Lyla's trembling fingers brushed against her neck, expecting to feel the cold, unforgiving leathery feel of the slave collar that had been a constant reminder of her subjugation. To her surprise, her fingers met only bare skin. The collar was gone.
A wave of conflicting emotions washed over her. Relief mixed with disbelief. How could it be possible? Was it so easy to get rid of the chains that had bound her for so long?
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked back at Raymond, her saviour. "You... you removed the collar," she stammered, her voice filled with astonishment.
"Yes, I did. No one deserves to be enslaved, Lyla," he declared, his tone firm and resolute. "It is one of the vilest things a human can do to others, stripping away their freedom and dignity."
Lyla's heart swelled with gratitude. For the first time in years, she felt a glimmer of hope, a sense of liberation that she thought she would never experience again.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Raymond's eyes met hers, with a small smile on his lips. "You don't owe me anything, Lyla. Just consider the debt between you and Jasmine cleared."
Lyla nodded, determination shining through her tear-streaked face. She would not waste this second chance. She would forge her own destiny, leaving behind the darkness that had consumed her.
She slowly leaned against the wall, her body seemingly tired from all the things she had been put through since she was a child.
"Hahahaha! Now you have done it!" She was startled by her brother's raucous laughter. "Forcefully removing the collar is equal to breaking the life debt, it is equal to going against the heavens!"
Her breath hitched in her throat as she was hit with the reality of the situation.
Since a mana contract that was equivalent to life debt was used while creating the slave collar to make sure the slaves were obedient to their Masters, it was equivalent to breaking the oaths made in the name of the heavens to forcefully remove the collar.
Anyone— except for the Master— who removed the collar from the slave when the slave was still alive would invoke the wrath of the heavens.
"Noo! This can't be!"
What has she done? In her eagerness to get freedom, she had put her saviour in danger.
-Rumble!
Thunder rumbled in the sky above the mansion as the dark clouds gathered together and churned in preparation to punish the mortal that had gone against the heavenly orders.
"Noo! Please, no…"
Tears rolled down her face, looking at Raymond's clueless face. He had invited a disaster upon himself trying to help her.
"Kekeke," Felix cackled like a madman. "This is what happens when you go against your betters! Now suffer the wrath of almighty gods!"
Lyla quickly stood up straight, her back taut like a spear.
"Raymond, you must run!" She walked in front of him and prepared herself to stand in his place to take the punishment. "No one can withstand the heavenly lightning!"
She didn't know why but she took a step closer to him. Maybe she knew it was the last moments of her life or maybe she just wanted to know how it felt to be in the arms of someone who cared for her.
Standing on her toes she grabbed his collar and brought his head down.
"Mmpph!"
Lyla instantly felt lightheaded as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his desperately. Her fists crumpled his clothes not wanting to let go. It felt so good to kiss someone you liked.
Lyla realised belatedly that in her attempts of trying to seduce him, she was the one who ended up falling for him.
She didn't know what made her love him. Was it his careless attitude at her advances? Or was it the caring nature he showed towards Jasmine that she so desperately wanted to feel for herself?
She didn't know why? But she had given her heart to this powerful man who was for some reason not responding to her kiss, eh?
"Huh?!"
She looked up surprised to find that Raymond was looking down at her with a deadpan expression.
"Lyla, how am I supposed to run if you hold me down like this?"
She quickly let go of him feeling embarrassed about her behavior. Something seemed to have come over her as she kissed him fervently.
Raymond was feeling awkward. He didn't expect to get kissed by her like that. Since he didn't want to appear flustered by her kiss, he acted like nothing happened and walked towards the hole in the wall.
"Even if you want me to run, I will not run! Let's see what this so-called heaven has in store for me."
With that, he jumped outside into the front garden of the mansion. As his feet touched the ground creating a small crater he looked up at the sky that was being enveloped in dark clouds.
-Rumble!
The entire sky trembled as the flickers of lightning became visible among the clouds.
Several archaic symbols appeared on the ground where Raymond was standing, creating a runic formation around him.
They slithered on the ground like snakes and crawled up from his legs to his head. His whole body glowed in eye piercing golden light as the symbols danced on his body tying him to the place.
Raymond stood rooted on the place, without moving and looked up at the lightning forming challengingly.
-Crackle!
And then it struck. A thick bolt of lightning that was enough to shatter a mountain fell right on his head.
"Haha, he is dead!" Felix laughed as he watched from the window.
'Please be safe.' Lyla prayed in her heart.
"Holy shit! That's so thick and long!"
Egon said from the side. It seemed like everyone was ignoring his existence so he decided to make his presence known.
-Crackle!
Everyone closed their eyes as one after another bolts of lighting fell from the sky. This continued for a while as most of the people from the manor ran away without looking back in fear except for the trio of Lyla, Felix, and Egon.
Felix felt his eyes threatening to jump out of his eye sockets when the light died down. Raymond was still standing in the destroyed garden with his head held high, looking up at the sky.
The only thing about him that changed was his hair that was dishevelled and his upper body that was out in the open glistening with lightning. Miraculously his trousers seem to have survived the onslaught of heavenly thunder.
Felix fell back on his butt injuring his already broken hand. "Arghh! t-that's impossible." He backed off ignoring the pain and muttered in disbelief.
"So, so~ powerful!" Lyla whispered with awe. Standing in the destroyed garden with his bare chest wrapped in lightning. Raymond looked like a god that had descended into this mortal world.
Unknowingly, her feet moved, bringing her near the hole in the wall. Hearts appeared in her eyes looking at the handsome face of Raymond.
All her life she had blamed the heavens for giving her such a cruel family. But here was a man who went against heaven and withstood its punishment as if it was nothing.
[Stop right there, girl! Don't go near him, he is giving off a dangerous vibe.]
Being true to Heartsbane's words, a terrifying aura undulated from Raymond, enveloping the whole Denver manor.
"Arghh!"
Lyla groaned as she felt a bone crushing weight on her making her kneel on the floor. The other two weren't any better as they were on the verge of losing consciousness.
Unaware of the consequences of releasing his aura, Raymond laughed. He gave a loud mocking laugh at the sky.
"Hahahahaha! That's it? That's all heaven has to offer as a punishment?" He slowly bent his knees ready to jump. "I was expecting something better from you!"
-Boom!
He jumped into the sky creating a massive crater on the ground that reached the manor's foundation. Walls cracked and the supportive pillars of the manor shattered. The once majestic Denver manor was just moments away from crumbling like a castle made of sand.
-Rumble!
The clouds rumbled in fury, looking at the mortal that was daring to go against the heavens.
Within a blink of an eye, Raymond was in between the clouds. Letting out a snort of amusement when he saw the lights flickering amongst them cooking up another volley of lightning bolts, he outstretched his hands.
"Get lost!"
-CLAP!
Space trembled like waves in an ocean where his palms met, producing a shockwave so great that it swept away the clouds, reducing them to nothing more than a wisp.
Brilliant scarlet rays of the evening sun shone once again on the destroyed Denver manor. Raymond had changed the weather with just a clap from his hands.
-Thud!
Raymond landed safely on the ground and looked around in satisfaction.
There was no longer the manor that was standing proud. Everything was reduced to rubbles and debris.
He closed his eyes to sense the life around him. He heard only three different types of heartbeats from under the wreckage.
Without wasting any time he walked towards a large chunk of blasted wall and lifted it off.
Lyla opened her eyes as the light dawned upon her beautiful face. The sight in front of her would be etched into her mind forever. Her saviour was standing in front of her as if nothing had happened, with the sunlight creating a majestic aura behind him.
Lyla leaped to her feet and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. Raymond's hands moved instinctively as he wrapped his arms around her, mashing her bountiful breasts against his bare chest.
The sweet fragrance emanating from her body stirred something in Raymond. A primeval urge to mate after doing something heaven defying.
Well, in his case, he literally went against the heavens, hence the urge only intensified as he remembered her soft lips caressing his mouth before.
Raymond lifted her chin and smashed his lips against her juicy lips in a fervent kiss. He pushed his tongue inside her mouth intending to conquer every inch of it.