In a small city called Ijawana found in the Nation of the South, a girl called Ibaeran was put to work in the fields along with most of the other people who lived in Ijawana.

Each day she and the rest of the field workers would work all throughout the day in the fields, sometimes under the hot sun and sometime under the pouring rain, being watched of their Uha Tamunaran masters, and if they were too tired to work their Uha Tamunaran masters would use their powers to torture them immensely sometimes even to the point of death.

Ibaeran did not like being forced to working in the fields by her Uha Tamunaran masters but she had no choice it was either that or face the Uha Tamunaran wrath which she and everyone in the nation feared, so she worked in the fields.

Soon she was done with all her work for the day and was allowed to leave.

Ibaeran went to her home after working extremely hard all day in the fields.

On her way home, she saw some people that lived in Ijawana being tormented by her their Uha Tamunaran masters, they all looked sad, hopeless and miserable, which was normal for them as they Uha Tamunarans gave them little to no reason to laugh, smile or enjoy any form of peace and happiness.

Ibaeran wished she could help but she knew better than to interfere or go against the Uha Tamunaran so she walked past the sad and miserable sight of her people being tortured and tormented by the Uha Tamunarans and continued her journey home.

Ibaeran was about to reach her home she a poor girl who looked like she hadn’t eaten anything in days.

The poor girl was begging on the streets for a little food and people just walked past her, not wanting to share the little food they had with the poor girl.

Ibaeran sighed looking at the girl, she knew the girl would not last long in the state she was in so she went her and offered her the food her Uha Tamunaran masters gave her after she had finished her work.

“Here you go, it’s not much but it should be enough it easy your hunger” said Ibaeran.

“Thank you” said the girl accepting the food from Ibaeran.

Ibaeran just smiled at the girl as she accepted the food from her.

Ibaeran then left knowing that with the little food she gave the girl she might survive a little bit longer.

She made her way to her home which was a poor broken down house that looked like it could collapse at any moment with broken windows and cracks on the walls and roofs which that leaked whenever rain.

Everyone in Ijawana that worked for the Uha Tamunaran had homes like that, some homes were even far worse than Ibaeran from crumbling walls that could collapse to homes with foundations so weak something as gentle as a simple gust of wind could send the entire house tumbling down and most of the people did not even have homes, only the Uha Tamunarans had good and stable house that were well furnished with everything they would ever need and more.

Most Ijawanans didn’t even have homes because they did not work for the Uha Tamunarans as they were either too old, sick or injured to work for them and the Uha Tamunarans saw no need in wasting their time or resources on those people so they did nothing for them, providing no water, food or even a home for them, they would rather let them die on the streets than waste their precious resources helping them or even providing a roof above their heads.

Ibaeran opened the door and walked in to her home.

Ibaeran lived alone as her mother died when she was just a baby and her father raised her for most of her life but when the time for the tournament came, he went to fight in tournament and even won but never came back after he was sent to retrieve the wings like every other warrior before he him.

The loss of her father made Ibaeran to stop believing that she and the rest of the nations of the world would even be free.

Her father was the only one that gave hope for a better life, every day she would watch him work and train to get strong so he could win the tournament and free them all from the enslavement of the Uha Tamunarans.

It broke Ibaeran after he left and never came back, her father was so dedicated and determined to get the steel wings of the Su Baera, he was convinced that he was meant to be the next Su Baera and be the one to save all the nations of the world.

He was the only hope Ibaeran had for a better life and a future filled with beautiful and endless possibilities but now the only form of a future Ibaeran could see was one where she and the rest of the people of the world were slaves who must forever serve their Uha Tamunaran masters.

She looked window in her house and sighed deeply as she stared at the broken and hopeless people of Ijawana as they roamed the streets either serving their Uha Tamunaran master or were homeless beggars on the streets who had nothing because they did not serve the Uha Tamunaran.

It was truly a sad and miserable sight to behold and Ibaeran hated it all, the pain, the misery, sadness and the helpless state of everybody not just in Ijawana but the entire world but she could not do anything about, no one could.

The only hope for any of them was the steel wings of the Su Baera but Ibaeran doubted that anybody would ever be able to claim it and even if they could it would be still be a difficult task to free them all and even if someone could claim the wings of the Su Baera it would still be an extremely difficult to get the Dumo stone.

It would such a difficult task to retrieve both the steel wings of the Su Baera and the Dumo stone that Ibaeran believed it was next to impossible and as such she believes that the fate of her and everybody else is to forever serve the Uha Tamunarans.

Ibaeran stood next to the window thinking about the sad reality of her life and lives of everyone under the Uha Tamunaran, it was truly a depressing state of living, that is if they could even count it as a form of living, they had no choice or will of their own and lived their entire lives in service to the Uha Tamunarans, and if they tried in any way to oppose or disobey any of their they would have to face the wrath of the Uha Tamunarans, she stood there for hours till the sun came down bring about the darkness of the night and only came out of her deep train of thought when she heard her door opened.

“Who is there?” asked Ibaeran as she went to the door to see who was there.

“Who do you think” said a girl about Ibaeran’s age as she closed the door.

Ibaeran just smiled upon seeing the girl before she went to the girl and hugged her.

“I’ve told you a million times Preyina, knock at the door when you want to come in” said Ibaeran.

“We both know that that’s never going to happen” said the girl jokingly causing Ibaeran to smile a little.

Preyina was Ibaeran’s closest and only friends, their friendship started from when she was first put to work by the Uha Tamunarans in the fields after her father’s went to claim the wings of the Su Baera and never comes back, she was younger at the time and the only person working on the fields with her that day was about her age was Preyina, the two of them almost instantly became friends upon meeting each other for the first time.

Preyina and Ibaeran grew closer the more they worked on the fields together, playing and joking around while they work which would often get them in trouble with their masters who yelled and punished them whenever they noticed them playing around instead of working but sadly as time passed they were not able to see each other as often as they would like as Preyina was chosen by one of the Uha Tamunarans to be a private slave working for him under his very own roof and so she had to go, leaving Ibaeran to go live with the Uha Tamunaran that assigned her to be his slave.

Preyina however, would often sneak out of the house to come visit her friend though it was only at night when she was sure that her master was fast asleep.

She did not visit as much as Ibaeran would have liked her to but it was still enough to make Ibaeran feel like she wasn’t entirely alone.

They would often talk about their lives and imagine how it would be without their oppressive Uha Tamunaran masters.

Preyina had a way of making Ibaeran smile even when she didn’t want to, putting a smile on her face even when she had no reason to smile.

Ibaeran and Preyina were as close as sister even though they did not share blood.

“How are you Preyina?” asked Ibaeran.

“I’m stressed, tired and exhausted, so pretty good” said Preyina jokingly.

“How about you?” asked Preyina?

“I’m doing okay, today the sun was so hot in the fields that I felt like I had died and went to hell” said Ibaeran.

“Wouldn’t hell be an improvement to whatever life we are living here” said Preyina jokingly.

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“Yeah, it would, wouldn’t it” said Ibaeran with a weak smile as she went to the window and stared out to the sad and depressing world outside, looking at the city of Ijawana and all the people that roamed the streets with their faces worn out and void of any emotion as too tired and miserable to express their pain and sorrow.

Preyina recognized the look on Ibaeran’s face; she was lost in her thoughts probably thinking about the state of everybody not just in Ijawana but in every nation of the world, it was truly depressing to think about, they were being treated like livestock, raised and breed only to serve the Uha Tamunarans and if they tried to opposed them in any way they would struck down by their power or denied food, water and a roof of any kind over their heads as they Uha Tamunarans would never waste their precious resources over the people if they served no use to them.

Thanks to the Uha Tamunarans, nobody in the four nations was truly living they were just surviving and barely at that, they had nothing to look forward to, no hope, just misery and pain, a fate that was only slightly more preferable than death.

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Preyina as she went to the Ibaeran’s side.

“I’m fine, just thinking” said Ibaeran.

“About?” asked Preyina.

“All this” said Ibaeran looking at Ijawana from her window.

Preyina then looked out the window and saw the sad and miserable state the city and the people living in it were in with the hopelessness in the eyes of the people below with those that had a home making their way to their broken homes with dread and sorrow in their tired and weary eyes.

“Yeah, it’s really something” said Preyina unable to find any kind words to describe the state of the city.

“Do you think things will always be this way or maybe someday things will change” asked Ibaeran.

“My father always says the most annoying thing about change is that it comes when you least expect it and in the strangest way possible” said Preyina.

“Your father sounds like a really wise man” said Ibaeran.

“He was until he died” said Preyina as she remembered how her father die in the hands of an Uha Tamunaran for not obeying the command the Uha Tamunaran gave him.

“Yeah, so was mine” said Ibaeran with a weak smile.

The both of them stood there by the window watching the city down below without speaking for a few short moments as they both wondered if they would ever be free from their Uha Tamunaran oppressors.

They both had heard stories of a time before the Uha Tamunaran had come and conquered their lands, a time were free to speak their minds without fearing death, when they could have meals, they were bland and tasted like actual food instead stale leather and could drink water with having to worry about why it was brown in color and tasted so bitter, such a time only existed in the realm of the minds where dreams live and not the bitter truth of their reality.

Ibaeran was the one to break the silence by asking, “Preyina do you think we will ever be free”.

“I don’t know; I would like to believe it is possible but considering how powerful the Uha Tamunaran are compared to us I highly doubt that we would ever be free” said Preyina.

“Yeah, me too” said Ibaeran with a weak smile.

There was a moment of silence between the two girls as they began to think about the fact that they and every single person in the city and nations would never be free from the Uha Tamunaran with a smile forming on Ibaeran’s face as she thought about how nice it would be too able to take a long and deep breath without fear death in the hands of an Uha Tamunaran just for breathing the same air as them.

The thought they both shared filled them with fears and horror, fearing that they would die slaves like every other person in the nations, a thought that seem to be the norm for everyone in the four nations as they were all under the boot of the Uha Tamunarans.

“Do you think it is possible for someone to claim the wings of the Su Baera and maybe, possibly, free us all” asked Preyina breaking the silence between her and Ibaeran.

“Well considering that fact that it has never happened, I highly doubt it” said Ibaeran with a deep sigh.

“But still, it’s still a possibility” said Preyina.

“A very unlikely possibility” said Ibaeran.

“Yeah, but still it’s a possibility which means there is chance it might happen” said Preyina.

“Yeah, I guess there is a chance but it’s too small to actually hope for” said Ibaeran.

“Remember what I said about change, it comes when you least expect it in the strangest way possible” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then smile and began to think about the slim possible chance that someone might actually find the steel wings and free them all from the Uha Tamunaran.

As Ibaeran was lost in her thoughts Preyina noticed that it was getting late and she would need to go back to her Uha Tamunaran master’s home before he found out she was missing.

“Listen, it’s getting late Ibaeran, I need to get going before my master finds out I left” said Preyina.

“Really, can’t you stay a little bit longer” asked Ibaeran wanting Preyina to stay awhile longer.

“I’m sorry but I have to…” before Preyina could even complete her sentence she felt dizzy and then collapsed on the ground.

“PREYINA!!!” screamed Ibaeran upon seeing Preyina fall collapse.

Ibaeran then went to Preyina and shuck her in an attempt to wake her up.

As she shucked Preyina, Ibaeran noticed something strange on Preyina’s arm that was covered by her sleeves.

Ibaeran folded up her sleeve to see what was hidden underneath and then gasped, shocked upon seeing what Preyina was trying to hide from her.

All the veins on Preyina’s entire arm had turned completely red.

“Preyina” said Ibaeran worried and frighten for her friend’s life as she wondered what had happened to her and why her veins were red.

She kept trying her best to wake Preyina up but no matter what she did Preyina refused to wake up.

Finally, in a last a last and desperate attempt to wake Preyina up she brought a cup of what and splashed it on her face.

As the water from the cup reached Preyina she slowly opened up her eyes.

“What happened?” asked Preyina weakly as she got up.

Ibaeran then hugged her tightly with tears falling down from her eyes.

Preyina was shocked at first but then she saw that her sleeve was folded up, she then understood that Ibaeran must have seen her veins and was now worried about her just like she feared she would.

Ibaeran then pulled away from the hug and looked at Preyina with a look of both anger and worry.

“What’s wrong Preyina?” asked Ibaeran.

“It’s nothing” said Preyina not wanting to tell Ibaeran what had happened to her as it would only make her worried for her.

“Preyina, tell me what happened?” said Ibaeran with her arms folded and an ice-cold stare.

Preyina upon seeing Ibaeran and the way she looked at her with a serious look on her face as she stared at her knew that there was no lie; she could tell that Ibaeran would believe.

Preyina just sighed before opening her mouth to say, “My master did it to me, he has the power to poison anybody with just a simple torch. The red veins on my arm are a result of my master’s power”.

“What! Why would he do such a thing” asked Ibaeran both shocked and horrified that Preyina’s master would use his power to poison her.

“It was my punishment for disobeying his orders” said Preyina.

“What! You disobeyed an order from an Uha Tamunaran, are you crazy!!!!! Do you know how dangerous that is, what if he…” Ibaeran could not even bring herself to finish her sentence before tears began to fall down from her eyes.

Preyina then pulled Ibaeran in for a hug consoling her and allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

“Don’t be scared Ibaeran, I’ll be alright, it’s not that serious. Lucky for me my master was not so offended that he would kill me, it’s more of a warning” said Preyina with a playful smile.

Preyina’s attempt to console Ibaeran and undermine what her Uha Tamunaran master did to her did not work and Ibaeran continued to worry about to her.

“This is serious Preyina. You know how dangerous the Uha Tamunarans are. You know you can’t just disobey them without facing their wrath. For goodness sakes these people could kill any of us if they wanted to and nobody would be able to stop them” said Ibaeran.

“I know and I promise I’ll be careful next time” said Preyina.

Then more tears began to fall down from Ibaeran’s eyes before she said softly, “I just don’t want to lose you”.

“And you won’t I promise” said Preyina as she hugged Ibaeran tightly.

After a few moments passed Preyina and Ibaeran then pulled away from the hug.

“I have to go Ibaeran so my master won’t punish me again” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then helped Preyina up.

“Are you sure you are strong enough to go on your own I could follow you if you want” said Ibaeran offering to follow Preyina to her master’s home.

“Yeah, I’m sure my master’s house isn’t too far; I’ll be alright besides my master doesn’t really like late night visitors especially when it’s people who aren’t Uha Tamunarans” said Preyina.

Preyina was about to go but before she could Ibaeran hugged her one last time and then said softly to her, “be safe Preyina”.

The fact that Ibaeran cared about Preyina so much made a warm smile form on Preyina’s face.

“I’ll be fine I promise” said Preyina.

Preyina then kissed Ibaeran on her forehead and wiped away all her tears.

“Don’t cry any more, I’ll come to see you in a few days I promise” said Preyina.

Preyina then left but before she did, she turned to Ibaeran and smiled at her to reassure her that everything would be alright.

Once Preyina was gone Ibaeran went back to the window and began to think about Preyina.

She hoped that she would be alright and her Uha Tamunaran master would not harm her further than he already had.

She did not want to lose Preyina, the only friend she had, she was the closest thing she had to a sister and Ibaeran feared would not be able to endure the pain she would feel from losing her.

As Preyina made her way back to her Uha Tamunaran master she felt a tremendous amount of pain from her arm.

She then looked at her arm and saw her veins were as red as flames with her blood feeling like it was blooding inside of her.

She took a deep breath in, gathering the strength she needed to endure the pain and then continued her journey to her master’s home.

Upon arriving at her master’s home, she went to her master’s bed room to see her master.

There she saw him lying down on his bed almost as though he was waiting for her to come.

“Why are you here slave” asked Preyina’s master.

“To apologize for disobeying you my lord” said Preyina.

Preyina’s master then smiled upon hearing what she said before saying, “I’m afraid apologizing won’t be enough for me to pardon your actions”.

“I know and I am ready to do what you asked of me” said Preyina as she bowed her head, ashamed of herself for what she was about to do.

The smile on her master’s face grew upon hearing what Preyina said, he then got up from his bed and walked up to her.

“Show me the arm that I poisoned” said Preyina’s master.

Preyina hesitated fearing he would increase the level of poison already in her arm and kill her.

“You know how much I hate it when you disobey me Preyina” said Preyina’s master.

Preyina then brought out the arm that was filled with his poison knowing he would do far worse to her if she did not obey him.

“Good girl” said Preyina’s master as grabbed hold of her poisoned arm.

Preyina’s master’s hand then began to glow as he held on to Preyina’s arm and the poison in her arm gone.

Preyina felt a sense of relief as the pain she felt on her arm was now gone and her veins were no longer red.

Her master then let go of her arm.

“Think of this as a reward for submitting yourself to me” said Preyina’s master.

“Thank you, sir” said Preyina.

“Don’t thank me, just obey every command given you slave” said Preyina’s master as he tapped her cheek lightly.

Preyina felt uncomfortable as her master placed his hands on her cheek but pretended like it didn’t bother her to avoid her master’s wrath.

Preyina’s master then turned away from Preyina and faced the bed.

“Close the door” said Preyina’s master.

Preyina’s entire body filled up with a feel of fear, shame and helplessness as she knew what was about to happen to her.

She wished she could refuse her master but she couldn’t, if she did, he would use his power to inflict tremendous pain upon her, pain far too strong to endure, that is if he doesn’t choose to kill her instead.

“Preyina, I thought you agreed that you would do what I ask for, don’t make poison you again because if I do I grantee you the pain you will feel will make you wish for death” said Preyina’s master.

Preyina just sighed upon hearing what her master said, knowing he wasn’t joking and that was a serious threat before going to the door and closing it.

Throughout that night she did not leave the room and spent the entire night on her master’s bed as he did unspeakable things to her behind closed doors.