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Lara was tired, both physically and mentally. Yamatai and Siberia had taken so much from her and that new expedition wasn’t off to a good start.
She set the apocalypse into motion, caused the death of many innocent people and almost lost Jonah again.
It was all her damn fault.
As she laid there, in the darkness of Unuratu’s home, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the damage that she had caused.
Roth, Alex, the remnant’s village… Jacob… They were all dead because of her. Because she had been so stupid as to lead Trinity to them, just to follow her father’s deluded dreams.
That thought took her breath away. She quickly stood up, unable to breathe or even think, and ran outside.
A fresh breeze blew through her hair, leaving a cold caress on her wet cheeks.
Lara closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath.
She couldn’t go down that path again. Not when she had so much in her hands and so many people depending on her. Not when she was… alone.
Jonah wasn’t there and Unuratu forbid her from wearing anything different from the blue tunic. At the time, she didn’t think it would’ve been a problem but in that moment, she missed the warmth of Jacob’s jacket.
It was stupid, but it reminded her of him. Of the way he used to reassure her and the strength that he had given her when she couldn’t see the light.
And she killed him. To save humanity from something she had started. Trinity would’ve never found the village and Kitezh if it weren’t for her.
Lara took another deep breath. She couldn’t change the past, but she could still save the future. But what if she fucked everything up again? What if she ended up destroying Paititi, like she did to the remnant’s village?
“It wasn’t your fault”
That warm voice hit her like a sword through the heart, freezing her in place. A year or so had passed but it still sounded so familiar.
She slowly turned around, but the muddy road was empty. No one was there.
Did she imagine it? She was exhausted after all…
“I should’ve destroyed the Divine Source a long time ago. I’m sorry it had to fall to you”
No, she definitely wasn’t hallucinating. She turned around once more and, this time, she caught a glimpse of a steel blue jacket disappearing at the end of the stone steps.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight and, instinctively, she ran after it.
A thousand questions were storming through her mind as she rushed through the deserted streets of the residential area. Was it really him? How was it possible? Was she dreaming?
Her chase ended in the fishing district, on the small island in front of the waterfall, and immediately all of her questions were answered.
Standing next to the Mayan monolith was Jacob, looking exactly as Lara remembered him.
The man smiled as he looked at her, then he took a single step towards her.
“How?” she whispered, her eyes filling once again with tears “I destroyed the Divine Source. I saw you-... I-... “ no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. She didn’t want him to see her cry. She didn’t want anyone to see her cry, actually.
“You aren’t really here, are you?” she finally asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
A sad smile appeared on Jacob’s lips, but he didn’t answer.
“Does it matter?” he asked instead, and took another step towards her, closing the distance between them.
Lara closed her eyes. It wasn’t real. It was too good to be true. But his voice, his smell… Everything was exactly as she remembered it.
But how was it possible? Jacob died in her arms, moments after she had destroyed the Divine Source.
Before she had the chance to voice her doubts, she found herself pressed against his chest, arms firmly wrapped around his waist.
She had missed him. His smile, his soft chuckle, the way he looked at her every time she started to overthink something… The way he stroked her hair when he was holding her, just like he was doing in that moment.
“I had to see you” he murmured against her skin, causing a thrill to run through her.
She had dreamt of that moment many times before. Usually, she would imagine finding him in her studio, back at Croft Manor, casually looking at some random artifact.
But she never thought it would actually happen. She never thought she would’ve seen him again.
Despite the bad situation that she was in, she felt blessed in that moment. For the first time since they left Mexico, she didn’t feel the weight of the apocalypse on her shoulders.
She wanted to say a million things that, for all that time, were left unspoken, but before she could even open her mouth, she felt his warm lips pressed against hers.
Another thrill ran through her as she kissed him back. No, all of that couldn’t possibly be real.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time”
Those words alone made Lara blush. She knew Jacob was a few centuries older than her but, every time they were together, it was hard for her to ignore their chemistry.
She just wished it would’ve happened sooner, when he was still alive and Trinity didn’t know where the village was. Maybe it would’ve saved her from her restless pursuit of the truth.
Maybe it would’ve saved everyone from all the damage that she had caused.
It would’ve saved everyone from her.
With a sigh, she took a step back. She didn’t deserve that moment. She didn’t deserve that happiness.
“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked with a frown, taking her hand into his.
Lara lowered her head and her eyes filled once again with tears.
It was weird. She had dreamt of that moment many times before and when it finally happened, she couldn’t help but feel guilty and unworthy.
“Lara, what happened to me, to Mexico and what’s yet to come… It’s not your fault. None of this is on you” he said as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I know it looks that way and I can only imagine how hard it is, but you must be strong. The Order of Trinity... you know what they are capable of. You know what they would’ve done if they got their hands on the Divine Source or if they had managed to harness Himiko’s power. But you stopped them. And I know you’re tired, but you have to do it again, one more time”
Carefully, Jacob lifted her chin with two fingers, so that she was looking directly at him.
“You can’t let them find the Box”
It was easier said than done, Lara thought, but then a sudden realization hit her.
“How do you know about the box? Or about Himiko?” she asked, staring right into the man’s eyes.
That question seemed to amuse the Prophet.
“We are all connected, Lara. In different ways, but Himiko and I were created by the same power. And the Box is probably another door to that power. You see why you can’t let Trinity have it, now?”
That revelation hit Lara hard. It was so obvious and yet she never connected the dots.
Dominguez didn’t care about the world, he just wanted to harness the Box’s power and God knows what he would’ve done with it.
It felt like Siberia all over again.
“What if I fail?” she muttered, her voice barely audible even in the complete silence of the night.
Jacob couldn’t help a sad smile as he gently cupped her face in his hands.
“You won’t. You are not alone, Lara… You’ve never been”
Another kiss followed those words, but it felt different from the first one. It was warmer, longer and… sadder?
Confused, Lara opened her eyes and stared at the man in front of her, helplessly watching as he faded away.
“I’ll always be with you”
Tears filled her eyes once again as she desperately tried to hold on to him. But, in a second, nothing of him remained. Nothing, but the taste of that bittersweet goodbye kiss.