Thank you for the reviews to all previous chapters! ;)

So here's the next chapter, something more hopeful as the title suggests..!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Tomb Raider characters apart from Alexander and Abraham Cornelius (forgot to mention that on the previous chapter)..


Chapter 8: Hope Reborn

Union Of Light: According to prophecies, the last member of the Lux Veritatis Order will form an alliance with a human being, a warrior to whom the wonders of the world have been disclosed, and together they will win the Shadow War. I think I have just found this union. It's been a long time since Evil won the Shadow War but there will be a revolution. Then the Darkness will be defeated and the world will find its balance again. I wish Richard could see his daughter fighting for the sake of Truth. He would be so proud of her. He knew few things about the Shadow War but still he was able to help Konstantin. Richard helped him without knowing much and he was kept safe. Unfortunately, things are not the same for his daughter.

Abraham Cornelius

Lara was immobile, not knowing how to react. She wanted to burst into laughter and tears. She felt as if she would collapse if she kept those feelings inside her. She had been trying to hide emotions for so long. She couldn't do it anymore. All the emotions inside her rebelled. She couldn't help but let some tears fall.

Kurtis was trembling and it wasn't due to the chilliness of the night. The moment he had been waiting for a very long time had finally come. He even thought this wasn't real and that he would soon find himself in the dark room, delivering his blood.

Lara couldn't stand there and stare at him without any reaction. She was sure it was him. She saw that familiar sparkle into his dark blue eyes. She finally saw them again after a lot of prayers. She wouldn't stay away any longer. She ran into him and embraced him. Kurtis was taken by surprise but he held her very close to him, never wanting to let her go. Lara started crying with sobs as the downpour became even heavier. If it wasn't raining Kurtis' shirt would be wet anyway by Lara's tears. He couldn't help but let some tears fall too.

"It's all right" Kurtis comforted her. "Everything's fine" he whispered in her ear.

She kept on crying, expecting him to take her home and end this tragic reality once and for all. Unfortunately, he couldn't.

Her legs felt weak and trembled. She couldn't stand anymore. She kneeled while having Kurtis in her arms. Kurtis kneeled too without letting her go. They were kneeled as Lara kept on crying.

It was like time had stood still. Like the earth had stopped turning. Lara broke the embrace to face Kurtis after she had cried out many tears. She looked deep into those blue oceans. She got lost inside them and she was so happy about that. He kept looking into her dark eyes and was utterly hypnotised.

"We have to get out of here. I know a safe place" Lara said after what seemed an eternity.


Lara Croft and Kurtis Trent finally reached the small wooden hut Lara was hiding in. It wasn't the most comfortable place in the world but it could protect them from the heavy rain and the merciless cold. Once they got inside, Lara took off her cloak, lay her holsters and her gloves on a table and sat on a chair, looking at the ground. What's wrong with me? I should be happy. Why do I feel so confused?

Kurtis put his weapons on a nearby table too. He noticed that Lara was overwhelmed and that she needed comfort. He kneeled right in front of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked calmly.

"Well, everything is wrong" she answered.

"You used to be the one who would never give up. What happened now?"

"It's not only about the whole situation"

She paused for a while. Then she went on.

"It's about us, Kurtis"

He remained quiet, confused by her words.

Lara stood up at that point. "You once told me that you would never walk away. You said you wouldn't hurt me. But you did, you forsook me. Maybe it sounds irrational but it's so hard to let you in again" Lara said in desperation.

"Lara, I-" said Kurtis but was interrupted by Lara.

"It's not that I don't care about you. In fact, that's why I'm doing this. The problem is that no one can hurt me except you. Because you're the only one I truly care about"

There was a long silence. After a while, Kurtis stepped towards her. "I missed you" he said almost whispering. Their faces where only a few inches away.

"Go away" she told him, knowing that after some seconds, she would regret.

"Lara…"

"Please step away. I can't… Please, don't make this harder" she replied with much remorse but she knew it was the only way to protect herself from her emotions.

Kurtis had a cold look on his face. He walked away to reach the door. Didn't she even miss me? Didn't she want to see me the way I did? He thought trying to hide the hurt inside him. All he kept on thinking while he was tortured into this dark room was Lara. The thought of her had made him hold on all along. If it wasn't for her, he would probably had left this world. His world was empty without her.

He turned the door knob and opened it. However, he didn't step outside.

What am I doing? Am I losing him? Again? she thought. She didn't do anything to prevent Kurtis from walking away though.

The door was open for him but he wouldn't walk away. Not without trying to get close to her again. To show her that he never intended to hurt her and that he would make things right for both of them. What am I doing? He thought. Since when do I carry out orders?

"I'm not going anywhere" he said and he closed the door with force. Then he walked hastily towards her and grabbed her arm but making sure not to hurt her and finally kissed her. Lara didn't realise what had happened for some seconds. All she knew was that she wanted it too. So she responded. They kept kissing each other passionately but tenderly at the same time. Kurtis pulled her close to him so he could embrace her tightly. Lara hadn't felt so warm inside her for so long. They broke off the kiss in order to breathe. Then Kurtis pushed her against a wall slowly and started kissing her again. They entwined their hands tightly, both feeling that nothing could keep them apart anymore. Afterwards, they embraced each other again, the senses of both of them hypnotised by this kiss.

While having each other in their arms, Kurtis and Lara headed for the bed and lay down. He got on top of her and Lara pulled him closer, finally feeling the warmth of his body that she had missed so much. Kurtis started kissing her on the cheek, then moving to her neck. Lara closed her eyes. She wouldn't let that moment run away from her. She fondled his hair with the one hand and touched his shoulder with the other one. He kept kissing her neck with affection and yearning and she started taking deep breaths. He moved to her right arm but something attracted his attention. Lara wondered why he had stopped.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking deep breaths like she had run a marathon.

"You still have the mark" Kurtis said without taking his eyes off the symbol of the Lux Veritatis on het right hand.

"So?" she said, feeling that at last she would find out why it hadn't disappeared since the Crystal Shard had been destroyed.

"You shouldn't. It was supposed to disappear. The Crystal Shard is destroyed" he said and then lay next to her.

"Which means?" she kept wondering.

Kurtis showed her the same mark he had on his left hand.

"I never knew why it hadn't disappeared" he continued.

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"That the Shard didn't lose its power at all" said Kurtis with a smile.

"So… We haven't lost at all. We can still fix this" she said hopefully.

"Yes. Yes, we can still fix this" he reassured her.

Lara felt delighted. Hope was finally reborn.

They both slept into each other's arms, both more peaceful than ever, feeling happiness that they hadn't felt for a very long time.


Lara and Kurtis woke up into a day without a sun again. As days went by, the darkness was becoming wider and wider. However, Lara and Kurtis didn't feel like that. They felt like there was sunshine this time.

"Where do we have to go?" Lara asked while she was getting ready and equipped.

"To a monastery, the one on the mount. According to Alexander, the pieces of the Shard are kept there by some monks" he informed her.

"Monks? I thought this monastery was abandoned" she said.

"Maybe we doomed this world but we're not the only ones left" he said while loading his gun.

Lara took her holsters with the guns, her backpack and wore her gloves and the cloak. She didn't wear the hood. Kurtis took his Glaive and hanged it to his belt. He wore his shoulder holsters and placed his Boran X to its right position.

After a few minutes, they were ready to go. Kurtis opened the door and Lara followed him outside. Once they were out, she said to him cheerfully "Just like the good old times"

Kurtis just smiled to her. And how she adored his smile. She needed nothing more as a response.

Looking up, they both located the monastery, seemingly abandoned but in reality inhabited by monks, according to Alexander. Looking at each other with a smile, they both felt ready to begin their new mission and hopefully set things right.

A/N: The Union of Light and the prophecies that talk about it, in Cornelius' words are created by me. And for those who may have got confused, Union of Light is Kurtis' and Lara's partnership..! ;)