The Relics Of Fate

Chapter 4: Secrets Unearthed

The tension in the Silver Moon Tomb lingered like a thick fog as Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Wu Xie, and Zhang Qiling regrouped after the attack from the Shadow Cult. Each of them was on guard and anxious, fully aware that their mission had taken a dangerous turn.
“We need to move deeper into the tomb,” Lan Wangji said, his voice steady and commanding. “The relics might still be here.”
Wu Xie, still buzzing from the excitement of battle, nodded eagerly. “Right! Let’s find out what this place is hiding!”
As they ventured further, the air grew cooler, and the walls of the tomb shifted from carved stone to intricate murals depicting celestial bodies and ancient battles. Wu Xie felt a sense of awe wash over him, the history embedded in the walls whispering secrets long forgotten.
“Look at these murals,” he said, tracing his fingers over the depictions of constellations. “They seem to tell a story about the relics.”
Zhang Qiling, always observant, stepped closer to analyse the details. “They align with the legends I’ve heard about the relics. Each one is tied to a celestial event.”
“Celestial events?” Wei Wuxian echoed, intrigued. “Like what?”
Zhang Qiling gestured toward a specific mural. “The alignment of the moons and stars. It’s said that when certain conditions are met, the relics can be activated to reveal their true power.”
“That’s amazing!” Wu Xie exclaimed. “So, if we can find out when these events occur, we can unlock the relics’ potential!”
Wei Wuxian’s mind raced. “But how do we know which relics belong to this tomb?”
As they examined the murals further, they noticed a recurring symbol—a crescent moon intertwined with a star. “This symbol could be key,” Lan Wangji suggested. “If we find more instances of it, we might locate the relics.”
“Let’s split up again,” Wei Wuxian proposed, eager to explore. “We’ll cover more ground and meet back here in an hour.”
Reluctantly, they agreed, each taking a different path through the sprawling tomb. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji moved deeper into a corridor, while Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling took another route, both pairs focused on uncovering the tomb's secrets.
As they walked, Wei Wuxian marvelled at the architecture. “This place feels alive,” he said, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “It’s as if it holds memories.”
Lan Wangji nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Every tomb has its stories. We must respect what we find here.”
After some time, they reached a large chamber adorned with similar celestial drawings. At the centre stood an altar with an intricate design carved into its surface, mirroring the symbol they had seen before.
“This must be it,” Wei Wuxian said, excitement bubbling within him. “The heart of the tomb!” Lan Wangji then talked in the walkie talkie and said then to come where they were.
He approached the altar, noticing a depression in the centre, as if something had once been placed there. “We need to find the relic that fits here.”
Just then, a faint glow caught Lan Wangji’s attention. “Look!” he said, pointing toward a side chamber. The light emanates from an opening enveloped in shadow. “Let’s check it out,” Wei Wuxian said, his heart racing. They moved cautiously toward the opening, their instincts on high alert.
As they entered the side chamber, the light intensified, revealing a pedestal adorned with the same crescent moon and star symbol. And there, resting atop the pedestal, was a relic—a beautifully crafted pendant, shimmering with an otherworldly glow.
“Is that…?” Wei Wuxian breathed, stepping closer. “It’s beautiful!”
Lan Wangji examined the pendant carefully. “This is no ordinary relic. It feels charged with energy.”
Just as Wei Wuxian reached out to touch it, a voice interrupted them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
They spun around to find a figure standing in the shadows, a member of the Shadow Cult with an arrogant smirk on their face. “You’re just asking for trouble.”
“Who are you?” Lan Wangji demanded, taking a defensive stance.
“The one who will take that relic from you,” the cult member sneered. “Hand it over, and you might just walk away.”
Lan Wangji stepped forward, his sword drawn. “You won’t lay a finger on it.”
“Foolish choice,” the cult member replied, summoning dark energy that crackled around them. “You’re outmatched.”
The chamber erupted into chaos as the cult member launched an attack. Wei Wuxian quickly conjured spirits to defend against the oncoming darkness, while Lan Wangji moved in with precision, engaging the cult members in combat.
“We can’t let them get the pendant!” Wei Wuxian shouted, dodging an energy blast. “It’s too important!”
Lan Wangji parried a strike from the cult member, pushing them back. “We need to secure the relic!”
In the midst of the battle, Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling reentered the chamber, alerted by the commotion. “What’s happening?” Wu Xie yelled, his eyes widening at the sight of the fight.
“Get to the relic!” Wei Wuxian instructed, focusing on holding off the cult member.
Zhang Qiling nodded, moving swiftly to assist. He flanked the cult member, using his agility to create openings for Lan Wangji.
“Now!” Wei Wuxian shouted as Lan Wangji executed a precise strike that sent the cult member staggering back. Wu Xie dashed forward, reaching for the pedestal.
“I’ve got it!” Wu Xie exclaimed, grabbing the pendant just as the cult member recovered.
“No!” the cult member shouted, fury and desperation evident in their voice. Suddenly he was attacked from the back. “Wu Xie!!” Zhang Qilings voice echoed as he dashed to him. Wu Xie fell on his knees, holding his head with his hands as he felt the back of his head bleeding. As he fell the pendant fell on the ground away from him, and before anyone could understand what was happening Zhang Qiling rushed to Wu Xie and the pendant was taken away by one of the cult members while Wangji and Wuxian were distracted by the other cult fighters. The cult member laughed and before he/she could be attacked by Wangji or Wuxian they vanished and the only thing that could be heard was the heavy breaths of Wangji and Wuxian and the soft voice of Zhang calling Wuxie's name trying to wake the now unconscious boy. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian hurried to Wuxie. Lan Wangji immediately took Wuxie's hand and tried to check on him with the help of his qi. “He is fine, nothing serious. He will be fine with some rest, however we have to look after the wound he sustained. It might get infected if not taken care of."
They reached home and Wangji immediately started treating Wuxie's wounds with a very worried Zhang qiling and Wei Wuxian. However Wuxian was also worried about the relic getting into the hands of the cult members. After treating Wuxie which shocked Zhang qiling as without any medicine was able to treat him to no scratch left, Qiling, Wuxian and Lan Wangji had a talk of what to do next after the loss of one relic. They decided to wait for Wuxie to wake up to make a final plan. After a couple of hours Wuxie woke up and Qiling immediately went to him to check on him.“ Wuxie, how do you feel?” Qiling asked to make sure the boy is actually alright. “I am fine Xiaoge ….how did we….” knowing the question Qiling said about how he fainted and they reached home and Lan Wangji treated him. And also said that the other two want to have a talk to plan something. Not clear of what Wuxie followed Qiling to the living room where the Wangxian duo were sipping on their newly found and liked coffee. As they saw Wuxie coming to them they settled down properly for a discussion.
“Actually as they got the pendant-” Wuxian got cut by Wuxie as he was speaking. "Wait….who said they got the pendant?” Lan Wangji with a confused tone told Wuxie how they literally saw the pendant fall from his grip and the cult member taking it away before they could fight back. Hearing this Wuxie started laughing whereas the rest 3 looked puzzled at him laughing at this dire situation. After calming down Wuxie with a  mischievous smile got his bag and pulled out something from its hidden pocket. IT WAS THE PENDANT!!!!.... The other three shocked looked at the pendant and started questioning Wuxie as of how he had the pendant. “When Wuxian talked about my grandfather's connection with this stuff, at first I thought it was normal but then it felt weird so I searched through his stuff that he gave me and found a pendant. He had shown me this pendant a couple of times saying that this was a replica of the original. I felt like keeping it with myself, and when I grabbed the actual pendant in the tomb it looked almost the same…So I switched the replica with the original in my hand…in short we have the original piece”. With the ending sentence he drank a glass of water on the table waiting for the rest to react. Suddenly he was pulled in a hug by an oh sooo happy wuxian and Wangji patting his back felling proud of his quick thinking and work. Qiling gave him a *I am proud* smile which was very rare. “Wuxie~ you don't know what big trouble you just got all of us out of. If that relic had fallen in their hands then the whole purpose of this expedition would have gone down the drain.” Wuxian said happily. “If Wuxie exchanged the pendant then the cult members would know about it by now.” Said a stressed Qiling as he analysed the scenario. And as if in cue they heard banging noises on the door, and they knew the cult members are here. Wuxie immediately held the pendant closer as Zhang, Wangji and Wuxian stood up in a fighting stance, simultaneously standing as a shield between the upcoming trouble and Wuxie. The door flew open and immediately they were under attack. Wuxian and Lan Wangji were trying to not let any cult members pass them but still a few passed them but had to face Qiling….. the fight kept on going for a couple of minutes. Wuxie was also ready with a dagger in case any trouble came too near to the pendant. Just as the fight was seen to be beneficial on their side, a cult member attacked Wuxie which he luckly dodged as a sword was just about to cut through his abdomen. The cult member with quick reflexes was about to launch a second attack which unfortunately Wuxie won't be able to dodge without sustaining any injury.
Just then, the pendant in Wu Xie’s hand began to glow brighter, pulsating with energy. It emitted a protective barrier that enveloped the group, pushing back the dark energy from the cult member.
“Stay close!” Wei Wuxian yelled, feeling the power surge through him as the pendant resonated with his own energy. Many of the cult members that were too near got burned up by some invisible flames.
Realizing they were outmatched, the cult members sneered. “This isn’t over! We will find you!”
With that, the cult members fled, disappearing into the shadows of the world.
As the energy from the pendant stabilised, the protective barrier faded, leaving the group breathless but unharmed. Wu Xie breathing heavily and feeling drained but at the same time energised looked at the pendant in awe. “What just happened?”
Wei Wuxian grinned, exhilarated. “We found a relic! And it seems to have taken a liking to you. I mean it chose you.”
Lan Wangji sheathed his sword, glancing at Wu Xie with a mix of admiration and caution. “We need to learn how to harness its power. It could be our key to stopping the cult.”
Zhang Qiling stepped closer, examining the pendant. “The legends spoke of a connection between the relics and their bearers, remember the drawings of a few people with different symbols….. This could be like the chosen one scenario.”
“We should freshen up and plan our next steps,” Wei Wuxian suggested, a newfound sense of hope filling the air.
As they made their way back to their respective rooms, they felt a sense of curiosity and unity—a bond that now seemed impossible to be broken. With the relic now in their hands, they had taken the first step in a much larger journey.