A tanned dark skinned figure was standing behind the wraith and was also staring back at Diego from the horizon. Before Diego could make a sound, the figure clad in a sleek, black, form-fitting bodysuit, crafted carefully with the use of a fine black leather material, featuring a striped red and white symbol in form of a bullseye that laid at the middle of her chest, a utility belt, thigh holsters containing darts, and spiked silver gauntlets. The figure shot a glance at Diego for just a second before starting to create pieces of thin strands of wire formed with the manipulation of cursed energy, the wire was strung from one end to another sometimes diagonally, vertically and horizontally to make a makeshift wire trap or entanglement, every part of the wraith's body that was caught in the wire trap was swiftly pierced and separated from the ghostly body, the wire pierced the hands, legs, joints and most major bones in the ghostly figure while the cursed energy contained in the wire separated the parts of the pierced body from returning to the main body.
The wraith started groaning in pain when most of its jointed appendages were separated from him while the other parts of his structure quickly fell to the ground unable to support their weight.Then the figure swiftly twisted the left hand lightly while using the right hand to grab hold of the wire trap. In one wave of the hand, the wire trap changed form and was gradually reducing to form a magic circle that was swiftly placed at the middle of the figure's chest. The right hand was free so the figure swiftly released the hold it had on the wire trap, when that was done the wraith proceeded to bound its figure together but before it could do any of that it was swiftly swallowed up into the magic circle that in turn provided the dark figure with cursed energy.
Diego was marvelled by the sight, showing a gesture of good will he swiftly knelt down and bowed his head saying:
"I Praise God Darkovia that you found us lady Beatrice, for our flames of hope had been swiftly extinguished when we saw that wretched scum attack us to claim the sacrifice we came to present to God Darkovia and the motherland, to heal the motherland and restore it to how it was meant to be."
Beatrice started laughing madly before saying:
"Do you think one measly light of god is sufficient for restoring our land to its glory."
"Do not delude yourself with faint hope, for our land to be restored we need all the Lights of the God of life, and not just that, a legendary lich and a dozen or more other liches chanting to wield the immense power that destroys cursed energy from the atmosphere and restore our land to a fertile land."
While still keeping his head down, Diego replied:
"If one isn't enough, I'll bring two, if two isn't enough I'll bring eight, If eight isn't enough, I'll bring a hundred and if a hundred isn't enough I'll bring a thousand or millions or trillions as long as the motherland is restored, as for the legendary lich, there hasn't been any record of a true legend for a few hundred years but it has come to my knowledge that you lady Beatrice have been building a cursed energy device to absorb the curse placed on our land, allow me to offer the elf as a sacrifice to you and for you to have enough motivation to keep the good work up."
Beatrice was a bit startled by what she was hearing, she tried sensing the intent coming from Diego to know whether he truly wanted to support her before saying:
"For years I worked tirelessly to find a way to absorb the cursed energy Death plagued us with, I haven't had any success so far but I believe the answer may lie within the use of life energy."
She chuckled a little bit before saying:
"I couldn't help but notice you didn't bring anyone to help you brave the wilderness of Darkovia, did you think since you were an apprentice vampire you had enough power to do so by yourself or were you hoping you would safely escape from all the cursed creatures that lived here or were you hoping for something else."
Diego raised his head gently before replying with a calm voice:
"I'm afraid that I heard the legends about you, the only one of the vampires who was actively doing something for the motherland while our so called elders slept and kept themselves hidden from this inferior race."
"I admit it was a bit presumptuous of me to put myself in danger to get your attention but I had a strong belief you would save me and I would know that the legends about you were true."
Beatrice smiled softly before changing her expression to a neutral expression and saying blankly:
"Order your troops to meet you, I wouldn't want them to cause more trouble for us, as we head for the tower."
With that Diego ordered his officials to meet him through the connection he established with them in his mind, a short while later, a group of skeleton officials was seen at the front of a hollow cave, Diego and Beatrice walked outside while Diego signaled his officials to do obeisance to Beatrice, Beatrice just scoffed when she saw the kneeling skeletons before ordering them to follow her.
***
Under the leadership of Diego and Beatrice the party of skeletons didn't utter a single word while following the two powerful vampires from behind.
Hope had tried many ways to escape the hoard of skeletons surrounding her when she heard that it wasn't only her that would be sacrificed but also the other eight Lights of God, and possibly all of her people who were given life energy from the God of life.
After her last attempt of escape and also because she was seeing the tower clearly ahead in the horizon, she started praying fervently to her God to save her life, but there was no answer.
She was guided into the tower and placed on a large runic circle, she tried shaking off the chains and guards that bound her but she had no leeway especially when Beatrice noticed her plight and proceeded to grab her tightly with the energy contained within her using telepathic powers.
Hope stood firmly in the runic circle, a large transparent container containing runic letters was slammed on her, gripping her firmly into position, immediately the container was placed on her, she felt the telepathic hold Beatrice had on her go away.
Then she felt agonizing pain from beneath her, startled she checked her feet and saw a bright light of fire burning her up, the beautiful brightly lit yellow skin on her legs had long been extinguished turning her feet as black as charcoal, the more she burned the more of her life energy that was absorbed by the container.
Unable to bear the pain, Hope slammed the container repeatedly with her fists but there was no way out, soon it was only pain she felt in her body. Then when she was about to be fully extinguished, she heard a whisper saying:
"Sorry child, for this was how it was always meant to be."
Hope replied with scorched lips :
"How it was meant to be?"
After she heard those words she surrendered her faith on the God of life and was consumed by primal instinct, she slammed the glass container repeatedly hoping to get free but it was only her scorched hands that were slowly crumbling away in ashes, she cried but her tears were swiftly extinguished by the flame below her.
She was crazed and angry and burning with vengeance at the end of her life and so, a small ethereal being slowly flowed out of Hope's figure and out into the world through a small crack she had made on the glass.