Warning for those who ain't read
Going off what I remember
While exploring MC comes across this statue
I think statue follows him home
They end up bond but eventually statue crumbles into dust in front of him, dropping a heart gem
Mc clings to the heart and begs for another chance to see him
Heart transports him back in time
A guy looking very similar to the ml turns out to be kind of a tyrant at first so MC tricks him and his people into thinking he's some magical priest (I think)
As time passes and as the mc assimilates more into the ml's culture, the more they bond and the more we learn of the ml's trauma associated with getting close to others
Right now we're learning about the dude (god) who potentially turned the ml into a stone in the first place
I could go into more detail but I suggest reading for more info

Who's the ml and mc ?