This story has been brewing in my mind since I first played Angel of Darkness a couple of years ago and I've finally decided to share it with the rest of the fanfiction community. Although I've been an avid reader and writer of fanfiction for years now, this is my first submission to this site. Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! I'm really hoping that people will enjoy this, because I've certainly enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 1 - Fate

As Lara Croft staggered into the circular room in which she last saw Kurtis, an all too familiar smell reached her senses. People with less experience than herself wouldn't recognize it, but she knew it far too well for her own liking.

The unmistakable smell of blood surrounded her...

Upon arriving back into the arena, Lara couldn't help but notice the fresh pool of crimson liquid that now stained the previously clean floor. A fierce battle had obviously taken place between Kurtis and the creature called Boaz and it looked as if there were no survivors. Boaz (or at least what was left of her) lay in a mangled heap upon the ground. No doubt, it was Kurtis' work. As Lara neared the puddle of human blood, the gleam of a circular object caught the tomb raider's eye.

Lara approached the object and picked it up as recognition hit her. It was Kurtis' oddly shaped weapon which she had seem him use on various occasions, apparently controlling it with his mind as he caused it to hover around, brutally dismembering his enemies. The pool of blood undoubtedly belonged to Kurtis and judging by the quantity of it he was seriously injured. Even more likely though, he was already dead and had been dragged off by some horrible abomination of a creature that lurked somewhere within the depths of the Strahov.

As she absent-mindedly twirled the weapon between her fingers, Lara frowned. Although Kurtis was nothing more than a mysterious stranger, she began to feel a wave of sadness rush over her in response to his untimely death. She knew nearly nothing about him, and yet she couldn't help but notice how alike they were. They had both been through more than most people ever went through in a lifetime and against all odds, their lives had become intertwined somehow. Was it fate? Perhaps…

But it doesn't matter now… Lara thought bitterly to herself. He's dead and there's nothing you can do about it. Fate is a cruel force indeed.

Suddenly, Kurtis' weapon began to spin furiously in Lara's hand, startling her out of her reverie. She watched it in fascination for a moment before it gave a forcible tug, causing her to turn and look towards a long and darkened hallway. She stood there, stunned momentarily before realization dawned upon her. Since Kurtis was the last of the Lux Veritatis and the owner of the weapon, it was more than likely that he was the only person who could wield it.

As she glanced at the floor, Lara noticed that a trail of bloody splotches and smears led away from the puddle in the middle of the arena and down the hallway and she cursed herself for not noticing them earlier. Ever cautious, Lara drew her revolver and slowly made her way down the hall, feeling along the walls in order to find her way. A faint light could be seen near the end of it where the hall apparently broke into another path to the right. As she reached the end, Lara took a deep breath, silently preparing herself for any danger if it were to come her way. With one swift movement, she jumped into the dimly lit pathway with her gun held ready. There were no monsters or ancient Nephilim to be found, but her heart wrenched at what she saw. At the end of the hall lay the unconscious form of a man in a puddle of his own blood.

Immediately dropping the weapon and her gun, Lara made her way over to Kurtis as fast as she possibly could and kneeled down beside him. Her mind reeled as a hundred troubled thoughts and emotions flew through her brain. Forcing herself to put them aside, Lara mentally scolded herself and focused on the task before her.

As she frantically looked over him, Lara's instantly noticed the deep puncture wound in Kurtis' lower back. She winced as she briefly examined it, noting that it had gone extremely deep.

Since Kurtis was lying on his stomach, Lara carefully turned him onto his back and pulled him partially into her lap to better check for any signs of life. To her horror, another dreadful wound was in his abdomen. This one was slightly lower than the other and even more ragged. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened to the man before her. Something had apparently driven itself right through Kurtis before violently wrenching itself out again. With no time to waste, Lara placed her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse to find that it was weak and erratic.

Not good... she thought. He's going into shock... Better make sure he's still breathing...

Placing her face inches from his, Lara waited for a few moments until she felt the slight exhale of warm air on her cheek, as Kurtis' chest rose and fell. She let out a sigh of relief.

Thank God...

As she checked him over further to make sure that he had sustained no other injuries, Lara examined the hole in Kurtis' abdomen more closely, biting her lip as she eyed the severity of it. His wounds were devastatingly life-threatening and truth be told, Lara was surprised that Kurtis was alive at the moment. He had already lost an excessive amount of blood and it wouldn't be long before he'd bleed out completely. Working as quickly as she could, Lara took off her backpack and pulled a roll of bandages from within it. She rolled up Kurtis' shirt to reveal the gaping hole in his stomach and gingerly began to wrap his torso in hope of staunching the bleeding. To Lara's surprise, Kurtis let out a soft moan and stirred slightly. He was coming back into consciousness.

Lara stopped bandaging for a moment and spoke gently. "Kurtis? Can you hear me?"

Ever so slowly, Kurtis opened his vibrant blue eyes and suddenly wished that he had not done so. An overwhelming pain filled his entire body, and his vision was terribly blurred. What appeared to be a human's face swam into focus above him and Kurtis squinted, trying to better adjust his vision. When his eyesight had finally cleared a familiar smile tugged at his mouth.

"You came back…" he managed, his voice raspy and weak. "I thought I was done for."

Lara smiled sympathetically as she continued with the bandages. "Well, you might not have been so lucky if it weren't for your weapon. I must admit, for being half-conscious that was some pretty quick thinking."

Kurtis continued to smile rather sardonically before he gave a cough, grimacing in pain.

"Wh-where's Eckhardt?"

"I took care of him. We don't have to worry about him any longer."

"The Shards worked, then?"

"Yes, just like you said they would."

A look of relief came over Kurtis' features and Lara continued. "Now's not the time for explaining, I'm afraid. We need to get out of here."

Kurtis gave a slight nod in acknowledgement before his eyes closed again. When his eyes did not open for several moments, a wave of panic suddenly rose into Lara's chest.

Oh no you don't…

Lara slapped his face firmly in an attempt to bring him around again. "Come on Kurtis, you have to stay with me. You have to stay awake."

Kurtis' eyes fluttered open once again although it was apparent that he did so with great difficulty, and his voice was reduced to barely a murmur.

"I'm so tired…"

"Yes, I know… but I'm not letting you give up so easily."

"Just leave me."

Lara shook her head in determination. She had already let Werner die before her eyes and she refused to let Kurtis be another casualty.

"No, we're going to get you out of here and to a hospital." She carefully finished tying off the bandages and then wiped her blood-stained hands onto her shorts, analyzing Kurtis' mobility.

"Do you think you'll be able to manage walking?"

"I'm not sure…"

Lara released a sigh. "Alright then… we'll just have to take our chances. Work with me here, okay?"

With that, Lara lifted Kurtis to his feet from beneath his arms, grunting as she did so. He weighed a bit more than she had originally estimated. Once on his feet, Lara pulled one of Kurtis' arms around her neck and then placed her free arm around his waist, being careful that she didn't aggravate his wounds any further. She took a step forward as Kurtis' feet dragged along the ground and she urged him to fall into place beside her.

"Kurtis, I can't do this alone. You'll need to help me if you want to get out of here alive."

He nodded in comprehension as he took an unsteady step forward. It was difficult for Kurtis to put aside his pain and concentrate on getting his legs to work again, but he eventually succeeded. Ever so slowly, the two of them began their long journey through the darkened passages beneath the Strahov. Lara only prayed that fate was giving them another chance.