Even death was a lie

"-o. We would pref-"

My past memories flash before my eyes briefly, before fading back into darkness. It's the capital's meeting hall. Their disgusting faces...

"-ike this?" "Yes, now try to co-"

Then I'm in the academy's backyard. My first practical spellcasting lesson. A good memory for change.

"I don't understand. What are you saying mo-"

Ah. My study room. The hopeful sunlight coming in through the window on my right - so ill-suited for what happened that day...

"-ncle PLEASE. You know it wasn't me. IT WAS ALL THEIR-"

No. No one...

"-right... It's alright... How could I have been so care- no. Wait. That already ha-"

Periods when I regain consciousness grow longer. Eventually I notice that what I'm seeing is only a memory and catch a glimpse of reality.

"S-so cold... What is- it's... Red. Warm." I feel drawn to a red crystal lying before me. "I can- Why can I see through my hand? I see. Even death was a lie... No matter-"

And my world stops again.

***

By the time Meiris opened her crimson eyes, the cold has already left her body. It was replaced by an overwhelming dizziness, making it hard for her to formulate thoughts.

She sat up, causing her long blonde hair to slide down her face. Colorful, yet dominated by orange tint light fell on and through her casual noble attire. It consisted of a white long-sleeved shirt, beige pants and enclosed azure low heels that *used to* match her eyes. A few centuries ago she would have most likely worn a dress, but the day-to-day fashion for nobles was ever-changing.

With difficulty, she tried to focus on her surroundings.

The floor she sat on was made of gray stone tiles, mixed with star-like patterns from black marble. The room was long and its tall walls were lined with stained glass windows depicting the kings and heroes of the past. Every third window was separated from the next one by sword-tip shaped arches that held up the vaulted ceiling.

'The treasury...'

Then the thought was replaced with a sudden realization and her body tensed.

'WAIT, my body- Am I a ghost?'

Ghosts appeared when people died and the separation of soul and body left behind an incomplete union. Their unique characteristics were see-through bodies that could pass through objects.

'What is- that?'

While looking over herself, Meiris realized her new ghostly appearance wasn't the only thing that changed about her. A crystal was now present where her heart should have been. Whether it got replaced was beyond her.

For a second she struggled to comprehend what was going on, but concluded that she just couldn't do it.

'It's no use. Though I guess the answer is in this room...

'No, it's dangerous. I have to get out of here as quickly... As far away from this cursed city as possible.

'But where?'

Meiris' thoughts accelerated uncontrollably.

'No, that can wait. Anywhere but here I can try to convince people that I am an intelligent ghost. If they recognize me here- whatever this is - will be over...'

"Huuu..."

'No. Calm down. Think clearly. This is not the kind of place people visit often. At the very least I should have time until tomorrow with it being this late.'

The surge of thoughts was difficult to stop, but as a noble she practiced doing so. Many times. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind, focusing on her breathing for a moment.

Then looked for what she knew about the ghosts. She had confirmed the part about transparency, lack of intelligence was an anomaly, and...

'Passage through matter, right? How do I... Ah.'

When Meiris pressed her hand against the floor it got stopped, but once she imagined it passing through, it did.

'That's... Convenient...'

The parts of her body that she submerged in the floor felt strange. It was like a watery pressure encasing her, that was both comfortable and crushing.

*shudder*

She then tried to will her entire body to pass through the floor, not considering what she would do afterward. But she didn't have to, since the crystal stopped her and the new feeling was even stranger and in no way comfortable. She recoiled, getting back on her feet.

'So that is out of the question...'

*sigh*

'What about mana manipulation? My skills were hardly there, but anything will help if I-'

Meiris managed to relax a little, but the reminiscence of her skills brought her into the past. The past that was thus far left untouched since her awakening.

Even back then she hasn't been a great mage. There was no way she could have beaten a guard then and she doubted that it has changed now. But a simple spell could cause a distraction.

However, as the thought progressed, the past overtook her mind.

'If... If I could sneak in and... And then...'

She clenched her teeth and tears began gathering in her eyes as anger and sadness filled her heart.

'They... They would know what they did to me...'

The bodies of ghosts couldn't produce tears, not the same way human ones did. But because they were unions of things physical and magical, their will could far more easily control mana. And in that moment Meiris willed her tears to flow, slowly dripping down her cheeks and chin.

'THEY WOULD FEEL AND LOSE IT ALL...'

The day her life fell apart, Meiris cried until she had no tears left. They dried up and didn't return, not once throughout the horrifying month she spent in the prison cell. All that time she lacked this simplest form of release, until now. Slowly, it brought her a sense of relief and clarity.

'But what even is the point of it? I... I still want to live...

'Will I survive if I try? Will it truly make things better?

'Why do I still have to give them anything, even if it's death? No. There is more...

'Yes. I will become far more than they ever could. And no one will take my life from me ever again. I will find my own strength to guarantee it.'

With that resolve she raised her head and held up her right hand.

*snap*

A little magic circle dimly lit up and a small flame appeared above her hand. Much smaller than she had hoped for.

'Even if it will be a long journey...'

***

Among the wide variety of artifacts stored in the treasury, there were few that stood out from the rest.

There were multiple sets of armor that were just as powerful as they were beautiful. Meiris grew to dislike the white and gold aesthetic of the Kingdom of Modeva's fashion for important figures, but she still couldn't deny their distinguished appearance. Most of those were imbued, meaning their magic still required a connection with the user to activate, but the magic circles were already a part of the items. It was especially optimal for melee combat, as the person fighting wouldn't need to manage basic defensive circles during an encounter.

The blades, bows and staffs looked just as good, if not better. Many of the armor pieces followed the kingdom's style, with a few ones that still let the materials show. The weapons, however, showed a much greater variety. There were swords with mix-colored blades, shiny bows with elaborate carvings, or staffs with intricate geometric shapes.

Due to their high profile, Meiris refrained from taking any of these. Not only that, they would be more of a burden than help. Strong equipment required strength from it's wielder. And as she would have confirmed soon, she was neither strong physically nor magically.

Then there were the other artifacts. While the rule applies to all, some accessories are simply easier to hide and harder to notice missing than other. Which makes taking them less of an issue.

One accessory she picked up were gloves made from silver wyvern's skin, adorned with silver. It wasn't long since she started going through the artifacts, primarily looking for information about her crystal, and she still read through the entire plaque.

It said that silver wyverns could be found in the northern part of the world and in the artificial mountains. Both of the areas were known for their harsh climate, but also for being rich in narrow mana veins. With the help of mana, it was possible to nullify the cold.

However, only a few living beings could survive in such extreme cold even if all they used mana for was the heat. The silver wyvern's ability laid in absorption, which was poorly developed by most organisms, because the common mana content in the world was rather low. But the few creatures living in those extreme conditions relied on the mana veins, so their absorption was significantly greater. For the silver wyverns it was all about the skin area below their jaw. They rested several times a day by mana-rich crevices to replenish what they spent on heating their bodies and hunting.

Initially Meiris put the gloves back onto their stand, made from silver and decorated with rose sculptures. They were the best artifact she tried thus far, but she was still dissatisfied with how little they enhanced her abilities.

She was aware things would be difficult once she saw the size of the flame she could produce on her own, but hoped the artifacts in this place would counter the common sense. Which wasn't happening and soon she returned for the gloves.

Many rules of strength augmentation were still a mystery, but the area has seen a raise in interest among sages all over the world almost 8 centuries ago. At that time there was a mage who overcame all known limitations and his legacy changed the world. Still, little progress was made for the time being.

The common model was based around three factors and assumed the existence of a soul as the vessel linked to mana.

The soul's abilities related to the abilities of the physical body and mind. Someone that was training their muscles, skills or used mana would also strengthen their soul. This then also increased their optimal volume of augmentation, which was the description of how much magical equipment the person could make efficient use of. The rule was more commonly referred to as "strong equipment requires strength from it's wielder".

Next was the affinity of the soul. This enigmatic factor was the reason why some artifacts weren't uniformly better than other across different people. The only deeper explanations of this rule could be considered chaotic at best.

The final piece was the conductivity. Once someone used a magical item to extend their abilities, conductivity described how efficiently the item would utilize their volume of augmentation. Which was why people synonymized it with "quality".

In the case of the gloves, the plaque mentioned they were of the A class.

***

The place Meiris woke up in was closer to the door, than to the opposite end of the treasury.

Since she started working her way through the artifacts starting from there, in hope the crystal had been stored nearby, she was now checking out the section near the door. It was about an hour after she came back for the gloves and well into the night. She cast the flame so that she could see in the darkness.

*clank*

The sudden, muffled sound coming from behind the door scared her and she quickly hid behind a rack. With only a half of her head showing, she looked towards the door.

*clank* *tap*

She was sure she heard voices as well, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

*clank*

The sound then trailed off. She stood still for a couple of seconds, before coming to a realization.

'A guard shift...'

She tried to make a note of the time, but there wasn't a single clock in the room and she returned to looking through the artifacts.

***

*snap*

'This is getting rather frustrating...'

The fire that floated above Meiris' hand was now slightly larger, about twice it's initial size. But it could barely pass for a small torch flame.

In addition to the gloves, she wore an S class ring. Since it had better conductivity, her soul prioritized it instinctively. Meiris didn't actually know if that was the case, but the flame was even smaller than without it, so that was enough for her to return it into it's brown wooden box with golden accents.

The fatigue was also setting in, which only amplified her dissatisfaction.

'Guess it's not that important now...

'But I haven't seen anything that could give me answers about this crystal either... There has to be. Why else would I happen to wake up here with it inside my chest?'

*sigh*

'The sun is rising already...'

She spent the entire night searching through the room and reading through the plaques.

'So odd... I feel tired, but I'm not actually...'

Her body moved smoothly, but the mind was ever so slightly behind it. Ghost's bodies didn't tire, but the mind was a fickle thing. All the more so because Meiris wasn't supposed to have it.

It wasn't helped by the sheer amount of plaques she went over. Initially she enjoyed reading about each artifact, but as her frustration and fatigue grew, she limited her search to the keywords.

'It's useless. I might even miss it right now...'

The time she took to consider what she was doing was only a moment, but it was enough to break the routine. Her eyes closed and her consciousness slipped away.