He Heard

The large black castle was silent. The halls were empty, and the no noise escaped any rooms, but an ominous black aura seethed from the heart of the castle.

Malice sat on her thrown with a bottle of liquor in her hand. She stared at the void, looking helpless. "They tricked me."

All the Vassals were in front of her, standing and tending to the current unstable mental condition of their Queen.

"I woke up this morning and the skills disappeared," Malice said. "Even the growth of my powers vanished."

"My queen–"

"Silence! Malice yelled so loud, it made the entire castle shake. "I did not recall to have ever asked for any of your opinion! I was the one speaking, so let me speak."

The Vassal nodded, bowing his head in shame. The other Vassals learned from his mistake, so they let their Queen be.

They let her exude the dark aura that made the staff leave due to the suffocation. Hell's castle was now barren with only a few people left behind.