Ibaeran spent the days that followed wondering if it was possible for her to be the next Su Baera.

She would often spend much of her time watching the warriors as they trained after she was done with all her work on the fields, sometimes even mimicking and practicing the way they fought while training.

She still didn’t believe that she could be the next Su Baera but she could feel something inside her like small faint voice whispering to her that she could be the Su Baera.

The voice though wasn’t loud enough to push her to want to be the Su Baera but it was enough to be noticed and at least make Ibaeran further consider the possibility a little more.

One day after she was done with all her work, she went back home but once there she found a troubling sight, Preyina was on the floor with all her vein glowing blood red as she was once again poisoned by her master.

“PREYINA!!!” screamed Ibaeran before rushing to her friend’s aid.

“Hey, Ibaeran” said Preyina weakly upon seeing Ibaeran.

Ibaeran then carried her up and took her took the bed so she could rest.

“What happened, Preyina?” asked Ibaeran.

Preyina then cough out blood before saying, “my master”.

“Preyina, I thought I warned you about this. You shouldn’t disobey your master in anyway” said Preyina.

“Did you even know what he told me to do” asked Preyina.

“That man is a pig that torments me all day and night. He abuses me in every possible where, he makes me do terrible things just to bring pleasure to him” said Preyina with tears falling down from her eyes.

“What do you mean by he made you do terrible things just to bring pleasure to him” asked Ibaeran, unable to stop herself from asking even though she knew she would hate whatever answers Preyina was going to give her.

Preyina just smiled weakly as a tear fell down from her eye, feeling ashamed and disgusted by her master and the vile things he made her do.

“Let’s just say by body is no longer pure” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then looked at Preyina, understanding what she meant by those words and upon hearing them she couldn’t help but feel rage and disgust towards the Uha Tamunaran’s cruelty as she knew the Uha Tamunaran’s were terrible to their slaves but she never thought there would go as far as forcing themselves on them.

“How long has this been going on for” asked Ibaeran?

“A few days ago, before that he tried to make advances on me but I always found a way to avoid it and when I couldn’t take it anymore and asked him to stop so he did this to me” said Preyina.

“Why didn’t you say anything before now?” asked Ibaeran.

“There was no point in telling you. If I had told you nothing would have changed, I would still have to go back to his home and suffer under his abuse. All you would be able to do is worry and hope I would be alright while I suffer” said Preyina.

Tears then began to fall down from Ibaeran knowing that she was right; even if she did tell she was powerless and would be unable to stop her master from doing what he did to Preyina.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you Preyina” said Ibaeran.

Preyina then raised her hand and placed it on the side Ibaeran’s cheek.

“What’s done is done Ibaeran, my father always used to say all the tears in the world can’t fix a mirror once it breaks” said Preyina.

“I still wish there is something I could do to help you” said Ibaeran.

“But there is nothing you can do. I like some many others is a victim suffering under the Uha Tamunarans abuse and torture. It’s far too late for me and soon I’ll die but the sad part is I’m not the first person to suffer like this and if something isn’t done to stop the Uha Tamunaran’s I won’t be the last” said Preyina.

Preyina then held Ibaeran’s arm.

“You couldn’t save me and that’s okay but you can still save countless others” said Preyina.

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Ibaeran understood what Preyina was trying to say but believed deep with her heart that it was impossible.

“I can’t Preyina, I’m not the Su Baera” said Ibaeran.

“I know but you can at least try Ibaeran. You are destined for great things Ibaeran, I can see that and that mark on your neck proves it. Why is it so hard for you to believe?” said Preyina.

Ibaeran remain silent, not knowing what to say Preyina at that moment.

Preyina then began to feel the poison inside her begin to slowly kill her from the inside out; she knew she didn’t have much time left.

“I don’t have much time left. I can fill the poison flowing through my body, it feels like my blood is boiling” said Preyina smiling slightly with tears falling down from her eyes.

“It won’t be long before…” Preyina was stopped from completing her sentence by Ibaeran saying, “don’t you dare complete that stupid sentence. I’m not ready to lose you Preyina”.

Preyina upon seeing the love and care in Ibaeran’s face as she spoke smiled at her.

“Some people don’t see death as the end but the beginning of something new. I hope that my death is the beginning of something new for you” said Preyina.

Ibaeran could not stop tears from pouring down from her eyes, she didn’t want to have to say goodbye to her friend, and she didn’t have the strength to endure the pain that would come from losing her.

Preyina then raise her arm up to Ibaeran and wiped away all her tears.

“Don’t cry Ibaeran, it doesn’t suit you besides you will need all your strength for the battle that is coming your way” said Preyina.

“But I can’t be the Su Baera, I’m not strong enough” said Ibaeran.

“And you don’t have to be, all you have to do is try. Promise me Ibaeran that you will try” said Preyina.

“I…” Ibaeran hesitated to give a reply.

“Please fulfill my dying wish and promise me that you will try to save our people from the Uha Tamunaran’s, I don’t want someone else to have to suffer the same fate as me” said Preyina.

Ibaeran could stop herself from opening her mouth and saying, “I promise”.

She knew that she might not be able to keep her promise but upon seeing Preyina in the state she was in Ibaeran could bring herself to refuse her.

“Good, now I know my soul will be able to rest in peace” said Preyina as she closed her eyes.

Before she could take her last breath, she opened her mouth one last time to say, “I’m sure you will make a great Su Baera”.

With those words said Preyina took her last breath and gave in to the cold embrace of death.

Ibaeran watched as Preyina stopped breathing and her hands turned ice cold, she didn’t need to be told that Preyina would never open her eyes again and that her soul was lost to death.

Ibaeran, with a heavy heart then carried lifted Preyina’s lifeless corpse and took her outside her home.

There she began to dig a hole to bury Preyina in.

This was strange to the people around who just watched her as she dogged the hole as slave to the Uha Tamunaran did not normally have burial when they died, the Uha Tamunaran would often use their dead bodies as fertilizer or as foods for their livestock they had.

The Uha Tamunaran saw the people as a class far lower than them and thus did not even bother giving them a proper burial when they died.

Ibaeran did not want Preyina to share the same fate as the many slaves that had died in the hands of the Uha Tamunaran before her so she decided to bury herself.

Preyina was more than a friend to Ibaeran and even though they did not share blood the bond they had to one another was stronger than that of two sisters.

When Ibaeran finished digging the hole she lifted Preyina’s body and placed it gently into the grave before she began to cover it up.

Tears overflowed from her eyes as she buried Preyina, with each time she covered Preyina’s body with sand and dirt Ibaeran felt a tear fall down from her eye.

It was torture for Ibaeran, having to say good bye forever to Preyina and when she was done burying her Ibaeran collapsed on the ground where she buried with tears falling down from her eyes.

As she cried the mark on her neck began to glow.

Ibaeran then saw a light so bright it covered her entire vision.

Then the light began to die down and as she did, she saw a figure approach her.

It took her a while to recognize the figure as it approached her but when she her eyes widen with shock.

It was her but with the steel wings of the Su Baera.

She then heard Preyina’s voice echoing in the distance saying, “you will make a great Su Baera”.

Then everything went dark and then Ibaeran found herself lying on the grave she dug for Preyina.

Ibaeran then got up and went in to her house.

Once there she stood next to the window and began to think of everything; Preyina’s death, the dream she had and the mark on her neck.

And for the first time Ibaeran began to slowly believe and accept the possibility that she might be the Su Baera.

She looked at the city of Ijawana from her window and wondered how many people are suffering like Preyina did, how many are being treated like animal and objects to be owned, how many people are helpless and are being forced to endure so much under their Uha Tamunaran master.

They were countless people like Preyina out there and each of them are hoping and praying for one thing and one thing alone, to be free from the Uha Tamunaran who oppress and abuse day and night.

The people needed a hero and Ibaeran was starting to believe she could be that hero.

Ibaeran then began to think about how silly it was that she was actually starting to believe that she could be the Su Baera when the mightiest of warriors couldn’t, when her own father couldn’t.

She then remembered the promise she made to Preyina before she died;

“Promise me Ibaeran that you will try”

Ibaeran sighed as she remembered the promise, she made to Preyina before she died.

She had to keep her promise after all it was the last thing her friend asked her to do before she died.

Ibaeran had to try not just for Preyina or the people of all the nations conquered by the Uha Tamunaran but for herself.

Ibaeran did not know why but she felt that everything happening to her was happening to her for a reason and she owed it to help to find out why.

She knew that she may be the next Su Baera and everything she felt was all in her mind but she owed herself and Preyina to at least try, that was what Preyina asked of her after all.