Destined For Doom

Chapter 1 - Set In Stone

-1-

-Set In Stone-

Eight Hundred Years Later...

The statue was the pride of her grandfather's collection, unbelievably realistic down to the finest detail. The shinobi warrior from feudal Japan was poised to leap, each hand holding a long wakizashi blade. The swords, etched with ancient runes in a language she did not recognise, were the twin weapons of an assassin. Slightly shorter than a katana, the weapons were straight-edged, with a lengthened hilt for use with either one or two hands. Ancient stone armour clad his body, perfect replications of the actual gear used by killers of the time period.

The eyes of the warrior were almost invisible under a deep hood, which fluttered with a non-existent breeze. If you were to peer under the thin layer of rock though, you could see a face that looked as if it had been frozen in time. A strong jaw opened in a howl of anguish, the sorrow visible in the unblinking eyes. Truly, this was a masterpiece.

According to her grandfather it had been passed down through their family for hundreds of years. The elderly man would occasionally wander through the museum it was kept in, though he always stopped in front of it and stared. She had even overheard him talking to it in Japanese, but his reasons for doing so remained his own.

The most interesting thing about the statue, Madeline noted, were the heavy chains that wrapped around his body. Crossing over each shoulder, and binding their way from his hip in a large X centred on his chest with a large granite lock. Carved intricately to the front of the lock was a curling serpent coloured pure white, its mouth opened wide to provide a keyhole to the lock.

Among all of the pieces in the museum, this one was undoubtedly her favourite. From terracotta warriors of ancient China to the primordial skulls of dinosaurs, the assassin stood out by a mile. Not only did the statue have character, it practically begged the observer to think about its origins. The raw emotion captured by the sculptor was surreal, every edge and curve perfectly formed.

A light tap on her shoulder made her jump slightly; she turned to see her father standing behind her, half admiring the statue as well.

"Truly breathtaking," her father smiled, reading her thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, turning away from the statue and walking down the aisle of the museum. Countless other artworks flanked her on either side, medieval suits of armour and carved jade dragons mingled with thick wooden carvings and woven tapestries, adding colour to the vast display of the world's culture and history.

"You should really think about packing soon," he reminded her, following closely through the twisting halls, "We don't have all that long left here."

"Shame," Madeline's wide smile dimmed a little, "We don't get to come as we used to."

"I promise we'll return before too long sweetie," her dad smiled, "Besides, it's not like these statues are going anywhere."

"Thanks dad," she returned his wry grin, "a week until our plane, right?"

He nodded, "Right, but don't worry about that just yet. Enjoy the time we have kiddo."

"Oh I plan to," she smiled, "Can we go to Disneyland next?"

"Later," he chuckled, "Tokyo is huge, and we'll get around to all of that stuff soon. Your grandfather will be leaving soon though, so you should go and say goodbye."

Her face fell slightly, "Why does he have to leave just as we get here? It's not fair."

"Life rarely is, but his schedule is busy. Your grandfather is a very important man, with appointments to keep. I stopped trying to keep track years ago."