Tomb Raider II Story

Prelude

Tomb Raider 2 is all about getting the mystical Dagger of Xian, a mystical and historical artifact which can bestow the powers of a dragon onto the person who drives the dagger into their heart, thus surrendering their soul to the ancient power. If the dagger is ever removed from the heart of the person, now dragon, then they will melt down into a large carcass, powers ripped.

The dagger being removed by the unnoticed monk

The Tomb Raider 2 opening sequence showed this, when the current possessor of the dagger, the Emperor of China had decided to conquer the vast lands of China with the power of the dagger inside him. He was a force to be reckoned with, and as the China mainland fell, one group of brave Tibetan Monks fought against him and his forces. One monk (who seemed hazy, probably due to the heat of the dragon's flame) was not noticed by the dragon as he flamed a part of the Great Wall above him. The monk was right underneath the dragon, and so ripped the dagger from the heart of the beast. The effects were immediate, but not fast enough for the dragon to melt instantly; with one last breath of fire, the dragon burnt the monk into oblivion, before collapsing, and turning to mere bones.

After the battle, the monks discovered the hidden entrance to where the dagger was first found, the Temple of Xian. With torches, they slowly made their way down the hallway, until discovering the door shaped as the symbol which recurs very often throughout the game. The Talion is still in the door, and so they turn it. The door dramatically opens, and one monk is sent through, while the others return to the surface with the Talion. He places the dagger into a dragon like slot, also called Dais, and the 'eyes' on it light up in purple when the dagger is inserted. Blue lights fill around the room, and the monk screams, followed by the camera zooming out of the Dais room, and then the door lights up for a second in the shape of dagger symbol.