The Relics Of Fate

Chapter 2: Unlikely Allies.

The sun rose, casting a golden hue over the valley as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji stood at the edge of a cliff. Between them floated an orb, pulsing with energy and mystery. After securing it from ancient ruins, they knew they had to find the other relics.
“What now?” Wei Wuxian asked, his excitement barely contained. “We can’t keep this hidden forever. The Shadow Cult will come for it.”
Lan Wangji’s expression was calm but only wei Wuxian could see the worries and confusion in his face. “We need to search for the other relics. They could be crucial in stopping the cult.”
As they discussed their plans, the orb suddenly shone brighter, enveloping them in a blinding light. Lan Zhan reflexively held Wei Wuxian's hand and pulled him behind him. Wei Wuxian squinted against the brightness, feeling the world around them shift and twist.
When the light faded, they found themselves standing in a bustling marketplace unlike anything they had seen before. The air was filled with unfamiliar sounds and smells, and strange, modern-looking vehicles zoomed past them, causing Wei Wuxian to gawk.
“What is this place?” he muttered, feeling out of place in their traditional garb.
Lan Wangji pulled Wei Wuxian like a parent to their very curious child and his themselves behind a building.
Lan Wangji glanced around, his brows furrowing in confusion. “It appears we have been transported to a different time.” Lan Zhan looked at Wei Wuxian when he did hear anything just to be attached by his the most innocent look and curiosity filled eyes.
“What do you mean?” Wei Wuxian asked, spinning around to take in the sights. “This is amazing! Look at those machines!” Wei Wuxian was totally wipped by the new things he was looking at.
“Focus,” Lan Wangji reminded him, though a hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes.
"Ayaaa Lan Zhan, I know you too are curious about all these things. If we really are in the future then why not just have some fun for sometime."
"Let's just look around but away from many eyes, we don't know what danger is there and we are already looking out of place due to how we look."
As they wandered the least busy streets, Wuxian was talking to Wangji when lan Zhan felt the orb starting to react to something. Both of them looked at each other and followed the orb as it was guiding them tho someplace. Soon they reached the outskirts of the village and the way in the front was towards the jungle. They looked at each other and walked towards sthe forest when they hear someones voice. The immediately hid behind a tree and looked at the place were the voice was coming. They realised the person was walking and talking to someone while looking into their bag, and soon they saw a young male but the attire was completely different from that of what they were wearing. He was wearing a brown cargo pant, a simple cream shirt and a red coat. He still had a little baby fat, he looked like a boy in his early 20s and gave out a lot of the young Wei Wuxian vibes. Following him another young male was seen, in complete black with a black gold ancient knife on his back. Even though his looked as young or just a year elder than the former boy he looked more mature and gave out Wangji vibes.
"Xiaoge, I understand that it is hard but shouldn't we be able to get any clue atleast. It looks like a dead end but something says that it is not" the boy with baby fat said. The boy in black addressed as Xiaoge just looked at the ground thinking about what to do, "Me too. But Wu xie delving deeper could risk your safety. Make plan first then we can continue."
"Look Lan Zhan that boy I think Wu xie fells like the young me whereas the boy Xiaoge has the young you vibes", Wei Wuxian said with a smile on his face. "Mnn" Lan Wangji hummed. "Oh come on Lan Zhan, you and your mnn." Lan wangji looked at Wei Wuxian ignoring his comment, "saty alert, listen to their talk"
Their talk alerted Zhang qiling and pointed his sword towards the tree and stood. "What happened Xiaoge?" Zhang qiling kept looking at a direction. Wu xie realising what is the matter became serious and said, "Who ever you are, come out of your hiding this instance."
"Lan Zhan looks like we are discovered, let's go out." Wei Wuxian said with a little mischief in his tone. Lan Zhan modded and came infront of the young duo. Looking at the weird attire of the strangers Wu xie and Zhang qiling were confused. "Um.. sir are you both cosplay artist or something. Why are you wearing such clothes? Are you both lost?" Wu xie asked not felling any threat from the strangers.
" Well...it is a bit complicated.........um.. we are kind of lost too." Wei Wuxian said while being a little uneasy and awkward too. " He is Wei Wuxian, I am Lan Wangji." Lan Zhan said while doing his perfect bow trying to remove the awkwardness. "I’m Wu Xie, and this is my partner, Zhang Qiling!” Wu xie said while Zhang qiling just bowed his head a little while sheathing his sword on his back.
Zhang Qiling stood quietly beside Wu Xie, observing the newcomers with a keen but restrained interest, his dark eyes reflecting a depth of thought.
Wei Wuxian exchanged a look with Lan Wangji. “We… might be a bit out of place,” he admitted, glancing at the odd vehicle near them supposedly belongs to the two boys and weird but seemingly comfortable clothing around them.
Wu Xie’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You’re definitely not from around here! What brings you to Changsha?”
“Changsha? This..this place is Changsha? We’re searching for something important,” Wei Wuxian replied, his tone serious. “Something that could endanger many.” he whispered to himself but the rest heard.
“What kind of thing?” Wu Xie asked, bouncing on his heels. Lan wangji and wei wuxian looked at each other deciding whether they should say it or no. After contemplating the things they were about to elaborate, when a sense of urgency filled the air as a group of cloaked figures approached. Lan Wangji’s instinct kicked in. “Stay alert.” Lan wangji held Wei Wuxian's hand and Zhang qiling held Wuxian Xie's hand and both the duo ran and his behind a bit busy area.
The atmosphere shifted, tension palpable. The cloaked figures were members of the Shadow Cult, their dark presence sending chills down Wei Wuxian’s spine.
“What is all this about?” Wu Xie whispered, his excitement turning to alarm.
“It seems they came along with us somehow Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, eyes narrowing.
Just then, one of the cult members locked eyes with Wei Wuxian, a smirk creeping onto their face. “You don’t belong here,” they mouthed and left.
“Let’s just say that we are in their way to what they want,” Wei Wuxian whispered back, his pulse quickening.
Suddenly, the cult members retreated, whispering among themselves, before disappearing into the shadows.
“That was close,” Wei Wuxian said, exhaling a sigh of relief.
Wu Xie turned to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, his initial excitement now mixed with concern. “You guys are clearly involved in something bigger. It is not something illegal right?"
Lan Wangji immediately replied, "We swear it is not." Wei Wuxian nodded agreeing to Lan Zhan's, "Yeah you can thrust us on that. We are actually we are not from this timeline and we somehow ended up here due to some relics.....Do you have a place were we can talk?"
"Oh yes,why don’t you come with us? We can figure this out together!”
Zhang Qiling nodded slightly, adding, “We have a place nearby. You can rest and talk more freely.”
Intrigued and wary, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji exchanged glances but ultimately agreed. “Lead the way,” Wei Wuxian said, feeling the weight of their unexpected alliance.
As they walked to Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling’s hideout, the two groups shared stories. Wu Xie, ever the extrovert, bombarded them with questions. “So, tell me about these relics! Do they glow? Can you feel their energy? What kind of adventures have you had?”
Both Lan Wangji and We Wuxian were kind of alerted as to how does this boy knows about the relics energy and stuffs even though little.
Zhang Qiling chimed in sparingly, offering insight when necessary. “We’ve encountered some unknown relics in our own tomb explorations. There might be a connection.”
“Exactly!” Wu Xie exclaimed. “If these relics are all linked, we could find them together! There are so many places to explore!”
They soon arrived at a modest building, its walls lined with artifacts and maps. The atmosphere felt heavy with history, and the air crackled with the potential for adventure.
Once inside, Wei Wuxian being his usual curious person examined their surroundings. “This is impressive! You’ve got quite the collection here.”
Wu Xie beamed with pride. “Thanks! We’ve been on some wild adventures. But now, it sounds like we have a bigger quest ahead.”
“Tell us more about these unknown relics,” Lan Wangji said, his voice steady. “We may have a common enemy — the Shadow Cult.”
As Wei Wuxian explained how they ended up in this timeline and Wu Xie detailed their past expeditions, Zhang Qiling quietly interjected with crucial information about the relics they had encountered. “Some were tied to ancient myths, suggesting they could manipulate time and space.”
“Just like the orb we found!” Wei Wuxian realized. “If we can gather them all, we might be able to stop the cult.”
Wu Xie’s eyes sparkled being the always the curious one and wanting to uncover secrets without knowing whether it is good to know or kept hidden. He immediately said with excitement . “Then let’s do it! Together, we can uncover the secrets of these relics and protect them from falling into the wrong hands.”
Lan Wangji nodded, feeling a sense of purpose solidify within their group. “We must act quickly. The Shadow Cult won’t rest.”
With newfound allies and a shared mission, they set their sights on the map on the table, ready to uncover things that were once hidden. The merging of the two different worlds even if for the time being had sparked an unexpected alliance, and the adventure was only just beginning.