My name is Nico Di Angelo. I used to be the duke of a small town. I had power, money and anything my heart desired. I never desired love. I didn't need it. My family never contacted me. My people knew me as the stone duke.

Many people wanted my love. Or actually my power. I always rejected any potential lover. This backfired on me once, and it changed everything.

It was a stormy night, and the lighting lit up the windows of my castle. Barely audible over the howling wind, a knock sounded through the halls. I left my comfortable position in a chair near the fire, reading a book. I had no servants so I could truly be alone.

On my front porch a hunched over figure was trying to shield themselves of the wind. They were drenched to the bone that was clear with one look. When they looked up I was met with piercing golden eyes that went through your eyes, and into your soul.

"Mister, I am lost. I seek shelter. The storm took me by surprise. Would you be so kind to give this shelter, just until the storm has passed?" the voice was soft, but it didn't warm my heart.

"Sorry, no beggars allowed." With that I tried to close the big oak doors, but they wouldn't budge.

"You will regret this. You will stand, as cold as your heart, until someone melts your heart." With a flash the woman was gone, leaving nothing but a necklace with a lock-locket on it. I picked it up, and examined it closely. It was made of silver, and the key seemed to light up when I touched it. Thinking nothing of it, I turned back, and went inside, tossing the necklace carelessly on a table.

The following morning I awoke to birds chirping. Throughout the day, I felt as if something was wrong. I did not find anything that caused this disruption, until I went to the town square to collect taxes.

Amidst all the peasants, I stood on a square stone. I opened my mouth to call for attention, but before a sound could leave my lips, a burning sensation spread through my body, starting at my sternum, and slowly spreading, first uncomfortable, then painful. I put my hand to my chest to find the source, and found a small locket resting against my sternum. The witch's locket. I had not touched it this morning, nor put it on. How had it appeared around my neck, and why was it burning?

But the burning sensation wasn't warm. It was cold, cold as ice slicing through skin, freezing my veins. I went to move away from the block, but my feet wouldn't move. They were frozen to the stone I stood on, with a grey colour spreading through them and creeping up my legs. The necklace wouldn't come loose from my skin, and a cold sensation spread through my fingers.

In a last attempt to escape, I looked at the people around me. They were staring, but not moving to help me.

'Help. Don't just stand there. Do something!' I wanted to shouted, but my voice didn't work. The rock reached my chest, and was creeping up my neck, I opened my mouth, but the scream I wanted to let out, never left. My moth froze, and an unfinished scream was lost in the stone.

I just needed to get away. My family estate was large. My dad always forgot that there was a part where the abandoned village stood. In this village the wealth of the Solace family originated, when Duke Di Angelo mysteriously disappeared. The Solace family took over, and built quite the fortune, and reputation. Now, I was expected to marry someone within 3 months. It didn't matter what gender, as long I had a partner to inherit the estate with. Today I'd spent the entire arguing with my parents about not wanting to marry until I'd found the right person. My parents had stubbornly insisted I had to be married before the age of 26, and my birthday was approaching.

I had stormed out of the room, and quickly saddled my horse. Riding through the forest and over the planes of their estate always calmed me down. However, I didn't plan to ride all the way to the outskirts of the estate.

The village was in ruins, and had been abandoned for as long as I had lived, and far before. As a child, I'd seen it in the distance once, and asked my dad what it was. He'd said it was a piece of history, sacred to our family, but also a place to stay away from.

I was intrigued by the ruins. I tied Angelos to a tree, and walked into the village. Run down shops, barely visible houses, and eroded roads surrounded me, but I was heading for what I thought was the town square. A clock tower still stood high, and in front of the church was a raised part to the square, like a stage.

The stage seemed to draw me in, inviting me to take a closer look, to investigate. In the middle of the stage stood a statue, a little smaller than me, and surprisingly untouched by weather and erosion. A stone leaned against the feet of this man. The words were a little faded, but after studying it closely I managed to read.

Nico Di Angelo, duke of this humble town. When he came to collect taxes, his stone heart overtook him in a curse and he froze, forever encased in stone, until someone melts his heart. A witch took claim of this curse, and said that only one key would fit into the lock on him. It was only discovered later that a necklace around Di Angelo's neck was the only thing not turned to stone.

The duke of this town was turned to stone, for being impolite? Well, then I better watch out. I might be disintegrated if I make a mistake.

I turned around to walk back to my horse, but my eye fell on the ruins of a barbershop. Or what had been ruins, but where now, as if by magic, being rebuilt. All around me buildings rebuilt themselves, and sounds softly rang through my ears. Around me the small town came to live. People appeared mid-action, and continued their actions like nothing had happened. It seemed like most where staring at the statue behind me.

"What happened to the duke?" a scream erupted across the square. All around me, women were holding baskets, carrying goods. Their clothing seemed to be out of time, or out of MY time. It wasn't until I looked down that I noticed my own clothing, which had changed from 21st century riding clothes, to 19th century riding clothes. I only recognized them from the old pictures distributed around my house.

Tuning back into my surroundings, I noticed more people inspecting the statue, as if they'd just seen it turn to stone. Maybe they had. Maybe I had almost been the witness of my ancestor's archenemy downfall.

Like before, I felt something in my gut tugging me towards the statue, urging me to take a closer look.

Approaching the statue, I noticed the incredibly detailed face to be handsome. Freckles, even visible through the grey stone, littered his cheeks and nose like a constellation. A sharp jawline, and plump, curved lips, although they were opened in a silent plea for help.

His exposed neck was shimmering lightly in the sunlight. Wait, stone doesn't shimmer. Inspecting the neck closer, I saw a small silver chain, unturned. I remembered reading about it earlier, how it was the only thing that didn't turn to stone.

The chain was somewhat familiar, which should've been impossible. I had never seen this necklace, or statue ever before. I traced the chain around my neck, an old heirloom, thinking where I'd seen it before. It took me several moments to realize where I had seen it before. The chain in question was around my neck, and had been since my 16th birthday.

The golden key on a silver chain had been passed down for countless generation from heir to heir. The first to get it into their possession was an ancestor in the Greek times, where he'd got it from a close friend, who was believed to be a witch. She had given it to him, and prophesised it would be the key (no pun intended) to restoring my family's riches. Over time, the story had been retold many times, but it became mere stories, no longer holding truth.

The key was pulsing against my chest, and seemed to spread heat around the spot where it rested. I absentmindedly unclasped it, and put it in the palm of my hand. It didn't just seem to be heating, it was actually. I turned to the statue, and my hand moved involuntarily towards the silver chain. The sounds around me died down, and every person in my view seemed to blur.

The key fitted perfectly into the lock. I twisted it slowly, hesitantly. With a soft click the lock opened. A wave of warmth, spread through me and my surroundings. A ring of light spread from the rock.

Nico Di Angelo's eyes opened.e