The One Chosen by The Goddess

Lyounus landed his gaze on his magnificent stead before a bustling smile appeared on his face. The other two underlings of the man he just killed were already lifeless on the ground with gruesome wounds. One of them had their chest caved in while the other was facing the ground in a pool of blood.

He turned back before a hoarse call was heard.

"Young man!"

Lyounus raised his eyebrows before he turned around to see the head of the village was walking toward him. He was being guided by other fellow villagers to walk since his stick was broken. Lyounus could see the gasping elder with a mark of a swept blood beside his weary mouth.

"What is it?" asked Lyounus.

He felt nothing even though the old man in front of him was frail and probably the closest one here to death. His cold demeanor was something that he couldn't help but show. His heart had been frozen for so long as the price he had to pay to turn back time itself.

The old man signaled his fellow villagers to stop before he humbly knelt in front of Lyounus. This act of respect was not what he was expecting. Lyounus raised his eyebrows but not a single sympathy appeared on his face.

"Head!" the villagers shouted.

The old man raised his frail arm before they became quiet. His presence was truly something they all highly respected and known. He slowly put his arm on his chest as he said, "Young man, you are the one chosen by the goddess to save us! Thank you!"

Suddenly one villager also knelt as they yelled, "Thank you!"

At first, the others were confused but gradually they did the same as the head of the village. Saying the words of gratitude that would ring a beautiful tune inside anyone's ears. They knelt earnestly as their housewives watched from the window. Even though Lyounus was half their age, the merit he did was twice or even three times of them.

However, Lyounus eyes were unperturbed by the least toward the act they performed.

"Who is your goddess?" asked Lyounus.

The question caught them by surprise before the head of the village told him, "Gryiasi is her divine name. She is the goddess of kindness that enveloped this land."

Lyounus rubbed his chin (Hmm, the name sound familiar), "Do you have a temple or a church here that built in her name?"

The old man raised his eyebrows, "Ah yes yes! We do have one, please follow me."

One of the villagers immediately helped the head of the village to get up and guide him to the place located on a lone narrow road that was adorned with fireflies, that emitted green light even when the sun was up. Lyounus follow behind them as the fireflies occasionally landed on his shoulder and one on Muramasa which he held on his unhealed right hand.

"Ah, young man, you are truly sent by the goddess, look at the jade fireflies, they are all flying over you. Not even us who lived here had been blessed by that much of jade fireflies. You are destined to be a great man," said the old man with a smile before he turned back and led the way.

"A great man, huh," muttered Lyounus.

As Lyounus traverse the lone narrow road he heard running water was hitting the earth. A beautiful waterfall was seen vigorously running as bits of rainbows were present. A fish occasionally jumped out and in the water. Lotus flowers were floating above the surface in a circular motion while the clear water couldn't even be used as a mirror. The fresh smell of nature was enveloping his nose as his body couldn't help but relax. He slowly blinked before he saw three stepping stones aligned toward the middle of the pond to a statue of a woman reaching the sky with her bare hands. It was a masterpiece of a statue, even the fabric it wore looked alive and real. However, the expression of her face was covered by a veil.

The old man knelt before the three stepping stones as he said, "This is our goddess, Grysaia."

Lyounus suddenly take one step on the stepping stone to their disbelief. The wind suddenly stopped blowing and the fish didn't dare to jump and make a scene. He could feel his heart being pressured by a force permeating from the stone yet, it didn't even budge him.

"Ah? That visitor managed to take the first step!"

"The head managed to take two before he was repelled by the pressure."

The head of the village opened his eyes as he saw Lyounus took the second stepping stone. The ponds immediately reverberated and quaked. Trembling whoever near it, tumbling whoever on the stepping stone. However, Lyounus was as stilled as the statue in front of him. Even with the wounds on his right arm, his feet and his face were unfazed by the might of pressure the statue landed on him.

"Impossible! He managed to rival the head of the village!?"

The head of the village started to stand up. He knew exactly what he felt at the time he did it. The pressure was unreal that he was bedridden for years to recover. He began to feel the strain of uneasiness whispered in his ears, the temptation of worldly desires. One slight misfocus and he was being repelled.

His hands shook as he felt the excitement and blood rushing within his old bones. He somehow had this feeling that the young man in front would make it to the third step.

"Do it! DO IT!" shouted the old man.

Lyounus landed on the third and last stepping stones. The trembling only worsen and the head of the village with the rest of the villagers present was tumbling down. Despite the godly pressure that was raining down on him, He stood firm and looked at the statue, however, the water on the ponds suddenly turned strange as their stream was actually reversed including the waterfall.