Reawakening
Chapter 11: Go Mad From the Revelation

It took about half an hour for the scouts to bring the artifact up to the ship. Telok's description of it had been accurate. Just a large violet sphere, with a bit of steel casing still attached. It was glowing and giving off a somehow unsettling aura... though he had no idea what it might be, Serek's initial impression was that Zeliax had been correct. They didn't need this horrid thing. How could they? Even Telok looked uncomfortable as the emperor approached to examine it.

"How magnificent..."

"Magnificent?" Zeliax scoffed. "It's dangerously unstable, but I suppose if you think risking your own life and fleet is magnificent..." Something wasn't right, though his tone remained calm and contemptuous. There was a hint of agitation in his posture. Serek had learned the ways of a warrior, and he'd trained the infantry. He knew someone trying to hide pain when he saw it, and his thoughts went back to that terrifying moment in the throne room. What force in the galaxy could cause this demon pain?

"There is no glory without the strength to take risks," Kargil answered scornfully, pressing a hand against the smooth surface of the sphere.

It cracked.

Serek actually took a reflexive step forward as the sharp clink echoed through the bay. His father pulled his hand back, startled. The artifact wasn't solid at all; the crack in its outer shell had allowed glowing purple fluid to ooze out, trickling down his arm.

"What in the highest hells? Such power..."

Without warning Zeliax gathered a mass of energy in his hands, a great sphere of lightning and flame, and cast it forward with a thunderclap that echoed through the chamber. Serek barely had time to be horrified before the incredible energies... fizzled out? It was almost as if the artifact behind the emperor soaked up the energy, shielding him from its fury.

Kargil stilled briefly; the attack might actually have frightened him for a moment. But as the elements dissipated he bared his fangs in a wicked grin. "What was that, exactly, human? Don't tell me you're afraid of this power..."

By way of response, the cloaked man cast another blast of energy—this time no recognizable elements, just a shining wave of pure white light. This one worked slightly better. Slightly. The artifact still seemed to nullify the energy, but not before it washed over the emperor and knocked him off his feet. But somehow Serek was pretty certain that was less than the intended effect.

Kargil stayed down for a moment, gasping for breath. Then he sprang to his feet, spun on the artifact, and punched it with all his might. The crack widened, more of the violet substance dripping down. A shockwave erupted a moment later. As it washed over the prince he felt a deep revulsion grip him, only amplified by the cry it drew from the suddenly reeling demon.

"Ah, how quickly the tables turn!" Kargil laughed as Zeliax staggered back, hissing in pain. "Now who is vermin, oh mighty god of wrath? Now who requires whose favor?"

The response came through gritted teeth. "You have no... idea what you're playing with, Kargil! You'll destroy yourself..."

"Is that all you have? I expected better. No, Zeliax. A great many things will be destroyed today, but I will not be one of them." He sneered. "Nor will Voltron. Once I've slaughtered the pilots, I will place Voltron on display as my trophy, and you will be chained beside it. To see it so close, and never yours to destroy. Helpless."

Snarling something undoubtedly quite vulgar, Zeliax unleashed a new torrent of energy. This manifested as water—it was surreal, watching it strike the emperor and drive him back a step. A thick layer of ice formed in the water's wake. The power the erstwhile collaborator held was still terrifying... it was simply that Kargil now had something even more terrifying at his disposal. With a roar he shattered the ice and threw Zeliax back.

The battle was interrupted by the bay door swinging open. Sharilar, still moving stiffly from the bandages beneath her robes. "What's going... Emperor? What's happening here?" She pulled up short, staring at the remnants of the artifact. "What is that? We felt some sort of power all the way across the ship..."

"Ah, Witch-Primus!" He sneered. "You're just in time. Behold the future of the Drule Empire, which will succeed where you and your servants have failed!"

"Sire?" She didn't look frightened, only confused, turning her attention on the wreckage. "What are you saying?"

Kargil laughed. "It's very simple, Witch-Primus. I'm saying a new power has been delivered into my hands. And therefore I have no more need of the Circle, and no further need of you." His eyes flared violet and he reached one hand out, gathering a bolt of energy that sprang for Sharilar like some ancient banshee.

For all her occult talents, the witch didn't even grasp what was happening in time to defend herself. At the last second she tried, nearly screaming an incantation to project a wall of force in the bolt's path, but the attack was already past the shield by the time it finished forming. The energy slammed into her, consuming her in a wave of purple flame.

Serek was pretty sure she screamed, but he couldn't hear it over the roar of blood in his own ears. This couldn't be happening. Of all the other madness and nightmares this invasion had brought, this could not be happening...

"Father!" He stepped forward past Telok, who was retreating to the door. Probably more intelligent than what he was doing. "Stop this, it's insane! Your own people..."

"She was weak. A constant failure." His father turned to him. "I suggest you be silent, Serek. It would pain me if you turned out to be equally weak."

What? He can't mean... was this the moment, then? The one Kaela had tried to make him see, the one he'd tried so hard to pretend might not come to pass? Serek gritted his teeth, gathering his courage. If that moment had come, he would not be weak... even if his strength wasn't what his father would want it to be.

"Enough of this!" That hateful artifact. That was the cause of this, and that was what had to go. Fortunately, it had been loaded into the ammunition bay just as the usual compliment of missiles would be. And it was still sitting on the feed track. Serek ran for the wall controls, praying to any god or demon who might be willing to listen at the moment, and hit the manual feed command.

The track screeched and started to move, carrying the artifact along with it for some twenty yards. But then it hit the missile tube and came to a halt. It was just slightly too large to fit through.

Lords of Honor, be with me...

His father glared at him with as much hatred as he'd ever seen. "Stupid boy. I tried so hard to mold you into a proper weapon... no matter. I have no need of other weapons anymore."

Two things happened at once. A vivid purple bolt of energy sprang at Serek, who had no time to even attempt to move. And at the same time a dark silhouette dove in front of him, intercepting the bolt with a horrible scream.

Zeliax?

"Run, Prince Serek." He nearly choked the words. "You have no idea what you're facing, either. There's nothing you can do here."

"Oh, how touching. Did you turn my weakling son against me, then?" Kargil stepped forward, glowing with power. Crouched on one knee, his own power crackling wildly around him, Zeliax cast a burst of wind to try to force the emperor back. Like everything else, the violet energy dampened it, and he laughed madly. "Struggle all you like, heretic! It'll only amuse me more."

"Amused, are you?" The human's voice was still ragged. "And will the rest of your empire... find haggarium as amusing as you do?"

What?! No. That can't be true. That can't be...

Even Kargil pulled up short at those words, turning to face the artifact again. Just for a moment. Then a wicked smile took hold on his face. "...So this is the legendary haggarium? And yet, with such power, that miserable wretch Lotor still somehow failed? I am not so pathetic. Those with the strength to put fear aside will join me in the coming reign of glory. Those who cannot have no place in my Empire!" Sneering as Serek recoiled in horror, he ripped some chain up from the missile track and grabbed Zeliax by the throat. "You can stay here for now. I have a new order to forge."

Serek drew his sword. He had no idea what he intended to do with it, but his father clearly had to be stopped... and besides, that utterly incomprehensible human had saved his life. Honor would not permit that to go unanswered. But before he could make a move someone yanked him back. "No, Highness!" Telok hissed in his ear. "The human bailed you out once, don't do anything else foolish!"

Foolish? How could he even talk about foolishness right now? "Admiral—"

"You are a stupid boy, aren't you? If he's going after Voltron he'll be their problem, so just let him get to it. You do no good provoking him to kill you first. Get out of here!"

He was right, of course he was right. Trying to make his father see sense was a lost cause, and pursuing it like this would not serve the Empire... and Serek had learned his lesson about not listening to such warnings. He needed time. He wasn't quite sure what he would do with that either, but that was why he needed it, to figure out some course of action. There had to be something.

With one last look at his father, Serek turned and ran.

They'd had a few hours to recover. A quick nap was plenty, right? Sure, the annoying hole in Blue Lion's side begged to differ, but nobody had asked either Larmina or her lion their opinion on the subject.

"Another robeast already? I thought the witch was supposed to be close to dead, not on a production kick." She scowled as they formed up again, heading for the field where they'd detected the new contact. "Not to mention why they didn't just send both at once to begin with?"

"Are you complaining?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not sure this is actually a robeast," Vince said nervously. "It's kind of weird."

"He is correct," Imam agreed. "This energy is very different than the monsters they usually send. Perhaps it will make more sense when we see what we face."

"Maybe," Vince muttered. "Then again, maybe not."

What was waiting for them wasn't some new monstrosity, another freak of nature. It was a dark blue-skinned Drule in heavy armor. He stood a bit taller than Voltron itself, and his hand was flexing on the hilt of a sword at his side. Most disconcerting of all, he seemed very happy to see them approach. Okay then.

Daniel drew them up short. "Wait, did they decide to do the not an actual robeast thing again? After how well that worked out the last time?"

"I don't think this guy is some expendable lackey." He was powerfully built, and the armor he wore was ornate, not like that junk the giant army had worn. "Maybe he's a robeast and they just ran out of animals?"

"That is possible," Imam agreed. "His signature is well beyond normal biological readings."

Before that discussion could go anywhere else, the enemy answered their questions himself. "Ah, the children finally arrive! I am Kargil, ruler of the Drule Empire, and I am here to take what's mine." He sneered at them, drawing a sword that was nearly dripping with violet energy. "Stand down, insects. Surrender and abandon your lions, and I promise you a swift execution!"

Um...

"...Did he just say he's the emperor?"

"He did. Guess Kaela was right. He's a bit insane."

"A bit? I'd say he's a pretty special kind of insane."

"Oh, this guy's gonna be way more fun than the deranged zookeeper robeasts." Daniel laughed, then opened up Voltron's external comms. "Sorry, man. No can do on the surrender. It's nice to meet you though, we'd heard you were a mindless psychopath, and it's always fun when the bad guys live up to their reputation!"

Vince groaned. "Really, dude?"

"He's just a big Drule armed with a radioactive popsicle, how tough can he be?" Almost before he'd finished speaking, Kargil charged at them with a roar of rage.

"Why do you always have to ask things like that?"

Voltron raised its arms to counter the incoming strike. Larmina frowned as she held her control rods and braced; something about how the emperor was holding the sword wasn't quite right. Did he not know how to use it? Surely that couldn't be it. But he was swinging it wrong, too. It wasn't the edge coming at them but the flat of the blade, and Daniel pushed them forward to make the easy block.

The next moment Larmina felt briefly weightless. Voltron was flying, but not under its own power—the force of the blow had thrown Red and Green high into the air, and the rest of the robot was being dragged helplessly along with them.

"Oh, damn. Come on guys, stabilize!"

"I don't have any control! My systems are resetting."

"Same. All systems failing."

Larmina could feel the others struggling to gain some control of the flight, but there was nothing she could do for it from here. Instead she glanced at her monitors, and immediately regretted it. "Uh, guys? Forget control. Brace yourselves!"

Kargil had leapt into the air after them. As they flailed in midair he locked both fists overhead and slammed them down on Voltron's chest.

The ground came way too fast.

Larmina cried out as they hit, feedback surging in from Blue along with the impact that rattled her own bones. It was a wonder she stayed conscious. And she had no way of knowing if the others had been that lucky... she was halfway through opening her mouth to ask when the Drule loomed up over her main viewscreen.

Oh, hells...

In a move that was admittedly a little bit panicked, she fired off every weapon Blue Lion had available. It turned out she wasn't the only one conscious, or the only one panicked. Sand, fire, wind, and lightning all erupted from the downed robot, accompanied by missiles and lasers and everything else in Voltron's conventional arsenal. The sheer magnitude of firepower obscured Kargil from view for several seconds. Then he simply strode through it, apparently unharmed.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Sir, he is giving off some sort of intense energy. It is not only the sword—"

"—Okay, Ghostman, I'm sure that's gonna be very interesting and important here in a minute, but first hold up and hang onto your teeth!" Daniel wasn't wrong. They hadn't yet regained control and Kargil was on them, lifting Voltron overhead and slamming them back to the earth.

Again it was pretty much all Larmina could do not to lose consciousness. "How are those system resets going, you guys? Kind of need them!" Her own lion wasn't in very good shape on that front either, actually. Blue's consoles were lit up in front of her like an Idrissan lantern festival. She wasn't quite sure when that had happened, but no doubt she'd been busy trying not to crack her skull open. At least he didn't seem to have noticed the hole in her side.

That or he just doesn't need to take advantage of it.

"Almost there." Vince sounded dazed, though she supposed she probably had too. "Our power levels are dropping incredibly fast."

"Yes," Bruno agreed. "His proximity makes it worse. Like Imam said. He's completely lit up with some unnatural energy."

"It is nothing we have seen before," Imam added. "At least not that I can recall, and it is very distinctive. Yellow Lion's sensors do not register it as unknown, but the system interference is making a solid reading difficult."

"Good on you for even getting that much," Vince muttered. "Here he comes again!"

This time the emperor raised his sword, but rather than stabbing straight through Voltron like he looked all too ready to, he just barely breached the crest with the blade's tip. Momentary relief gave way to a certainty this would somehow get worse... and then it did. Violet lightning arced out of the blade, shooting through the lions and into the cockpits, and Larmina screamed along with the others as pain erupted all over her body.

What the hells is this stuff?

Haggarium.

His father, using haggarium.

Serek shook his head, still reeling as he paced the silent bridge, watching the battle. He couldn't fathom this. Everyone in the Drule Empire knew about haggarium. How the mad King Lotor had sacrificed the bulk of his warfleet to the chaotic maw of the Haggarian Quasar, to be torn apart and reduced to the hateful essence which had powered his madness. How when he ran out of soldiers willing to be duped he'd turned to conscripting civilians, claiming their 'contribution' would bring the empire to glory.

Tens of thousands of innocent Drules had been thrown into that quasar like so much garbage. Maybe hundreds of thousands; Lotor hadn't really been big on keeping records. Their lives had fueled the insanity which sent the empire into a death spiral, taken them three and a half centuries to recover from.

And now his father was gleefully using that same power.

He's mad. Kaela was right, you just refused to accept it. And now his madness will bring your people to ruin, just as King Lotor's did before him. The people you've sworn to protect to your dying breath.

It was true, and agonizingly so. But Serek didn't know what to do.

But he knew someone who did.

Zeliax. He'd known, hadn't he? He'd known from the start that the relic must be haggarium, tried to prevent them from bringing it aboard. If he'd studied the Empire and Voltron so thoroughly, he must know of that dark power which had been integral to their last war.

He rushed for the ammunition bay. The human was still there; his father had chained him up inside of the artifact's wreckage, though most of the haggarium was gone now. Only a few lingering violet pools glowed around him. Still, he was slumped over in obvious pain.

"Lord Zeliax!" Serek swallowed hard, steeling himself, then moved closer and pulled on the chains. They had a good bit of slack, thank all the Six Houses... he couldn't completely free him from the presence of the vile substance, but he could at least get some distance.

That distance seemed to help immediately; Zeliax managed to stand up in his chains. "Prince Serek." His voice was rough, but the surprise was clear. "What... are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? The haggarium!" His voice was almost pleading, but this was no time for dignity anymore, was it? "You... you knew it. You must have studied it, you must know how to counter its power!"

The human cocked his head. "Your people haven't studied it? After all the hells it put you through?"

"Of course not. The Wardens declared it unspeakable; its powers of corruption were too great."

Zeliax considered this for a long time, or at least it felt like a long time. It might've been seconds, as fast as Serek's heart was racing. It might as well have been hours.

"...I cannot help."

"What? But you—"

"I know what must be done." There was a note of frustration in his voice. "But neither you nor the Voltron Force is capable of doing it. Not without my direct intervention. And I can't get out of these chains, not with..." He gestured to the haggarium.

Serek's eyes narrowed, studying the chains. They were quite simple, really, not built for imprisonment. He had no doubt his father would have left some extra deterrents in place, but the chains themselves? Trivial. With just a little bit of time his sword would cut right through the heavy steel.

You have no choice. This is the only way. Whatever you have to sacrifice here, it's better than letting your father return to destroy the homeworlds.

"Then I will break them."

"...You realize he's put security measures in place," Zeliax said quietly. "Explosives. You'll die."

He started filing away at the first of the three chains. "Will you?" Surely he couldn't. Not with everything else he'd been able to withstand.

A brief hesitation. "No."

"Then I don't care." Serek kept working on the chain. "This is the only way. I've seen my father's madness... later than I should have, but I've seen it. He disgraces the Drule Empire, and will lead us to damnation." His eyes glowed bright, nearly blinding. "I swore to protect my people. Releasing you is my last chance to do so."

Frown. "What makes you think I won't kill your people myself? If your fleet supports him, they'll only be in the way. The survival of your empire is the least of my concerns."

"I'm aware." Nearly through one chain, he moved on to the next—best to get each to the breaking point before taking his chances severing any. Whatever sacrifices must be made. Even if it means the blind ones who enabled this insanity... as I was the blindest of all. "Every time my people seek conquest, it leads us to ruin. Maybe if you destroy the fleet you'll be doing us a favor. Maybe if we would stop worrying about warfare and glory, the homeworlds could thrive. Maybe..." Another chain hanging by a thread. He moved to the last. "Our goals align. Even if you don't care about mine. I'll make this sacrifice, and make it gladly."

If he hadn't known better, he would have thought there was a note of sorrow in Zeliax's voice. "You're a fool."

"I know." Maybe if he hadn't been such a fool they wouldn't be in this mess. But it was too late for that. He finished with the last chain, studied his work. One good twist and they would all break, and Zeliax would be free, and he...

Well...

To die in the service of the Empire is an honor.

Serek closed his eyes, taking one last, long breath. How exactly did one prepare for death when it was so certain as flipping the proverbial switch? He'd never feared in combat. But in combat he wasn't the one pulling the trigger on his own life. The only answer was not to think—to take one last look around this world, and...

He pulled.

The roar was deafening, incomprehensible. Concussive waves slammed into him from all sides, but it was the fire engulfing him that made him scream for the instant he could. The next, superheated air rushing down his throat ripped his voice from him and he fell, the metal of the bay floor burning his skin further. Lords of Honor, have mercy...

It wasn't the Lords of Honor who came to his side, but a very different god.

Zeliax was moving, beating the flames back, the destructive force of the blast no match for whatever power it was that he held. His cowl had burnt away; Serek squinted through blurred eyes, struggling against the haze. To at least see the face of this enigma who'd won his faith, foolish as it may have been.

"Prince Serek..." The slim form knelt beside him. Zeliax's eyes were filled with conflicting emotion; scorn, pity, disbelief, and perhaps even sadness warred within them. Or perhaps that last was just wishful thinking on his own part. His unmasked features were nothing spectacular. Just a human, though surprisingly young. Yet there was something about him that was vaguely familiar, and then realization struck.

...No. How?

Serek blinked. His mind was superimposing another face over Zeliax's. One he'd seen in the pages of history texts, a memory the Drule Empire looked upon with hatred and fear... no, it couldn't be. What he was seeing could only be an illusion born of his impending death, a mirage of smoke and agony. Couldn't it?

What are you...

He tried to speak. But the words wouldn't come out of his charred throat, only a pitiful rasp. Light was fading, agonizingly slowly. He had survived the initial blast, but there would be no miracles here.

"…Stay still," Zeliax murmured, pulling a knife from what was left of his scorched armor. "I will pay my debts, I won't leave you like this."

What that meant was clear enough. Serek managed the slightest nod. Accepting this fate for what it was. He'd made his choice. What happened now was out of his hands... all he could do was hope that his faith might be justified. And if this heartless creature meant to end his suffering, that could only be a good sign, couldn't it?

A sharp pain quenched the fires.

It took some time for the pain to fade; damage to Voltron itself was minimal. Bruno shuddered and shook out his fur as the inferno that had consumed his cockpit subsided. There's no end to their affronts to nature.

They needed time and space, and Kargil wasn't too inclined to give them either. But that attack had made it clear the emperor was toying with them. Not a good thing, but better than the alternative. History was full of examples of such arrogance backfiring. There must be a way here.

"This guy wants Voltron as a shiny trophy," Daniel snarled, apparently having come to the same conclusion. "Not happening. Let's turn this around."

"Easier said than done," Larmina pointed out. "Any ideas?"

"Matter of fact, yes." As their leader spoke Bruno felt a familiar sense of presence gathering in the back of his mind. Going with that again? He wasn't entirely certain it was wise to strain themselves or Voltron like this, but it wasn't as though he had any better ideas. "Get ready, we're moving—"

Another impact cut him off, and the presence faded as Voltron tumbled along the ground. "We don't have enough power for that either," Vince reported a little unnecessarily. "At this rate we'll be totally dry in a matter of minutes."

"Anything you can do to get us some space?"

"Why is it always me?"

"Because you're the Magic Man, obviously."

The Red Lion pilot gave a long-suffering sigh. "Obviously. Okay, let me give it a shot..." A burst of energy crackled through Voltron, and Bruno saw his power readings jump slightly. They would need a lot more than that to get out of this mess, though.

"It's working!"

"Not really." Vince's voice was strained. "The Nexus is already giving us almost everything it's got. I think I can get us a little more of a jump, but someone else better be ready to do something with it."

And there lies the real issue. Bruno looked up at Kargil, who was advancing on them with his sword leveled. The air around him was actually rippling with his power, like a heat mirage... wait. There was something in that thought. He ran his paw over Green Lion's ECM controls, growling thoughtfully. A mirage. He'd been assuming his electronic warfare capabilities were no use against biological eyes, but that wasn't right, was it? Anyone could be susceptible to an illusion.

He felt Green's presence, a whisper of approval. If she was with him it had to be possible, he just had to figure out how to translate it...

Life.

It all became so clear so quickly. "Do it, Vince. I have an idea. But I'm not sure how much time it'll buy us. Be ready to move." Keeping one hand steady on the ECM panel he closed his eyes, letting Green guide him. The mad emperor was an abomination, but he was still alive. He was within their domain.

Another energy surge raced through Voltron, this one far more powerful. Now. Triggering both Green's sonic beacon and her jamming systems, he could feel the wave of disruptive energies reach out for the enemy. He was in sync with those energies, in sync with Voltron, and for a single agonizing second he found himself in sync with Kargil as well.

What is that?!

Bruno recoiled with a howl of pain, lashing out in his mind against the roiling mass of chaos he'd come into contact with. That hadn't gone as he'd hoped... but while things hadn't gone quite as planned, his mental flailing still had the effect he'd meant for his focus to have. For an instant he could feel it, the mechanical confusion of Green Lion's ECM attacks sinking into the emperor's mind. The next second the wild energies he'd been attuned to faded, returning him to his senses in the cockpit.

He was pretty sure he felt some concern from his lion. "I'm okay, Green. Mostly." He shook his head to try to clear it. If she hadn't gotten him out of there so quickly, he might've been much less okay. "Thank you."

Looking up he saw they'd moved, retreating far from the emperor. Voltron's power levels were stabilizing. Kargil himself was holding his ears and snarling, looking around blindly.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked. "It's like he can't even see us."

"He can't. We need to take advantage."

"Got it. Form..." Then the words trailed off. "...Can we actually do any damage if we hit him?"

"No," Vince and Imam answered in unison.

"Okay, then not so much on the forming Blazing Sword. We need to recharge somehow."

Engineering was not one of Daniel's great loves, and he didn't make any big secret of it. Fortunately, there were other people willing to tell him what he should have learned in class.

"If you remember, sir, Voltron recharges from the power of the elements. Though at our current level, returning to full power—such as it is—from the ambient elements will take far too long to be feasible."

"...Sure! I knew that. Um, any advice, Lance?"

"Oh, now you want my help." Their commander's voice had a hint of amusement beneath its concern. "You can get a jump from any of the dens."

"Let's go to Blue's," Larmina suggested. "If he tracks us down he might have less of an advantage underwater."

"Good call. Don't take too long, though. No telling what he'll do when his great prize goes missing on him."

"Right." Daniel pushed them forward as quickly as Voltron could move, racing out of Kargil's sight and jumping into the lake. "Guess we'll have a little time to figure out what we're doing after the Voltron wash and recharge, then."

Bruno let out a sigh, realizing how much he'd tensed up as his muscles finally relaxed. Here they were again. Confused, desperate, staring defeat in the face and looking for a miracle. But alive. As long as they were alive, they had hope... it was something. It had to be enough.

"Still nothing, Lance?"

"Nope. He's just standing there waiting. It's you guys he wants first, I guess... still, don't think I'd push your luck too much. Or maybe it's more like you shouldn't push my luck."

Even Vince couldn't help snickering a little at that, though he was fighting the urge to lapse into the usual pessimism. Voltron had regained its normal level of power in the last fifteen minutes, kickstarted by the energy of Blue Lion's den. But there was still that one minor detail that Kargil had thrown them around just fine at full power too. "So what's the plan?"

"We play keep away," Daniel suggested. "He's tough. But he may or may not be fast, and we've got ranged weapons."

"Are we sure he doesn't?"

"Won't know until we give it a try."

"Yes," Bruno agreed. "We can't stay here much longer. Let's go."

Vince had a few expectations for what would happen when Voltron left the water and returned to the Academy complex. Kargil might be there waiting to ambush them, the Drule fleet might have fixed on their position, or any other manner of unpleasant things might have turned up in the meantime. What he didn't expect was for his comms console to light up. "Incoming transmission...?"

"Yeah, I'm getting it too."

"It appears to be coming in under an Imperial signature."

"Weird." His eyes narrowed as a secondary monitor came up, flooded with numbers and diagrams. "It's... it's some sort of data dump. A chemical study? Molecular structure, matter composition, energy signature... I don't understand..." There was an odd sensation in the back of his mind. He didn't understand himself, no. But Red Lion seemed to understand. In fact, his lion actually found this data familiar.

Bruno growled. "No doubt a distraction. Stay focused, Vince."

"No, this is... it's important, somehow..." He closed his eyes for a moment, letting energy spark within him, laying his hands on the consoles. "Okay, Big Red. If you trust this, I'll trust this. Lance, can the castle's systems make any more sense of this data, you think?"

"Send it on over, I'll give it a try. Also you've got a crazy emperor moving in on your position, probably about five minutes out."

Larmina's tone was perfectly flat. "Oh, yay."

As Voltron braced, waiting for Kargil to come into view, Vince kept an eye on the data that had come in. It was actually fascinating. Would've been more fascinating if it weren't in the process of killing them, but hey. It was mostly a chaotic mess, but there was something... there were vulnerabilities in it. Not patterns, exactly. Weak points that could be exploited. Running an analysis his eyes widened; the oddities he was seeing were perfectly opposed to the energy Voltron itself used. And then it all made sense.

It's all power. This stuff nullifies our energy, and ours nullifies it in return... but he has so much more of it. That last realization was all too clear. "This data is for whatever energy Kargil's pumped up with."

"Yeah, and wait until you hear what it is." Lance sounded dumbfounded. "I was really hoping the uncanny resemblance was a coincidence, considering it's completely impossible, but... things just got real, kids. You're dealing with haggarium."

Haggarium. His breath caught in his throat, and he heard similar gasps over the comms from the others. The essence of chaos and madness, concentrated evil in its purest form... the dark power Voltron was supposed to have put an end to centuries ago.

"How can that be, Commander?"

"I have no damn idea."

"He found it on Arus," a new voice broke in. It was coming only over the lions' comms, and it was very familiar. Is that...? "Not all the hidden wreckage from the last war was fully neutralized, apparently."

Vince blinked, seeking out the source of the signal. A shadowy figure was crouched on the roof of the academy hangar, head turned towards Kargil's approach. His black armor was battered and scorched, revealing the metal reinforcing it in several places, and the tattered cloak no longer had the hood and mask attached.

"...Zeliax?"

For a moment the strange man turned to face Voltron, eyes narrowed. Wait, what? It didn't make any sense. He looked human, which they'd assumed, yes... but he was so young. He couldn't have been much older than the cadets themselves. As he nodded to them he turned away again, wild brown hair whipping in the wind. "It seems I'll be saving you again. You've seen the information I sent, you understand how it works? I'd expect at least the red cub to have figured it out by now."

Daniel started to snarl an undoubtedly hostile response, but Vince decided this was a good time to override him. "I can see the way it counteracts, sure. But we don't have the kind of power it would take to exploit it, this guy's practically dripping with haggarium."

"Of course." A pale nimbus of energy flared into being around Zeliax, and Vince's eyes widened. "Not on your own."

That power...

Even if he hadn't recognized the sight, Vince could feel the truth of that aura. It wasn't the elemental energy he'd wielded in the Chaos Realm, but something deeper. Something pure and raw, almost primal. And most of all, something incredibly familiar—and not only because he'd just been studying its signature.

But... how is that possible?

Before he could say anything Kargil appeared in the distance, charging with his sword raised. "What do we do now, sir?" Imam asked as they braced. "Continue with the original plan, or should we alter it for the fiend's presence?"

A hesitation. "Much as I'd like to say the jerk's on his own, we can use all the help we can get. But we won't be any use if we just get drained again, so—"

The glow around Zeliax suddenly intensified, and Vince's jaw dropped as his readings skyrocketed. "—Hold that thought, Daniel. We're at full power!"

"Uh, isn't that why we left the lake?"

"I don't mean our usual full power. I mean full full power."

In their moment of distraction Kargil was on them, swinging his sword as a web of violet lightning gathered around it. Reflexively they moved Voltron to block, despite everything that had happened so far in this battle. And this time the haggarium sword stopped dead in Red and Green Lions' jaws.

"Did that just happen?"

"That totally just happened."

"Amazing..."

"Don't get cocky," Lance ordered. "Less cheering, more fighting. Haggarium is still haggarium."

Fair point. Voltron's power was fluctuating just from being in contact with the sword; they pushed the emperor back and he retreated, eyes smoldering. "How? You dare to defy the Emperor of the Drules? Now your deaths will be painful." He was probably about to say something else pretentious, too, but then the spark atop the hangar caught his eye. "...You! How many rounds of pest control must I carry out?" He swung his sword again, this time firing an arc of seething energy that tore straight through the building.

Immediately Voltron's power levels dropped back to normal. Okay, so whatever Zeliax had done to them was temporary. "Looks like he's channeling energy to us. We need to keep Kargil's attention off him if we want to stay at full strength." Assuming he lived through that. Somehow after the Chaos Realm, even Vince wasn't quite cynical enough to doubt he had. Sure enough, the rubble of the hangar exploded into a whirlwind of debris that slammed full on into the emperor. It didn't seem to have much of an effect, at least as damage went... but it certainly managed to piss him off.

With a roar of fury, Kargil completely forgot about the giant robot behind him in favor of his own supposed ally, and Zeliax dropped to his knees beneath a powerful haggarium blast.

"Might need to rethink that plan," Bruno observed, totally deadpan. "I don't think they like each other."

"Yeah, kind of getting that impression," Daniel agreed. "But hey, if Emperor Nutcase wants to stay busy with Mysterious Jerkface, more power to him. Let's take advantage of it. Give him everything we've got!"

Once again, Voltron unleashed its full arsenal on the ruler of the Drule Empire. Elemental energy washed over him as lasers and plasma lanced into his back, and missiles exploded all over his armor. This time he staggered under the assault—a flare of white light in front of him told them Zeliax was attacking too. "Keep it up!"

"ENOUGH!" Kargil bellowed, striking his sword hard on the asphalt and creating a burst of violet light. "You mock the Empire by insulting the Emperor, and your insolence will not stand!" A shockwave erupted from the crater. It threw Zeliax several hundred feet across the complex then slammed into Voltron, bypassing the lions' armor to send waves of pain through their cockpits.

All Vince could do was scream.

Keep it together. Keep it together!

As Daniel fought off the pain of the haggarium blast, Kargil stormed forward again, reaching out and seizing Voltron by the throat. "Children," he sneered, alarms howling as his fingers pierced their thin neck armor. His hateful gaze met Daniel's through the cockpit glass. "The Alliance thought to counter my might with children. I'll have your decaying corpses borne on pikes when I accept their surrender!"

Sheesh, this guy's ego is bigger than he is.

Something in the flare of the emperor's eyes told Daniel to duck. And maybe pray. He wasn't super big on praying, but he was piloting a robot made out of five demigod lions... a split second after he moved Kargil's fist crashed into Voltron's face, and a shower of exploding glass rained down on him. "You can't run from me, insect!" Two huge blue fingers reached in through the shattered eye sockets, groping for him, and he dove under the main console to dodge.

Bad, bad, bad...

Hold on just a damn minute. No way am I just gonna sit here and take this.

Eyes narrowing as his heart raced, Daniel called up his claws and slashed at the nearest fingertip. "You get the hell out of my cockpit, Blueboy!"

To his own intense shock, the emperor actually withdrew with a howl of pain, dark blood splattering over Black's consoles. "How dare you?"

"Daring is kind of my gig!" Of course he still had to somehow get them out of this mess, but... an idea sprang to mind, and without any further thought on the subject he popped up and yanked a lever.

As Kargil swung his fist again, Black Lion's lower jaw closed, hiding Voltron's damaged face behind the lion's snarling fangs. The punch still connected... but this time it definitely hurt the emperor more than it hurt him. A moment later they lurched. He didn't even have his hands on the movement controls yet, but they were launching into the air in an incredibly unbalanced trajectory, driven purely by Blue and Yellow Lions.

"Whoa! ...Nice move, you guys."

"You're welcome, hotshot!"

"Are you alright, sir?"

"The thanks was implied! ...And I'm okay." He wrinkled his nose at the blood all over his seat and consoles, and after a moment's thought called his armor before sitting down. "A little freaked out," way more than a little freaked out, "but okay. What's our power like?"

"It took a hit, but it's recovering," Vince reported. "...No, scratch that, we're back up to full."

Zeliax's voice came through again. "You need to end this, and you need to do it now." He was standing on what had once been the Academy parade ground, burning with that pale energy again. "At this rate he'll actually kill one of you."

Though Daniel desperately wanted to ask why he cared, he supposed this wasn't the time. The emperor was charging for the parade ground too, apparently having decided if he couldn't reach Voltron he would get the other enemy out of the way. Good tactics. Except for the part where he was once again turning his back on the now fully powered giant robot.

"Okay. It's officially the appropriate time for this." He clenched his fists tight around the control rods. "Form Blazing Sword!"

The sword formed, alright. Formed alight with a power they'd never managed to produce before, more brilliant than any ancient holovid or gaming special effect had ever seemed to render it. Daniel's breath caught, and from the way their limbs briefly froze he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one stunned.

This is what Voltron is supposed to be...

A slow grin spread across his face. That wasn't right, of course. This was a very serious battle against a very serious enemy, with the fate of Arus and the galaxy hanging in the balance. Not to mention the fact that the Drule emperor had just come uncomfortably close to squashing him like a grape. He had no damn business grinning like a loon right now. And yet he was.

"Let's do this!"

He was actually pretty sure he wasn't the only person enjoying this, either. Flying had never felt like this before. Voltron moved so smoothly, cutting through the sky, bearing down on Kargil like a thunderbolt from the heavens.

The emperor heard them coming. Or maybe he just sensed them. Either way he spun at the last possible second, just in time for the Blazing Sword to thrust forward and pierce his chest in a blinding burst of light.

"N... no! This can't... this cannot be!" Kargil lashed out with a flurry of chaos power, leveling the buildings all around them, striking Voltron with several bolts but not doing any real damage. "I am Kargil, Emperor of the Drules... I am..."

"You are loud," Larmina snapped, and Voltron quite literally drop-kicked him off of the Blazing Sword. He sailed impressively, trailing blood through the sky, landing in a heap on the far side of the complex. And an enormous explosion of violet light shook the earth.

"...It's over," Vince whispered as the roar of the explosion faded. "Nothing left but residual energy signatures. He's gone."

He's gone...

The comms filled with cheers, triumphant yells, even a sharp whistle that he was pretty sure came from the control room rather than any of the lions.

"We did it!"

"The madness is ended."

"Kiss our asses, Drule Empire!"

"Why would you want them to do that? It sounds unpleasant for all involved."

"It's just an expression, Imam..."

The celebration was cut off as a burst of energy struck Voltron's side. Struck, but didn't seem to do any damage. Daniel blinked, spinning them around to see Zeliax standing there, pouring a solid stream of pale energy into the robot's chest. Definitely no damage, but it was at least making it clear enough whose side he was on... for a few seconds the energy burst continued, then he drew back, looking frustrated and furious at once.

"Power levels are back to normal. Looks like the teamwork is over."

"He's got to be kidding."

"He does not seem to be." Imam addressed the cloaked figure as he dropped back further. "Fiend, will you still not reconsider? You did just aid us in killing the very tyrant you were working for. Why continue this battle now?"

"I'm not sure if you noticed, cubs, but the Emperor and I had our working relationship... compromised. I had more to fear from him than you did." He shook his head. "Nothing else has changed."

More to fear than we did? Were we having the same battle there? Daniel had so many questions. And if he had questions he could only imagine what his more curious teammates were thinking. But it didn't matter anymore. You know what they say about curiosity and cats. If he's going to insist...

He leveled their blade at the enemy. "Then we'll end this now."

"...Go ahead and try."

The Blazing Sword looked very impressive, aimed as it was at the heart of their foe, but such a weapon wasn't really made to zero in on such a small target. As Voltron thrust the blade forward its path wavered, just slightly, passing harmlessly beside Zeliax and gouging a deep scar in the earth.

"Daniel. Might not be the time to be fancy." Bruno sounded a bit frustrated. "Just have Vince fry him."

"Works for me. Have at it, Magic Man!" Voltron banished the sword and raised its right arm, sending a massive gout of flame at the enemy. There would be no dodging that.

He didn't even try. Just stood there, bathed in fire, watching them calmly as his armor glowed white-hot.

"What the...?"

"How the hell is he doing that?"

"He is absorbing the energy of the flames, sir." Imam paused for a moment, the sound of his fingers flying over his consoles clearly audible in the background. "...More than that. He is absorbing Voltron's own power, but he is also giving off a similar power, which Voltron is drawing in. We are in a stable feedback loop."

"Of course we are," Daniel grumbled as the flames dissipated, leaving their target standing in significantly more scorched armor but unharmed. "I know Kargil was more dangerous, but holy cats Zeliax is more annoying."

"...Daniel," Lance broke in, his tone suddenly dead serious. "Is that Zeliax? That's the collaborator who's been giving us hell all this time?"

Frown. He supposed this was the first time the boss would have gotten a good look at this enemy; the haggarium and giant Drule and fire and stuff would have all been pretty distracting. "Yeah, why?"

"Fall back."

Wait, what? That had to have been his imagination. Lance had not seriously just told them to fall back, had he? It was ridiculous. "Don't worry, we've got this. He may suck up our power, but we can still squash him like a bug!" To illustrate his point, he moved Voltron forward, raising its damaged right leg for a killing stomp. Which missed.

"Damn it, Daniel, stop screwing around. Get back here. Now. You have no idea what you're dealing with out there!"

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. He'd never heard the boss sound quite so unnerved... including when he'd told them about the haggarium. It seemed absurd. But when had he ever actually been wrong? Besides, Voltron was a mess right now, and he supposed they weren't really accomplishing anything like this.

Also he was still sitting in a puddle of Drule blood. Getting out of that would be nice.

"...Okay guys, we're gone."

He noticed something as they retreated, though his conscious mind didn't quite stop to work through it. It was more of a fleeting fragment of thought, something that would make sense later when all the pieces fell into place. For now it was just a passing curiosity.

Something about Zeliax was very familiar... and the armor sheathing his right forearm looked oddly like a voltcom.

As soon as he was sure the Force was actually retreating, Lance was running. It was stupid; he vaguely registered that fact as he sprinted for the doors of the castle. He was going out there unarmed to face someone who'd been their enemy all this time, someone he'd just seen take a full barrage from Voltron itself and remain standing.

But how could he not? If he'd seen what he thought he'd seen, what he was certain he'd seen...

Zeliax was still standing on the parade ground, just watching in the wake of Voltron's retreat. Almost as if he were waiting for something. Or someone.

He would be, wouldn't he?

Yes, he was waiting. He stepped forward as Lance reached the edge of the parade ground. A wind was picking up, whipping the scorched cloak around him as he approached. Appropriate. Possibly not coincidental. It was all Lance could do to keep his pace even, his breathing calm. Was the wind as cold as it seemed, or was it just the ice crawling down his spine?

The young man stopped a few feet away, looking over him for several very long seconds before meeting his gaze. "Hello, Lance."

There was no mistaking it. The glasses were gone, the innocent features twisted with hate, the black steel encasing his wrist no longer glowing with green light. And yet, and yet... a pang shot through Lance as he met those emerald eyes. Once so warm and filled with joy, now ice cold and narrowed with malice.

It couldn't be.

It was.

"Pidge..."