When the world shook around him, Rayzor kept his balance and struck out at the shadows once more.

Then he realized that - somehow - he was back in the real world, and the menacing shadows around them had gone.

But when he glanced behind his shoulder, he didn't see Keith.

Keith was - gone - but - how -

Then a really, really annoyed voice said, from right next to his elbow,

"Oh, that's just perfect."


Even as Rayzor whirled about in what another person might have called shock, he realized that Keith was - shorter?

What?

He still wore the armor of the Red Paladin - but he was certainly no taller than Pidge now.

He'd - shrunk.

What?!

"Before you ask," Keith said, still glaring up at Rayzor, "No. I have no fucking clue what just happened."

Rayzor blinked once, then realized he looked as confused as he felt, and attempted to compose his expression.

"Ah. Um - Keith - "

Keith turned his glare towards his own, shorter arms, and the two swords he still held. They had re-adjusted, so now they resembled daggers, rather than full-length blades.

"Okay," Keith said, and took in a breath, clearly attempting to focus, to calm himself. "Okay. So - I'm younger. Somehow."

Rayzor knew he still had much to learn about how humans - or Galra - or Alteans - aged - but from his limited experience, it seemed like it was not supposed to happen in reverse.

"You're - younger?"

Keith turned his glower back to Rayzor and replied through gritted teeth.

"Apparently."

"But - you still retain your memories?"

Keith huffed out a breath. "I just called you by name, didn't I?"

Rayzor growled back in turn, turning again to face the room, to guard against potential enemies.

"Oh yes, you're still you, that's for damn cer-"

Just then, an annoyed hiss from somewhere nearby made them both look down at the floor.

Where a very, very small red cat was clawing ferociously at Keith's right leg with its two front paws, demanding his immediate and complete attention.


Well, to be precise, it was more a kitten than a cat.

But it was definitely Red.

That much was for certain.

It clawed and mewed imperiously at Keith until he sheathed one of his weapons and picked it up, whereupon it immediately attempted to wriggle out of his grip again, clearly unhappy at staying in one place for very long. The de-aged Red Paladin had to sheathe his other weapon to maintain hold of the animal, who proceeded to scratch him.

"Ow! Red! Stoppit!"

Rayzor wrested his attention back to their immediate surroundings. It seemed the enemy had retreated for now, but he was under no false impression of safety.

The enemy would be back, and soon.

If they could fall back to a safe place - the Infirmary, perhaps - they could regroup, and figure out what was going on in this Castle.

Keith had just managed to hold the cat out in front of his face, so that he could glare into its eyes.

"Red," he said, "come on, that's not helpi-"

Even as he spoke, the lights in the room pulsed, dimmed, wavered, and suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness.


Something about this dark - about the way it felt - caused Keith to freeze into place.

The cat had frozen too, but then, without warning, it twisted out of his grip - as silently and as easily as if it were made of water - leapt to the floor, and was gone.

It took Keith a second to remember how to speak. When he did, his voice was no more than a whisper.

"Red?"

Dammit, Keith, get it together.

He clenched his fists, forced himself to breathe.

Breathe in, breathe out.

It's just darkness.

It can't hurt you.

Even as he thought the words, there was a dramatic sigh from someone standing in the room, like whoever it was could hear exactly what Keith was thinking, and thought him a fool for it.

But it wasn't from Rayzor.

Then - who -

Then a voice spoke, and it was one that Keith thought he had left behind in nightmares.

"Come now, Keith. You of all people should know that's not completely true."

That voice - that voice was -

Jenick.

Jenick was standing right by him.

The voice continued.

"It is what's in the darkness that can hurt you - but you knew that already, didn't you?"

Keith felt ice cold terror numb his brain, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe, or move, or think at all - but in that same frozen instant, he heard two things that definitely were not Jenick.

A cat's furious yowl, and someone else, a voice he knew, a friend's voice, and then someone shoved him out of the way, and Keith fell to one side.


A few heartbeats later, the lights came back on, and Keith saw that in the darkness, a shadow form had crept close, had stretched one hand to grab him by the neck - but -

Rayzor now stood in front of Keith, both of his swords firmly embedded in the shadow form's chest, and Keith could see that the red kitten had attached itself to the shadow's outstretched hand and was tearing and ripping at the whirling shards of darkness, snarling out words that Beyris hopefully hadn't heard yet.

"Stay. Dead." Rayzor growled into the thing's formless face, and then he tore both of his swords free of the shadow demon.

Even as the torn shadow faded entirely out of existence, the red kitten leapt down onto one of Keith's arms and walked across his shoulders, brushing its tail underneath Keith's chin and purring like it was very, very pleased with itself.

See how I killed it for you, my Paladin? Are you not pleased with my work?

Keith tried to laugh, but couldn't. Not yet. But he did manage to half-roll his eyes, and after a few seconds, he even managed to croak,

"R-Rayzor helped, R-Red."

The kitten regarded Rayzor with a regal air from his perch on Keith's shoulders.

Yes, he did.

Then Red licked one paw, flicked an ear, and cast a sideways glance at both his Paladins in that way only a cat could.

A little.

Rayzor exchanged looks with Keith.

"Is he always like this?"

Then Rayzor's eyes widened in concern, and Keith realized that Rayzor was - looking down at him.

When Keith looked at his hands, he realized he'd de-aged yet again.

Oh, come on.

He looked back up at Rayzor.

"Uh...I think we should find Allura."

From his perch on Keith's shoulder, Red meowed again in agreement.