Author's Note

Massive Update Since 5-7-2024: Complete plot overhaul for better story pacing and narration

This is a work of fiction for pure entertainment purposes. It does not promote any nationalism or religious fanaticism; nor does it attempt to slander/mock any real-life historical figures or faiths. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental.

This story is a rewrite/alternate universe of "Rise of the Tomb Raider" and "Shadow of the Tomb Raider", aiming to deliver a better historical, religious and military themed reading experience. Most canon background settings and characters will thus receive an overhaul. The following are the core changes of this fanfiction from its canon counterparts.

- Divine Source is truly Sacred and directly connects to God.

- Jacob will be addressed as his original Greek name Iákovos. He is not the Deathless Prophet but the Deathless Archpriest/Protopresbyter/Exarchos. Sophia is also not related to Iákovos. Her name will be spelled as "Sofiya" in this story for Russian language authenticity.

- The Deathless Ones will be addressed as their original Greek name Athanatoi (Immortals). They used a mix of Late Medieval and Modern equipment. Remnants are replaced by Exkoubitores (Sentinels). They are mortal Siberian village communities allied/bonded with Athanatoi. Their official languages are Greek and Church Slavonic.

- Trinity's official name will now be "Order Of The Holy Trinity" and (technically) has no connection with the Cult of Kukulkan. It is a stalwart Roman Catholic military order. Konstantin and Ana are Croatian Catholics. Trinity's official language of Trinity is Ecclesiastical Latin.

Chapter 1 - Secunda Britannica

"There was once a dream that was Rome, you could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish."

10-11-2015

East London, United Kingdom

The horrifying experience in Yamatai back in 2013 taught Lara Croft that tank tops were useless in any adventure. Although it made you look smoking hot and whatnot, its practicality was nonexistent. It offered no protection from hypothermia, sunburn, cuts and friction. When Lara discovered a set of "Demolition" mechanic boilersuit on her way to the remains of Endurance on Shipwreck Beach to find Alex Weiss, she instantly changed into the new outfit. The loose fitting and professional garment covered Lara's whole feminine hourglass body. It provided sufficient protection from minor burns and cuts, effectively preventing any further permanent scarring for the rest of her Yamatai journey. From that day onwards, Lara only wore long sleeve clothes when going out. They gave her a sense of security and covered all her horrific scars from unwanted public attention.

Lara was currently walking in the wet cold streets of East London at noon. However, the heavy rainstorm and thick clouds make the sky as dark as night. A typical depressing sight for a lovely day, how wonderful. Lara wore her favourite outfit of a black leather jacket over a grey hoodie, blue jeans and brown boots. With hood overhead, right hand in pocket holding a switchblade, left hand holding a huge plastic bag of groceries; Lara looked exactly like an average residential petty criminal. In truth, local stabbing homicides were at an all-time high and the only way to fend off potential attackers was pretending to be one of them. When in Rome, do as the Romans did, except it was now in East London. Lara cautiously navigated through the dirty and dangerous alleyways to her apartment. She always missed the Croft Manor in Surrey but it was dilapidated and too huge for a single young woman to live. Furthermore, butler Winston was on a long vacation and Croft family prosperity administratorship was still in the hands of asshole uncle Atlas de Mornay.

Atlas's prosperity intervention was a total pain in the ass. It prevented Lara from freely extracting family inheritance to repair Croft Manor and hire housekeeping staff, making the huge mansion unsuitable for long term stay. It forced her to work in a shady pub "Nine Bells" for late shifts to earn money and use the savings to rent a crappy apartment in the shithole of East London. The only advantages were enjoying free bare knuckle boxing matches and unlimited alcohol. The traumatic Yamatai event must have significantly altered Lara's mentality. The sound of blood dripping and bone breaking were absolute music for her ears. The adrenaline satisfied her bloodlust and violent tendency; suppressed her anger over the Solarii Brotherhood and Hiniko; silenced her inner sorrow for failing to save Angus Grimaldi. Uncle Roth, Alex Weiss and many other Endurance's crews. The pub's thoughtful boss noticed Lara's inner animal and acquiesced her to beat up aggressive drunkards if needed.

Lara's sociopathic mental state was alarming… but life had never been better! When she visited Croft Manor in Surrey last month to collect some books to read, Lara accidentally stumbled across one of her dear deceased father Richard Croft's secret offices. She re-discovered various groundbreaking research data regarding immortality. It gave Lara a new purpose in life - to finish what her father started. She thus spent a whole month doing numerous data collection, reorganisation, research and analysis. She finally concluded the secret information yesterday and instantly invited Aunty Ana Banadinović to visit her East London apartment today for a grand research revelation. Lara had already cleaned up her rooms before going out to buy groceries, all that was left was preparing an appropriate dinner for her loving aunty.

Ana was not a blood relative but de-facto step-mother for Lara. They had a very close familial relationship and deeply cared for each other. When Richard first introduced Ana as his Croatian "girlfriend" to his daughter in 2000, the 8 years old Lara was still too young to truly understand the term. She innocently thought of the then 21 years old Ana simply as her father's new research co-worker. Child Lara only knew that she was a kind-hearted, intelligent and charming lady who took excellent care of her, rivaling her own birth mother Amelia Croft. Ana was always present by Lara's side and spent a lot of time with her. She taught Lara painting, singing, dancing, Latin, Greek and numerous Roman Catholic Catechism. The latter was very awkward for Lara since she was baptised as an Anglican but she nevertheless remembered all of them in respect to Ana's passion.

When Richard became so obsessed with immortality to the point of negligence, Ana was there to support Lara. She oversaw her academics, extra-curricular activities; attended all her school performances and parental conferences. Ana was like a loving mother to her. As time moved on, Lara slowly understood the romantic relationship between her father and Ana. Her suspicion was confirmed when she climbed a tree outside the Croft Manor library and accidentally saw the duo kissing through the window. When they proceeded to strip, child Lara left the scene in a hurry. It was not in frustration but with joy because she was likely to get a loving stepmother if their relationship continued to bloom. With Conrad Roth as young Lara's cool uncle-like figure, nothing could go wrong?

When Richard Croft mysteriously committed suicide in 2003, Lara became an orphan at the age of 11. His abysmal public reputation due to "ridiculous pseudoscientific immortality research" also made teenage Lara a rampant slanderous social bullying target in aristocratic private girls' schools. All these caused Lara severe depression but Ana was always there to comfort her, provide precious emotional support and help rebuild her strength in life. The bullies eventually stopped because their families all got mysteriously blackmailed from various scandals. Ana was also the most enthusiastic attendant of her primary and secondary girls' school graduation ceremonies. Apart from sincerely concerning Lara's well-being after every dangerous (suicidal) adventure as a good mother, Ana also provided essential legal advice and continuous financial support to Lara against her uncle Atlas de Mornay's greedy claim of Croft property. Just like butler Winston intended, Ana was literally Lara's ideal female role model.

As Lara returned to her crappy apartment, she took a quick bath and changed into a simple grey t-shirt and blue pants. Lara then turned on her ATC SCM 11 Mk2 Hi-Fi set to maximum volume and blasted Motörhead heavy metal music, all the while cooking Dalmatinska pašticada in the kitchen. It was Ana's favourite native Croatian cuisine - a braised beef dish cooked in a fragrant sweet and sour sauce which required long and meticulous preparation. The round meat was already stuffed with garlic, cloves, carrot, celery and marinated in wine vinegar overnight. Lara took it out from the fridge, searing and simmering with additional onions, parsley root, prunes, broth and sweet prošek for several hours. Lara also freshly made a pile of njoke - Croatian dumplings variant of the famous Italian gnocchi. Small lumps of dough were stuffed with onions, garlic and tomatoes. They were rubbed with oil; seasoned with salt, marjoram and pepper.

When the long simmering of Dalmatinska pašticada was finally done, it was already evening and the rain still raged on outside. Lara took the beef out and cut the meat into thick slices, further cooking them to concentrate the broth as sauce. She also browned the pile of njoke in a pan. Just as Lara was about to put the 2 dishes on a plate, the doorbell rang. Lara immediately rushed to open the door, revealing none other than the kind Aunty Ana. She just landed at Heathrow Airport a few hours ago from a working trip to West Herzegovina Canton of Bosnia. She was in her usual grey trench coat and long black boots, with a huge bottle of 40% ABV premium rakija and luggage in hand. The duo smiled brightly and greeted each other with a tight spine-crushing hug. They had many caring heartwarming chats about their recent well-being while setting up the dining table together, before feasting on the delicious Dalmatinska pašticada and njoke. Their perfect blend of sweetness, saltiness and tender texture just rendered all British food as sewage waste. Good English food did exist in every corner of the Earth but unfortunately the Earth was round. Lara did not want to sound delusional but her cooking skill was actually at the same level as Jonah Maiava… except she was a very slow learner.

Lara guzzled down a cup of throat burning rakija in a single motion like drinking water. Alcohol meant nothing to her after the traumatic Yamatai event and she drank Scotch whisky whenever she was on late shifts in Nine Bells. Luckily, she still had strong self-control and only drank a cup each time. However, today was a little celebration for Aunty's visit so she could indulge her desire in strong liquor. Ana looked very concerned but decided not to speak against it as there were more concerning matters to discuss first. She took out a Daily Bell newspaper from her Louis Vuitton handbag. It had a huge eye-catching front-page article, entitled:

"Exclusive! Another Crazy Croft! A Daughter Just Like Her Father?"

Ana asked worriedly in her thick iconic Croatian accent, "I saw the gutter press was attacking you again."

Lara frowned hard and read the newspaper before uttering in annoyance, "More lies. But they will all shut up when I show the world of the Deathless Archpriest's Tomb. I will rehabilitate the Croft family reputation in no time."

Lara looked at Ana vigorously and the latter was shocked, "Wait! You were totally serious when you told me you had found it on the phone?"

"What? You think I am just pulling things out of my ass?"

"No… Of course not. The news is just too overwhelming and I wrongly assume that you just have some significant breakthrough."

"Then I have excellent news! I am 110% sure of the Tomb's location. The myth of the Deathless Archpriest is real. Dad was right."

"Lara, your father was… delusional…"

Lara responded by going to her room to gather some research documents and answered sternly, "No, he was close to a great discovery. Tangible evidence of the immortal soul."

"... Ya know Lara… I deeply loved your father. I would ask him to marry me and become your real step-mother just like you always wanted. But he was a broken man, blinded by blasphemous obsession. I don't want to see you end up like him, destroying everything that we cherish."

"But Ana, he was right. It was everyone else who was wrong. The tomb's in Syria."

"Syria?! Oh God, Lara. No. This is madness. Get your life sorted. Go home to the manor and claim back your rightful family inheritance from that leeching Atlas cuck. Your father's obsession over immortality ruined our life.", Ana screamed in surprise and stood up abruptly to confront Lara.

"I saw something… Something I… I can't explain. Now I understand what Dad was going through. You will understand when you read these.", Lara returned with a huge stash of documents and gave it to Ana. Important information were all highlight with bright yellow colour:

"… Iákovos was born as Charalambos Angelos in Constantinople in 1160 AD. His family usurped the Komnenos and started Angelos dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire in 1185. The latter quickly proved to be one of the worst dynasties in Byzantine history with a series of extremely incompetent Emperors. Frustrated by earthly depravity, young Charalambos took a vow of celibacy and became an Orthodox Priest in 1190. He took the new name Iákovos to shed his worldly royal identity. He was a zealous champion of Orthodoxy and travelled across the Balkans to fight against the heretical Bogomils. Along the righteous journey, he became blood brothers with Mihajlo Lazarević - a Serbian gospodin (lord) born in 1168 from Niš in the Grand Principality of Serbia…

... Iákovos later went to Levant in pursuit of further spiritual guidance in 1197 and accidentally discovered the Divine Source in 1198. Iákovos met Jesus through gazing into the sacred artifact. He wished to further follow Christ by sharing his burden in this sinful mortal world. The Son of God was moved by Iákovos's purity. He thus granted the humble priest immortality, the miracle power of healing others and complete immunity to sickness. However, he could still feel pain and hunger. The ever-loyal Iákovos immediately reported his divine encounter, newfound powers and submitted the Divine Source to Ecumenical Patriarch John X Kamateros of Constantinople. The latter was overjoyed, declared Iákovos as the 'Deathless Archpriest/Protopresbyter' and kept the sacred artifact within Hagia Sophia. With the unconditional support of the Byzantine Orthodox Church, Iákovos preached and performed miracles across the Balkans, Anatolia and Levant, earning other titles of 'Deathless Unmercenary' and 'Deathless Wonderworker'...

… Iákovos' deeds only enraged Roman Catholic Pope Innocent III. They fundamentally consolidated the Eastern Orthodox Church and Byzantine Commonwealth which erased their willingness to cooperate with the Latin West, destroying any future possibility for Orthodox-Catholic reunion. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. Pope Innocent III organised the Order of the Holy Trinity in early 1202 to prevent any further East-West Schism. This secret military order was under direct Papal command with absolute obedience. They aimed to protect a Catholic oriented ecumenism by all means necessary. Acquiring the Divine Source would be their most crucial step to ultimately establish a united Church under the Roman Papal hegemony. The knights of Trinity thus ambushed Iákovos on his way to Damascus of Syria in late 1202. They killed Iákovos and quartered his body on the spot after finding no Divine Source. The horrified local Antiochian Greek Orthodox Christians carefully buried his body parts inside a well hidden oasis church nearby…"

After reading the selected research documents, Ana shook her head in disapproval and criticised, "It's all fairy tales and lies. Nonsense of the Eastern Orthodox schismatics to trick the faithful. Don't go down this blasphemous road. You know where it leads."

"It is the only thing that makes sense to me now. I am going to find the Deathless Archpriest's Tomb, Aunty… And there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"... What if I told you that I am dying?"

The entire room's atmosphere instantly turned cold with suffocating silence. Time seemed to slow down and the only thing that could be heard was the violent rainfall slamming against the apartment window. Lara was stunned in absolute horror. Her hands and voice were shaking, uttering incoherently, "... What- What do you mean that you are… dying? Surely you… you are kidding right?! Right? Please… please tell me that this is a joke…"

"Unfortunately, it is the truth… Lara… I was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease and was expected to live no more than 2 years. I don't wanna see my step-daughter risking her life in some forsaken Middle Eastern warzone before I die. In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. I cannot let the latter scenario happen."

Lara was shell-shocked by the revelation. She lost all motivation and weakly hugged Ana. Her body trembled in fear and sobbing in sorrow, "Those I cherish… all taken away from me one by one… First was mom, then was dad, Uncle Roth… And now it is going to be you… Are you going to abandon me too?"

"Never! I am always by your side. Come on, Lara. Just stop the dangerous delusion and let us enjoy peace together as a family… We don't have much time left…"

Lara was about to accept her Aunty's suggestion but a sudden realisation struck her as lightning, "Wait! If I can find the Syrian Tomb, then I may discover clues to the Divine Source. Once I acquire the Holy relic, I can use it to heal you! Maybe I can even resurrect mother, dad, Uncle Roth and Alex-"

"No! Lara! You must not do so!"

"Don't you understand?! I am trying to save you from death!"

"Death is a natural cycle of life and should not be broken simply because of our familial emotions! Only extreme circumstances, proper authority or Divine permission can permit us to use such supernatural power. We as mere mortal sinners have no right to judge who gets to be revived or it will certainly destroy God's Natural Law. This is blasphemy!"

"Your Catholic faith blinds you from common sense. You are nothing but a puppet to the Roman Papacy. If saving you and those I love will cause me eternal damnation in hell, then so be it! It is the ultimate sacrifice that I am willing to make. There is nothing left to say…"

Lara finished her speech and sat down to eat the rest of her plate of Dalmatinska pašticada. Ana stood for a few minutes alone before rejoining Lara on the opposite side of the dining table. The tension was so thick that they could cut it with a kitchen knife. Ana eventually broke the awkward silence and admitted defeat for their heated argument by sighing sadly, "Ya know… You are just as stubborn as your father… I know there is nothing to change your mind once the decision is made. But… Can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything you ask, Aunty.", Lara mustered up a weak but sincere smile. Even as an Anglican, she knew her action was wrong. However, she still firmly chose to do it as she has nothing left to lose. For those Lara cherished, she could face both God and Satan without any hesitation.

"Try to be diplomatic to whoever stands in your way. If bloodshed was inevitable, remember the Catechism of self defence."

"YES, I promise."

Footnotes (regarding actual history, terminology and settings)

- Hellenes/Greeks self-identified as "Romans" before 1821. Both terminologies are interchangeable in this fanfiction. To a large extent, all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Balkans were also called "Romans".

- Serbia was under the heaviest Byzantine influence among all Orthodox nations. It was generally a loyal and close ally to the Eastern Roman Empire despite occasional wars.

- The military aesthetics and tactics of Late Medieval Greek-Byzantine, Serbian and Second Bulgarian Empire were all extremely identical due to mutual influences.