Lance opened his eyes to a vast purple starscape. He marveled at how many stars he could see, and how they reflected off the surface he was standing on. Then, once the disorientation faded, he saw an achingly familiar faint outline in front of him.
"Lance," she called out. Though she shouted, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, as if she was miles away.
"Allura," Lance breathed, taking a step closer. Of course he was dreaming. Allura was dead. She'd sacrificed her life to save all realities. Still, maybe he could hold on to the dream for a little…
His eyes flew open and he stared up at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. They had faded a while ago. The sun was peeking grayly through the blinds, having just woken up.
Lance sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he stumbled over to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He could almost forget that he had Altean markings now, until he looked in the mirror. He didn't know if he would ever get used to the sight, and it sent a fresh pang of loss through his heart.
"Lance!" Allura called out faintly.
Lance yelped and staggered back, nearly tripping over his slippered feet.
"Where are you? What's going on?" He spun around, searching for a glimpse of a familiar face, but he was alone in a sterile white bathroom, with only his stunned reflection.
"This isn't the first time I've heard your voice," Lance realized, remembering the nights when he woke to hear her calling out his name. "You're trying to tell me something. I know it. I'm not crazy."
He paused when he realized he was talking to himself.
"Okay, I might be a little crazy. But I'm not wrong. What are you trying to tell me?"
"I don't have much time. You need to…"
Her voice faded away until he couldn't hear her.
"What do I need to do? Why are you showing up now?" But his voice only echoed off the cold, unfeeling tiles.
"I'm calling the other Paladins. We'll figure this out."
Later that day, the sun was halfway towards noon. In a nearby park, the Paladins sat in a circle around a picnic table. The park was right in the middle of where all of them lived, so it was a frequent meeting place, though it was becoming less frequent as time went on and lives got busy.
The breeze was warm and the leafy canopy above them dappled the sunlight. If it were a more casual occasion, Lance would listen to the birdsong and the chatter of the nearby fountain.
"This better be good," said Pidge. "I'm close to a breakthrough on this new robot."
The former Paladins looked at Lance expectantly. He cleared his throat to dispel a sudden nervousness.
"I… uh… this is gonna sound bad, but I've been having strange dreams lately. About Allura. She calls my name, and today she told me I need to do something, but she faded away before she could say what I needed to do. And I've been hearing her voice even when I'm awake."
There was a long silence.
Keith took a deep breath and leaned forward, eyes wide with concern. "Lance, you're…"
Lance looked away. He couldn't stand the pitying look on his friend's face. "Crazy? Schizo? Delusional?" he muttered.
"Grieving," Keith said firmly. "We all are. You're not alone in this. But you have to realize that Allura is gone and she's not coming back."
Pidge nodded. "I'm with Keith on this one. I'm not saying you're crazy, but you obviously need more help than what you've been getting."
Hunk studied Lance. "Are you still seeing that therapist?"
Et tu, Hunk?
"Yes, I am. And I've been taking medication. What I saw, what I heard, it was real. When Allura gave me these markings – " Lance gestured at his face "- she also formed a connection of some kind. She needs our help."
"I want to believe that," Hunk said. "Not that she's in trouble, but that she's still out there. Maybe… maybe it's possible. But… I don't know. Shiro? Coran? What do you guys think?"
All eyes turned to the two oldest members of the group, who had been silent and pensive until this point. Coran was the first to speak up.
"I'm not just saying this because Allura is like a daughter to me, but Lance might not actually be delusional. Potentially."
"Uh… thanks?" Lance said, raising an eyebrow.
Coran continued. "I've never seen an Altean give a non-Altean markings like Allura did, but she's always been a gifted alchemist. It's possible she's found some way to do what Lance suggested: form a connection in order to communicate with us."
Shiro nodded. "I've been in the astral plane for months. There definitely are ways to connect to the physical world. It's extremely difficult, but not impossible, especially for someone with Allura's skill and knowledge."
"You both have a point," Keith said. "I'm still not sure if we should completely trust a dream, though. We have lives now. We can't drop everything and go on a wild goose chase."
"Yeah," Pidge added. "Maybe Allura did manage to contact Lance. It's not just possible, it's probable. But what are we supposed to do about it? We don't even know what she needs us for."
"There has to be a way," Lance said, his voice cracking. "We can't abandon her."
"We won't," said Coran, standing up. "I think I know a way to contact her. We must go back to Oriande."
Pidge leaned forward on her elbows. "Yes, that could work! The White Lion is gone but it still has a huge amount of magical energy!"
Lance felt a spark of hope flicker in his chest, but he didn't dare let it take hold. "It will be a long journey. You guys don't have to come."
Hunk clapped a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Are you kidding? We may not be Paladins anymore but we're still a team! We're going!"
Lance couldn't help but return Hunk's wide smile. He stood up, feeling newfound energy surge through him.
"I'm going too," said Keith, rising to his feet. "There's no way I'm leaving a friend behind."
"Count me in," Pidge said as she leaped off the bench. "I can pull some strings at the Garrison. Now that things have settled down, Atlas should be available."
Shiro got up with some effort. Though weariness lined his eyes, he smiled at his friends. "Alright. Let's do this, Paladins."