Prologue

" A fine palace once stood at the top of a hill, adorned with gold and silver, silk , and many precious materials. In the front of the palace, just outside the giant ebony doors, stood a monstrous statue, a beast with golden eyes guarding the palace grounds and the people below.

Behind the ebony doors , inside the place, was a beautifully decorated palace. With pillars of the finest marble, floors made of Ivory, and Nacre decorated the trim on the ebony wood doors. The ceiling was adorned in gold, and in the middle of the room stood a chair, no, a throne! Built with the finest wood , gold and silk , in the land.

A beautiful King once sat in that throne, one of dark hair and golden eyes, much like the beast outside, guarding the palace grounds, that watches over his people. He was a great king, honest and true.

But one day he left, with only a note that said "keep the palace clean for me"

Some servants, who had witnessed the kings disappearance, said he was eaten by the statue, but many scoff at the idea.

So the palace remained untouched, clean as though waiting for its lord to return. "

"Then what happened?" A young boy looked at his grandmother with eager eyes. His grandmother shifted in her seat to lift a glass of tea, the fire burning next to them keeping them warm from the frigid temperatures outside. She took a breath and set her glass down again.

" The grace of the king's remaining property wasn't kept long. After his disappearance a civil unrest broke out, his people entangled with crooked authorities, and soon this became a war. This war became a battle of many nations, not just one.

This brought the once prosperous nations to their knees, buckling under the pressures of war and financial decay. Villages were destroyed and cities left in ruins, money became a novelty item as it lost all value in the mortal realm. Soon the temple was even garnished of its precious stones, gems and silks, and sold for wheat and rice. Others took them and destroyed the rest in anger, leaving a broken skeleton of what once remained of the lost king.

The only thing that remained in its place, untouched, was the statue of a beast guarding the palace. It was seemingly unbreakable."

"Why's that?" The boy asked.

"The statue had a curse on it!" The old woman exclaimed.

"A curse?"

"Yes! Many tried to destroy the statue or remove its eyes and they would die within a week of illness. Within a few weeks rumors spread across the country of the kings cursed statue. They called it an evil beast, and it now stands among the ruins untouched. They say if you can get the statue it will grant you immortality, though, I'm not sure how true that is" the old woman chuckled.

"Wait, grandma! This story, is this real!?" The boy jumped up in excitement.

"Yes, as real as I am, but the mystery is where is the temple, over time it's location was lost, and we haven't seen it since." She stood up and walked towards the kitchen looking at the clock. "Ling , it's about time for bed isn't it? "

"Aww, grandma tell me more about the king!" Ling said hopeful to avoid rest.

His grandmother laughed waving him on, "what is there to tell, I wasn't there, go to bed. Or you'll get old like me"

Ling sighed and rolled his eyes, "Okay."

As the night went on it remained quiet and cold, the wind blew making the wood in the house creak.