The Exorcism
Keith thought he knew what to expect. Shiro had told him about meeting Zarkon on the astral plane, one existing solely in his mind. There'd been nothing but the two of them and the Black Lion. So why was Keith seeing his shack in the desert?
Opening the door with his left hand, right on his weapon, he expected either an ambush or a body. Anything but silence would have been welcome but silence was all he got.
It was not unlike the Blade trial, only his father wasn't here. The light filtering into the room was more of a violet hue, similar to the quintessence he'd seen in the Galra space hub. It offered no warmth, instead causing him to shiver despite no sense of feeling cold. In fact, his whole body began to feel wrong, as if he had merely swapped bodies with someone else.
Someone who had claws. Dear god, what was wrong with his hands? They were splotchy, like a burn. Like…
A mirror, where's a mirror?
Shit. Whatever magic it was made him look completely Galran. Ears, eyes, markings. Was this permanent? Is this only happening in his mind?
Can Allura see me like this?
He'd been there all of two minutes and he was already failing the mission.
She will reject me if I look like this.
The paladins would be waiting for him.
You must find Shiro. Fast.
He needed to focus, to redirect himself.
Why did my mind bring me here of all places?
The board. All the clues he'd found to find the Blue Lion were on the board. Maybe something there could help him. What was he looking for anyway? He squinted as he stared at the charts and maps posted there. It was like trying to read in a dream, nothing was clear. What led him to find Shiro the first time around?
The caves. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander to the caves where the lion carvings were found. They told a story, he just had to remember it. There were drawings of lions and of warriors inside a circle. Figures outside the ring, arms held high in jubilation. Not unlike a stadium.
The Champion.
The walls of the shack melted away like a sandcastle falling to high tide. Before him now was an arena, and from the roars of the crowd inside it was certain that was where he should go.
The walls inside were like a maze, and no matter how many stairs he ran up or how many doors he pushed through it was always for naught. Roman gladiator matches always piqued his curiosity as a child; right now, he was thankful for the hours spent reading about their history.
He needed to go down. The Colosseum of Rome had a hypogeum beneath the structure that housed the fighters. Chances are the design was, quite literally, universal.
Chasing down the steps Keith found himself in a poorly lit tunnel that seemed to stretch for eternity. Once again, he paused to focus, closing his eyes in an attempt to bend this virtual reality world to his will.
Think about Shiro. Focus on your mentor. Your brother.
"Keith? What the hell are you doing here?"
Shiro's voice snapped him back to reality. Suddenly he could see a line of cages. Inside one he could see a shadow moving slowly, slouched like an animal too long in captivity. Keith ran towards the figure and was met with the familiar face of his good friend.
"Thank goodness, I thought I'd never find you!"
He quickly snapped the lock on the door with his blade and swung the gate open. The rusty, creaking sound it made caused him to shudder once again. Had Shiro been in here the whole time? And who was holding him?
"Get out of here before they come back. They'll kill you if they find you."
"Who will? There's no one else here."
"Haggar's witches. They've been keeping me here."
Something didn't add up. Weren't the druids trying to wake him up, to get him to talk? Why would they hold him there unless…?
Keith followed Shiro's gaze to a raised platform behind him. Another shadow, this one lying still. Cautiously he stepped towards the pedestal, not knowing if this was yet another mind trick set for him. There was precious little light in the room but the size and shape were unmistakable. Zarkon.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
"I have to fight him. Once he comes back I must fight him and I must win. The fate of the universe depends on it!"
Shiro's voice was steady but his eyes betrayed his emotions. He was afraid. This was a man who had fought giant beasts and won, who had lead his team to victory many times. The younger paladin knew he needed to get his former leader out of there.
"We need to go. Leave him here, he's not your problem."
"If I fight him and win then the war is over. You can all go home. I have to do this." Damn, why did Shiro always need to be so, so…selfless? "If you hurry you can get the castle and the lions away before he awakens. I'll hold him so you can escape."
Keith felt like he'd been slammed hard in the chest. Shiro had no idea how long he'd been here. The idea that time had no meaning, that seconds could be days, days could be years, defied all logic. Most would have gone mad by now, how was Shiro able to hold on for so long?
Not knowing what else to do, Keith moved swiftly towards Zarkon's body, his blade searching for an opening. As he raised his arm he heard another voice, one he recognized but not coming from where it should have.
"What do you think you're doing?"The deep bass of that voice was certainly the Emperor's, but his lips were not moving. "If you kill me your friend is lost forever."
Reluctantly, Keith turned towards Shiro, whose eyes now glowed yellow. His face contorted into a snarl as he swung his fists violently. Although the younger paladin could elude the punches he had no room to maneuver effectively. Not wanting to hurt his friend he decided to talk his way out.
"Why would killing you hurt Shiro?"
"Because I am in his head. If you kill me now I will have nowhere else to go. Do you think your friend will last long with me controlling him?"
Shiro's eyes suddenly reverted to their normal state. The look he gave meant he was aware that he'd been possessed. "Keith, he's right. Leave and let me deal with him. The team doesn't need me, you'll be better off like this."
"Like hell we will! The team is nothing without you and I will bring you back!"
"I can't get him out of my head. The druids have been trying to help him control me, they wanted to send me back to steal the Black Lion. I was going to be forced to turn on you all. That cannot happen!"
"We'll figure this out. I'm not leaving you behind."
Just then a light appeared in the corner of his eye. Fearing a druid had appeared he crouched behind the slab where Zarkon's body lay. His heart settled a bit when he heard the voice of a friend.
"Keith, where are you? The team is in position and are waiting for you to wake Shiro." It was Princess Romelle; she must have been sent by Allura.
Standing to let her know where he was, he shook when he saw her face. She knew who Zarkon was and obviously feared him. Her gaze was fixed on his body so she didn't notice Shiro approach her from the other side.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" His voice was low but even.
"I-I'm Princess Romelle of Pollux. The Voltron team rescued me from the Galra. They sent me to find you because Keith had been gone so long."
Once again Shiro's eyes flared yellow. Zarkon had regained control. "Oh, I know who you are. I wanted to put you in my harem but Lotor got to you first. It won't happen next time, you have my word. Pretty girl like you."
Romelle stepped backwards in terror, tripping on the uneven stone and falling hard on the floor. Her arm reflexively raised up to shield her face. This had been her life on Pollux, it seemed.
Keith had to end this now. He didn't want to lose his friend and he certainly didn't want Romelle to fear Shiro if they did make it out. Swiftly he plunged his blade into the body before him, making sure to find a spot that wasn't immediately fatal but could do the job with time.
Shiro-as-Zarkon howled in pain. The Captain knew he'd guessed correctly.
"So, if I understand, once your body dies you have to stay in Shiro's. Right? Well, I guess in ten-thousand years you can get him to the same level of power you have now. Assuming you can extend a human life that long. Is that what you want? To share a weaker body with a stronger mind?"
Another cut, to drive the point home.
"Shiro, I know you're in there. Force him out!"
Once again, the yellow eyes returned to grey. Shiro looked to Romelle; he'd seen Zarkon's thoughts and knew he needed to protect her. He reached for her hand to help her stand. She motioned for Keith to join them and each of them took an arm. A warm pink glow surrounded them as their energy passed to Shiro's body. Their Altean magic would help Shiro exorcise his demon.
A burst of black energy emerged from Shiro and struck the listless form of the Emperor. He seized violently with his reanimation, his eyes piercing the darkness. Suddenly, he was gone. Shiro began to fade as well.
"The team is waiting for you. They'll get you home."
"Thank you for not giving up on me."
"You're the best person I know. I could never."
With that Shiro smiled, then was gone.
Taking that as a sign it was time to leave, Keith turned to see if Romelle had left already. She was waiting, presumably for him, to return.
"Thank you for coming. You saved us both."
"I was happy to help. Shiro seems like a good man."
"He is. I'll introduce you two when we get back."
Romelle smiled while a slight blush graced her cheeks.
"By the way, Romelle, did you notice anything…different…about me before you left?"
She looked at him quizzically.
"No, you looked just like you do now."
He hadn't even noticed. No more claws, no more purple skin. He was himself again. A smile crept across his face.
"Good, let's go home. Allura must be worried."