The river water meandered around wooden posts and dead branches as it flowed into a naturally formed deep pool.
Beyond the riverbank stood a wooden palisade fencing off a small settlement. The straight palisade strictly separated the village from the forest.
Passing through the wooden gate, it was quiet inside. Stone houses lined both sides of the riverbank, divided into front village and back village.
Villagers worked in the fields, the air rich with the scents of soil and grass.
"Welcome to Clearwater Village~"
Emma stepped in first and turned back, gesturing for David to enter.
"Thank you."
David ambled in after her, carefully surveying this isolated little village.
"Emma, who's this..."
The guarding youth looked shyly at David, unsure what to do.
"Go and call the old immortal over here!"
Emma interrupted bluntly, heartily slapping his shoulder.
"Hey Emma, how many times have I told you not to disrespect the village chief like that!" The boy's face turned red as he admonished her.
"Oh shut up, you moron!" Emma rolled her eyes meaningfully at David. "He's not someone you can handle!"
The youth finally scrutinized David - delicate features, fair complexion, and those serene yet mysterious eyes... She did seem out of the ordinary.
Flustered, he said, "R-right away, I'll fetch the village chief."
"Much appreciated." David beamed an innocent smile.
"N-no problem." The youth's face reddened and he didn't dare meet David's eyes as he hurried off.
Soon the village chief rushed over, dust-covered. He was followed by some curious villagers.
The chief was a man in his sixties, but his back remained straight. His face was etched with deep wrinkles bearing the mark of storms weathered.
He wore plain, coarse hemp robes with a black soft cap and white whiskers on his chin.
"Goddess?!"
Seeing David, his eyes bulged in disbelief at first.
"Goddess... You've finally returned!"
Forgetting decorum, this tall elder knelt down heavily, crying out emotionally. His clouded eyes brimmed with devotion.
"Ch-chief?"
"Kneel, all of you kneel!"
The village chief sternly admonished the villagers behind him.
"Standing before you is - the True King's Emissary, the benevolent Goddess, Miss Lynn!"
"Good heavens!" Hearing the chief proclaim she was the legendary goddess, the villagers were dumbfounded, finding it unbelievable.
"I didn't mishear, did I? What did you say? She, she's the goddess?" A middle-aged man muttered to himself, feeling it was all surreal like a dream.
"That's right, she is the goddess, absolutely no mistake. I saw her myself all those years ago!" Another elder said excitedly next to him, affirming it definitively.
The villagers who'd come to watch were dumbstruck by his actions. Never had they seen the chief lose composure like this, prostrating and weeping before a young girl!
They whispered among themselves, too shocked by the sudden joyous news to react. Even those working nearby halted and gawked.
Not daring to blaspheme the goddess, they averted their gazes and trembled as they knelt, only daring to glance at David's feet.
"It's been awhile, little Bernie. You still remember me!" Lynn smiled as she spoke, voice heavenly.
Since it was her old friend, David allowed her to freely use the body.
Though that body should have been hers to begin with...
"Rise, no need for such ceremony!"
"Yes!" Chief Bernie was honored beyond belief. He quickly stood up to return the greeting.
"Thank you, Goddess!"
With him taking the lead to stand, the other villagers finally dared to follow.
The affectionate "little Bernie" made the chief instantly flustered. It also shocked the villagers to hear their elder chief addressed so casually by the goddess - like turning back time to his boyhood.
For an instant, he hallucinated his child self - a grubby boy in a straw hat, eyes wide as he gazed upon the gentle girl in white before him - the goddess from decades ago.
Now years had flowed by, he was aged while the goddess was still as before.
That fleeting childlike devotion reignited, as if his heart had returned to the clarity of youth.
"Thank the True King for allowing this old bag of bones to behold your sacred visage again!" Bernie's eyes swam with hot tears, extremely moved.
The village was saved!
...
"The goddess has returned!"
"The goddess came back to our Clearwater Village!"
The news of the goddess' return stirred the villagers. All who weren't out hunting gathered at the village square.
A towering stone statue stood silently at the square's center, about 5 meters tall. But it wasn't as majestic as imagined. Instead, it was bizarre and ominous.
Behind it stretched the vast starry sky, with swirling nebulae.
The statue's face was severely deformed and twisted. The pale glow in its three eyes chilled one to the bone. Its tentacle-like features on its head exuded an ugly unknown from the deep seas.
It had a deep unknowable crevice on its chest. Inside seemed to squirm soft flesh, as if it was a living being.
One fleshy wing on its back was shattered, contrasting the intact wing. Its limbs were long and thin like bone pincers, emitting a strange aura.
"What is this?" David gaped in shock.
He never expected the object of the villagers' worship to be such an ugly, eerie statue. It was unbelievable. Even looking at it made him uneasy!
He noticed the villagers also shuddered in fear when beholding it, as if gazing into the abyss.
Upon seeing the idol, Chief Bernie fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"True King above, True King above..."
He bowed his head reverently, hands clasped together chanting prayers to show utmost respect.
"Wh-what's going on? This is the exalted god we worship?" David stared in bewilderment.
"Lynn, what is this monster? What exactly are we worshipping?" Meeting the statue's third pale eye for an instant had left his soul shaken. He desperately asked Lynn inwardly for help.
"This is the True King Statue, Master," Lynn calmly affirmed. "In ancient times, this was the magnificent form you took when manifesting in this world."
"Good lord, you sure? This is way too horrifying..." David couldn't believe it, his voice tinged with terror.
"Um...is it possible that's not me?" He added hoarsely, pale excuses trailing off.
Lynn uncharacteristically fell silent for a while, seeming to gather her thoughts before gently responding:
"In some civilizations, identity verification methods like fingerprints and facial recognition are used. But these all risk imposters."
She paused before continuing resolutely:
"Only the soul is uniquely yours across all worlds and eons. Even after billions of years, its essence never changes."
"So whether you're the True King's reincarnation or something else, your soul is our one and only password. The Immortal Throne, Little Sun, Three Guardians, and I will remain loyal to this."
David listened intently, deeply moved by these words.
So he had such a transcendent soul and status across spacetime. This unbelievable realization left him shaken for a long time.
The question finally took form in his mind - "Is that monster a part of myself too?"