They sat in silence, staring into the void—waiting for someone who never came.

They were trapped in a cell that wasn’t made of stone but of shadows. Their hands were bound by invisible restraints, cold and unyielding.

“When can we get out of here?” asked the woman beside them.

Felicia didn’t answer. Her gaze swept across the dim, endless cell. She had accepted long ago that she would return here once she died.

Leah had been gone from the mortal world for decades, yet her thirst for vengeance refused to fade. Her soul had become something that would not rest.

How many years has it been? Felicia often wondered. She had begged Leah for peace countless times, but Leah always returned—more powerful, more wrathful than before.

“Reminiscing again, Felicia?” came a voice—gentle, mocking.

Felicia turned. Leah stood there, smiling—radiant, beautiful, terrifying.

Felicia exhaled slowly. “When will your revenge end, Leah?”

Leah tilted her head, thinking. Then, softly, she laughed. “When I finally tire of looking at your faces.”

She walked closer, her long mourning dress brushing the unseen floor. Her black shoes gleamed faintly in the dim light.

Queen of Darkness. That’s what Felicia called her now.

“Leah, I’m begging you,” Fredrick spoke up from the corner. “We’ve been imprisoned here for decades. We’ve kept our promise to you—please, let us go.”

Leah’s smile vanished. She stepped closer, her voice cold as iron.
“Oh no, Fredrick. I ran out of pity while I was still alive.”

Her gaze slid toward Angely, who stood quietly beside him.

“You’re lucky,” Leah sneered. “You died beside the man you loved. Don’t worry—I wouldn’t harm the living. Sheila is safe. But she inherited your greed, Angely.”

Her laugh was sharp, cutting through the darkness. “She really takes after you.”

“Don’t involve my sister in this!” Angely shouted.

“I haven’t done anything,” Leah said calmly. “I only visited.”

Felicia’s patience snapped. “Why am I part of this, Leah? I had nothing to do with what happened to you!”

Leah raised a brow, her smile curling into something cruel.

“Amnesia now, Felicia? You forgot what you did to me? My soul begged for peace—and you failed me. That’s why I became this.”

Felicia froze, words dying on her tongue.

Leah leaned closer, whispering, “I know your precious adopted child will suffer because of you. You’ve always used others to escape your sins.”

She straightened and grinned. “But don’t worry—you’ll never leave this cell.”

Her eyes glowed red. “I told you before… I am your karma.”

Darkness crept inward, devouring the light around them.

“Find a way, Felicia,” Fredrick gasped.

Felicia shook her head. “Sharlene will help us. She’ll find a way to free us.”

No one spoke.

“She will save us,” Felicia repeated, her voice trembling but certain. “Even if she isn’t my real granddaughter—I believe in her.”

Leah’s laugh returned, soft and venomous.
“I can smell your greed from here, Felicia. You and Fredrick just want to die again—hoping your souls might escape. Pathetic.”

The ground began to steam. The air thickened, burning to breathe.

“Leah, stop this!” Fredrick shouted.

The cell began to shrink. The walls pressed inward. The temperature soared. Though they were dead, they could feel their flesh sear and their lungs tighten.

“I haven’t even been properly buried,” Leah said, smiling darkly. “And yet, here you are—being buried again.”

Her laughter echoed, cruel and endless.

“You’ll never reach heaven,” Felicia cried. “You’ll fall into hell!”

“Heaven?” Leah scoffed. “You think you’re going to heaven?”

Her eyes gleamed like fire.
“No, my dear friends. All of us will fall into hell.”

She lifted her hand. “And I’ll be there to welcome you.”

The shadows around her twisted into a throne—black and veined with flame.

Felicia gasped as something sharp pierced her chest. I’m dead, she thought wildly. I shouldn’t feel pain.

A scream tore through the darkness—Angely’s.

“It’s burning! It’s so hot! I can’t take it!” she shrieked as invisible fire consumed her, her soul writhing in agony.

Felicia looked down—blood dripped from her palms. Her hands shook. Then—visions.

A young Sharlene, running. Hiding. Someone chasing her.
Felicia herself—holding a stick.

“Oh, what a loving grandmother you were,” Leah mocked. “You beat your own grandchild. Remember now?”

Felicia’s heart shattered.

“She probably doesn’t even remember the pain,” Leah whispered. “But don’t worry—I’ll remind her.”

Every strike, every cruel word Felicia had uttered replayed before her eyes. She saw Sharlene crying, flinching, begging—and her own hands delivering the blows.

“Forgive me…” Felicia whispered. Tears streamed down her face.

Leah only laughed, the sound echoing like thunder.

“We’re not done yet,” she said softly. “We’re just getting started.”

She turned away, her shadow forming into a throne of smoke and bone.

“Now that all three of you are here—my palace will never be lonely again.”

Felicia fell to her knees. She could no longer feel her body.

No—I can’t give up. I have to escape.

She forced her head up, meeting Leah’s eyes one last time.

Leah sat upon her throne, smiling—a queen crowned by vengeance.