains unknown or cannot be proven but I think its possible that Previz either gave you a defective sphere which already had a crack on it or that he broke it himself during the spell process though the former seems more likely. Either way. The sphere broke during the casting of Immortalis screwing up the process and you would have died but then your prince charming Nascio attempted Vitalis in an attempt to save you. Of course this assuming that both you and Nascio drew the magic circle together since you both intended to become immortal and had the necessary catalysts for both spells present. Assuming that is the case. Nascio attempted Vitalis as a desperate attempt to save you but since he wasn't a legendary alchemist, he screwed up Vitalis and turned you all into ghosts. Now where is the proof that Vitalis could been used during the Ball you may ask? Well the proof lies in the Ballroom when I discovered through my mirror there were hundreds of ghosts dancing endlessly there and slaughtered them all which could have been the result of screwing up Vitalis. I also discovered two bodies of knights in suits of armor that were drained of their vitality which could have only been the result of Vitalis being performed. So yes. This is what I think happened to you and Nascio. The sphere broke during Immortalis, Nascio tried to save you using Vitalis but failed resulting in who you are now and why you keep sacrificing people for your Grand Balls every 10 years!"

[Chatt]

I would like to change my answer merely because my last one was rather boring.

Did the prince betray the princess?

*smiles*

Perhaps he disrupted the ritual? Maybe because he wanted immortality for himself? Or because he wanted to share immortality with his beloved.

*sighs*

That would be a truly romantic tale.

so, instead of one person becoming immortal, 2 people's souls went into the Vessel. Such a Vessel was not meant to hold more than one soul, cracking it. Thus came into being ... the ghosts.

[Daiwa Scarlet]

“Previz taught the princess 'immortalis,' but in a manner which would create an improper binding. Thus the Princess did not gain true immortality when she cast it.”

[Kai, Prince of V]

That would indeed be a terrible betrayal by Previz. But, do tell me why that resulted in the spectacle in the Grand Ballroom.

[Pokedude12]

"Previz played 'Thriller' and revived everyone's inner groove; but not their bodies."

[Daiwa Scarlet]

“The sphere cracked during the binding and released all the life force sealed within, their remains being the ghosts.”