On the Brink of Madness

On the Brink of Madness is the sixth and final issue of the Season of the Witch arc, for the first run of Dark Horse comics.

It is the sixth issue overall.

Plot Summary
Reyes and Jonah arrive on Yamatai, on Lara's second life raft. Without weapons or provisions, Reyes asks Jonah if he has a plan, to which he simply replies; "Find Lara and help her."

Lara has been captured by Matsu's men, tied up alongside Danny. The Makara threaten and taunt Lara. Danny informs Lara that they aren't really Makara, but are in fact Matsu's daughters, whom have been hypnotised into believing they are Makara. Lara notices that Danny is bleeding, he tells her that one of Matsu's men got him with a knife. Lara then notes that she can smell gas, which Danny explains is a natural gas leak pocket on the island which has breached the surface.

Danny then informs Lara that Matsu's men intend on bringing about the end of the world but Lara tells him that she just wants Sam back. Matsu arrives after overhearing the conversation and tells Lara that he will take her to Sam. Matsu explains that he has been studying the alleged prophecy and that he believes that it is coming to fruition. Lara reunites with Sam, who asks if Lara is going to get them out of this. Lara truthfully admits she doesn't think she can. Matsu states that all that is need now to bring Mathias back, who will be the blood of a guardian. He himself is one of them, his daughters are two more, and Lara is the final one, believing that Lara's sacrafice will bring the leader of the Solarii, they proceed to begin the ritual.

Jonah and Reyes capture and interrogate a guard to find Lara. Matsu and his men begin to cut Lara to begin the ritual and, seeing that it is working, Lara is repulsed. Matsu orders for more blood to be spilled, telling one of his men to cut Lara's head off. Before he can strike the fatal blow, he is shot by Reyes. With the odds now in her favour, Lara begins to fight back, before Matsu orders her back into place with a gun, however, he doesn't see that Sam has taken the machete that was going to be used on Lara, and strikes him with it, which Lara tries to stop.

Matsu's blood completes the ritual and Mathias inhabits Matsu, killing his daughters. The cavern becomes unsteady. Lara tells Jonah and Reyes to get Sam out and leave her to finish Mathias. She takes an incendiary grenade from Danny who took them from the guards, and throws it at Mathias, which ignites the gas around him and incinerates him. The cavern begins to collapse.

Lara and Danny escape but, suddenly Danny pulls a gun on Lara. He reveals that she and her friends never stole from Yamatai, he merely hypnotised them to believe they did. However, Lara's memories were far too vivid, which explains why Lara knew she hadn't stolen. He tells Lara that while working for her father, he met Matsu and the Solarii worshippers, where he was mesmerised by Matsu into joining, as well as teaching him all their techniques.

He states that he wanted to destroy the Solarii worshippers for what they had done, but they had gone into hiding, and that he had used Lara as bait. Lara asked why he tried to kill her by attacking the boat. He wonders how she knew it was him. However, she actually recognised his injury, as she was the one who gave it to him by stabbing him with a harpoon. Danny tells Lara that as long as she is alive, the Solarii worshippers will keep trying to bring Mathias back. Lara fights back and injures Danny, he commands her to stop, and Lara freezes because she is still under Danny's hypnotic influence. He tells her to jump off a cliff, Lara begins walking. However, Danny had not mentioned anything with her hands, so she still had control of them, and asked if he was missing a grenade. She tosses it at him as she jumps from the cliff, igniting the gas around a horrified Danny.

Lara manages to latch onto the wall with her ax and climbs down the rock face to safety, where she reunites with Sam, Jonah and Reyes, in a group hug.

Characters

 * Lara Croft
 * Samantha Nishimura
 * Jonah Maiava
 * Danny
 * Matsu
 * Matsu's Daughters
 * Mathias