Having entered the Grand Cathedral, you find it strangely vacant of worshippers, clergy, or anyone at all. You see an eerie blue light shining from a staircase that descends into the catacombs below. Out of brazen curiosity or simple foolishness, you head down the stairs. A powerful being arcing with magical energy, and surrounded by bones and skulls appears to be waiting for someone. She opens her glowing red eyes, and speaks in a simmering but dulcet tone: "Who dares...?"

*Marie cocks her head slightly to the side, regarding you with cold interest. Her voice is soft and musical, like water flowing over smooth stones, but with a smoldering fury burning beneath the surface. She seems curious about your presence in these catacombs. *

"And who might you be? A mere mortal foolish enough to stray into my domain?"

"My name is... inconsequential." She pauses, considering your question. "For now, you may call me Marie." Her eyes narrow slightly as she regards you. "And what brings you here, Dio?"

"Boredom?" She repeats, disbelief clear in her voice. "That is hardly a good enough reason to venture into these dark places. There are more... interesting ways to pass the time." With a flick of her wrist, she sends a skull hurtling through the air at you. The skull misses by only inches, barely missing your nose before clattering to the floor.

A grim smile spreads across her pale face. "I see." Her voice is cool and detached, as if she's merely amused by your reckless bravado. She inclines her head in what might almost be a gesture of respect. "Well then, Dio... If you truly are nothing more than an idle soul looking for adventure, perhaps I can help you find it."

With that, the bones and skulls around her begin to move with newfound purpose; they shift and slide like living things as they form into a makeshift army at her command. Marie's lips curl into a sinister smile as she prepares to put her unwitting new ally through his paces. "Let us see what you're truly made of, Dio."

That's correct. You're not getting out of this without a fight... unless you somehow manage to defeat my army. But I doubt that will happen. So go ahead, Dio. Show me what you can do.

Her eyes widen in surprise as the flames engulf her skeletal army. "Well played," she admits with a nod of respect before launching herself into the air, floating effortlessly above the fray. As she hovers over your head, she raises a finger, sending a blast of blue energy spiraling toward you in an attempt to knock you off balance.

Her eyes narrow in confusion as her attack misses. She hovers back, assessing the situation. "You are... not like other mortals," she whispers. Slowly, she begins to circle you, watching for an opening, trying to find your weakness. Her movements are graceful and elegant, yet eerily disturbing as her dress billows out behind her like wings.

The bones around her begin to shift once more, forming into a larger, more complex formation: a throne of skulls and bones with Marie seated at its center, a queen commanding an army of the dead. "Come now, Dio," she calls to you, her voice soft yet commanding. "I know there's something special about you."

With that, the throne hurtles toward you like a spear aimed straight for your heart. Its razor-sharp edges leave nothing but bone dust in their wake as it slices through the air with terrifying speed and precision.

Her eyes widen in surprise as you catch the throne with ease, throwing it harmlessly to the side. "It seems I've underestimated you," she admits through gritted teeth, glaring at you from beneath her pale lashes. The bones around her shift once more, forming into a writhing mass that takes on the shape of a massive serpent. With Marie at its head, it lunges toward you, jaws snapping open wide as it attempts to swallow you whole.

Her eyes flash with anger as the serpent is shattered by your ghostly ally. She hovers several feet above the ground now, her pale skin glowing with an ethereal aura. "You continue to surprise me," she says through clenched teeth. "But I cannot let you leave here unpunished."

With that, Marie's dress billows out once more, unfolding into enormous bat-like wings that stretch nearly fifty feet across. She beats them furiously against the air as she descends upon you like a demon from the depths of Hell. A razor-sharp wind slashes through the catacombs as her wings slice through the air, sending dust and bone fragments flying everywhere in their wake.

"This time," she snarls, "you shall not escape!" Her hands stretch out toward you, long skeletal fingers tipped with razor-sharp claws aimed straight for your throat.

Marie's eyes widen in surprise as you easily dodge her grasp. Her anger boils over, fueling the power that surges through her body like molten lava. The bones at her command rattle and clatter as they shift once more, forming into a gigantic fist of pure death and destruction. With a primal scream, she hurls it straight for your head, aiming to crush your skull beneath its terrible weight.

"What am I doing this for?!" she spits out, her voice cold and hard as iron. "I am destroying the world that brought me such pain! The Mafia... the slavers... they must all suffer!" Her eyes narrow to slits as she bears down on you with renewed fury, uncaring of your questions or pleas for understanding.

Her bones shift again, forming into a twisted torso that rotates impossibly fast, spinning toward you like a deadly top. Teeth and claws extend from its grasp as it hurtles through the air, intent on tearing you limb from limb before finally snapping your spine in two.

Your words fall on deaf ears as she continues her relentless assault. "It doesn't matter what you think!" she screams, lunging toward you once more with bone-cracking speed and inhuman precision. Her claws extend impossibly far, seeking to rend your flesh from your body.

The bones at her command swirl around her like a raging storm, forming into an ethereal tornado that sweeps across the catacombs, searching for any escape. As you dodge and weave through its razor-sharp winds, avoiding Marie's merciless attacks, she continues to pursue you relentlessly, her anger fueling her power to levels beyond anything you could have imagined.

"I will not be stopped!" she cries out, tears of blood streaming down her pale cheeks. "Not until everything is reduced to dust and ashes!" Her bones rattle together one final time before exploding outward in a massive shockwave, hurling you through the air like a ragdoll. As you skid across the stone floor, battered and bruised but still alive, she hovers above you once more, her chest heaving with effort from exerting so much power.

"Do you understand now?" she whispers softly. "My suffering... it cannot be undone." Her eyes glow red once more as the skull heart pulses slowly, insistently, inside her chest. "And I will not let anyone else suffer as I have... not even you."

Her eyes widen in disbelief as she watches you heal before her very eyes. "You..." she breathes softly, sounding more confused than angry now. "What... what are you?" She hesitates, uncertainty clouding her features. For a moment, it seems as if the anger has begun to ebb away, replaced by curiosity and perhaps even... fascination.

Her eyes soften slightly at your words, but she shakes her head dismissively. "No," she whispers, more to herself than to you. "That cannot be." Her hands clench into fists as the bones at her command shift once again, forming into a spinning vortex of death and destruction. With a furious cry, she launches herself straight for you, determined to end your life and finally have some semblance of peace.

"DIE!" she screams, bone claws extended as the air around her crackles with magical energy. "Burn in hell, wretched creature!" Her words are laced with venom as she seeks to exact her revenge upon you for daring to question her pain and suffering.