Wu Xie

While he was a kid, he had grew up hearing the stories of his grandfather. A man that had live all his life as an explorer and adventurer, going in and out of dangerous places all over the world in search of the unknown. Back then, he had loved all his stories of tomb raiding, of the mysteries they held and the mystic creatures he had encounter on his journey.

He remember looking through the notebook his grandfather had filled with the many wonders of the ancient world and as he had wished to be part of it. However, there was one thing his father never allow him to do and that was to be involved on any tomb raiding, no matter how much he begged.

"Wu Xie... stories are fine, adventures are fine, but not all mysteries in this world are meant to be discover. There is a reason why many legendary things had been kept locked from humans grasp and that is because humanity became too greedy and the gods make sure to keep them hidden, as a punishment." His father had once told him, a few days after his grandfather had die.

"The gods? Was grandfather punished by them for stealing their secrets? Is that why he die?" His younger self had asked his father, as he was about to sleep.

"That, not even I know, but your grandfather had never find what the gods are protecting from us. Remember always, no matter how tempting the adventure looks like, it will always carry a price, sometimes too high to pay. Stay innocent and with a pure heart, stay away from the dangers of the ancients, away from the secrets that are not meant to be discovery and you will live a blessed life." His father said as he kissed his forehead and make sure he was well cover and warm on his bed before he stood up and turn the lights off, closing the door of his room behind him.

Unfortunately for his father, that night, after his warning, the clock of fate started to advance, after been in hold with the loss of his grandfather. That night, he dreamed with a place deep inside a snowy mountain, A place that have those things he had seen on his grandfather notes... and a boy dressed in black, keeping watch over a huge bronze door.

Sometimes he was dormant over a stone platform and others he was walking around, vigilant of intruders. However, as Wu Xie keep dreaming about him as he grew up from a boy into a young man, even when it changed from time to time, there was one constant thing that will always repeat. The young man in black will stare at him and call his name before he wakes up all cover in sweat.

Several Years Later

When Wu Xie was around twenty five, his third uncle had gone missing exploring an underground tomb in a desert and his second uncle, Er Bai had put together a team of experts to go in search of his missing brother and he had been allowed to join them, even when his father had objected at first. Their team priority was not to find lost treasures, but to find San Xing, whatever alive or dead.

Once all preparations and needed equipment was complete, they have travel to a small town at the skirt of the desert to gather with the rest of the team that had go on ahead of his family to set a temporary camp. Despite been the grandson of one of the best explorers of the country, that rescue expedition was actually the first one Wu Xie was going to participate.

He had study architecture and ancient language, as he had inherit his grandfather passion for it, but he lacked the experience, been blocked on each attempt he had make to explore a new tomb with his uncle San by his father, who wanted him safe and living an ordinary life, instead of a dangerous one like Wu Laogou or San Xing. Thus, he was quite excited to be there for once.

He had always felt like there was something unknown calling on him to become a tomb raider, to risk his life for more than to satisfy his curiosity, but to find the mysterious man from his dreams. As he grew up, the dreams begin to fade and he no longer remember how the man in black looked, only that he was somehow special and connected to him in some strange way.

Soon, Wu Xie was out of the car and walking toward the main tent in where he was going to be introduced to the experts gathered for the rescue mission. As soon as he was in, all gazes where on him and he smiled nervously, trying to get a good first impression out of them.

"Oh, what a surprise... so your father finally let you take the risk, Tianzhen?" Was the first question asked at his first introduction. Tianzhen? Seriously? In front of all those experienced explorer he was going to be introduced as Naïve? Damn Wang Pangzi for taken the habit to call him that way since he was young.

Pangzi worked for his third uncle, as an expert at explosives and a well-known tomb raider. He had meet him long ago, as he spend a lot of time in his uncle house and was familiar with his people. Back when Pangzi had named him Tianzhen he had protested, but the name seems to fit him, so he never care to properly call him by his name, the same way he call the more or less chubby man Fatty.

A few of the present smirked at his nickname and Wu Xie gave Pangzi an angry glare.

"Tianzhen? This is going to be fun..." A man dressed in black leather while wearing dark glasses, even when nightfall was around the corner said as he looked at him with a wide mocking smile.

"Isn't him Wu San Xing, nephew? Is he even old enough to go with us? He looked like a spoiled brat to me." A woman with a ponytail said, obviously looking down at him. Wu Xie sighed to his ill fate.

"Hey! No badmouthing the kid, he is Wu Xie. The one and only heir of the Wu family. His life is more important that all of yours combined..." Wang Meng warned and Wu Xie wanted to face palm himself.

"Wang Meng, enough, don't be rude. Sorry for that, I am Wu Xie. I know I am inexperience in this field, but this is something I need to do. It's in my blood, after all." Wu Xie said.

"He is indeed Naïve." The woman remarked.

"Naïve or not he is coming. Let him be." A new voice said behind him and Wu Xie turned to look at Pan Zi, closely followed by Xiao Hua, who nodded at him.

"Wu Xie, the man in black is Hei Xiazi, an expert in combat and giving his heightened senses, he is also an expert in finding traps." Xiao Hua introduced him first, which make Xiazi smile.

"I'm also a business man, so whatever thing you are in need from glasses to food, come to me and I will give you an introduction discount." Xiazi offer, but Xiao Hua ignored him.

"The woman at his right is Ning, a weapon expert and mercenary. Although she is currently working for someone else and her goal is different than ours, she had an insight information about the Devil City that is called the desert in which the tomb is located. We cooperate with her Boss, as long as she leads the way and keep the team safe. However, be wary of her, she is known to be ruthless." Xiao Hua added and Wu Xie instinctively sallow as he looked at her, but then smiled, which make her arch an eyebrow.

"The one sat next to her is called Mop, leader of the company haired for the exploration of the tomb and to carry the provisions and equipment." He said, although, he didn't had much trust on Mop's team, knowing that they were the ones who lose San Xing in the first place.

"The old woman is Madam Dolma, currently working as a guide for Ning (which is the reason she is involved in the first place) and the one at her side is her grandson. There is one more... but he is a loner and prefers to be away until the journey begins." At that, Wu Xie looked at Xiao Hua a bit surprised.

"A loner?" He asked, unable to hold his curiosity. Why would a loner want to join a dangerous expedition full of people with their own motives?

"Ah, Tianzhen, you are indeed a newbie. It make seems strange for a loner to join a team, but I assure you, in this business there is no one better than him raiding a tomb no matter how hard it looked to get in. He is the kind of man you hired to make sure to survive. His skills are the best, even if he is a bit... old fashion. Er Bai certainly wants you safe and sound, as promise to your father, so he is your bodyguard." Pangzi told him as he passed an arm over his shoulders.

"I don't need a bodyguard. I'm not a kid anymore and I can pull my own weight." Wu Xie protested.

"Trust me in this Tianzhen... you are very lucky to have this poker face guy looking out for you on your first time. If he had been with your third uncle, he wouldn't have gone missing, so be sure to stick to him no matter what." Pangzi advised him.

"He is right kid. You are indeed lucky this time around." Ning confirmed, although Hei Xiazi was not as sure as those two were. Not because poker face was not capable to keep him alive, but because the man had started his carrier as a tomb raider in search for someone and deep inside, he had a hunch that the one he had been looking for was none other than Wu Xie, even if he didn't remember the name nor for why he needed him.

"What's his name?" Wu Xie asked curiously.

"Zhang Qiling. He is outside, a handsome man dressed all in black with a hood covering his head." Pangzi told him and for some reason, the description, even as vague as that make his heart ponder inside his chest, suddenly remembering the dark figure of his dreams when he was a kid.

Unable to hold his curiosity, Wu Xie got out of the tent in a hurry and as his heart pumped more blood than needed, he looked around, under the darkening sky to the black figure of his appointed protector. The camp was not too big, but there were people walking around carrying things from one place to the other, so it was hard to pinpoint a dark figure in the shade of tents and trees.

However, shortly after he begin to search for him, he felt like someone was watching his every move and he turned to look around. There, at his left was a young slim man dressed all in black, reclining on a tree trunk, staring at him. His face was shaded by the hood, but something inside of him recognize the invisible connection with the one on his dreams.

"You..." Wu Xie whisper as he stared back at him in disbelief.

Zhan Qiling didn't said anything as he gazed Wu Xie, feeling the pull of fate finally reaching were it belonged. Having lost most of his memories years ago, he didn't remember for what he was searching what it turned out to be Wu San Xing and Er Bai nephew, but he knew without a doubt that Wu Xie was the one he was so desperately seeking.

AN: This will be an AU version of Ultimate Note, thus many things will be changed for this fanfic story. Thanks for reading and I hope it's a good start. I'm new to this kind of tomb raiding adventures, so it will take me sometime to figure it out and give it my own supernatural touch. See you next time... hopefully. ^_^