Lara's body hit something solid and wooden, causing her to twist and gasp for air. She managed to hold on, but her feet dangled over a seemingly endless darkness. Her grip on the rotten timbers gave way, and she fell, screaming until she landed on the cushiony sand below. Despite the fall, she was relieved that she was still alive and able to catch her breath.
As she leaned against the rough limestone walls of the passage, a faint light illuminated her boots and hands. She couldn't help but marvel at how she often took her survival for granted. After several minutes of huffing and puffing, she started to move forward, following the glow that grew brighter with every step. However, she wasn't prepared for what lay ahead.
Suddenly, the walls, floor, and ceiling dropped away, causing her to gasp in shock. As she peered over the edge, she recalled the photos she'd seen of tunnel excavations and sinkholes required to lower the massive tunnel pieces. But nothing could have prepared her for the enormous chamber in front of her. Bats clung to the ceiling, attached to the stalactites in drowsy clusters. A few flitted about like gnats in an oil drum.
Below, a dizzying depth stretched out, sucking at her eyeballs. Majestic lamps, similar to those on a pirate galleon, adorned a bridge that had once spanned the chasm's diameter. However, the carvings and masonry had fallen to some ancient calamity, leaving the bridge cloven down the center, its two ends forever separated. Lara couldn't help but feel awestruck by the sight before her.
As she cautiously slid forward, she couldn't help but notice the shadows below the lamps encroaching on the cavern floor. They were tainted with an eerie bluish glow that resembled fire. She carefully scanned the area and noticed that the floor was littered with dark, irregular forms of broken stone. Gargoyles with menacing shapes were scattered all around, leering, snarling, and curling their animalistic mouths as though guarding whatever was at the bottom of the cavern.
Taking a deep breath, she held a pebble over the edge and watched as it fell. The faint plink sound rang six hippopotamuses later. Suddenly, a breeze rushed past her like the kind you get at the top of very high buildings. She smiled and said, "Piece of cake." The rush of air washed away her fear and replaced it with a sense of daring she hadn't felt in two years.
Lara had forgotten what it felt like to take risks and explore beyond the confines of her manor. She'd even wandered past her trophy room with a strange sense of detachment, unable to connect herself to the artifacts within. The Scion and Xi'an Dagger, the Iris, and the rest all seemed to belong to someone else - the meditative, reclusive woman she had become since Horus' visions. But now, as the breeze blew past her, she suddenly felt renewed, and she breathed out, seeing the chamber with a newfound clarity.
Climbing had always been one of Lara's passions, and she loved feeling intimately connected to the living rock of the Earth. As she began making her descent, she placed her whole weight on a few perilous centimeters, barely touching the wall at times, and leaned across to gain new purchase. She counted a steady little one-two-three beat as she danced from one point to another, feeling the rhythm in her step. She didn't feel a single twinge as her whole body bent and flexed, keeping her comfortably warm despite the cold in the chamber.
Finally, when she dropped to the ground, she stumbled a little to regain her balance. But she was sweaty, tingling, and smiling in triumph. Looking back up, she resisted the urge to shout just to hear the echoes. She felt sheer joy filling her for a few precious moments, uniting her with a strength she thought she had buried beyond recovery. "I had forgotten how this felt," she thought to herself.
As she descended deeper into the passage, the temperature continued to rise steadily, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The walls around her were smooth, made of an unknown material that seemed to emit a faint glow. The light that danced on the walls was almost mesmerizing, like a thousand stars shining brightly in the night sky.
Her footsteps echoed in the eerie silence, the only sound in the otherwise still and lifeless tunnel. Suddenly, her foot slipped on a loose rock, causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall. She looked down and saw that she had almost tripped over a shriveled corpse lying on the ground.
The corpse was almost completely decomposed, its bones visible through the tattered remains of what was once clothing. Its limbs were stretched out, as though trying to claw its way back to the surface. Lara prodded the corpse with her toe, half expecting it to suddenly come alive and attack her. But it remained still, a lifeless shell of what once was.
Without a second thought, Lara continued on her way, leaving the corpse behind. She eventually came to a bolted oak doorway, which seemed to be the end of the passage. After examining the door and finding no way to open it, she turned her attention back to the corpse.
She approached the corpse once again and carefully pried off its head, arms, and legs. As she examined the remains, she noticed a small bag hidden within the tattered clothing. She opened the bag and found a handful of wicked little bolts, still safe in their waxen casings.
Lara was intrigued by the discovery and wondered who the owner of the corpse could have been. As she continued to ponder the mystery, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Lara's fingers dug through the contents of the pack, sifting through sand and debris until she felt something solid. She pulled out a worn leather-bound book, the pages thin and brittle beneath her touch. The text was written in Latin, a language she was well-versed in thanks to her scholarly upbringing.
As she began to read the entries, a sense of foreboding crept over her. The diary belonged to a servant or ally of the Black Alchemist, Pieter van Eckhardt, who had been imprisoned for many years. The writer had come to this tomb to secure his release, armed with knowledge that the Alchemist had wished to use for himself in the completion of the Great Work.
But what he had found here was evil, thick as the bilious humor, and he had committed his thoughts to the diary in order to instruct others to lay waste to the Lux Veritatis vault. The writer had been caught by the Guardians within the tomb and trapped for many hours, forced to fight for his survival. The final entry had been penned in a hasty, trembling script, and spoke of the writer's impending death.
Lara shuddered as she read the last words, feeling the weight of the writer's fear and desperation. It was clear that something in the tomb had prevented him from completing his mission, and that same something could still be there. Lara knew from experience that ancient tomb builders spared no expense when it came to curses and guardians.
"We need to keep moving," Lara said, pushing the corpse out of the way with her foot. "Whatever's in here, we can handle it."
As she prepared for the journey ahead, Lara's mind was filled with anticipation and apprehension. The Black Alchemist's coveted painting was likely still hidden somewhere within these walls, but the dangers that had claimed the life of the diary's writer were also present. Despite her fear, Lara steeled herself and stepped forward into the darkness, her crossbow slung over her shoulders.
To her surprise, the door gave way easily, and the lack of dampness had prevented any warping of the frame. As she made her way down the passageway, the rough-hewn walls transformed into finely-wrought stone, polished to a mirror shine. The hall was lined with willowy pillars and buttresses, and lamps of copper and crystal hung from chains, casting a fey radiance that made her reflection in the walls seem pale and fearful. However, despite the grandeur of the hallway, Lara couldn't shake the feeling of malevolence watching her every move.
As she reached the end of the hallway, she paused at a plain-looking wooden door, listening intently for any signs of danger lurking on the other side. With a burst of courage, Lara flung the door open, only to be met with a sickening crunch. A tangle of rags, rusting armor, and brown-stained bones clattered down from where she had smashed the dead body against the wall. A medieval Great Helm rolled to her feet, and as she picked it up, she could feel the weight of a desiccated skull rattling inside.
Lara couldn't help but sigh, realizing that the dangers ahead were far greater than she had anticipated. Was this what the diary's writer had fled from? She knew she needed to remain alert and cautious as she continued her search for the painting, as anything could be waiting for her around the next corner.
Lara couldn't help but feel frustrated at herself for breaking the helm before getting a chance to appreciate it. She took a moment to look around the room, letting her eyes soak in the grandeur of her new surroundings. The chamber was filled with arches, balustrades, and tiled floors adorned with intricate patterns in shades of ochre and gold. The high, domed ceiling was as awe-inspiring as the one at the Hagia Sophia. The air felt cool and carried a faint scent of sulfur and woodsmoke.
Cautiously, Lara made her way around the perimeter of the room, her senses alert for any potential traps. In the center of the chamber lay a sunken area, inlaid with exquisite images of the zodiac, planetary calendars, and seasons. Aquarius, the maiden, poured a stream of jade water from an ewer carved from mother-of-pearl, while Sagittarius, the Archer, leaped across a field of stars, his agate and amber body seeming almost alive.
Lara was astonished at the level of artistry on display, and even more so that such beauty was set on the floor, where it could be easily damaged. The eerie hush that hung over the chamber was punctuated only by the echoes of her footsteps, making her feel as if she were underwater. She couldn't help but imagine hooded and cloaked figures chanting in solemn procession, bringing an otherworldly atmosphere to the already impressive surroundings.
The room had three doors leading off the hall, each with a plate of burnished gold above it, etched with one of the old signs of the four elements. The same four symbols were arranged in the central montage of the floor, fitting together seamlessly. Underneath a broken stairway on the far side of the room, one tiny alcove stood empty, staring back at her.
As Lara took it all in, she realized that nothing in Werner's notebook had prepared her for this. Carvier's research had not suggested anything quite like this grand hiding place for the Painting. She had always known that people could create incredible things when they put their minds to it, but to think that all of this had been constructed in secret, hundreds of years ago, beneath the bustling streets of Paris, was truly impressive.
Lara strode purposefully towards the alcoves, her mind racing with thoughts about the significance of the symbols. "So logically, I can only move on once I've filled this alcove," she muttered, examining each one with care. Her gaze then shifted to the map of the world that had suddenly appeared. The map was intriguing, showing the possible locations of the paintings, but it was useless without the Obscura engravings. Lara carefully inspected the map, noting the five elemental symbols present at each location. She recognized the first one as France, represented by the fire symbol, and the second was Germany, with the Earth symbol. Turkey was next on the list, with the air symbol, and Italy followed with the water symbol. The final symbol was unfamiliar to her, representing the spirit.
As she pondered over the mysterious fifth symbol, Lara's attention was drawn back to the central chandelier. The iron fixture was impressive, casting a dim, eerie light on the room. Lara had come to expect such lighting in her explorations, but it still made her wonder who had lit them. It was unlikely that anyone had done so before her, given that the sites were sealed and ancient. Lara couldn't help but suspect that there was a secret society behind it all.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a drop of molten tallow from the chandelier, which fell onto the exquisite tiled floor. Lara expected to see a greasy blemish, but to her surprise, it disappeared without a trace. It was a strange and unnatural phenomenon, defying the laws of nature. Lara couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and unease as she continued her exploration.
Lara cautiously approached the trio of doors, scanning for any signs of danger. She took a deep breath and pressed the symbol for fire. Instantly, the doors creaked open with a groan. Behind each door was a short hallway that connected to the others via portcullises. Identical levers were positioned within each compartment, and she could only imagine what horrors lay beyond or beneath the floors if she chose the wrong lever. She tiptoed inside, the wooden planks creaking under her feet, and read the plaque above each lever. The symbols on the plates above the doors were different from the ones beside the levers. She had chosen the door with the fire symbol, but the plaque beside the lever was for wind. It was a clever trap. Lara grinned as she retracted her hand, returning to the trio of doors to try again. This time, she selected the doorway with the water symbol, and the plaque above the lever showed a sunburst of flames. She took a deep breath and yanked the lever down with all her might, hoping that she had made the right choice.