"I can't wait until I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff."
- Fry, Futurama
Choosing Stage 3B was the worst decision of Maria's human life.
After easily fighting through the bats, skeletons, and mudmen that inhabited the graveyard outside Castle Dracula, Maria found herself in an underground passage. It wasn't more than a couple of seconds after she reached the bottom of the ancient and decrepit stairs that the entire cavern started to rumble. For a moment, it felt like an earthquake had struck. Then Maria realized the tremors weren't coming from the ground, but from an invisible and foreboding force in the air around her.
Dogether emerged from the dimensional rift. Beholder demons were rarely in an agreeable mood, and this one seemed especially irritated when its giant eye looked down on Maria. But then his mouth stretched into a wide, razor-filled grin, and his primitive snarls and growls mimicked the sound of deep laughter.
Maria was the 18th century equivalent of a priestess of the four celestial beasts. She was a bit small and immature for the role, but she was as courageous as any of her ancient predecessors. What had been long forgotten was there was a fifth beast, much older than the four. Dogether was one of the last fading deities from a time when the gods weren't as benevolent toward mortals.
Dogether's eye grew wide. A Sanskrit symbol was drawn with demonic calligraphy as he conjured his first spell. All of his attacks were preceded by another mysterious foreign symbol, each one manipulating the universe in a different way.
FIRE
A fountain of flames burst from Dogether's eye and rained down on Maria. She used Genbu's shell as a shield.
WIND
Dogether focused the damp cavern air like an elemental bolt in a crossbow, then fired it in a straight line. Maria used Suzaku's wings to jump over the blast. She summoned Byakko to fight back, but Dogether disappeared into a dimensional void as the tiger lunged. He was casting his next rune as soon as he reappeared.
WATER
Maria stumbled as the ground under her feet exploded in geysers of steam. Dogether shrank into another vortex as the rocks under Maria's feet couple crumbled away. For a brief second, she expected to meet her doom plummeting into the ravine. Fate, however, wasn't so merciful.
Maria didn't fall. Gravity ceased to be, allowing her to levitate just where she had been standing. The air around her started to make the same rumbling sound as before. Dogether materialized in the same position of space-time as Maria, instantly trapping inside his massive iris. His eyelid snapped shut in greed.
It had been eons since Dogether had a dutiful priestess of his own to carry out his twisted will. It would take much more to appease him now.
Meditating, Dogether began to pulsate from his astral core. Maria appeared through his eyelid as a black shadow engulfed in dark ether. Dogether scavenged through Maria's imprisoned mind, searching for anything of metaphysical value.
Every mortal had some kind of hidden evil, some form of inner selfishness struggling to be let free. Finally, he found something in Maria's thoughts that could help her achieve his twisted form of enlightenment.
Creating a new demon was a simple matter of taking a raw slab of meat and adding a few extra spices.
PACT
A new, more ominous symbol flashed over Dogether's eyelid. Many young women had been bestowed with this mark through the ages, but only Maria would be subjected to the wrath Dogether was about to unleash. She would be a thousand generations of payback against the celestial four.
The "Pact" Sanskrit began to fade, but then was abruptly overtaken by a much more complex symbol.
TRANSFIGURATION
The massive rune flickered, dimmed, and disappeared completely. Maria's silhouette became perfectly still for a short moment, as if time had stopped in Dogether's inner space.
It happened quickly and obscenely. The long pink shadow-dress on the shadow-Maria exploded into threads, leaving only the small adolescent figure floating in Dogether's core. Thousands of tiny, indecipherable Sanskrit runes appeared around her, spreading waves of alchemical energy that caused her outline to change form. The strongest curses were reserved for key points on the Renard Constellation.
RUIN
One of the symbols appeared near the shadow's narrow backside. Her hips blossomed as her musculature rapidly matured. Plain, boyish lines turned into nubile curves. It was like the shape of smooth and firm sweet buns, only this was far from the innocent pastries Maria snacked on during her vampire hunting adventures.
LIES
Another forbidden hex appeared in front of the shadow's chest. Her shoulders became more slender, her collarbone became more pronounced, and her bust developed like two melons growing cheerfully under a black sun. Maria had spent the past year or so envying the endowments of older girls. Now she had a lovely perky pair of her own—at a grave cost.
GUILT
One Sanskrit rune materialized over the shadow's head. Her face lost its youthful roundness. Her eyelashes grew long and thin as her lips became flush. Her long hair tapered into elegant blonde curls. All that survived was the small blue hair ribbon in her hair.
The scraps from Maria's pink traveling dress were spun into magic thread and weaved around her altered body. When the material became solid, her silhouette was wearing something smaller and more form-fitting.
The silhouette faded into obscurity as Dogether's dark radiance gradually ceased. Maria had been given the body she secretly envied. It was only fair that Dogether got to devour her soul.
The ceremony ended when Dogether opened his eyelid. Maria was gone without a trace.
Richter dodged another one of Dogether's elemental spells. Dogether hovered backwards as he conjured his next rune.
AWAKEN
Unfamiliar with the archaic script, Richter mistook this for another "Wind" attack. It never occurred to him that this symbol glimmered in an unusual shade of pink, and he didn't seem to notice the spiral of light that launched from Dogether's eye left a trail of cherry blossoms.
Richter pulled a flask of holy water from his belt and got ready to throw it at the hovering monster in front of him.
The next attack came from behind.
The pink streak of light had ricocheted off of the cavern wall and came back around to plant her both of her feet into Richter's spine with paralyzing force. Richter collapsed face-first to the cavern floor.
She landed behind Richter in stoic silence. She opened her two eyes for the first time since her spawning. Her third eye opened on her forehead. She moved forward in a series of nimble cartwheels, stopping when she was between Richter and Dogether.
Richter struggled to raise his head and get a better look at the attacker.
She was a three-eyed demoness formed from ancient Buddhism and baseless depravity. Her wardrobe consisted of a short, sleeveless pink kimono with a white obi tied slightly off-center at her waist, conveying a distinctly Eastern style. From her creamy, toned legs to her curled, crisp golden hair, she was all smooth curves and contours topped off in an oriental gift wrap. Standing over Richter with her arms crossed, she had the type of smile that told you she was all too comfortable with her new self. Her mind was as warped and fraudulent as her body.
Richter knew it had to be her, even she if looked about five years older than when he saw her yesterday.
"Ma…ria...?" Richter muttered in pain.
"What's wrong, Mr. Belmont? I told you I could be just as strong as you."
When Maria spoke, the sound came in three overlapping layers: Her woman-voice, her child-voice, and Dogether's reverberating growls.
Richter tried to force himself to his feet. He didn't have plan, he didn't know what to do about Maria, but he knew he couldn't allow evil to win.
Maria unfolded her arms and carelessly extended her hand. A Sanskrit rune appeared in front of her palm.
EARTH
A massive stalactite fell from the cavern's ceiling, impaling Richter through the torso and staking him to the ground. He lived just long enough to see Maria childishly sticking out her tongue.
Author's note: This takes place in the Rondo timeline and Maria has her Rondo design (before things get sassy), but deep down she has traces of her quirky boob-envying Judgment character. I hope that makes sense.