A bright hue of blue envelops his whole entity. Spreading within a high speed invading his flesh and bones to the core. A sharp piercing pain jolted up from his feet reaching into his head. Like thousands of needles punctured into his body without end. 

Debris, pedestrians, animals, dust, everything moves slowly like a sloth before coming to a stop. Living or not, neither can avoid becoming the mannequin of time. In other words, time itself has stopped. 

But, only two could move. 

One is Styril's consciousness. The other is unknown. 

Styril could gaze up to the bright sky as his body froze in time.

'Lightning Bolt in the middle of a bright day?' He thought, curious of the current phenomena he is involved in, but also feared of the outcome. 

He can think but, no movement could be done. Suspended in the air like a puppet with strings. 

The pain that circulated in his flesh dissipates, squeezed out from him like water. 

The lightning that once struck him, bends into a swirl. Flowing away from his body like the wind but visible. 

A proper shape formed from the blue lightning. A circle with different shades of blue. Pulsing vibrantly as fades of indigo colour shed from the centre. Dark blue sparks from the edges of the shape. 

The circle shakes with different shapes of bulges took form. Splitting into two blobs of electricity, each creating a straight line in the air. 

"Years, decades and millennium. The essence of time is neither a theory nor a substance. Words can describe the duration of time, but no sea of words could describe the roots of it. "

A voice echoes from the lines. Its tone carries staggering threads with a slight touch of reverb. Accompanied by an aura of superiority yet, humble. Heavy and gentle. 

"It is a concept. Bound and limited not by itself, free from the laws of physics. Possessed and controlled by none, leaving no trails behind, moving towards the limitless end it seeks— This is time, similar to the definition of freedom, which many envies. " 

The voice continues with small occasional growls, like a silent storm. No gender can define its voice; unisex. 

The straight lines open wide in the air. Extending to both sides as bolts of lightning flares out like blazing flames. 

A pair of large eyes levitated, gazing down and met Styril's eyes. Its pupils pulsing like heartbeats. The edges of its eyes are akin to a sharp knife. 

"But 'Freedom' can be chained to the depths of hell. A trial for those who favour freedom in life. An evaluation if they're either worthy or not to break out of the chains— chains known as 'Destiny'. "

The pair of eyes leer at Styril. Bright blue lights shine bright onto him without a stop, connecting both of them spiritually. 

"I, Raiden the Free, choose you, Styril Sterling, to walk upon this 'Destiny' which your ancestors had once passed but some ended up mad, and others rot. As the evil reveals itself once again, roaming under the broad daylight of the innocents, there shall be another Sterling, a star, that will repel and shine the brightest in the darkest time. "

Styril was in a state of turmoil. He could not keep up with the rapid changes of events. From having his love life separated and then some kind of supreme entity came to visit. 

Surprise beyond words, Styril could not comment upon the revelation he witnessed. So many questions, but too little time for answers. 

"To relieve your tension… I came in peace. No ill will nor the emotion of hatred could influence my actions, as so I only carry the will of a deceased god— For then, I can only answer a few questions from your mind due to the restriction of crossing different planes of reality. " 

The fear that rose in Styril quickly vanished under Raiden's influence. The suffocating tension diminishes into nothing. 

'What happens if I do not want to go through this so-called Destiny?' Styril asked, via mind as he could not speak normally during the time stop. 

"Simple, you'll die. The moment this time stop ends, you'll panic and fall to your demise or either get pierced by sharp edges of the ravine. That, or you could survive if you accept this forced matter. "

A silent follows afterwards, the pause seeming to depict Styril to be in deeper thoughts. 

Raiden the Free blocks itself from reading Styril's mind to respect the bits of the young man's privacy. 

'I don't have any other choices so, what will be given to me to survive the fall?' Concerned and anxious about the outcome, Styril questions again. 'Is it sure to guarantee my life?'

"That depends on your wits. If not, you'll face death. Strength and speed could thrive but without intelligence and wits, both would be in a disarray… to survive this, I will be giving you my heart, the only part left in my mortal body. "

Raiden the Free closes its eyes as several bolts of lightning strikes at the same point in the air. Creating a ball of energy with fading of indigo stripes. 

Pulses of waves beat through the air like sound waves. Visible and strong like a tsunami crashing down to the ground. 

'Wait, what happened to Nalia and my father? Are they okay?' 

"I'm not an all-seeing god- just a former apostle so, their fate lies in the hands of an omnipotence being. Not in mine… Time is up. "

The fusion of the constant lightning strikes dies down, revelling a dim floating object at the centre of the chaos. 

A heart, live and beating with no sources of blood. Perhaps, it possesses a different source of energy. 

'I still have a lot of questions!'

"If I were to be able to control time, I can entertain you longer but to no avail. But, we shall meet again one day. "

At that moment, a lightning strike pierced through Styril's chest. Opening it like a blooming flower with thousands of thin lightning threads. 

Styril panicked but no pain could be felt. As if he was already injected with an anaesthetic drug. 

"With my heart, you'll be able to endure the bitterness of obstacles ahead. Humans have lots to fear but you'll have none. Though, you'll still retain nervousness, pain, anxious, shyness and the essences of emotions that define you. Never the reckless neither the impulsive. "

With a sliding speed and light, Raiden's heart comes close to Styril's own. Combining glue like a puzzle. Sticking together before its heart overtook Styril's own. 

'Why did you bestow me this gift?' 

"It's a promise, a contagious promise. Painful yet fulfilling. Akin to a tree with thorns, there wouldn't be short of blisters and wounds on your hands as the burden is great— Like old times. " 

Styril chest closes within a brief moment. Blue hue covering the gaps of the wounds, revealing a normal torso afterwards. 

Raiden the Free closes its eyes. Firework-like sparks brighten the sky before transforming into a small warp of space which gradually grows bigger. 

But behind it, the thin clouds of the sky open. A space rift rips open the atmosphere.

A glint of dark substance grew thicker and wider before spreading across the atmosphere. Overtaking the sunlight within mere seconds as two tremendous spears protruding out of the rift, stalking at Raiden the Free. 

'Raiden! Behind you!' Styril shouted in his mind. If it were not for the time stop, he would have his eyes widened in surprise. 

"This is Destiny, Dear, " The last words were spoken by Raiden, sounding more feminine than the previous unisex voice and tone. 

The spears were already piercing through the pair of the apostle's eyes. The blue hue of lightning warded off into the air into specks of glitters. 

No scream of agony nor pain, as if 'she' knew this would happen by the time 'she' was about to go away. 

From above to down, the spears were not stopping. Heading towards Styril with shiny edges imbued with unknown dark elements. 

'I could feel it, my body… the time is resuming!'