When Keith finally managed to fall asleep, he did so all through the night and until late morning in Earth time. He woke up slightly uncomfortable, and thought it was because of the clothes he was wearing, until he realised he had half-shifted back to Galra form while unconscious. His outfit was bordering on being uncomfortably tight, and with one quick peek at his body under the covers, he could see that some purple and fur had started to return. Immediately he refocused on becoming human again, and felt the buzz of energy as well as saw himself go back to full human form. There was nothing he could do about shifting through the night when he was asleep, but he made a mental note to always check after waking up and reshift if necessary.

Keith got out of bed and got ready half-groggily, thankful that he still had another full day of rest before starting classes. That thought let him to remember with a jolt that he had to sign up for some classes, but felt disheartened when he realised he forgot how. He tried to recall what the professor said to them yesterday, but that entire speech was a blur, so he just walked around the room for a while, checking the closets and such, until he remembered the excitement of his two roommates when they discovered they had a TV and small table folded into the walls next to their beds.

"We have our own table and TV! The table is detachable too!"

"Hm, it's a bit small but I guess that's the only way it could've fit in the wall. Oh hey, our devices are here. It's weird that they put it with the tables, what if people don't notice it?"

"That's their bad then, they shouldn't have come here. Or… maybe it was a test to weed out the weak."

"W-weak? Weed out?"

"You know, like those hidden tests or experiments to figure out whether you're actually suitable for something. Maybe they'll kick out the cadets who can't find the device or sign up for electives."

"I hope not, that's a bit harsh."

"We're in the real world now, and the real world is harsh. Anyways, let's sign up for classes later, I want to go check out the rest of the facility."

Keith made his way back to his bed and found the table along with his device. While following the instructions to set it up, Keith wondered whether what they said was true. If this truly was a test, and if he was alone, he may have failed it and gotten expelled. He thought about what his mum would say to that, or what Zarkon would do. Would he even be allowed to go home then? What could Keith even do if he was kicked out? He had no security here, and no one to rely on. He realised he couldn't risk anything, and it sunk in that he had to stay enrolled in the Galaxy Garrison not matter what, or else who knows what would happen. Keith forced himself to try shake off his emotions before they could start spiralling downwards any further, or at least push them into the very back of his mind.

Focus, breathe.

Keith's device finally finished loading, saving him from his thoughts, and he saw the list of classes he could pick. Without thinking, he put self-defence as his first preference. It was the only subject that would probably be mainly based around physical activity, and Keith wanted to be able to train somehow. The other subjects were a lot less active, and therefore less appealing to Keith. In the end, he just picked some he thought he wouldn't hate and submitted the form.

After signing up for electives Keith had just started thinking about what he should do next and where he should head off to when he stomach grumbled—very loudly. He felt embarrassed and started looking for an excuse but then realised the dorm room was empty, all his roommates had gone out already. Or maybe they didn't return the previous night, he wouldn't know. He didn't even know the name of the glasses guy, who would've been sleeping in the bed below him. Keith felt he should know, they had displayed all the team members' names yesterday after all, but he could barely remember the names of the two teammates he was actually introduced to, so he decided that if they were important he would know them in due time.

Navigating through the Galaxy Garrison halls was hard. Everything looked the exact same and they only had a few signs with minimal directions as to where everything was. It reminded Keith of the castle, where he had spent most of his childhood learning and finding out about where all the corridors led to and where all the various kinds of rooms were. He didn't understand why they couldn't have a massive map somewhere, or even just pieces of paper people could take with the maps on them, or at the very least show very clear directions. He then remembered what his mum had told him one day after he got lost and was very upset about it.

"It's for our safety, sweetie. It protects us. If an enemy infiltrates the castle they won't know where to go and we'll be able to hide or escape without getting caught!"

Keith didn't believe it would be that helpful if even the inhabitants wouldn't know where to go, but decided his mother was correct anyways, and started committing every detail into memory instead of complaining. Whenever he got lost or lost his sense of direction, he no longer felt afraid and instead took it as an opportunity to discover even more aspects of the castle—it was what led him to find the observatory. At the end of the day, the castle's complexity was keeping Keith safe and also made him the master of hide-and-seek, so it wasn't that bad after all. This, however, did not explain to Keith why the Galaxy Garrison also had to be designed this way and doubted it was for safety measures when they were in the middle of nowhere. After pouting and murmuring to himself a little, Keith continued his hunt for the cafeteria in frustration and hunger, ignoring the strange looks some passersby threw him.


Earth food wasn't as bad as Keith expected it to be, there were just a lot flavours and many things going on at once. It overwhelming—especially after not eating in a while—but it wasn't unbearable, and was nothing like what his mother had made it out to be. Perhaps it was the human taste buds changing his perception, but he could see himself enjoying it food in the future.

When Keith got up and stole a few snacks to take back to his room, he saw two of his roommates being ushered out the back.

"Yes, fine," one of the staff members said, "we will grant you permission to use the kitchen. Just, leave, first, please."

He had no idea what was going on and didn't really care to know, but then the roommate that wore a jacket noticed him.

"Keith! What's up, my man?" Lance. His name suddenly popped into Keith's head. He had no idea why, but it was probably related to the fact he knew no one else who spoke in that manner. "Oh, did you just eat? The food is pretty good here. But you know what is apparently better? Hunk's food! He got approved to use the kitchen so expect some tasty dishes soon." The other one was Hunk. And apparently he was a good cook. Keith was intrigued by this information, but the feeling was overtaken by the same annoyance he had yesterday when Lance called his name out in the crowd. Keith wanted nothing more than to lay low here. His plan was to do whatever the bare minimum required, not be noticed, and be out before anyone could care about him. Lance was proving it to be a difficult task. Keith sent a glare in response, hoping to shut him down, but Lance just made a face in return.

"Try smiling for once Keith, it might stop the darkness radiating off you." Not knowing how to respond, and unhappy with the results, Keith stormed out of the cafeteria.

Keith walked aimlessly around the facility, partially because everything was uncharted territory so he was discovering new things everywhere, but also because he wouldn't know where to go if he had somewhere specific in mind. He tried getting onto a roof, but there was a sign on the door going up that read 'STAFF ONLY', and an officer was coming down the hallway so he had to change course. He decided that he could only try at night time, which really wasn't a bother because all he wanted to see were the stars.

He soon came across a large open room, with mats stacked against the wall. He assumed this room was used for self-defence classes, and was excited to see there was a lot of space for other physical activities too. He wondered whether he would be able to sneak in after hours, because while he was taking a class that could count as training, it wasn't nearly enough for him to be satisfied. He had to keep up with his regimen so he would be prepared to fight or defend himself any time.


Keith spent much of the next day without too much of a purpose as well, except he focused on the people more than the structures. He saw that the officers mainly kept to themselves, and it didn't seem like they really liked the cadets much. Some of them were very adamant about the path they were walking down and would not move out of the way for anyone else, even if it meant knocking over the other person. Others didn't interact with the students at all, Keith saw that some of them only stayed in the instructor's lounge.

The students would be the biggest issue for him, Keith decided. He doubted his classmates would ignore him like the staff, if Lance's behaviour was anything to go by. A lot of them had already formed friendships and bonds, and he saw them gathering in the one place he dared not to go—the student lounge. Some of them actually approached Keith while he was exploring the facility or eating on his own. They appeared nice enough, asking for his name and role, but Keith brushed them off because he didn't need to get to know more people than necessary.

If Keith did have to become familiar people, however, he was glad it wouldn't be hard. Every human seemed to have a unique appearance, whether it was because of their features or the fact they had altered it in some way. Keith imagined what it would be like if the Galra had absurdly coloured hair, sporting bright greens, neon pinks, and various other patterns. The thought made him chuckle, and he made a note to tell his mum about it when he got back.

After lunch, an instructor informed everyone that they could start getting their uniforms, and should do so before the end of the day. Keith was interested to see what it would look like, so he went as soon as everyone was dismissed from the cafeteria.

He walked into the room and saw outfits laid out in numerous sizes. It was very similar to the ones the officers wore, the only differences being in their coats and belt. Their belts had a silver buckle, and their coats' colours were orange and yellow instead of grey, with two golden bars on the shoulders instead of three. They also had the yellow logo Keith saw on the top of the main building on their right arm. The hats and orange insignias the officers wore weren't present on any table, so Keith assumed they weren't for students.

Keith was one of the first students to enter the room, so he didn't have to wait long at all until a staff member could serve him. He got measured, feeling uncomfortable with the close proximity, then was handed a set of the uniform to try on. It fitted very well, unsurprisingly, and he thought he didn't look half bad in it. He walked back out of the change room to show the staff member, who looked very pleased. He was told to always fold the sleeves of his coat over when wearing it, like the officers had, and that he was done now, he could go back to doing whatever after signing his name off. Keith thanked the staff member and did as he was told.


Keith spent the rest of his time after dinner in his dorm, wanting to expend as little energy as possible, so he could fully rest up before the next day. Keith was once again alone in the room, or at least that was what he thought until he walked over to his bunk and found a figure hunched over staring intently at their device. Immediately he knew it was the teammate he hadn't formally met yet, and made a move to say hello but the figure turned his back before he could do anything. Keith didn't feel hurt, and just continued about his business.

He took his bathroom supplies and headed to the shower. After underdressing, Keith saw that his Galra features had started to come back again, and the human form wouldn't hold no matter how hard he tried to shift. He guessed it meant the Quintessence he first applied had been used up, and was quite impressed with how long it lasted. He concluded that three days was probably the standard, so he wouldn't need to check on his form so often. Keith reapplied Quintessence after showering, not wanting to risk waking up in his natural form and having to try hide it from everyone.

He walked back into the main room to find that Hunk and Lance had returned from wherever they were, which meant the whole team was together for the first time since orientation day. Lance seemed to realise this at the same time as Keith, because they looked at each other for a moment before Keith broke eye contact and went over to his closet to put his things away. He personally didn't think much of it—they were roommates, they were bound to all be together at some time. Lance, on the other hand, became enthusiastic.

"Guys! We're all here! The team is whole! We have to do something together." Lance's bright smile was met with silence, and it fell.

Keith, feeling bad, started to provide an excuse when Hunk cut in and put a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Hey buddy, let's just let them be. They probably want to fully rest up before tomorrow. We can do something in the meantime, but we should try sleep early as well." Lance still looked dejected, but cheered up a bit. He thanked Hunk and then went into the bathroom to get ready for the night.

When he shut the door, Pidge looked up from his computer and surveyed the room. There was no visible reaction, and he went back to using his computer. Keith looked at Hunk but couldn't exactly read his feelings. It seemed he was disappointed but wasn't going to show it. Keith tried to explain and convey some of his guilt through his expression but didn't get a response. Defeated, Keith climbed atop his bed and got under the covers.

Although Keith couldn't fulfil Lance's request, he was glad that Lance had someone like Hunk by his side. Drifting off, he wondered whether he'd ever have someone like that too.


Earth classes sucked. More accurately, they were shit. Keith used to think the lessons he learnt on Daibaazal were boring and useless, but he would do anything to go back to that now. And to go back to his mum. He found that whenever he needed strength or motivation, his mother was what kept him going. Even as instructors droned on about numbers and theories, Keith couldn't help but think about his mother. He wondered whether she thought about him too, and if she'd gone to see the stars.

Self-defence did turn out to be Keith's favourite elective class, but even then he wasn't exactly enjoying himself. He wasn't sure why, but he assumed they would be skipping the basics and going straight to self-driven training, with the occasional corrections from and practices with the instructor. Instead, he had been lectured on safety, and various laws surrounding the subject. They started from the very bottom of the foundation, things which Keith had learnt as a child.

Keith couldn't complain though, no matter how uninterested he was in the exercises. Everything seemed to be new to his classmates, Lance being one of them, and he didn't want to stand out by being 'advanced'. As a result, Keith had no other choice but to stick through it, but it didn't stop him from running through the map of the facility in his mind to find potential training grounds.

On the other hand, the team was getting on quite well. Even though they didn't interact, they seemed to have silently figured out some sort of system. They didn't clash with each other, and flowed pretty well. There had been no more attempts from Lance to get them all to bond as of yet, however they had only been altogether on a few occasions. Out of all his roommates Keith shared the most classes with Lance. It didn't make classes any less bearable though, Lance seemed to have an issue with him.

The first time Keith had an inkling to this was during maths. Keith wasn't particularly good at the subject, and Lance appeared to have noticed early on. Once, after learning a new topic, the instructor asked someone to walk the class through how to answer a question. The instructor was met with silence, and threatened to pick someone randomly when Lance pointed at Keith and said he should do it. Now, at first Keith had either sat with or close to his roommates if he had classes with them. It brought him some sense of security and comfort, except in that moment all he felt was regret. They must've looked like friends or something, so the instructor accepted the nomination and motioned for Keith to go answer the question on the board.

Keith walked to the front of the room, took the stylus from his teacher's hand and just stood there. He was still having difficulty grasping the concept of Earth time and numbers—there was no way he could answer a complex problem on his own. He stared at the numbers, trying to make some sense, any sense, of it but nothing came. Finally, the instructor thought there had been a long enough silence and let Keith return to his seat, starting to go through the problem without calling on another student.

Back at his desk, Keith felt humiliated. He was expecting glances from his classmates and snickers, but received none—they were all fixated on what was being written on the board. It didn't stop him from feeling embarrassed though, and it didn't stop him from feeling resent. When the instructor finished speaking and the class grew lively again, Keith shot Lance a death glare. He saw Hunk next to Lance, and shot him a glare too for good measure. Hunk flinched, and Keith backed off. He had thought Hunk was in on it, that it was something they planned together, but his reaction proved otherwise. Keith went back to his own work, concentrating hard and trying to understand the notes, although it didn't stop him from hearing what his two roommates were talking about. They either weren't trying very hard or were just not good at whispering, because it wasn't difficult for Keith to hear what they were saying.

"Dude, what was that? It was kind of harsh."

"I didn't know it would turn out like that! But maybe it'll put some things into perspective for him, so it's fine."

"It's not, Lance."

Lance grunted instead of replying with words, and that was that.

Occasionally Lance would still volunteer Keith to answer the instructor's questions, even if they were sitting on opposite ends of the room. More often than not Keith couldn't, and hid his burning face in shame when the instructor asked Lance to answer instead. Sometimes Lance could answer it with no problem, but other times it would catch Lance off guard—much to Keith's delight—and then the question would have to be passed onto Hunk. Hunk, as it turned out, was a genius and had little to no difficulties with maths. He also had a kind, kind heart. Sometimes back in the dorm he would find Keith struggling over the problems, grasping at his hair, and would cautiously make his way over to him. He would then cough to get Keith's attention and carefully ask if he'd like some help. Keith was hesitant to accept at first, but Hunk insisted, and he was actually a good teacher, so Keith accepted the help. It turned out really well; Hunk was a good teacher and Keith could understand his explanations. Keith was still nowhere near Hunk's level of intelligence, but he was getting somewhere.

Keith had been doing a really good job at ignoring Lance's antics and remarks directed at him. He was trying really hard to not let it get to him, but eventually, he snapped. Keith shared English with Lance, which was the other subject he was horrible at. Initially he wasn't even going to pick it, but decided that if he had to know the language he may as well learn it in a formal setting. Lance, once again, caught on early that he wasn't good at this subject. This time, however, Keith noticed Lance wasn't doing too well either.

They were discussing sentence structure and types, and the instructor quizzed them through playing a game. Keith was losing, which Lance took as the perfect opportunity to take a jab at him.

"What's wrong, Keith? Not so good at this now, are you?"

Keith wasn't sure why, but that had been the final straw. Something inside him snapped, and all he could think about were the times where Lance singled him out or made fun of him. He took one glance at the scoreboard, saw that Lance wasn't far ahead of him, and struck back.

"I wasn't even born here, what excuse do you have?" As soon as the words left Keith's mouth he realised he would've just exposed himself, had anyone known any better. The class didn't bat much of an eye—the Galaxy Garrison was known for its diverse population—and started cheering.

Lance was caught off guard. Keith couldn't tell why, but guess it was because it was the first time Keith talked back, or because he just revealed a piece of personal information. As the class continued shouting at Lance to respond, he recomposed himself.

"I wasn't born here either, so there's that! I guess we both just suck!" Lance mustn't have thought through what he was going to say, otherwise he wouldn't have insulted himself. There was a suspended silence, and then the class erupted in laughter. Keith found himself laughing along, especially at Lance's horrified face, and realised it was the first time he had felt any kind of joy since coming here.

Even as the class settled down, Keith couldn't get the feeling out of his body, wanting to hold onto it for as long as possible.


Keith tried visiting the training room when he didn't have any classes, but was locked out. He almost walked past the gym entirely, with the doors shut it could barely be discerned from the walls. He poked around, trying to find a way to open the doors, thinking that it was simply closed. When nothing worked, he tried to peek through the small gap between the doors, and was startled by a cough. He stood up straight and turned around immediately, where he was face to face with Commander Iverson. The only reason Keith even knew his name was because he seemed like an important figure, and he was Keith's instructor for flight class. He looked as grumpy as ever, and it only seemed to get worse when Keith didn't say anything.

"Cadet. You are to salute when in the presence of a higher officer, or have you forgotten? Do I need to remind you?" Commander Iverson loomed over Keith with his arms crossed, staring daggers from his one eye. Keith wanted nothing more than to resist, but knew he had to comply. He slowly brought his right arm up, and when the instructor was satisfied he spoke again. "Now tell me, Keith, what are you doing here?"

Keith was taken aback and dropped his hand. Commander Iverson must've had many other students to teach and staff members to supervise, so what warranted knowing Keith's name? It must've shown in his expression, because Commander Iverson gave a low chuckle.

"Don't act so surprised Keith, how could I not know the name of my star pupil? No one has ever advanced as quickly as you, I have high hopes. Now answer the question."

Ignoring the thumping in his chest, Keith he explained his situation, seeing no harm in telling the truth.

"I was hoping to get in some extra training, sir, but the doors are shut."

"Why do you need more training? You excelled at the physical component of the tests on orientation day, and you are taking self-defence classes. Surely that is a sufficient amount of physical exercise; we don't want you getting too ahead of your classmates, do we?" Commander Iverson spoke no different than usual, but Keith could hear the underlying taunt. Not wanted to fall into a trap, Keith nodded.

"You're right, sir, I didn't think it through. Thank you." Keith saluted once more and walked away before he could get a reply. He wanted to get as far away from the officer as possible. He wasn't under any visible threat, but Keith felt on edge and uneasy in the man's presence. He opted to give up getting into the gym, and instead walked outside to find somewhere to train there.

It took him a while, but Keith finally found the perfect spot. It was located somewhat close to his room, and far enough from the main building that it was in a blind spot. Conveniently, there were a few rocks nearby so if Keith thought someone might come he could hide behind them.

The first night Keith wanted to sneak out, he was almost caught by his own roommates. He wanted to go just after curfew, but just as he reached under his pillow to grab his mother's dagger Lance spoke.

"Guys, guys. We have a while until any of us will fall asleep, and we don't have any assignments due soon. It's our first free night in forever! We have to do something, let's have some fun!" Lance drew out the last syllable and waved his arms around. Keith found it funny, but he also didn't want to participate in whatever was planned. He had really been looking forward to going out and training, nothing was going to stop him.

Turning back to his bed, Keith grasped the dagger's hilt and shoved it under his jacket. He hoped he wouldn't raise suspicion, he didn't even want to think about what would happen if someone saw him with a weapon. He then jumped off his bunk and opened the door leading to the corridor. Before moving any further he figured he should excuse himself from the team in some way.

"Sorry, I'm gonna sit this one out, you guys have fun."

Keith was almost out the door when Lance made a noise somewhat resembling a shriek. "Keith! What are you doing? You can't just go! Where are you going?"

"It's fine, I just forgot something I'll be back soon." Keith walked out briskly and was enveloped in darkness when the door behind him shut. Surprisingly, no one came after him. He guessed they didn't want to take the risk. Keith pictured the map again in his mind, and visualised the path he would take. Because he stuck himself against the wall, he could hear what was happening inside the dorm room.

"Hunk! Can you believe him? He just walked out! We have curfew!"

"Yeah, the guy's pretty audacious."

"He's ridiculous is what he is. We have to go after him!"

"No, what? I am not going out this late at night Lance no no no. We'll get caught."

"We won't! But fine, I'll let him go this time. Next time though, I'm going after him."

Keith was amused by the fact Lance made it seem like he could stop him if he tried. He then decided to sneak out after all his roommates had fallen asleep in the future, that way he wouldn't have to find new ways to explain himself and it would just make the whole process a lot easier.

The path to Keith's training ground wasn't a long one, but it became hard to get to due to the patrolling guards. When he stuck himself against the wall to avoid a guard coming his way, another would walk into the corridor he was hiding in. It was difficult, and Keith considered giving up a few times, but he finally made it.

When a blast of fresh air hit Keith after he made it to level ground, he welcomed it. It was great to finally get some unrestricted time to himself, outside and away from the confinements of the facility. It was cold, so Keith started moving to raise his body temperature.

After stretching and warming up, Keith took out his mother's dagger and unwrapped the tip. It seemed to be made from two kinds of material, one being thicker and forming the core of the knife while the other formed the blade. The surface was very reflective, and under the bright moonlight Keith could see himself clearly in it. He saw his purple eyes, and liked that there was still, in a way, Galra in him even though he was in human form. Keith knew nothing about the history of the blade, or what it meant, but he could tell it was important. There was no reason his mother would've kept it from him if that wasn't the case. Frankly Keith didn't know too much about his mother's history or what she did every day. A lot of things went on behind the scenes, and he knew it would be a lost cause asking for all the details.

Keith started training with the dagger, getting used to its weight in his hand, figuring out how to manoeuvre with it. He wasn't used to training with a weapon so small, back at home he used staffs and longswords. It made him realise how his body and movements were just as much of a weapon as the blade, and he liked the different fighting style. He felt the change was somewhat symbolic of this new chapter in his life.

By the end, Keith was sweating and feeling tired. A part of him wanted to keep going, but he knew he had to get some rest. He wrapped the blade back up and snuck back into the building. There seemed to be less patrols at this hour, but he still had to be careful. He decided that he should stay up one night to learn the patrolling patterns, meaning he would have more ease when navigating the halls after hours.

Keith was afraid the dorm room's lights would turn on and awaken everyone if he opened the door, but luckily nothing happened. The room had a soft, dimmed blue glow, which made it easy for Keith to get around without causing any trouble. He climbed onto his bed, tucked the dagger back under his pillow and fell asleep.


Flying classes were the highlight of Keith's school days. During the very first lesson they were told it was extremely unlikely they would do any actual flying, and most of it would be done in simulations. Aside from that, they also had to learn theory on safety and techniques. After the situation in his self-defence class, Keith expected as much from this one so he didn't feel too disappointed.

Theory didn't turn out to be as bad as he imagined, he never had formal lessons at home so there was nothing for him to compare it to. He was actually learning things he found interesting, and could usually test them out in the same lesson or the one right after.

The best part of the simulations for Keith was that they were usually set in space. In the vastness, surrounded by stars, Keith felt a sense of freedom, he was at peace. He could let go of all that was troubling him, and travel wherever he wanted, trying out his new skills. At the endpoint of the simulation, the same planet was always up ahead, never to be reached. Keith liked to think of it as Daibaazal. He couldn't get to it now, but he will build up his skills, he will get through this and he will go home.

There were downsides to flight class though, the biggest being his class dynamic, the classmates themselves, and his instructor. When he first walked into the classroom and saw Commander Iverson at the front watching them he wanted to walk back out. The man reminded him of General Zarkon, and that was someone Keith definitely did not want to think about here. He didn't have problems with authorial figures, growing up around them his whole life, but he found that some of them were just unexplainably irritating to him. Commander Iverson often spoke in a patronising tone, and Keith was always glad when he stopped talking.

His class was also annoying. Some of them were cocky, they believed the fighter pilot was the most important position, and that it meant they were the best of the team. Keith was finding it more and more difficult to hide his distaste when they spoke of their teammates in a condescending way. Others were just plain competitive. Fighter pilots had to fly fast jets, and needed to be able to perform various aerobatic manoeuvres. The competitive ones enjoyed trying to one up each other, even if it meant trying manoeuvres they weren't approved for yet. They usually got reprimanded and suspended for the rest of the class, but it never stopped them from trying again later.

Keith never did more than what was asked of him. He had seen what happened to the others, and he wanted to master a skill before moving onto another one. He didn't enjoy the competitive nature of the class, and tried to remain unnoticed. As usual, things didn't go to plan, and some students saw that he was fairly good at flying. A few of them tried to provoke Keith but he ignored them, always being the first to leave class and the last to enter.

Flight class was the one subject Keith usually looked forward too, but he was starting to question whether the simulations made up for everything else he had to put up with.


One night, Keith decided to forego training and instead took to the roof. He had long memorised how the patrollers moved by then, so he had no difficulty getting to the upper level and to the hatch leading up. He learnt that the door he saw when he first explored the facility was locked and only those with keycards could open them, so he had to find another way. He realised students needed to be able to get onto the roofs somehow, some of them had to learn about the solar panels, and doubted the staff members wanted them using their route all the time. He searched it up on his device, and sure enough there was a hatch built into every ceiling leading up to a roof, which would drop down a ladder when a button was pressed.

As usual, the night breeze and fresh air was much appreciated by Keith. The sky was also clear tonight, meaning he could see the stars shining brightly. He walked around the roof a bit to warm up and to find a spot where he could see the most without any obstruction. Once he did, he lay down and just stared.

He watched stars blink above him, decorating the dark sky. As he looked for constellations he thought of his mum. He knew that being an empress was demanding, and he hated how little he could do to help. Even as a princess she had already done so much more than he had as prince.

Alone in the darkness, Keith missed his mum more than ever. He closed his eyes, shutting out tears, and imagined that he was in Daibazaal. He pictured himself lying in his bedroom, listening to the sounds of the servants moving around, and thought of his mother sitting in the royal study. He had to go to dinner soon, Keith's favourite mealtime. It was the one time he could count on to spend with his mum, just the two of them, carefree without feeling the need to uphold their reputations. When he opened his eyes again, the image was gone, and there was silence. He suddenly ached for home, and the land he was on became completely foreign once more.

Keith went back to staring up at the stars, keeping his mind away from any negative thoughts, grateful that he could at least find some sense of familiarity in them.


Keith usually stayed in the dorm room on weekends. He had no real desire to do anything—he had to sneak out to do the things he liked—and he could usually get some alone time by staying in. Pidge was barely around, ever, and Hunk and Lance made some other friends so they would go hang out with them, or just go around wherever with each other. Keith sometimes found himself envying those two, but told himself to get over it. Nothing had changed since he was a child, and there was no reason as to why it should.

On this weekend, however, for whatever reason the duo decided to stay in. Now, it wasn't that Keith purposely eavesdropped on Lance and Hunk's conversations, it was that they spoke pretty loudly. He believed that if what they spoke of was not something to be heard by outsiders, they should keep the volume down. Currently they were talking about their elusive roommate, which Keith found they did a lot.

"Have you noticed how Pidge always seems to get first dibs and changes in the bathroom while he's there?"

"Well, that's probably because you're still sleeping when he gets up. And he gets up early, man. I don't know how he does it. Although, I used to think I got up late, and then I met you and Keith." Keith gave Hunk a look, but there was no bite behind it. They had become somewhat like acquaintances. He was still helping Keith with his maths, and he would usually give Keith a look of apology when Lance picked on him, so Keith didn't see any reason to hate him or dislike him.

"Oi! I need my sleep. But wait, Pidge looks really young, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh yeah, for sure. Maybe that's even why he changes in the bathroom. Makes me wonder how he got in. I mean, we can't really judge though."

"Yeah you're right, and it's not like we could just ask. We barely see him."

"I wonder how many people are actually older or younger than us…"

"Hang on, we don't know Keith's age! Keith. How old are you?" The two boys now looked up at Keith on his bed, who turned onto his side to look back at them.

"I'm seventeen."

"As in," Lance was the one who replied but both boys looked mildly confused, "you're turning seventeen? You'll be seventeen by the end of the year?"

"Ah, no. I'll be eighteen." Keith tried to pass it off impassively, as any actual human probably would, but deep down he was proud of himself. Just a few days ago he forced himself to sit down and convert his measurements of time into Earth's measurements of time. He first confirmed that the birthday on his record was indeed correct, then calculated his age, and finally tried to figure out the time difference between Daibazaal and Earth. The last part was much harder, and he wasn't sure if the equations he got were correct.

Lance recoiled. It caused Keith to jump as well, unsure of why he reacted in such a way. And then he started blabbing.

"Eight… Eighteen? As in, adult age? You will be an adult by the end of the year? Why are you here? You're old! Oh my god, Hunk."

Hunk looked shocked initially as well, but recomposed himself immediately. "Yes, Lance?"

"Keith is an adult!" Keith didn't know what the big deal was, but he guessed it probably meant he was older than most of the people here.

"Not yet he isn't. We're the same age right now actually. We're both technically a year older than you, if you want to look at it that way. I don't see what the issue is."

"That's different! He's permanently a year older than I am, I'll be the same age as you soon. I just can't believe he's the oldest student here. He sure doesn't act like it."

"My birthday is in the tenth month, if that means anything." Keith ignored the jab Lance took at him, trying to be mature, just because he wanted to prove him wrong.

"There we go, Lance. I'm only three months younger than him and you're eight months younger. That's barely a year."

"I need to take a break. I'll be back." Lance walked out of the room, and Keith took it as an opportunity to ask Hunk for an explanation.

"I'm not too sure either honestly, but I guess he can be a bit melodramatic at times. I think, and don't you dare tell him I said this, he admires you in some sort of way—despite how he treats you. He wanted to be a fighter pilot, you know? It's the whole reason why he came here. But then you took that role from him and from what I've heard you're exceptional at physical activity too, which is all he thinks he has going for him. You represent a lot of what he aspires to be, and now add the fact that you're more than half a year older than him, I guess it's just a bit too much for him right now." Hunk let out a sigh after speaking, and Keith could tell he cared deeply for his friend.

"I'm sorry," Keith wasn't sure what to say. He didn't know Lance's self-esteem wasn't the best, and that he was probably a part of the reason why. "I didn't realise he felt that way; I could try and swap with him, if he really wanted." And it was true, Keith honestly didn't care what his position was as long as he was a pilot. If being a fighter pilot was the whole reason Lance enrolled, he probably deserved the position more.

"It's fine, you don't need to do anything," Hunk shook his head. "Lance hides his emotions really well, even I'm just mainly going off what I can deduct from what he says and the way he acts. I don't think you should treat him any differently though, I think your rivalry or whatever it is does him some good. It motivates him. So thanks for that, I guess."

"You're, uh, I guess you're welcome?"

Hunk nodded. "I think I should go find him. I'd appreciate if you didn't tell him, or anyone, about our conversation. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Keith turned to face the ceiling after he watched the door close behind Hunk. He didn't know how this new information would affect his behaviour towards Lance and whether he would be able to control it. He decided it would be best to listen to Hunk, and wondered how he was so mature despite being only a few months younger than he was.


As it turned out, Keith wouldn't have to think about if he should treat Lance differently. Within no time at all he had gone back to normal, except it seemed to get worse due to Keith's sudden popularity. Apparently word spread fast within the facility, and almost everyone knew about Keith's age now. He honestly still had no clue why it was so fascinating to some students, and didn't know how to react when they approached him.

With most of them, they asked basic questions about himself and he could awkwardly try to carry on a bit of a conversation until it had been silent too long for the other to handle, and they'd walk off. Some of the others, contrastingly, were persistent. They kept talking to him, or at him, no matter how hard he tried to cut off the conversation. A few of them would get in his way, blocking the board when he was trying to copy down notes or stopping him from getting out of his seat and to his next class, whether it was on purpose on not.

Keith put up with it the first few times, but it started to get on his nerves so he would mutter a "can you please just let me go?" and push past them.

Along with his age, Keith's classmates found another thing that caused Keith's popularity to boost even more. His purple eyes. He found a lot of people would just stare at him, or watch him. It was creepy, but it wasn't like he could do much about it. He found Lance watching him too, but in a different way. He was glaring. Sometimes Keith would notice Lance sitting at his desk further away when he was being bombarded with questions, and the younger boy didn't look pleased. He pouted and seemed to mutter to himself angrily. Once Keith's eyes became a topic of debate during class and Lance yelled out that he bet Keith wore contacts. That only fuelled the argument more, causing Keith to shrink away, trying his best to stay out of it, even though it was about him.

Over the week the excitement simmered down; Keith wasn't bothered as much anymore, but he had left an impression. He would sometimes hear others talk about him, whether it was because he needed to reapply Quintessence soon so his Galra hearing was returning, or if it was because no one around here seemed to know how to talk at a low volume.

There were usually two sides to everything, and Keith's new reputation was no exception. On the one hand, there were students who thought his coldness and distance from everyone else made him very mysterious, increasing his coolness. He would see people's heads turn as he walked down the hallway, whispering that they wanted to get to know him and wondering if his behaviour was just an act. On the other hand, they were students who started viewing Keith more negatively without actually knowing anything about him. Because he refused to get involved and interact with anyone in general and also on the matter, they thought he was self-conceited. Some of them brought in the argument of his age. They said that he was only excelling because he stayed back a year or started school late and was older than everyone else. They said that he wanted to be alone because he thought he was better than everyone else and no one was worthy.

They said many things, none of which were true, but Keith put up with them anyway. He put up with them because he knew it was what his mother would've done, and would've wanted him to do. He was going to be emperor one day, and he needed to know how to behave when someone badmouthed him. Every time someone insulted him, Keith kept it to himself.

"Now, can you tell me why you are angry?" Keith had been sent to his mother's study after getting into a fight, and now he was fighting with his mum.

"They said you were a bad empress! That we shouldn't even be royals, that we should be dead!" Keith's mother drew back, visibly shocked. It wasn't a secret there were those who opposed the monarchy, but she hadn't expected them to say such horrible things to her son—a child.

"Aw, honey. It's great that you wanted to stand up for me but you shouldn't be saying mean things or hurting others."

"But they were hurting me! Shouldn't I fight back?"

"Of course, you should always fight for what you believe is right. But you also need to know when to keep it to yourself. We're different to others, Keith, what we say can have big implications. Do you want to know what I do when I want to talk back?" Keith nodded, and his mum was glad he was starting to calm down.

"I say it all to them in my head. If no one else hears it, I can't get in trouble, right? This way, I can say even the most meanest things, and no one will know." She said it in a cheeky tone and tickled Keith until he laughed. "Try it out next time, okay?"

Keith had used that tactic ever since. He may seem calm and collected to others, but inside his mind he could be even more brutal than they were. Usually his insults weren't directed back at them, however. They were directed at the one who put him in this position. If it weren't for General Zarkon, Keith wouldn't have to put up with all of this. If he stayed at Daibazaal, he thought to himself, he wouldn't be in this situation. Once he made it back home, he would let Zarkon know of his thoughts, and he would make Zarkon pay.


Keith was currently taking break from training. It had become his outlet for releasing anger, so it wasn't unusual that he was pushing himself, but he still took breaks to ensure he wouldn't get hurt.

He sat down on a nearby rock, inspecting the knife and turning it over and over again. He picked at the wrapping between the blade and hilt, and suddenly wondered why he had never taken it off. He never unravelled the hilt because he didn't want to damage it, but there was no reason for him not unwrap anything else. As he slowly unwound the wrapping, he talked to his mum.

"So, mum. I'm really curious about this dagger, I have to say. I've never seen it before, and I know you have to keep some things confidential, but you and I both know I've been snooping before. How did I not find this? Also, if it's so important, are you sure you should've given it to me? Don't you remember how—" Keith cut himself off when he was hit with a bright light. Turning his back to the facility, afraid the light would alert someone, he took a closer look.

The glowing came from an insignia which was on a stone embedded between two pieces of decoration made of the same material as the core of the blade. Keith didn't know what the insignia was representative of but it felt strangely familiar. His eyes then widened in shock when he realised it resembled Zarkon's emblem, the one shown everywhere at home, but cut in half straight down the middle. It filled him with a strange feeling, like he was doing something treacherous. A part of him wanted to just forget he ever saw the insignia, and quickly went to cover it up.

Keith retrieved the wrapping from the ground and had just brought it close to the blade when he ceased all movements. The blade was moving. Or rather, it was shifting. Frozen in terror, Keith could do nothing but watch as it changed in his hand.

When it was done, denoted by the sudden lack of brightness around, the plain dagger was now a purple sword. The hilt remained somewhat the same, but lengthened. The glowing insignia was still there as well, but the blade was completely different. It was now single-edged, longer, and curved. Once again it was made of two materials, but they were different to the ones that made up the dagger. The blade also seemed to be split into two sections, one that was more straight-edged and the other which was more curved. The tip of the blade was thinner than the rest, due to a dip at the beginning of the curved section. The blunt end of the sabre had a long strip running along it, glowing the same purple as the insignia.

Completely flabbergasted, Keith released his hand and dropped the sword in shock, heart rate picking up. Keith had no clue how he could take it back with him into the facility, but that problem was solved when the sword promptly reverted back to a knife. In a rush, Keith picked up the dagger and immediately started wrapping it up, not wanting to think about the implications of what just happened.

Keith then sprinted back to his room as silently as he could, breathing heavily, and ungracefully got into his bed. He tucked the knife under his pillow and shut his eyes tightly, left with only hearing and feeling the pounding in his chest. He wanted nothing more than for the sensation to stop. Over his own heartbeat, he thought he heard someone shuffling, and then a whisper of his name. He ignored it though, there were too many other things occupying his mind.

Somehow, he fell asleep.


A/N: hi y'all, how've you been? lmao so I've had writer's block/a lot of work since my last update so unfortunately I haven't finished the next chapter (I've barely touched it ;u;). On a more positive note, I'm on holidays now which hopefully means I can do a lot more writing. next chapter will (hopefully) be up within a month, depending on responses and how much I can do. as always, thanks for reading :)