The wind picked up as I rounded the corner of the ancient monastery, inching my way closer to Sam. I closed my eyes as the dust cleared and when I reopened them the world had been turned upside down. I scrambled to free my axe from its spot on my side, swinging it firmly into what was the ground only moments ago. Although I had successfully anchored myself to the crumbling wall I jarred my arm in the process; under any other circumstances I would have dwelled on the pain coursing through my arm, the deep throbbing on my side, or the stinging on my other arm, but I didn't. Instead I made my way to the top of the once solid ground. A section of the wall ahead of me had crumbled into dust, leaving only a small pillar for me to use to cross to the other side. The path forward was relatively easy, but I ended up overestimating the gap between where I was standing and the pillar and narrowly escaped the plummet to my death.

My muscles tensed as I pulled myself up over the wall and rolled over in relief. The reprieve didn't last long, however; shouts of terror whipped through the wind, hitting my cheeks like bullets. Directly in my line of sight members of the Solarii brotherhood, along with a lone Oni, were being swept away by a surge in the wind. Shit, I thought to myself. Himiko's intemperate outbursts were growing even more intense. Without a moments rest, I made my way to a patch of craggy wall leading up to a sort of plateau. I dug my axe into the rock and my arm screamed in protest. I have to get to Sam.

As if Himiko had read my mind, somewhere to my left Sam let out a strangled scream. The scream was so full of anguish and pain, the kind of scream that rattled your consciousness. My stomach dropped. What if Sam… No, I mustn't think that way. "Saaaaaaaam!" I shouted in fear.

My entire being shifted into overdrive and I started moving with what felt like warp speed. I rushed forward, not considering what threats lay before me. At the top of the plateau I braced myself as a Solarii brother flew past me, followed by another. The snow was coming down at full force and I could not see what had been causing people to be thrown around like rag dolls. I assumed it was Himiko's temper at the core of it, but to my horror a gigantic member of Himiko's undead army emerged from the thick snow, wielding a club two times the size of me.

"Shit, shit, shit." I cursed when I realised I needed to get past this leviathan if there was any hope of reaching Sam, alive. All it would take was one hit from that club and I'd go down. Forever. Okay Lara, you can do this. Just keep moving.

With a renewed sense of urgency, I ran at full speed toward the enormous Oni, tucking into a roll as his thick arm rushed by my head. I pulled out my shotgun and loosed three rounds into his back before he let out an inhuman cry and fell to his knee. I seized this opportunity and sprinted towards him, axe in hand; swinging the axe with as much strength I could muster. The axe landed square on the side of his head but still he lived. I freed my axe and scrambled to hide myself behind a piece of broken wall. My short-lived breather was once again spoilt by the arrival of three more of the Sun Queen's Guard.

Switching gears, I pulled out my rifle and easily picked off two of the three Oni advancing upon me. As I struggled to put in another clip, the third soldier met his demise by the spiked club of the gigantic Oni; so much for camaraderie. My oversized foe was momentarily distracted with his attempts to release his club from the lifeless body beneath it. I ran forward to stand behind the Oni's back and shot six shells directly into the scaly bit of exposed skin. As before, the giant dropped to his knees and wailed unintelligible words. This time my axe met his head two times before I was suddenly swept off of my feet.

With one fell swoop, the demon's monstrous hand whisked my bloodied and bruised body into its palm. I flailed about, desperately trying to release myself from the steadfast hold. Before I could even register what transpired, I was flung across the plateau, landing flat on my stomach. I hit the ground with such ferocity that I blacked out for several seconds, and when I finally opened my eyes the world around me had been turned grey. Well, I don't need my ribs anyway I laughed to myself as I touched my side gingerly.

I gathered what little strength I had left and propped myself up with my arms, and slowly pulled myself to my feet. The giant started barrelling towards me, but time had slowed. My mind seemed to slow down time in situations when on the verge of death. Quite a neat trick, really. I shook my head at my internal monologue and brought my shotgun to eye level. One, two, three, four, five, six, I counted the shots. Six shots to the face and the Oni took a tumble. He, it rather, struggled to recover, calloused and scaly hands covering its face. Reflexively, my legs kicked into gear and the distance between where I stood, and my colossal foe closed in. I pulled out my axe and brandished it wildly in the air. I could only imagine how mad I must have looked; I am mad, I thought to myself. Every feeling of fear, sadness, loneliness, anger, and unadulterated rage that had swelled in my chest during my time on this godforsaken island came rushing through me, rippling down my arm into my axe. One swing. Finally the great beast went down.

Without another thought I turned to make my way even higher up the monastery. My muscles burned and seized with every step, but I ploughed forward with thoughts of Sam coaxing me onward. I fumbled my way skyward until I stood squarely on my feet, my eyes automatically searched out my best friend. Despite the strain from lack of sleep, my eyes quickly caught sight of Sam and Himiko. The scene that unfolded before me could only be described as supernatural; both Sam and Himiko hovered in the air, stiff and lifeless, save for their piercing screams. A pulsating spectral blue light ebbed and flowed around them, creating a whirlpool of sorts. The blue must be… The light must be their souls!
My heart sank at the realisation. Sam was so still and wooden I almost mistook her to be dead. Her warm hazelnut eyes were glazed over, reflecting ghostly light where normally her vibrant personality radiated. I could hardly believe this was Sam, my best friend, my confidante, my partner in crime. My Sam. Though Sam was quite small, seeing her in this state made her appear even smaller, more fragile. Something clawed at me from the pit of my stomach and I wished desperately that I was by her side, holding her soft hand, tucking the lock of her unruly hair behind her perfectly sculpted ear, hugging her body close to mine. "Sam, I'm coming!" I shouted into the blue void.

"I don't think so" a voice boomed in the distance. Mathias' ragged figure sauntered towards me from behind a pillar, his expression even more crazed than on previous encounters.

How long had he been standing there? I should have been paying attention he could have snuck up and killed me unawares. "Mathias, this needs to end! Himiko isn't going to let you go. She won't let any of us leave- no one leaves" I reasoned, emphasising the last three words "we need to destroy her, otherwise we'll all die here".

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, child. Himiko is my means off of this island, Sam just happens to be collateral. You've foiled my plans far too many times. It ends now!"

I readied an arrow and pulled back, but I wasn't quick enough; Mathias shot my bow out of my hands with greater speed; without hesitating, I trained my pistol on him and started firing. He turned and tackled me to the ground, but not before I buried my axe deep into his shoulder. This created a window of opportunity for him to strike me again. My head throbbed in time with a distant drum, causing the world to spin before me like a merry-go-round. Mathias shifted his weight on top of me so that the air squeezed out of my lungs. This was a harsh reminder of the gaping wound I received when I first arrived to Yamatai… A rebar had pierced me and I had all but forgotten about it in my haste to save my fellow Endurance shipmates. God, so many lives lost… Grim, Alex, Roth… A lump started to form in my throat and I would have started crying had Mathias not brought me back to the present with a sharp blow to my cheek.

"Bastard!" I mumbled through gritted teeth.

It seemed as though an eternity had passed as we wrestled for control over my axe; I puffed my chest out and used my legs to push back against the unstable Solarii leader, my lower body strength acting as a sort of lever. With a final thrust I wrenched the axe out of his grip and landed a sturdy blow to his head. Mathias' eyes widened in anticipation as I took his gun in one hand and drew my pistol in the other. I stood to face him, wielding duel pistols. Though my mind was focused on ridding the world of the vile cult leader, a vague feeling of power tickled me; somehow I felt oddly at ease with the cold steel in both hands. I packed this thought away neatly in the back of my mind and pointed both guns at Mathias. Mathias, the one who had caused all of my anguish, the one who killed some of the best friends I had known, the one who had taken my Sam away from me… "Die you bastard!"

Despite the flurry of bullets bombarding him, Mathias remained standing upright, stumbling backward slightly with each new wound. Frustration and fury gripped me tightly and I felt my face burn hot, why wasn't he going down? After a maelstrom of bullets tore into his chest, Mathias faltered at last, his feet catching the edge of the monastery wall; he toppled over the edge, his gurgled scream catching in his throat. I ran quickly to the edge to ensure that he had indeed fallen to his death. Satisfied that he had, I sprinted to Sam's side, peering at her nervously. Himiko's soul was still in the process of being transferred into Sam's body. How long did this process take? I guess I have nothing to measure it against, really.

I cast one last glance at Sam and practically crawled my way to Himiko's side. The Sun Queen hung suspended in some sort of limbo between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This couldn't be Sam's fate- I couldn't let Sam be ruined like that. Without understanding why, I pulled out my torch and thrust it into Himiko's rotting flesh in a whirlwind motion. The undead Queen's head fell back in agony and a blood curdling scream escaped her as the blue lights of her soul started tearing at her seams, ripping her from the centre outwards until she was wholly consumed by it. Seconds later she burst with a bolt of electricity, smoldered to ash. She was gone.

My breath was raspy and hard to catch when I knelt down beside Sam who was writhing on the ground… in pain? "Sam! Oh Sam, thank god" I sighed in relief as I pulled Sam into my arms.

"Ugh. Wha? Lara… What's happening?" Sam whispered to me, disoriented.
"Shh… Shh… I'm here, you're safe now. It's okay… it's okay..." I cooed.
Sam repositioned herself so that her soft eyes were piercing mine. The light in her eyes had returned and I was so relieved in that moment that I could have kissed her. She smiled lightly and spoke at last "You saved me… I knew you would."

"I made you a promise. Let's get you home" my words fell on deaf ears, Sam had fallen asleep.

The weather shifted unexpectedly and the dark snow bearing clouds receded into nothingness, granting the bright sun the ability to spread its warm rays on us. Warm light washed over us, lighting me as Sam rested in my arms; it was as though the sun was a spotlight and Sam and I were actors in an opera. If only Sam had been conscious enough to see this, she would have squealed in delight of it all. It was rather like staging the lighting for a campy, dramatic scene in an appallingly clichéd romantic comedy; and the hero valiantly risks his life to rescue the damsel in distress, he sweeps her off of her feet, takes her into his arms, screen dissolves and the camera captures an extreme close-up of the damsel's lips, and the hero leans in for a kiss.

I laugh at my mental storyboarding; I had a feeling I would never cut it in the film industry. The thought of kissing Sam for real suddenly struck me and my eyes found themselves resting on her soft lips; they were slightly parted, opening and closing with the steady rhythm of her breathing. I could lean in and kiss her. She wouldn't even notice- she's sleeping so peacefully. Just a quick peck, no harm done. No, Lara! That would be taking advantage. I couldn't unless it was consensual… My stomach lurched at this thought; would Sam ever reciprocate this feeling? What was this feeling precisely? It was certainly aside, it was tempting all the same. Eventually I settled for a quick peck on the cheek. A slow blush crept into my own cheeks despite the fact that no one had witnessed this act.

A confused sigh escaped me. All of this was so complicated; completely eviscerating two armies (one alive, one undead) and overthrowing a Queen I could apparently handle, but the thought of feelings... I never did well with those subjects, attraction and romance- I'd rather do Yamatai ten times over before I dealt with those feelings. This was, at least partially, the reason for which I never much dated in university. Sure there were interesting people throughout my four years of academia, but never anyone who truly intrigued me. No one, that is, apart from my best friend Sam. Sam had always been a bit of a train wreck throughout the eight odd years I had known her; she partied too often and trusted too easily, the epitome of the social butterfly. Initially Sam's fun-loving, try-anything-once attitude was a bit off-putting, but as the years progressed and we grew closer I began to understand Sam's motivations. It was her upbringing that shaped Sam into the wild child she was today. I think she found some sort of solace in socialising because of the lifelong parental neglect she was subjected to.

At heart Sam was an intellectual, however, she only demonstrated this quality on her own terms, and only to those she trusted wholeheartedly. She was well aware that people misinterpreted her behaviour and used this piece of knowledge to her advantage; she was quite clever in that regard. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Perhaps this was a different kind of tale of romance- The Taming of the Shrew? But Sam was not in need of taming, she was her own person and I loved and respected her for that.

My eyes looked over the face of my dearest friend. Sam's eyes were closed tightly, revealing the shockingly long lashes that framed them. Her small button nose offset her shapely pink lips. Her pale, heart shaped face was complemented by a shock of jet black hair; needless to say Sam was beautiful. I supposed there had always been a part of me that was attracted to Sam. I rationalised this strange attraction as a natural occurrence. Opposites attract, and occasionally my thirst for knowledge was insatiable even where social interaction was concerned. Sam was, for all intents and purposes, my polar opposite. Where I had a book in hand, she had a boy's hand. When I was curled up with tea and a textbook, she was gallivanting about in a trendy dress. While I was busy on archaeological dig, she was cramped in a studio editing raw film footage. I frowned at myself, feeling as though I had done her too much discredit with my last thought. Although Sam put up airs, where film was concerned, she was always serious if a bit overzealous.

It was a welcoming feeling to have Sam back in my arms. This was something I had previously taken for granted. Through thick and thin Sam and I had been side-by-side, and quite regularly arm in arm. To say that my best friend enjoyed physical contact would be a monumental understatement; when we lived together in London, she would greet me every morning with a peck on the forehead, much to the excitement of her latest one night stand. Initially her constant touching unnerved me, propelling feelings of awkwardness and confusion into every muscle and tendon. However, over the years I had become accustomed to her physical displays of affection and in some respects even relished these moments, albeit secretly.

A thought struck me as I reminisced over times past- this island had changed us. It had scratched at the very core of us, of me, and transformed my very essence. What kind of changes would that inspire between Sam and me? I rolled my eyes at my paranoia and reassured myself that this was still Sam. She was alive and that was all that mattered.

I couldn't be certain of how much time had passed since I had killed Himiko, but I guessed it must have been a significant amount. Jonah and Reyes were probably waiting with anticipation, wondering if Sam and I had made it out alive. I didn't want to delay my trek down the mountain any longer than I already had so I squared my feet and hoisted Sam off the ground with a swift upwards motion. She was significantly heavier than her slight frame would suggest, but I didn't mind. I wanted to hold her close. No, I needed her to be this close. If I had carried her down the mountainside piggyback style, someone could steal her away from me again… or worse. Beyond my anxiety, it was Sam's closeness that drove me forward. I had risked everything to get to her, I had even lost people along the way, but I would do it again if it meant that Sam was safe. I made her a promise after all.

When I reached the foot of the mountain, Jonah noticed me first and came rushing forward. He extended his big arms towards me and took Sam from my own, laying her down gently in the PT boat. Reyes moved from her spot by the guns and looked at me incredulously. Her eyes met mine and flashed with what I interpreted to be admiration, or perhaps astonishment. As quickly as it had appeared though, the emotion in her eyes evaporated and she once again retreated behind her veil of aloofness. "Lara! I can't believe… How…" she searched for words, settling on "I'm just glad you and Sam are all right. Let's get the hell off this island!"

Reyes turned on her heel and started up the engine of the small PT boat, obviously uncomfortable with her earlier display of emotion. I seated myself beside Sam and twirled a strand of her hair absentmindedly. Jonah came and placed his hand on my shoulder "Everything all right, little bird?"

I looked up at Jonah's friendly face. "Yes I- I… Sam should be okay, she just needs to rest."

My sturdy friend furrowed his brow at me, implying that he had meant to ask if I was okay. When I didn't respond he nudged me and asked "What happened up there?" The question had been rhetorical in nature, though if it hadn't been, I wasn't confident I'd have the foggiest of where to begin.

I'm glad he hadn't actually pressed me for an answer. I was exhausted both mentally and physically and I needed some solitude to unscramble my jumbled thoughts. Very reluctantly, I pried myself free of Sam's grip and went to the bow of the boat. Yamatai, in all its horrors had acted as a trigger. What I had experienced on the long lost Japanese island was an utter awakening. No longer was I the naïve, wide eyed twenty one year old Lara Croft- I had been transformed. I didn't like the idea of calling myself a hero because as Mathias had said, there were no heroes, only survivors. He might have been unstable, but Mathias was right; when your life was threatened, a survivor was awakened from the depths of your very soul- there was no place for heroism. Every one of us, Reyes, Jonah, Sam and myself, we were each reborn a survivor on that accursed island. While this notion was somewhat comforting, I still could not forgive myself for my actions. It wasn't so much that I couldn't reconcile the need to take lives, but rather it was the ease of the action itself that made me uneasy. Had I become a homicidal sociopath? I had been so indifferent to the lives I had taken. My headcount had increased exponentially and yet I felt no remorse. Killing had even become a twisted sort of pleasure for me, a means of exacting my revenge. I bit my lip at this thought and frowned. Was I still a decent person? Could I call myself moralistic if my every step had left death in its wake? My stomach lurched, forcing me to grab at my middle.

A chill crept into my bones, so I made myself as small as I could, wrapping my arms around my legs. I wished Roth was here, he would have known precisely the right thing to say; he himself had taken numerous lives in order to survive. With thoughts of Roth swirling in my head, I finally succumbed to the tears that had been teetering at the edge of my eyes. I couldn't believe Roth was really gone… He had promised me a toast to Grim when we made it off the island. I guess it was a drink I'd have to sink alone.

Naturally, after my reflections of Roth had subsided, my mind wandered to another dark subject; my parents. It had been years since they had been declared missing and yet I could barely discuss it with others. Not even Roth. My father had been right all along, there was more to the world than strict, linear logic. Yamatai was living, breathing proof of this. I hated that my father had been right. For the last several years I had been so consumed with rage at my parents' disappearance that I hadn't even noted how like my father I truly was. No longer could I be sceptical of the supernatural, I had to accept it as fact. After all, behind every fantastical myth was buried some semblance of truth. I couldn't count how many times I had heard my father use variations of this phrase. He was right and now I had to reconsider everything he had ever told me. But I was furious still. How could my parents have abandoned me? They had left me alone and now I had fucked up and lost Roth. I was alone, utterly alone.

"Lara" Sam called from over my shoulder, sending my thoughts into a flurry "how are you sweetie?"

She looked down at me, her expression soft. My best friend scrutinised my face, in search of something. Apparently she had thought it was best to take a seat next to me when she found what she was looking for. She scooted closer to me, wrapping her arm around my waist to draw me in even closer; where this had once been a completely normal gesture, things had changed. At the very least, I had changed and this seemingly casual movement sent butterflies swarming in my stomach. I ground my teeth, hoping Sam hadn't noticed me grow rigid.

For some time we sat together in silence, enjoying the warmth of each other's embrace. Sam lifted her head from my shoulder and stared at me intently as if trying to find the right words for what she next said, "Lara, I haven't really thanked you yet. I… I can't even begin to imagine what you went through back on Yamatai. But I do know if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be sitting here. You saved me Lara, in more than one way…"

What did she mean I saved her in more than one way? How could I possibly have saved her in any other way than in the most tangible sense? "Sam it's-"

Sam silenced me with her hand and interjected "No Lara. It's not okay. You did more for me on that island than I could ever hope to repay you for. So if it takes this lifetime, and every other subsequent lifetime, I will be indebted to you. And as you very well know, a Lannister always pays her debts!"

I burst out in a fit of laughter at her last remark. Leave it to Sam to find a way to make such a grave situation light hearted. I loved her so much for this quality. She must have sensed that I needed a break from reality because she continued her comedic routine "You know what the scariest part about almost losing my soul and becoming a vessel for my freaky ancestor was?" she paused for dramatic effect, "Her skin. I mean did you see it? She was pasty as fuck. Like, hello, you're the Sun Queen maybe you should live up to your reputation and work on your tan line! She must have missed the memo or something."

My heart felt a little lighter at Sam's banter. I kicked myself mentally for thinking I was alone. I had Sam; I always had and always would. A strange sense of safety washed over me, the first time I had truly felt safe since that fated night over a week ago. With Sam by my side, clutching me tightly, I drifted off.