Chapter 3

A few days had passed since had the dream and nothing really changed.

At times Ibaeran would wonder if the dream she had was nothing more than an ordinary dream or if it was something much more than that.

After a long day of work at the fields she would work home with her mind filled with thoughts about the possibility of her taking part in the tournament and actually winning and then claiming the steel wings of the Su Baera.

She would often push the thought of taking part in the tournament aside though as she believed that it would be impossible for someone like her to win and claim the wings of the Su Baera when so many warriors who were far greater than her had failed.

Even though she tried to suppress her thoughts of the possibility of winning the tournament and claiming the wings of the Su Baera they were still strong enough to push her but at least they were enough to make her go to the training grounds where the great warriors would gather and train for the tournament.

She would stand from the top of a great hill and watch the warriors underneath fight and train to become the strongest and the mightiest in the land, driven by the possibility of earn them freedom back from the Uha Tamunaran.

Ibaeran just smiled as she watched them all train from the great hill.

She then remembered her father and how he would spend hours training to win the tournament and claim the wings of the Su Baera.

Training was the first thing her father did after working as builder for Uha Tamunarans.

He spent more time in the training grounds than he did at home.

Ibaeran remembered how she would come there every day to bring him food and watch him train.

Her father was determined to win as he wanted Ibaeran to know what it felt like to be free.

To him, Ibaeran was his greatest treasure and he never wanted her to end up a slave like him and everyone else in the nations of the world.

Ibaeran smiled with a small tear falling down from her eyes as she remembered her father and how much he loved and adored her.

Ibaeran looked at the warriors as they trained and thought to herself if her father with all his training and determination couldn’t claim the wings and free them all what chance did, she her.

Ibaeran then left the training grounds and made her way home.

Once there she stood by the window and began to think.

She could not stop thinking about her dream.

It had to be nothing more than ordinary dream because she could be the next Su Baera, she wasn’t a warrior after all and there was no way the next Su Baera could be someone like her.

The Su Baera was meant to be someone brave, daring and strong and those qualities Ibaeran could not find within herself.

Ibaeran had accept the fact that she was a slave and was likely to always be one but yet a small part of her refused to come to terms with it.

Ibaeran could not explain it but a part of her believed she could be something, something great.

Ibaeran didn’t want to give in to that part of her as it would make her believe and hope only to be broken when reality hits her and makes her realize that she was wrong in believing everything she thought she could be.

Soon night came and Ibaeran was stuck in her mind, thinking deeply and wondering if it was possible for her to not only win but claim the wings of the Su Baera.

Ibaeran came out of her deep thought upon hearing a knock at the door.

She went to it wondering who it was.

Ibaeran opened the door and saw Preyina standing outside.

“Hey Ibaeran” said Preyina with warm smile on her face.

“Glad to see that you actually knocked this time” said Ibaeran jokingly with playful smile.

“There is a first time for everything I guess so are you going to well come me in or leave me out here” said Preyina.

“I’m considering it” said Ibaeran with a smile on her face.

“Come on Ibaeran, it’s freezing out here” said Preyina as she tried to warm up her shoulders and began to shiver from the cold winds blowing outside the house.

“Alright then, come in” said Ibaeran, inviting Preyina in to her home.

Preyina then went it.

“Are you feeling any better or has the poison gotten worse” said Ibaeran worried that the poison her gotten worse.

“I’m fine” said Preyina as she showed Ibaeran her arm.

“Wow, it’s completely gone” said Ibaeran shocked upon seeing the poison was no longer on her arm.

“Yeah, my master cured me” said Preyina.

“Really, Uha Tamunarans don’t usually show any form of kindness to their slaves so I’m surprise that your master agreed to cure you just like that” said Ibaeran finding it hard to believe her master would cure her when Uha Tamunarans are known for being cruel to their slave even willing to kill them if they feel they were unworthy to breath the same air as them.

“What can I say, my master has a kind heart” said Preyina with a deep sigh, not wanting to tell Ibaeran about what she had to do to get her master to cure her.

“An Uha Tamunaran with a kind heart” said Ibaeran as she burst in to laughter.

Preyina did not laugh along with her which seemed strange to Ibaeran, knowing full well that Preyina normally could not resist laughing at a joke that had something to do with the Uha Tamunarans.

“Are you okay?” asked Ibaeran sensing something was bothering Preyina.

“I’m fine I’m just tire, I had to do a lot in these past few days” said Preyina.

“Are you sure, you look like you are more than just tired” said Ibaeran.

“I SAID I’M TIRED AND THAT’S ALL I AM TIRED!!!!!” said Preyina aggressively shocking Ibaeran.

Ibaeran had never heard Preyina talked like that to her before and the way Preyina was looking at her at that moment, so filled with rage, anger and pain, it frightened Ibaeran to her friend that way.

Preyina saw that she was beginning to scare Ibaeran so she took a deep breath and calm down.

“Look I’m just tired, my master had been putting me to work nonstop. My entire body is aching from pain and exhaustion. I’m sorry for the way I reacted I’m just so tired and stressed out right now” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then went to her and pulled her in for a tight hug.

She could tell Preyina was lying and something else was bothering her but she didn’t want to pester her with all her question because she could also tell that all she needed was a friend at that very moment.

Ibaeran then pulled away from the hug and said, “I get it, working all day every day for an Uha Tamunaran is not easy. Heaven only knows how many times I held myself back from punching a random strange on streets just because I was grumpy from exhaustion”.

Preyina then smiled at Ibaeran and said, “I’m glad to have a friend like you”.

“I know, I’m incredible aren’t I” said Ibaeran jokingly with a smile on her face which caused Preyina to smile and nod slightly.

Preyina and Ibaeran then went to the window and to look out at the streets of Ijawana.

They saw the miserable state of everyone that roamed the streets of Ijawana at night; they looked broken, void of all joy and hope, like dead men and women walking aimlessly wanting nothing more than to feel the joy of life that had been ripped away from their reach by their Uha Tamunaran masters.

Preyina stopped look at the window and took a moment to look at her arm where her master poisoned her, sighing as she thought about what she had to do to make her master cure her.

Day after day after day she was forced to serve her master, following every command he gave her no matter how difficult or abusive they may be.

Preyina felt disgusted with herself as she remembered everything her master made her do.

Her master had left his mark on her and that mark made her feel filthy and ashamed of herself.

Ibaeran noticed that Preyina was lost deep in her thought and so she asked Preyina, “what are you thinking about”.

“Nothing” said Preyina as she came out from her deep thoughts.

“Stop lying, to me. I can see it in your sees, you were obviously thinking about something” said Ibaeran.

Preyina sighed, not wanting to tell Ibaeran what she was thinking about as she would just worry about it if she knew but she also knew Ibaeran would not give up until she gives Ibaeran a believable answer to her question.

“I was actually thinking about our lives as slaves” said Preyina.

“Oh, what about it?” asked Ibaeran.

“Do you think we will ever be free from the Uha Tamunaran’s” asked Preyina, that question seemed to do the trick as Ibaeran believed that Preyina was indeed pondering whether theirs and the rest of the people enslaved by the Uha Tamunarans could ever be free as it was a question, she often asked her and herself.

“You know the answer to that question” said Ibaeran as Preyina knew her answer and so she felt no need to give a reply to the question.

“I know but…” Preyina was cut off by Ibaeran saying, “but nothing. The greatest warriors from all the nations have tried to claim the wings but none of them were successful, each and every one of them failed trying to claim those wings and become the Su Baera, the only person that could put an end to our suffering”.

Preyina sighed, even though she only asked Ibaeran that question to distract Ibaeran from the fact that she was actually thinking about her abusive master and all the horrible things he does to her it still hurt to hear Ibaeran say that she did not believe that they could free from their Uha Tamunaran masters.

Ibaeran saw that her reply hurt Preyina greatly.

She then sighed before she held Preyina’s hand saying, “Look, I’m just being honest with you, freedom at this point is an impossible dream. The Uha Tamunaran’s have all the power and we have nothing, absolutely nothing but as long as we together we will be alright”.

“Yeah, you are right, as long as we are together” said Preyina with smile on her face, feeling a sense of peace and happiness that Ibaeran would always be by her side whenever she needed her.

Preyina and Ibaeran then hugged each other and as they did so Preyina noticed the mark on Ibaeran’s neck as the light from the night sky shun on them and so she pulled away from the hug and then asked, “what’s with the mark on your neck”.

“What mark?” asked Ibaeran as she still did not realize that a mark resembling a pair of silver wings was her neck.

Ibaeran then placed her hand on her neck and felt the mark.

“What on earth” said Ibaeran as she felt the mark on her neck?

Ibaeran then ran away in to the darkness of her home, returning a few moments later with a small mirror on her hand.

She then used the mirror to look at the mark on her neck.

Her eyes then widened with shock upon seeing that mark on her neck.

Ibaeran then remembered the dream she had a few days ago and how the winged lady in her dream placed her hand on her neck on the very spot where that mark was before she woke up.

“It can’t be” said Ibaeran unable to believe what she was seeing.

“What’s going on?” asked Preyina confused and wondering why Ibaeran had that strange mark on her neck.

Ibaeran then sighed deeply, not knowing how to explain the dream she had.

“It’s complicated” said Ibaeran.

“Then simplify it” said Preyina.

Ibaeran sighed once again before she began to tell her about the dream and how the Su Ingi told her she would be the next Su Baera.

Preyina stood their speechless upon hearing everything Ibaeran said.

“It’s probably a dumb dream” said Ibaeran

“I don’t think it is” said Preyina.

“What?” said Ibaeran shocked upon hearing what Preyina said, wondering why she would take something as silly as the dream she had seriously

“I just told you I had a dream where a cloaked lady with wings made of light told me I would be the next Su Baera and you’re saying you don’t think it’s just an ordinary crazy dream” said Ibaeran.

“Look I know it sounds crazy but what if that was no ordinary dream and you truly were chosen to be the next Su Baera” said Preyina.

“Did that poison affect you brain because you sound insane right now” said Ibaeran still refusing to believe what she saw in her dream was real.

“I know it sounds crazy but what if I’m right and truly you are meant to be the next Su Baera. I mean if it really was just a dream you wouldn’t have that mark on your neck” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then sighed knowing that Preyina had a point, if it was really just a dream, she wouldn’t have that mark on her neck.

“Look I’ll admit the mark is strange and maybe there is more to my dream but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will be the next Su Baera. I’m no warrior and you know it” said Ibaeran.

Preyina then began to think for a few brief moments before saying, “you are right, you are no warrior but maybe you can be”.

Ibaeran could tell that Preyina had an idea and from the look on her face Ibaeran doubted if she even wanted to what it was.

“What’s going on in that head of yours” said Ibaeran knowing that she would probably regret asking her that question.

“I’ve heard rumors of a man who lives in the forest outside the city. They say he was the only one who ever won the tournament and returned, despite the fact that he couldn’t claim the wings. He is the only one that one won the tournament and is still alive to tell the tale” Said Preyina.

“Your point is what exactly” asked Ibaeran.

“They say the man claims he the one to train anyone he deems one worthy enough to claim the steel wings and become the next Su Baera” said Preyina.

Ibaeran slapped her head out of annoyance upon hearing what Preyina said.

“Let me get this straight, you want me to go meet a guy in the forest who supposedly won the tournament of the Su Baera and returned without reclaiming the wings so he can train me” asked Ibaeran.

“Yes” said Preyina.

Ibaeran then burst in to laughter before saying, “I love Preyina but you’re crazy and you need to stop believing very rumor you here in the streets. You are starting to sound as crazy as the people who create them”.

“I know it sounds crazy but…” Preyina was cut off by Ibaeran saying, “but nothing, I am not the Su Baera”.

Preyina just sighed upon hearing Ibaeran’s reply.

Ibaeran was so stubborn and unwilling to accept that she might be the next Su Baera; Preyina wished that she would at least consider it as a possible because if she was the Su Baera, she would bring hope to the people of all the nations.

Preyina believed that if she truly was the Su Baera, she might be able to save her from her Uha Tamunaran master along with the others suffering under their master’s.

“Look, it’s getting late and I have to go. We’ll talk about this some other time” said Preyina noticing that it was getting very late outside and she needed to return to her master’s home.

“Alright then but there is nothing to talk about, I’m not the Su Baera” said Ibaeran, still refusing to accept the fact that she could be the next Su Baera.

Preyina just sighed at Ibaeran before walking to the door.

Before Preyina could open the door to leave she said, “would you at least think about it Ibaeran. If you became the next Su Baera, you would have the power to free us all. There are so many people out there who are suffering under the hands of their Uha Tamunaran masters, enduring tremendous pain and having to face unimaginable horrors. Don’t you think you owe it to your people to at least try to save them”?

Preyina could not hold back her tears as she spoke but tried her best to hide it as she thought about her Uha Tamunaran master and what she had to face in his home while serving him.

“Preyina” said Ibaeran softly sensing something was wrong.

Preyina then quickly opened the door and rushed out not wanting Ibaeran to see her cry.

Ibaeran stood their speechless thinking about what Preyina said.

She then began to wonder, what if she had a point and she could be the next Su Baera.

She went to the window and then brought out the mirror to look at the mark on her neck.

Could she truly be the next Su Baera?

Even though Ibaeran still wasn’t totally convince she could be the next Su Baera her mind slowly became more opened to the idea.