I do not own anything of Tomb raider only my OC in this story.

This year is flying to fast, we're already in May. It's getting colder here by us, so enjoy the next chapter.

Credit:

TheUnknown9876: Is helping me beta this story.

Reviews

Guest: Yes that was your correct and yes she was trying to connect with her sister but failed. In a way we all feel like we just want to belong somewhere and I made Klara so that emotion. Yes she is smart like her mother, and she's gonna figure out who she is by building this messy puzzle so keep reading to find out what happens next.

Chapter 2: There might be hope

Rushing water pulled her down, forcing her to instinctively scrunch her eyes shut against the water. Just as she felt her lungs constrict, and right before her eyes went dark, a splash of water struck her from her left. She felt a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around her figure, and pull her up to the up water, she felt small blades of grass tickle her feet: she was on dry land.. Klara started to wipe the remaining traces of water from her eyes, restoring her otherwise hindered vision. Her esophagus began to open up to some much-needed air.

"Where am I?" She began to say.

She took a moment to look at her surroundings. In front of her sat an elegant building of solidified brick. It had a rather quaint adoption of architecture, bearing V-shaped roofs, a well-catered lawn, and an angelic statue out front. Why is the building design like that? Did I go back in time or something? She was about to look away, but out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw it move. Looking back, she was right. It's pose was different, and it had a different expression on its face.

People were walking around with textbooks and weird clothes. This place is certainly an… aberration to the norm. She wiped her eyes again trying to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"This is… This isn't real, right? Where…" She spoke to herself, unaware that the person who pulled her out was standing right next to her.

"Hey, are you okay? I've got you. You're a new student here, right?" a dark-skinned man approached the girl, and openly gave his hand out. Taking his hand, she tried to get up while the man hoisted her to her feet.

"I am a student?" She asked, confused.

"Yes, you missed the Hall of Mirrors by a second, but you made it. Welcome to the Lux Veritatis school for the gifted. Since it's the first day of the new semester, we should probably get you to the hall for orientation. If you're feeling okay, that is." The man informed her. "I'm Drake," a warm smile crept along his mouth. It quickly turned into a frown, however, after seeing Klara shiver rapidly, presumably because of her fall in the lake.

"I'm… Klara. And… I'm very confused." She honestly answered.

"Here, Klara, let me help you."

She felt a change in the air around him as he brought his fingers up to his mouth and blew through them. Suddenly…

"I'm completely dry!" She gasped.

"There, you're good as new. You might still want to change at some point though, it tends to get chilly in the evenings." Drake suggested while he turned the air current on himself, shaking water off his own shoes, drying them.

"Did you just use magic on me?"

"Yes, it's called Air Magic. You'll still learn it in class, as all you freshman do." He paused, "Let's take you up to the school for orientation." He turned around and started to walk towards the front of the school. Her legs were still feeble, but she was just about able to keep up with him, stumbling a few times in process.

"Okay wait. So you're saying magic is real? Like it exists in real life? For real?"

"Yes, magic is real. Don't worry, after a few months, you'll get used to it." he shook his head.

She passed the large angel statue in the centre of campus; the sound of corroded stone grinding against crumbling rock as the angel's head swiveled around, fixing it's gaze upon the two.

"Oh, that's just the security system, set to vaporize any intruders. But don't worry, there hasn't been one on campus in… well, I don't even know how long."

She nodded her head and kept moving, making sure to keep an eye on the statue. She let out a relieved sigh. When she turned back, she reached a set of massive double doors at the front of the school.

"If you follow me this way, I'll show you to the…" Drake starts toward the staircase, but the loud chiming of a bell stops him. He looks at his watch with alacrity. "Oh, crap. I totally forgot about the raider team meeting I'm supposed to go to."

"Wait! You can't leave me…"

"Of course not! I'll drop you off at the hall. We're just gonna have to speed this tour up that's all." He winked at her.

She followed him up the stairs, which lead into an adjoining hallway.

"The hall is just at the end of this hallway and to the left. This is the school's main building, so there's a ton of offices and stuff in here. Reception, the dean's office, classrooms… Some of the LV's placement exams are held here, too."

A short while later, Drake stopped in front of a pair of ornate doors.

"Well, that ends the Drake tour! I'm sorry that it was kind of rushed. I've gotta go, but good luck with the rest of orientation!" Just as abrupt as his speech, he made a swift exit.

She turned towards the giant double doors and pushed them open. As she slipped into the hall, she was momentarily overwhelmed by the high ceilings, stained glass windows, and countless students standing and waiting. A handful of heads turned in her direction, though the dean continued to drone on up front.

"Hey! Over here!" A guy with a smile waved her over to a nearby window, and she hurriedly walked next to him.

"Hey, you're late! I'm Mike."

"Hey, I'm Klara" she smiled at him; he seemed nice.

"So, Klara, what's your powers?"

"I, uh, am waiting until tomorrow to find out for sure. Don't want to jinx it?" To be blunt, she had no clue how to respond. She knew nothing about magic or anything as such.

He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the dean loudly clearing her throat.

"In conclusion, I'd like to remind you all that this is an institution of higher learning, not a playground for children. Put in the work or go home." The Dean started to speak, "Tomorrow, you will all find out what power you specialize in, out of fire, earth, water, and air. From there, you'll receive a timetable, showing you all the classes you will need. Punctuality and attendance is obligatory. Whoever Fails to oblige to these rules will be subject to the highest forms of punishment. Transgressors will be removed from campus permanently, and any further affiliations with the school shall be severed. There are no exceptions to this rule. If any of you have any questions, you can come to me, or any of the teachers here." She said this while pointing to all of the teachers standing nearby. "Thank you, you may go now."

After a few moments of silence, the loud workplace environment resumed, and everyone continued with what they were doing.

"So… what do we do now?" She asked Mike.

"Basically, the rest of the day is free. My roommate and I have a fun evening of bonding and laying out the house rules ahead of us."

She followed the crowd of other freshmen out onto the grounds, and immediately lost track of Mike.

"Uh… now what?"

"Hey, Klara!" a voice interrupted her plane of thoughts.

She turned towards the voice, and saw Drake coming towards her from the direction of the bridge.

"You survived the orientation! How was it? As boring as last year's?"

"No, it was really interesting actually." In the whirlwind of the day, she had briefly forgotten about her situation, but it all came flooding back. I can't believe how far away from home I am. I felt out of place at UCl, but even though I've only been here for less than a day, this place just feels right. I feel at ease here. I feel at home.

"Are you okay?" Drake asked her, only to realize that her eyes have begun to pool with tears. She wiped them away, forcing a smile.

"Just, uh, first day, I guess. It's all a bit… overwhelming." As she answered, he put a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. If it makes you feel any better, you're really beautiful."

"Thanks." She smiled, and looked around her, "Could you show me to the dorm? This campus is huge, and if I tried to find it myself, I'd probably end up sleeping on the front lawn."

Drake chuckled, as he prompted her to follow him to a building on the other side of campus. A plaque on the building's door read 'Freshman's Halls.'

"Here you go. Once you get inside, ask someone to help you find your room. I'm sure someone would be more than willing to do so.. Hey, and good luck" He gave his final goodbyes, and walked off, leaving her in front of the doors; she pushed them open.

As soon as she entered the nearly empty dorm lobby, an upperclassman with a clipboard waved her over.

"Welcome to The Lux Veritatis School! How can I assist you? You look new. Need help finding your room?" The Receptionist asked.

"Uh..." Klara wondered what to say. It would certainly have to take some getting used too; it's certainly an unusual feeling to have to accept a new life at a place of unknown origin, with people of unknown origin.

The receptionist cocked her head to the side. "You can just tell me your last name, and I'll point you in the right direction."

"Croft" It was humorous how naive Klara was to her heritage. The receptionist gave out a shocked gasp.

"Wait a minute." She glanced at her, then back at the page.

"Okay, I have to confess. I'm not actually a– "

"Here we go! Klara Croft, first floor, room ten. Your roomie has been checked in since this morning!"

She hurried away down the hall, relieved, and even more confused than she was before. She was pensive for a moment. If this was all some mistake, why was my name on the clipboard?

Behind the doors, down the hall, she heard music, people laughing, and even… an occasional roar? Finally, she found number ten. She was baffled as to why the door had no doorknob.

"Come on, does this place come with an instruction manual?"

She put her hand out, and tried to lean against the door, attempting to center herself… And hand hand slipped right through.

"Ackk!"

She felt a chill go through her as she fell through a transparent brown wall and onto the floor. As soon as she was entirely in, the door reformed.

"Well, aren't I a lucky girl!" There was a girl in her room. She presumed this to be her roommate. "Oh, my name is Kiara."

"Klara" Klara returned, as she got up from the floor.

"I'm glad I have a nice roomie for a change. Last year, I had to share a room with a fairy, and trust me, they aren't as fun as people make them out to be." Kiara started to gauge Klara's figure up and down. "Glad to see my roommate isn't completely devoid of style, though you could still use a few pointers. Luckily, you have me to help you!"

"Could you calm down for a second? Today has been, for the lack of a better word, insane. I could really just use a second."

She fell on the nearby couch, sinking into the soft cushions. Kiara perched herself on the chair across from her silently, though she leaned towards her.

"So…"

Klara sighed "You're not gonna believe me, but this morning, I was at this college in some other place. I used to think it was finally going to be my place in the world, but it became clear that it wasn't. And then I got here and, yeah, it's a little bit weird and a little hard to believe, but for the first time… Something finally feels right. And now it's… all going to be taken away."

Kiara seemed to be taken aback by this.

"Taken away? I don't understand. Why would– "

Klara told her the truth, revealing the secret she's been trying to hide since she arrived.

"I can't do magic"

"What?" Kiara's face reflectively scrunched up.

"I was in my apartment in London, and there was something weird in the mirror. When I touched it, I just got pulled in, and now I'm here not knowing how and why." she whispered her predicament to Kiara, who stayed silent, attentively listening. "And I don't know what to do now. I'm afraid of what will happen if I tell someone, but I know I can't leave."

"I'll help you." Kiara answered, getting up.

"You will? Why would you do that? I don't mean to sound suspicious, but you barely know me. Why would you stick your neck out for me?"

"Because it sounds like someone wanted you here, and that means you do have magic inside that you don't know yet. Have you tried to perform any?"

"No…I'm too scared to." Klara answered.

"Well, tomorrow is the first test where they find out what powers are inside of you. From there, I will help you generate that power." Kiara takes Klara's hand, "your name was on the list, so that means someone's looking out for you. I wouldn't worry if I were you."

"Thank you." Klara took Kiara into a warm embrace, but as she looked over her shoulder, she noticed something strange. In the mirror across the room, there was a black smudge on the mirror… or a shadow.

"Kiara, do you see that?" She pointed to the mirror, and Kiara looked.

"Hmm?"

Kiara looked around, trying to find the source of the reflection, as Klara stepped closer to the mirror. The shadow pulsed and reverberated like a heartbeat. Klara gazed at it for a second, until she realised something horrible.

"Wait, that's…"

The shadow was on their side of the glass...

"Klara!" A tumultuous scream pervaded the dorm. "Chhhhhhhhsssss!" A demon, identical to that of her vision, slowly appeared through the glass. It opened it's two hollow eyes as it let out an angry hiss. Without warning, it launched itself at Klara, sending her stumbling.

"AAAAH!" Klara let out a cry.

She tripped over her own feet, falling backward as the Demon sprang at her.

"Chhhhkkss!" The demon growled at her, and she threw up a hand to protect herself. Suddenly, a bright, coruscating beam of light shot from her hand, blasting right through the middle of the demon.

Klara looked at the demon, which laid lifeless on the floor, clearly surprised. "How…?!"

Even though the light faded, her hand still glowed warmly. The demon started to dissolve, until there were no remains but a charred pile of ash. She can feel a resonating power humming inside of her, and somehow, she knew that it's been there all along. Somewhere under the surface. Somewhere secret.

"What the hell was that?!" Klara asked, standing up and looking at where the demon's ash was laying.

"I really don't know what this demon is… But it looks like there might be hope for you yet." Kiara answered looking at Klara with a smile. For once within nineteen years, she finally felt at home.