In 2013, the salvage ship Endurance

In 2013, the salvage ship Endurance entered the Dragon's Triangle with an expedition searching for Yamatai. A violent storm split the Endurance in two and beached the vessel. Mathias located one of the survivors, Samantha Nishimura, as well as encountering Lara Croft at the same campsite. Tending to her injuries and listening to her stories of Himiko and the Stormguard, Mathias realized that she was a potential descendant of the Sun Queen and the key to her reincarnation, and his escape. As Lara slept at the campsite, Mathias kidnapped Sam and imprisoned her in the Solarii base. Lara later attacked the base and helped Sam escape to the other survivors. Mathias discovered Lara and Conrad Roth attempting to escape via a summoned helicopter, only to witness Himiko's power knock the helicopter from the sky with a sudden lightning strike. Mathias attacked the crash site with two other Solarii, whom Roth managed to kill before Mathias tossed a hatchet through the air at the two, killing Roth. Mathias later played on the ego of Dr. Whitman, another Endurance survivor, convincing him to assist in recapturing Sam during an attack on the survivor's beach camp. He again played Whitman's ego against him to distract a pair of Oni, allowing him to slip into the Monastery with Sam and leading to Whitman's death.