Wu Xie
"You..." The word had go out of his mouth unconsciously as he stared at the young man opposite him. On his dreams he had called his name sometimes with a kind of need and yearning, while in others with desperation and urgency. He had always wonder who he was and why was he calling on him to begin with. Now he know one answer to the question. He was Zhang Qiling, a top expert tomb raider and his connection to the unknown.He gave a few steps on his direction, almost like in trance, completely engulfed by an irresistible pull. All sounds and movements around him were muffle by that strange sensation to get closer and as he slowly walked toward Zhang Qiling, their gazes never part from one another, yet when he was around five meters from him. A hand over his shoulder stop his transfixed pull toward the mystic man in black, making him snap out of it.
"He had already charm you at first sight? Tianzhen, I know he is devilish handsome and all, but he is capable of killing with a single finger. Don't get too caught up on his web. He is bond to hurt your naïve heart sooner or later. We all know that he is not bond to anything in this world." Pangzi said from his back and Wu Xie could not help but feel the heat rush to his face.
"Don't take it wrong, it wasn't like that. I was just curious about who he was." Wu Xie said, facing Pangzi.
"Yeah, right. That's why you didn't hear me calling you at all and damn, I can yell quite loud too." More blush rushed to his ears and he looked back to where Zhang Qiling was, but find him gone.
"See? He already left. Come with me, Madam Dolma want to see you in private. You certainly are making a big impression on your first try." Pangzi said and he passed an arm over his shoulder to push him away from the spot in which he had rooted.
"It was you who doomed me from the start. What the hell was that Pangzi? Stop calling me naïve already." Wu Xie said.
"I will, I promise, but only when you grow up from it. The old woman is on the orange tent, go on and meet with her, then have some rest, yours is the blue one. We will go to the desert tomorrow morning, so try not to enjoy yourself too much tonight, especially around black clothed handsome man. Oh, Uncle Three will be so heartbroken to know his beloved nephew had put his big shining eyes on another mysterious man..." At that, Wu Xie pushed Pangzi away and stormed his way toward the orange tent.
Damn Pangzi and his strong sense of humor. He had never been so embarrassed on his whole life... but in a way he was right. He had let himself be too caught up in someone else radar. He sighed as he walked toward the entrance of the door, moving it away to meet with the old woman and her grandson.
The woman looked up at him as he enter and the grandson offer him to sit, which he did, feeling curious about what the woman wanted to tell him. He was obviously new to the tomb exploring business and so there was no reason for her to call him out privately, unless she too wanted to warn him about the dangers of tomb raiding with a bunch of weird and dangerous people.
"Madam Dolma, I was told you wanted to see me, right?" Wu Xie asked and the woman assented and started talking, but he could not understand her language, so he waited patiently until she finished, to hear the translated version on the voice of her grandson.
"She said that she had a vision sent to her by the gods in the moment she saw you. It was revealed to her that your destiny will pull you on a dangerous road inside the tomb. She said that it cannot be avoided, thus don't try to defy it any longer yourself." He said and Madam Dolma continue her tell once more.
"The Devil City in the desert is bigger than the explorers think and on the many roads it had you will get lost. There you will be tested by the gods one time after the other, to see if you can fulfil your role. There is something primordial dormant inside those ruins. Long ago, the City was one prosper and rich, blessed by the gods, but as time passed and the population grew wicked, they were punished for their sins. Ever since, the Devil City became a haunted ground for mystic creatures."
"She said you most stay by your guardian side as much as you can, but be warned that he too is part of your test. If your heart can break down his iron walls, then your fate will be sealed and both hardships and happiness will await you. However, the Devil City is not your final destination, there is another place that will call on you when the time is right and then you will witness the reason why some places are not meant to be discover, not breached by common humans." He keep on translating and as his brain process all the unexpected information, the old woman took out a jade pendant and offer it to him.
The pendant was made of a rare white jade and with the shape of what looked like... a Qilin? Wu Xie took it from her and was about to ask her a few question when someone else enter the tent. Wu Xie turned to look at Zhang Qiling in the flesh.
"You... what is it with all this gods thing mysteries? Zhang Qiling, just who are you?" Wu Xie asked, but the man simply ignore him and said a few words to the Madam Dolma in her native language and to his deep shock, he watched as the man cut the tip of his inhumanly long finger and drew blood from it.
"Wait. What are you doing?" Wu Xie asked in disbelief.
"The pendant." Zhang Qiling demanded, extending his now bloody hand to him and once again, Wu Xie felt that inexplicable impulse, offering it without protest.
Qiling simply took it on his hand and stain it with his blood as much as he could. As he do so, Wu Xie was once again completely taken aback when he witness the strangest thing of his life, seen the jade absorb the blood and turning deep red with a glow.
"Don't lose it." Zhang Qiling told him, offering it back to him before he got out of the tent as quietly as he had come in. Dumbfounded, Wu Xie stood there watching the door of the tent with the red jade on his hand. Then he turned to look at the woman.
"You had been chosen... keep the pendant on you at all times. It will keep you safe for the many dangers you will face. I know you have many questions, but to be honest, nothing inside the tombs world is normal, as you should know. My entire life with my grandmother had been filled with supernatural things you may not even believe are possible. Just be glad you had something to protect you from the supernatural world now. My grandmother can't tell you more or else she will be punish. See yourself out." The young man said as he pointed to the entrance and Wu Xie comply while holding the pendant on his hand. The bloody thing felt warm to his skin as he headed for his own tent.
Driven by curiosity, he took his grandfather notebook from his backpack and sitting on his sleeping bag, he once again take a look at them. Yes, as he turned the pages, he could see that the ancient world was full of paranormal creatures and artifacts all over the many tombs. It was precisely because of that he wanted to immerse himself in their wonders and become like his grandfather, but his father had been right about keeping him from them.
As a father, he wanted to keep him safe and sheltered from a dangerous fate that could end up taking his life. He understood that, but then again, just like Madam Dolma had told him, his fate was still there and even if he didn't knew for what he had been chosen, he felt the pull very strongly nevertheless.
"I'm sorry father... it seems you could not change it." Wu Xie whisper as he turned the pendant on his hand. Whatever destiny he was about to face, at least he was not going to face it all on his own. Zhang Qiling for good or for bad was going to share it as well.
"Zhang Qiling... really, just who are you and what's your connection with the mysteries behind the legends of the gods? To where will you lead me in this mess?" Wu Xie whisper to himself and he also wonder why the jade was coincidentally a Qilin.
At the other side of his tent, Zhang Qiling was sat by one of the fires, with another man wearing black at his side.
"Are you sure is him?" Hei Xiazi asked in a hushed tone. Even if there was no one close to them at that moment, there was always the possibility of someone overhearing them, specially Ning, who had been after the ultimate mystery for years.
"Yes." Qiling answer equally softly.
"He is too naïve, too green to this, make sure to guard him well." Xiazi advised, yet there was no need for that, because there was no way in hell he will lose his only connection to this world when he just find him.
"No need to tell me."
"What if the reason you had been searching him for so long, is not one you will like at the end?" Xiazi asked.
"Then I will end it myself." Qiling said after a few minutes of pondering it.
"Good luck then. It should be interesting at the very least. Now, it's time to hit the bed,,, you rest too. The road ahead is going to be harder for you than the rest of us combined. You go ahead and do what you must, leave finding San Xing to me." Xiazi said, standing up to go to his red tent. It was not like only Qiling has a pull of fate in that journey... he was pulled too, but on a different road.
Hei Xiazi glanced at the slightly pink tent not too far from his own and smiled. It was different indeed.
AN: Thanks for reading, this will be a more mystical journey, although with all honestly, not even I know to where it will lead. Wish me luck, thanks again.
