Ibaeran slowly opened her eyes and found herself hovering with the steel wings of Su Baera attached to her back in sky tainted red with clouds made of ash and smoke. Ibaeran then looked down below and nothing but the remains of a ruined world. Rubble, raging inferno flames, piles and pile dead lifeless bodies scattered about as far as the eye could see, this was the horrific and grime sight that met Ibaeran’s gaze as she looked down below.

Ibaeran had no words describe the shear dread and horror that befell upon seeing the living infernal hell she had found herself in. She then flew down to the desolated world below to see more, much to her fear and dismay, of the crumbling world she had just appeared in. And she descended from the scarlet skies her view of the shattered world below became clearer and as it did, she was to recognize it as the world she from. Recognizing the rubble as the once broken down homes with cracked roofs and weak foundations her people lived in and dead bodies on the floor, were her people, the slaves who little to nothing and lived each and every day of their lives struggling to please and serve their masters.

Ibaeran’s feet then gently touched down on the earth shad earth with the steel wings of the Su Baera disappearing the moment they reach solid ground. Then, one by one, tears of pain and sorrow, dripped down from Ibaeran’s eyes and on to the shad earth below her feet as she saw what had become of her world. More and more tears fell down from her eyes and on the earth below as her mind began to fill up question, pondering to her just what had become to her world as part of the earth was engulfed in flames, another covered with rubbles, and the rest littered with the dead bodies of her people.

Ibaeran then heard a voice call out to her from behind, a faint but yet familiar voice she recognized immediately she heard it.

“Ibaeran”, and as soon as she down those Ibaeran stopped crying, and paused for a moment, wondering if her mind were playing tricks on her with the sounds of ghost but then she heard the voice call out to her once more, saying, “Ibaeran”.

Ibaeran then turned around with tears standing at the very edge of her eyes and then saw none other Preyina standing behind her.

“Prey…Prey..Prey” Ibaeran could not even bring herself to complete the word, her voice trembling and shaking with the tears that stagnant on her eyes giving way and falling. Ibaeran then rushed to her, and then embraced her in a tight warm and loving embrace. Ibaeran did not caring how or even why she was there as the only thing her at that moment, even in the midst of chaos and carnage around her, was that the one person she loved with all her heart was current lock in her arms in a tight embrace. But Preyina remained stilled and motionless like a statue, she didn’t even raise hands up to hug Ibaeran back which was something that Ibaeran found strange and unlike Preyina.

Ibaeran then heard something in the distance, it sounded like a loud stump but strong enough to shake the earth underneath her feet. She then heard it again, this time a louder and it shook the earth even more. Ibaeran then realized that whatever it was that was making stumps must massive and it was coming straight for her and Preyina.

She then heard once more, this time louder and quaking the earth to the point that cracks began to form on the ground that surrounded her and Preyina.

“Preyina”, Ibaeran spoke as she freed Preyina from her embrace and grabbed hold of her hand.

“Come on we have to get out of here, something’s coming, something big”, said Ibaeran with fear and urgency in her voice before proceeding to try and drag Preyina way with her to somewhere that the both of them would be safe or at the very least hide. But as she pulled Preyina she felt what could be only be described as a force chain Preyina’s entire body, locking her in place and keep her feet firmly planted on soil on which she stood.

Ibaeran then turned to see her friend and the person she loved with all heart still and unmoved with her feet planted on that every same spot despite her attempt to try and her out of there.

“Preyina, what’s wrong ?” asked Ibaeran upon seeing that she could not move Preyina from that spot.

Preyina said nothing to Ibaeran and simple wore an empty, dull, and emotion expression on her face void of the warm, joy, and life Ibaeran always saw in Preyina’s face.

“Preyina”, Ibaeran spoke while place her hands on Preyina’s face with tears of sorrow falling down from her eyes as she felt as she felt ice cold on her hands.

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“What’s wrong?”, Ibaeran spoke softly with trembling voice filled pain, sadness, and sorrow, as she came to the grime realization that the person that stood before her wasn’t the Preyina she knew and loved, no, it was just corpse that stood before her.

Ibaeran then heard the stumps once more, this time even loud and even more cracks forming on the earth with red hot flames escaping from the cracks. Ibaeran at moment, couldn’t care less of whatever was coming her way, and the only thing she really wanted at that moment, Preyina, her best friend, and the only person she loved the most with all her heart and soul. She just wanted to be with her, embrace and feel her embrace on her.

Ibaeran then collapsed on Preyina, tears streaming down from her eyes, before, with voice trembling with the pain and sorrow of an aching heart, begged, saying, “Please Preyina, come with me”.

Preyina then, with a face still void of all emotion opened her mouth to say a single word, “Why?”

Ibaeran, upon hearing finally speak to her, looked up to Preyina an icy gaze from Preyina staring back at her.

“Preyina?” Ibaeran spoke with a mix of shock and confusion, wondering why Preyina would look at with such a cold and chilling gaze.

Preyina then spoke once more with her eyes gaze still on Ibaeran, asking the question, “Why?”

Ibaeran looked at her with the same shock and confused look on her face, failing to understand what she meant by the question.

Ibaeran then heard then heard the stump once more, louder and powerful enough make quakes and send massive jets of flames flying out of earth. Then a massive shadow was cast over them, a shadow Ibaeran knew all too well.

Preyina’s body then began to turn to dust and ash before Ibaeran’s eyes.

“Preyina”, Ibaeran spoke with teary eyes as tried grabbing hold of her only for her hands to dust and ash before blowing away with the wind.

Preyina was about to complete vanish to ash and dust before Ibaeran’s eyes but as she was about to disappear completely, she opened to speak once more, saying with empty and void emotionless look on her, “Why Ibaeran, why…didn’t you save us”.

And with those words said, Preyina was gone, her entire body reduced to dust and ash scattered aimlessly in the wind. And with her Ibaeran looked out to the horizon before her, seeing only flames, rubble, and complete and utter havoc and destruction in front of her and in the middle of chaos and amidst all the destruction Ibaeran saw something, something the filled heart complete and absolute fear and dread. What she saw something that far beyond any man or Uha Tamunaran, a being the sight was which was enough to petrify anyone with complete and utter horror and fear, a being that was willing and capable to do anything, even reduce an entire nation down to ash and dipping his hands in enough blood to fill ten oceans if it meant getting what he wanted, what Ibaeran saw before was something far worse than a monster, savage or beast, it was Datubo, the king of the Uha Tamunarans. The kings imposing figure stood before her with piercing emerald glowing eyes and fist glowing with violet flames.

Ibaeran, seeing stand before with his glowing emerald green eyes and flaming violet fist, froze and was not even able to summon the strength to lift her legs and run away. She was felt as though she was gripped tightly by her fear as though they were invisible chains holding her in place and prevented her moving. Ibaeran wanted run and flee as fast and as swift as her leg could carry, to try and escape the painful demise that was coming for her in the hands of the king but try as she made she could seem to able to break free from the chains held her in place.

The king then raised up one of his flaming hands, aiming it straight for Ibaeran. Ibaeran upon the king’s raised hand aimed straight for her, knew that in a moment she would soon be joining her people and would be reduced to nothing more than pile of ash on the ground. Ibaeran watched with fear etched in her eyes as the violet grew and grew, feeling its grow every closer and slowly began to burn her skin but still she remain motionless, unable to move her body and just stood still as she was being burned alive. Ibaeran felt the serine pain flow through her entire body and the heat of the flames slowly engulfed her body but she didn’t scream, cry out, or beg mercy or far her life to be spared in anyway. With her gaze shifting from the violet flames about to consume to the dead bodies littered all around her laying of the carnage of what was once her home Ijawana, Ibaeran couldn’t help but shed a tear before the Preyina’s word began echoing in her ear, repeating the same phrase over and over and over again, “Why didn’t you save us “.

Ibaeran then returned her gaze back to flames with the ghostly wails and echoes of her fallen friend still torment her ear, asking her a question she couldn’t bring herself to answer as she wondered to herself how despite being the Su Baera, a protector charged with the responsibility of maintain peace, could she allow a future like this be a possibility, pondering to herself and wondering why, despite having all that power in her fingers tips did she still feel so helpless and powerless, and why couldn’t she bring herself to save her people. It all then came to an end as the violet flames grew and completely engulfed her, she met her end, falling to the might of the monster she feared the most along with her people, and in her final moments, she refused scream, yell, or shout out in agony and simply chose to endure it all and met her torment by pain and anguish, deeming it as what she deserved for not being able to save them.

Ibaeran then found herself sinking to an abyss, held down by chains of fear lock and sealed by locks of shame and doubt.