Chapter 20: Trinity of Blades

At the Castle, Keith, Sandra, and Lapis were looking at their luxite blades as Shiro asked Coran about how close they were to reaching the coordinates.

"Coran, how soon will we get to the Blade of Marmora's base?"

"Based on the coordinates that Ulaz gave us, we should be there within a few doboshes."

Pidge and Hunk were excited to see the technology of the Blade of Marmora overall.

"I can't wait to see it. I mean, they were able to fold space-time, and that was just an outpost!"

"Mm, the space taco. It left us too soon."

Hunk's stomach growled in remembrance before Pidge spoke onward.

"Well, sure, but my point is, imagine how amazing their home base will be!"

"Exactly, it could take on any shape. Like a space jelly donut. Or long, like a space éclair. Or a space cheese blintz with a cherry sauce on top. Maybe a little dusting of powdered sugar. That's the stars."

That made Lance's appetite grow insatiable.

"Aw! Now, I'm hungry for breakfast."

Jenny didn't see any reason why he should be.

"Uh, didn't you eat breakfast already?"

Keith wanted to get everyone on task as he spoke up.

"Guys, this is a serious mission. We need to focus."

Lance only mocked Keith despite the importance of it.

"We need to focus."

That earned a slap on the head from Jenny as she glared at him.

"Don't poke the bear, Lance. It's bad enough you forgot something sparkly for me, so just drop it, okay?"

Ayame and Keith were shocked that Jenny had been holding onto this grudge for a whole quintant.

"Whoa."

"Still haven't gotten over it, huh?"

Jenny hmph'd as Coran pointed out that the Castle got closer to its destination.

"The base is in range."

"Take us in slowly."

"This might prove the tiniest bit of a challenge."

Ahead of them was blue ray of light caught in the middle of two black holes. Hunk thought it was familiar on Earth standards.

"Is that a black hole?"

"No, no, no, no, no. It's two black holes and a giant blue star."

"That's not better." Pidge knew Hunk was correct.

"No kidding. Just inside a black hole, the temperature is one millionth of a degree above absolute zero. But just outside of that, it's hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius."

Hunk came up with a space food reference for that.

"Okay, it's like a when you try to nuke a frozen burrito in a microwave, and it comes out all scorching hot on the outside, but it's still frozen in the middle, right?"

That made Lance even hungrier than before.

"Now, I'm hungry for lunch!"

Jenny was getting annoyed with that now as she snapped.

"Well, nobody cares!"

Keith wanted to stop their potential argument before it got started so they could get back to the mission.

"Guys, quiet! Arguing isn't gonna get us anywhere. Coran, where's the base located?"

Coran pulled up another scan inside the blue star and found an asteroid.

"In between those three deadly celestial objects."

Pidge and Allura gave their two cents before Jenny and Hunk gave theirs.

"The perfect defense position."

"Or the perfect trap."

"Or maybe it's both?"

"Yeah, I'm with you guys. Maybe we shouldn't, like, go in there at all?"

Ayame and Zaltron saw no point in turning back, however.

"Any other day, we would ignore this. But they could be the only allies we have in this war. If we don't get their help, who else is gonna help us in the next quintant?"

"I agree. The Blade of Marmora are skilled in secrecy and skill. We'll need both to achieve victory over Zarkon. Any other path would lead to eventual defeat."

Then, Lance found himself convinced.

"Well, okay. I guess we're in."

Keith and Sandra turned to Lapis, who was still looking at her blade.

"You okay, Lapis?"

"Yeah, you've been staring at that blade ever since you brought your father here."

"I'm fine, you guys. It's just... my father always told me I was bound to be a fellow blade someday. I just didn't think it'd actually come true..."

Just then, a message from the Blade of Marmora appeared in the Castle's transmission.

"Identify yourself."

Shiro took his turn before Zaltron spoke after.

"Open a hailing frequency. We are the Paladins of Voltron sent here by Ulaz."

"And with them is Zaltron, the champion of the Blade of Marmora, and his daughter, Lapis."

For a while, there was silence before the response came in.

"Seven may enter. Come unarmed."

The transmission then ended before Allura had doubts of her own before Azix put said doubts to rest.

"Why would they insist we come alone?"

"This is customary procedure. Though, in my day, they only accepted two. It's quite a step up."

Babak didn't feel convinced.

"Still, I don't feel right about this, Shiro."

"We've come too far to turn back now."

"But there's no safe route to even guarantee entrance."

Then, Ayame noticed an arrow that headed towards the center in a diagonal upright position before curving back down.

"What about this route?"

Coran noticed this too and pointed it out.

"Of course. They just sent us a route to the base, but we'll have to move quickly. Because of the solar flares it's only open for another varga. Then, it will be closed for two quintants."

Hunk got surprised on how long it'd take before Pidge corrected him.

"They're gonna close it for two years?"

"Two days."

"Oh."

Lance began wondering on who should go before asking Shiro.

"So, any thoughts on who's gonna join you on this little mission? I'm thinking things might get a little hot, so you're gonna want someone who can stay cool."

"You're right. Keith, Sandra, Ayame, you're coming with me."

The trio grew surprised before Lance objected.

"We are?"

"What? Okay, Sandy and Ayame, I can understand, but Keith's a hothead! He's probably going to shoot first and ask question later! And they're not gonna be able to answer his questions because they'll be dead!"

Jenny gripped Lance's ear before dragging him back to the chair as she barked at him.

"Well, too bad! Nobody always gets what they want. I didn't!"

Then, Jenny turned to Shiro and the others upon realizing he does make a good point.

"But he's right, though. If Keith snaps, how is he gonna get answers if he either kills them or gets killed?"

"We haven't yet severed Zarkon's link to the Black Lion, so it has to stay here. And the Red and Violet Lions can withstand the heat from the sun. So, yes, it'll be Keith."

"You know that doesn't answer my question."

"Keith can choose for himself what the right thing to do is. I believe in him."

Then, Jenny looked to Keith before speaking to him.

"Well... good luck."

"Thanks."

Then, Coran pointed out the dangers.

"The course to the base will be quite treacherous to say the least. You're walking a razor's edge between the gravitational pull of the black holes and the sun. One false move, and you'll either be crushed into infinity or burned to a crisp."

Lapis didn't see any reason to worry.

"It's alright. As long as we stay on the route, we'll be fine."

Later, the Red and Violet Lions took off to the base before Shiro spoke to Ayame.

"Ayame, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You seemed so eager to get to the base."

"Well... a few days ago, I promised I'd help Keith and Sandy find out who gave them their blades."

"But what about you?"

"I know Xarnas gave it to me as a gift, and apparently, I unlocked it as well. So that leaves me out of it."

Keith took his turn to check on her.

"Are you sure you're okay with all this?"

"Yes. I know who I am, thanks to you guys. I want to help return the favor. And if that means sticking by you when you become leader, so be it."

"Wait, Ayame. Become the leader?"

"You don't remember? When we were stranded, Takashi told you if anything ever happened to him, he wanted you to lead Voltron."

"That can't be true. Right, Shiro?"

Then, Shiro only confirmed Ayame's answer. "Actually, it is."

"I thought you were just delirious with pain. Why would you make me the leader?"

"Because I know what you're capable of, if you can learn some self-discipline."

"Why are we even talking about this? Nothing is gonna happen to you."

"It's just in case. I need you to get focused."

Sandra pitched in with the conversation before Shiro took his turn again.

"Yeah. When you guys ran off, I had to fill in for you as the Red Lion, not that I didn't enjoy helping you out."

"If you're going to be a leader, you need to get your head on straight."

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"I know. We all have."

Then, an alarm went off as they were being sucked into a black hole.

"We're getting drawn in by one of the black holes!"

Then, Lapis noticed this before she got worried.

"Keith! Get out of there!"

The Red Lion booster it's thrusters before jumping on a rock and got back to the route with the Violet Lion in front of the Red Lion just before the solar flare sealed the entrance.

Lapis and Shiro knew it was a close call.

"Phew!"

"Great job! That was close."

When they landed and got out, they saw nothing but rock within the solar flare.

"There's nothing here. This place just looks like a plain asteroid."

Then, an elevator rose up for them to see three masked Blades waiting for them before Lapis spoke.

"They are real..."

At Zarkon's command center, two Druids were "escorting" a lieutenant to Haggar's chamber where she'd interrogate him as Thace looked on in worry. In her chambers, Haggar held a black and dark purple orb to him.

"I am going to ask you some questions. I will know if you lie."

The lieutenant could only sit and stare at it as it neared him.

Inside the elevator, Lapis looked around the workings of the base in awe as it went down. All the while, Ayame was growing anxious. The only reason she had the blade to begin with was because of Xarnas' betrayal. And even if he paid his debt, she didn't. She's worried about what it could take for it to be paid before Sandra placed her hand on Ayame's shoulder.

"Hey, Ayame. You doing okay?"

"I'm just... anxious."

Shiro found himself in agreement.

"Me too. We'll try to keep this short."

Then, the elevator went all the way down to the base before they walked toward the masked leader, surrounded by a female blade with a mask as well as Ulaz and three other males. The leader spoke to them once they've stopped.

"I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora."

Lapis placed her first against her chest before closing her eyes.

"It's an honor to be in your presence, sir."

Then, she introduced herself and her company from left to right.

"I'm Lapis. You've all known Zaltron and Azix. And these are my friends, the Paladins."

"We already know who you are. Ulaz told us about you."

"Then you also know he sent us to you, too."

Kolivan didn't think it wise.

"Ulaz was a fool to divulge this location to you. He always has a penchant for ignoring orders and following his impulses."

"Just like a certain Paladin I know."

Keith grew offended by Lapis' comment.

"Hey!"

"Well, it's true."

Then, Zaltron spoke next.

"With all due respect, he risked his own life for the sake of ours, thanks in part to the White Paladin's heart."

As Zaltron motioned to her, Ayame grew tense.

"His willingness to put his life on the line was what brought us here today, and Voltron stands ready to assist you."

Then, the female noticed Keith and whispered his name.

"Keith..."

Kolivan, however, was interested in their presence of luxite.

"You were told to come unarmed."

Keith and Shiro thought they were overreacting.

"You also told us to identify ourselves. Our lions are as close as we come to an ID."

If anything happens, believe me, you'll be happy to have the Red and Violet Lions on your side."

"I imagine we would, but I wasn't referring to your beasts."

Then, without warning, one of the three males darted toward Keith. Ayame saw this and reacted by reaching for her own luxite blade and summoning a naginata to stop him, surprising all.

"Stay back."

Keith was just as surprised as well.

"What's going on here?"

Then, two more males swiped the luxite blades from Keith and Sandra. One of them pointed out what type it was while the other assumed the worst.

"They have our blades."

"Who did you steal these from?"

Keith felt he was being put on the spot.

"I didn't! I've had it all my life."

"Lies!"

Then, the female spoke to him.

"He's not lying, Antok."

"What?"

"He speaks the truth."

"How can you trust him?"

Kolivan put the leash on Antok for the time being.

"Hold, Antok. Lapis, can you corroborate your friend's statement? Does this blade truly belong to him?"

Lapis made no hesitation to do so.

"Yes. When I was rescued by the Paladins, I've found out he was in possession of luxite like I was. Since then, we've been at work trying to figure out where it came from. Gathering evidence from the past, we've made a simple observation: it was passed down to him from someone in his family that is of Galra blood."

That surprised Kolivan and the other blades that were present in the arena.

"And the same goes for the Sister as well."

Kolivan wanted to confirm this.

"And you're certain?"

"Yes. I am."

Then, he focused on another matter: the one presently holding a naginata luxite blade.

"And what of this one?"

Ayame did her own explanation, as tense as she was.

"As painful as it is to say... I'm the princess of the Galra Empire."

That made the surprised blades even more stunted before Kolivan spoke.

"So you're the one Xarnas passed his blade to... our organization is built on secrecy and trust. Lapis, you and your father can stay, but the rest of you should leave. Now."

Shiro saw no reason to be here when they're not wanted, though Lapis felt sorry for that.

"Sorry, guys."

"It's alright, Lapis. We came here to forge an alliance, but obviously we're not welcome. Come on, Keith. We're leaving."

Keith wasn't willing to leave, however, and neither was Sandra.

"Not without some answers."

"Somehow, your knives ended up with us on Planet Earth. There has to be a reason."

"Your friend is right. It is time for you to go."

Sandra decided to make her position clear.

"Why give us the blades at all if you're just gonna tell us no? We're given those blades for a reason. We need to know what that is."

"You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here.

"And what's that?"

"The Trials of Marmora. Should you survive, you two will keep the blades and all their secrets will be revealed."

Ayame and Shiro grew tense at this, fearing the worst.

"Survive?"

"Guys, this is crazy. If they're not going to help, let's get out of here."

Keith took Sandra's side in response.

"We're not going anywhere. We have to do this."

Then, Lapis stepped in.

"I wish to take the Trials as well. I've waited my whole life to find you. I want to follow in my father's footsteps."

Kolivan didn't speak for a moment before he spoke.

"Antok, Jareth, give them their blades."

The tallest one gave Keith his blade while the shortest of the two (one that was exactly Sandra's size) gave Sandra hers. Antok and Keith glared toward each other as Jareth and Sandra eyes each other.

"We'll meet again."

"Can't wait."

"I should warn you. Those trials are dangerous."

"Can't be worse than fighting the Galra."

"These trials result in one of two things: Knowledge or death."

Later, Keith, Lapis, and Sandra were in their training outfits, but they were also in different sanctions of their trials. At both sanctions, each one had a fighter ready to combat them.

"Surrender the Blade. You cannot win."

While Keith lunged at him and slashed his knife at him and missed only to be sliced by the shoulder, Lapis let her opponent make the first move as he moved in to attack. Seeing the opportunity, she caught his arm with her blade and tossed him over. She moved in to strike afterward, only for the fighter to counter in time before kicking her away. The two then stood to face each other, their blades ready. As for Sandra, she glared at him, waiting for him to make the next move, but still, he did nothing. At the central hub, Shiro, Ayame, Zaltron, the unknown female, and Azix watched as their individual trials.

"Come on, Keith."

As Keith continued to fight, he was only countered and left open for the fighter to hold his arm back before placing his blade near the base of his neck.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

"I won't quit."

"Then the pain continues. You are not meant to go through that door."

The fighter lifted his blade away from his neck before Keith walked out the door.

Lapis, however, was still in the middle of her fight. As she panted her breath, she began to smile, catching her opponent off-guard.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I know it's to the death and all, but... to me that just means no holding back."

"You probably can't tell, but I agree."

Then, the two of them charged each other before clashing their blades. Then, when Lapis tried to slice his chest, he ducked and backflipped away. Lapis ran toward him before he did a slide on the ground, tripping her backwards before he caught her in his arms. Lapis blinked her eyes in confusion before the fighter spoke.

"Is that really all you got?"

Lapis smirked before she wrapped her legs around his head and spun him around before rolling away.

"Nope. I'm wondering the same about you, though."

As Lapis had some fun with her fighter, Keith had to fight two on one. The moment it started, he was greatly overwhelmed, earning Shiro and Ayame's concerns.

"Why are you letting this go on?!"

"This is not a fair fight!"

Nor is taking in the Galra, yet that is the fight we face."

Keith screamed as he was tripped by one fighter and knees by another before the first pointed his sword at him.

"Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

"Never!"

"You are not meant to go through that door."

As Keith's trial went on, he faced one fighter more of the group and each time he failed, he also refused to give in. Ayame was wondering if he'd even survive the consequences.

"How long does this go on?"

Kolivan answered the princess's question bluntly.

"Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop."

"But he'll never stop."

"One way or another, this will end. Knowledge or death."

As Keith continued through his torture, Sandra was still stuck on her own. As she glared at him, she received a deadringing flashback of her own. For whatever reason, she felt anxious and she had no idea why. The last time she felt this frightened was... Then it came back to her. She'd tried so hard to forget that moment and succeeded. But that didn't stop it from coming back.

At the Garrison, back when she first enrolled, Sandra found herself at the mercy of Zach Brierty, a common bully who's in first class. He was furious at her for not paying proper respects.

"Listen, newbie. Being the superior here, you're supposed to address me as sir. Is it too much to ask for a little respect around here?"

Sandra didn't say anything before he spoke louder.

"Answer me!"

Then, he slapped her across the face with a backhand, knocking her to the ground as she yelped. Far away, Keith saw this and shouted at him.

"Hey! Leave my sister alone!"

Zach let his cockiness got the better of him before he spoke to Keith.

"And what if I don't? What are you going to do about it?"

Then, Zach began mercilessly kicking Sandra in the gut. That made Keith angry before he roared and punched him. After that, one thing led to another in that battle as Sandra lied on the floor and tried hard not to let her tears out, but failed as she sobbed.

Finally, she's had enough waiting as she got her blade out and shouted to her opponent.

"Stop messing with me!"

Sandra ran toward the fighter and slashed at him mercilessly only for him to dodge them and retaliate with a backhand smack, knocking her to the floor before she ended up being kicked in the gut, a maneuver all too reminding of her last traumatic experience. She was beginning to feel weak all over again before she felt anger rising within her.

"Enough!"

Then, Sandra gripped his leg before chucking him to the wall and running toward him. As he tried to recover, Sandra lunged at him and repeatedly struck his face from left to right. Then, she formed her hands together before smashing them in his chest as she yelled out.

"You won't torture me again, Zach! Do you hear me?!"

Then, she caught herself on what she was doing before she noticed that his mask was broken in the process, revealing a purple face with dark blue-purple hair, yellow sclera and purple eyes. Then, he overtook her by flipping her and planted his blade near her throat. Realizing what she could've done Sandra didn't want to fight anymore and felt she needed to disappear.

"Go ahead. Do it. I don't want to live with this anymore... I just... I just want it to end..."

However, the fighter only drew his blade away from her and spoke to her gently.

"There's only one way for it to end. You have to surrender the blade."

Then, she got the pieces together. The blade represented her feelings of weakness and anger. If she cling onto it any longer, she could've been a murderer. That was the path she didn't want to take. Acknowledging this, she nodded to him before holding her blade to him.

"Thank you... for helping me."

Then, to her surprise, the blade glowed brightly before it overcame the area. As it dimmed, the knife had changed to a katana. Even more surprising, her skin color changed purple and her short raven hair had turned Violet with pointy ears sticking out of it.

"W-What just happened?"

"You've awakened the blade. It does belong to you."

Sandra smiled at him before hugging him. Caught off guard, the fighter proceeded to hug her back.

At the main hub, Shiro, Ayame, Azix, Zaltron, Kolivan, and the unknown female watched it all go down before she asked Kolivan.

"How did she change?"

"She didn't. She had merely awakened her true self as well as her blade. Hopefully, your friend can do the same."

Then, she looked over to Lapis' section. She didn't have to worry about Lapis; this whole fight seemed to be like a date to her.

She might as well be right as she was smiling the whole time she fought. They clashed their blades together as they got closer to each other. Lapis spoke to her fighter.

"How long are you gonna keep this up?"

"Depends. How long you holding onto that blade?"

"Just until you actually earn it."

That caught him by surprise before she tripped him and pointed her knife at him. However, he merely kicked her hand away before he rammed himself into her and held her arms on the ground.

"It's customary to say this. Surrender the blade and the pain will cease."

Lapis felt like he's earned it and chuckled as she handed it to him.

"Alright. You win. Here you go."

"Huh? You sure?"

"More than sure. I can't imagine anyone else who'd fight alongside me when I need him... partner."

"Partner?"

"Until now, I never really believed there are other Galra out there that are truly good like my father. You helped me see that. So here you go."

Then, it glowed brightly before it dimmed to reveal its shape had changed to a sword similar to her father's. Lapis knew what it meant.

"I did it."

Then, her fighter unmasked himself before he held his hand out to her.

"My name's Caxas. Welcome to the club."

Lapis smiled as she shook his hand.

"Thanks for having me, partner."

At the Castle, everyone was waiting for them impatiently, Allura most of all.

"How long has it been?"

Coran checked the time table for the current time before relaying it to her.

"Roughly ten vargas."

"We cannot just wait here."

Jenny and Lance couldn't see a way around this.

"Can we even get in there?"

"The path is closed for, like, I don't know, another 30 vargas or something?"

Coran checked the time and was surprised to see he was right, as was Hunk.

"That's actually correct."

"Really?"

Lance felt proud of himself while Jenny could care less.

"Yeah. I wasn't born yester-quintant."

"I seriously doubt that. If you weren't, I'd have that sparkly thing by now."

Lance frowned at this before Allura tried to check the base, only for Pidge to point out its flaws.

"I-I have to know what's going on down there."

"There's no way to get a read on them. Too much interference from the solar flares and black holes."

Hunk had an idea to go around that.

"If we account for the gravitational lensing, maybe we can reduce the noise and interference and connect with the Red Lion's sensors, right? Th-That's right, right?"

Lance for confused about who he was talking to.

"Are you looking at me?"

Coran knew it was in the realm of possibility as Allura felt it needed to be done.

"We can give it a try."

"Get on it."

At the command center, Thace drew a small flash drive from his fingernail and installed it before getting to work on the main computer. Moments later, a soldier stepped in and spoke to him.

"Haggar wants to speak with you."

Thace had a worried look on his face before he frowned.

At the base's main hub, Lapis, Sandra, and their two fighters entered before Kolivan noticed them.

"I trust they've done well, Jareth?"

"Yes. Sandra almost failed, but I helped her see what needed to be done."

Speaking of, Sandra remembered her brother.

"How's Keith?"

Kolivan pointed her to the monitor showing Keith faced with seven fighters.

Keith was breathing heavily as he paid close attention to the doors they came from. Then, he chucked his knife at the door before running toward it. Then, he fought off one of them before he got hit by another and slid off with the momentum before taking his knife and jumping into the door, much to Shiro and Ayame's worry.

"Keith!"

Later, Keith had come out through the elevator door and walked through the hall.

"Guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door."

Then, Keith began to succumb to his injuries and fell as he tried to stay awake. Then, he looked up to notice Ayame and Shiro.

"Keith."

"Hey, man. You did it."

"Shiro? Ayame?"

The two of them lifted him up as Keith grunted.

"Kolivan said you lasted longer than anyone in the trials."

"Ayame's not kidding. You don't have to keep this up."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just give them the knife and let's get out of here."

"I can't do that, Shiro."

Unbeknownst to Keith, those were actually holograms while the real Ayame and Shiro were at the main hub. Shiro grew surprised at those while Ayame became furious.

"Are those holograms?"

"Why are they here?"

"His suit has the ability to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting the wearer's greatest hopes and fears. And, at this moment, your friend desperately wants to see the both of you."

Meanwhile, the hologram of Shiro spoke to him.

"What is it with you and that thing?"

"It's the only connection to my past. Its my chance to learn who I really am."

"You know exactly who you are, a Paladin of Voltron. We're all the family you need."

"Shiro's right, Keith. Its knowledge or death. I, of all people, understand why you need it, but that blade isn't worth your own life!"

"Ayame, you know I respect you and Shiro... but I have to do this."

The hologram of Shiro thought otherwise.

"No, you don't. So just give them the knife."

"I can't do that."

"Just give up the knife, Keith! You're only thinking of yourself, as usual!"

Keith hesitated for a moment before he made his decision clear.

"I've made my choice."

The hologram wasn't pleased with the answer as he glared at him.

"Then you've chosen to be alone."

Then, as the holograms walked away, one of them stopped to look back at Keith with a frown before she spoke.

"I'm sorry..."

Then, she continued walking before Keith ran toward them.

"Shiro! Ayame, wait!"

As they walked away, they seemed to be walking into a bright light ahead of them. It also seemed to have taken Keith into it before it dimmed to reveal his old house at the sunset before an old voice spoke to him.

"Keith."

He looked to see the source of the voice, only to find a man who looks just like him, except with a peach fuzz and shorter hair, as well as a scar on one of his eyebrows.

"Dad?"

"You're home, son."

Outside, there was a rumbling that shook the earth itself.

"What's going on outside?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll be fine as long as we stay in here. Don't you want to catch up?"

"Of course I do."

Keith handed his father the blade before he sighed, remembering his wife saying that he'd need it someday.

"Son, so many years have passed. I have so much to tell you."

Then, the rumbling became louder.

"What is that?"

"Everything's fine."

However, Keith didn't believe that before he looked out of the window and gasped as he saw a Galra Cruiser with a countless multitude of drones just behind its ion cannon. As people screamed, Keith didn't feel this is something to be ignored.

"Dad, I-I'm sorry. I gotta go. There's people that need me out there."

Just before he could walk out, his father spoke again.

"Don't you want to know about where you came from? Your mother gave it to me."

"Mom?"

Then, the rumbling and the screams got even worse before he reminded him what he's waiting for.

"She'll be here soon."

At the present reality, Keith was lying on the floor groaning in pain, much to the heartache of Ayame.

"I can't stand this... you have to get him out now!"

Kolivan only responded coolly.

"He can decide if he wants to leave."

Shiro agreed with Ayame

"You're messing with his mind. You're going to kill him!"

"Knowledge or death, Shiro."

Ayame didn't really care about it and was more concerned for Keith's well-being.

"I'm not going to let him have either of it means he'll live."

"Me neither. We're calling this off."

Then, Ayame and Shiro began to walk out, only to find two Blades standing in the way.

Meanwhile, in Keith's dream, he was looking at his father.

"You gotta tell me, Dad. I have to know. Where did the knife come from? What does it mean?"

"Your mother is almost here. She'll tell you everything."

However, with the chaos nearing them, he didn't want to wait.

"I can't wait around anymore. I have to go."

Just before Keith gripped the door, his father spoke again.

"If you go out that door, you'll never find out who you are."

Keith took a moment to think about it before he made a decision and turned to him.

"Goodbye, Dad."

Then, he walked out the door as the scenery turned red.

Outside, the Red Lion flared its yellow eyes before roaring. Allura and the others noticed this as well.

"The Red Lion is moving!"

Lance urged Hunk to work faster, but he could only work at a certain pace.

"We gotta get down there!"

"It won't be ready for five more minutes."

At his command center, Haggar was interrogating Thace.

"I am going to ask you some questions. I will know if you lie. I have reason to believe that a spy has infiltrated Galra command."

Thace knew very well what it meant and played innocent to cover his tracks.

"That is very alarming."

"Indeed."

Then, Haggar prepared her dark purple orb in front of him.

"Are you aware of any spy within our ranks?"

"No."

"Commander Thace, are you the one who lowered the solar barrier during the Voltron attack, allowing it to escape?"

"No. I fight in the name of Galra. I am loyal to Zarkon."

Then, Haggar dissipated her energy orb before speaking as she walked away.

"You will help me root out this traitor. We will destroy him and all who threaten our reign."

Back at the base, the Red Lion began attacking the base relentlessly, desperate to check on Keith. On the inside, the base was crumbling as a fighter reported what's happening.

"The Red Lion is attacking the base! It's trying to get through!"

Shiro knew what it meant.

"It has a link with Keith. It knows when he's in danger. It's coming for him."

Then, Ayame's eyes turned yellow for a moment as she used a shadow pulse to force the blades away before she, Sandra, Lapis, and Shiro ran out the door, with the unknown female looking on in surprise before running out along with the other blades.

Outside the base, the Paladins took notice of the catastrophe thanks to Coran.

"The Red Lion has started attacking!"

Hunk got curious as to why.

"Wait, what does that mean? Why would the lion attack? Unless..."

Jenny figured out what Hunk was saying and feared for Ayame's life.

"Oh, no... Don't just stand here! Bust in there now!"

At the base, Keith opened his eyes to see Shiro and Ayame before they took his arms and lifted him up as Caxas, Jareth, Lapis and Sandra caught up with them.

"Keith. Thank goodness we're not too late."

"Are you okay?"

Keith noticed Sandra's now Galra-like appearance.

"What happened to you, Sandy?"

"Let's just say I've had a wake-up call."

Kolivan was not pleased with their interference, but was more concerned with the Lion's attack.

"Stop what you're doing!"

Keith was oblivious to what they were inferring to.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Ayame filled in the blanks for him.

"You were dying, Keith. And because of that, the Red Lion's attacking the base."

Then, the base shook again before Kolivan ordered them.

"Call off your beast!"

Ayame knew of only one way to handle this.

"The only way to do that is if we leave here."

"None of you are leaving with that blade. It does not belong to you. You've failed to awaken it!"

"What does that mean?"

Then, Lapis and Sandra noticed Antok getting out his blade before he prepared to strike.

"Give up the blade!"

Just as Antok moved in, Jareth stood in front of him.

"If you want his blade, you'll have to go through me. We won't let you interfere with his trial."

Then, Ayame realized something.

"That's right... his trial's still going on!"

At the Castle, Allura checked with Coran.

"Coran, how much longer until we can get in?"

"Just a few more ticks, princess."

"Get ready."

Back at the base, Keith thought about what the hologram versions of Shiro and Ayame said and knew it had to be done as he noticed Antok preparing to attack his own comrade before he spoke.

"Wait! Just take the knife!"

The group grew surprised to hear this, Ayame most of all, although Lapis and Sandra shared their confusion first.

"Keith?"

"Are you sure?"

"But... you said it's the only connection you have to the past."

"You're right, though. It's not worth my own life. It doesn't matter where I come from. I know who I am. We all need to work together to defeat Zarkon and Kaecilius. If that means I give up this knife, fine. Take it."

After those words, the blade itself spread purple light throughout the room, letting Antok know what it means.

"You've awoken the blade!"

The group looked on before his knife turned into a scimitar of sorts.

"The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins."

Then, Keith looked to Sandra before she laughed nervously before he smiled.

"Well, I guess that explains the look."

Then, the unknown female walked up to Keith and Sandra before speaking.

"Your mother would be so proud of you." Sandra didn't feel it to be sure.

"How would you know?"

Then, her mask faded away to reveal a face similar to Keith's with purple hair in the front and red on the lower back as well as purple eyes.

"Let's just say we have history."

At the Castle, Allura was waiting for Coran's mark.

"Five... four... three... two... one!"

Just before they could launch, the Red Lion came into view as Shiro spoke.

"Princess, we're coming back, and we're bringing someone you should meet."

Coran was relieved to see them alive.

"They're all right!"

Pidge and the others grew just as relieved.

"Yes, they did it!"

Later, the Red and Violet Lions arrived and landed in the hangar. Next, the Red Lion opened up the cockpit to reveal Shiro, Ayame, Azix, Zaltron, Sandra, and Jareth while the Violet Lion opened up to reveal Lapis, Kolivan, Antok, Krolia, Ulaz, and Caxas. As both groups walked out, Kolivan's mask went away before speaking with Allura.

"Princess Allura, it's good to see that the rumors are true. You're still alive after all these years."

Babak didn't particularly welcome him with open arms.

"So is Zarkon, no doubt. Can we consider you our ally in the fight against him and Kaecilius?"

"Yes, but we have little time to discuss this. I just received word from our spy inside the Galran hierarchy. They have become aware of our presence, so the timetable for our plan has been moved up."

Ayame was wondering when it would take place.

"How soon should we start?"

"Now."

At his cruiser, Kaecilius was in his chambers consulting with Omegus.

"So, you were unsuccessful in capturing Voltron up close and personal."

"It matters not. I swore that I'd make him endure greater suffering. The Quintessence I've absorbed from that blast will deliver on it."

Then, Omegus glared his eyes at an empty jar before it instantly filled with Chaos Quintessence before solidifying into a comet with red glowing lines around it.

"All the more reason why I'm so eager to use it..."

Then, he heard a soldier step in before he closed the rift and turned to him.

"What is it?"

"Haggar is convinced there's another spy at Zarkon's command center."

"Another spy?"

"Yes. But we hadn't know of this spy for some time until now."

"Is that so?" Then, Kaecilius bore a dark smile.

"Why don't we pay this spy a visit?"