A/N: Hello. In anticipation for the final season, I've decided to work on a send a new chapter and a chapter update. By the time you finish reading this, I'll be working on it before the final season gets released. Hopefully, I can send it up before then successfully. Now, seeing as the White Lion is a mystical being, I think he should at least have a voice that speaks telepathically, so I think that honor should go to Kirk Thornton for his work as Saix in Kingdom Hearts. Speaking of, I'm also excited for Kingdom Hearts III coming up and will make a story of that once I ensure that the final version of "Fate of the Defenders" is completely updated and finished after the final season, which would take about... two months from now, by my estimate. Anyway, I hope you all have a good day. :)
Chapter 45: White Lion
At the Castle, Alphus, Lotor, and Allura presented the compass stone to the Paladins, Babak, Belle, Sandra, and Coran as Pidge spoke.
"So, this magic rock is gonna guide us to a mysterious planet?"
Lotor knew what planet Pidge was referring to and corrected her.
"A land known as Oriande."
This made Jenny perk her ears up before she spoke.
"Hold up. Babak, you said I'd find the White Lion at Oriande, didn't you?"
"Or an amalgamation of it, yes."
"Then why did I find it at Planet X?"
"That question is... beyond me, Jennifer."
However, Coran laughed it off before he spoke.
"I'm afraid someone's been ruggling your wimble, Prince Lotor. Oriande is just an Altean folktale. It doesn't actually exist."
Allura knew different as she replied.
"That's what I thought, Coran. But now, I have a feeling it is quite real."
This made Jenny chirp with excitement as she spoke.
"You mean we can visit Oriande? Grandpop told me and my sis about how beautiful it was, even though she doesn't believe in his stories."
Hearing this, Belle got defensive.
"Whoa, hey! That was a long time ago!"
"Well, your 'Grandpop' wasn't too off the mark, Jennifer. It is the birthplace of all Altean alchemy. The place where King Alfor and Alphus learned the secrets that helped them create the three Voltrons and where Alphus, you, and Allura will master those same secrets so that my ships may enter the Quintessence Field."
As Jenny got ecstatic on this, Lance felt a little suspicious.
"Really?! I could get cool new powers?!"
"And what makes you the authority on crazy Altean nonsense? Babak and Coran know more magic and made-up gobbledygook than anyone I've ever met."
Babak, flustered by his speech as he was, knew he was right on that much.
"Blunt yet accurate. And on top of that, Alfor didn't even make one mention of traveling to Oriande with me or Coran."
Lotor knew the reason as he spoke.
"In all likelihood, he kept it a secret from everyone, especially since Kaecilius himself became corrupted. I have been researching Oriande for centuries, hoping to learn more about my Altean ancestry. Over time, I've managed to gather evidence from all over the universe that hinted at its existence. Now, thanks to Princess Allura, I will finally gaze upon its magnificence with my own eyes."
Then, Hunk spoke up about his duties as he raised his hand.
"Uh, aren't you a little busy running your empire to take a magical vacation?"
"In order to transition the Galra Empire to a peaceful existence, I need to open up a pathway to the Quintessence Field. Once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the empire will be behind them."
Jenny then held her head down in doubt before Allura spoke.
"If this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace."
Hearing this from Allura, though, Jenny snapped out of her doubt and got her excitement back as she giggled.
"Yeah! Let's do this!"
Shiro then spoke up as he and Belle smiled at how Jenny got ecstatic again.
"Well, let's find out where we're going."
With that, the ship's crystal flowed brightly as it showed the star maps and the compass stone opened up as well, charting a course while Allura spoke.
"There, between those three celestial bodies. That's where we're headed."
Upon closer inspection, Coran felt concerned before Jenny and Lance grew confused at the same time.
"Wait a tick, that's the Patrulian zone."
"The what now?"
"The Patrulian Zone is a mysterious part of space where ships enter and are never heard from again. Princess, that area has been deemed unsafe to navigate for ages."
Lotor knew it was a clever ruse laid out by the life givers as he spoke before Pidge gave out the bad part.
"The perfect place to hide a magical world."
"Or to crash and die."
Jenny then looked to the Princess as she spoke.
"So, what's the plan?"
"We will approach with caution. Prepare our course, Coran."
"Yes, Princess."
Later, the Castle appeared via wormhole in a desolate area of space where destroyed ships were scattered throughout with a white twister in the center as Coran and Shiro spoke before Jenny interjected.
"We're approaching the Patrulian Zone."
"What's that up ahead? An asteroid belt?"
"I don't think it's that, guys. It looks like... a graveyard."
Babak knew she was right as he spoke before Hunk wondered what caused it.
"That is correct, Jennifer."
"What caused them all to lose power?"
"No one knows. Countless ships decimated with no explanation. Except... that storm."
As an explanation, the group saw a giant twister in the center as Jenny spoke to Ayame before Lance spoke.
"Uh, Ayame, did we happen to see a giant twister when we got to Planet X?"
"No. We didn't."
"Okay, just checking. Because I know for sure we haven't ever seen this."
"Is that some kind of super massive star?"
Pidge, however, knew very well what it was.
"No. Unbelievable! It's a white hole!"
Hearing that, Hunk grew impressed.
"Whoa! Take that, theoretical physics!"
This made Lance confused before she explained.
"Wait, what's a white hole?"
"Well, unlike a black hole, which has massive gravity that sucks everything in, a white hole is an opposite body that shoots massive amounts of energy out from an unknown source."
Seeing this, Hunk noticed that what a Pidge said about massive amounts was no exaggeration.
"It's blasting this whole area with crazy high radiation."
Shiro can make a guess what happened to those ships as he spoke.
"Looks like you're right, Babak. The energy must've fried those ships' systems."
Then, Lotor pondered to himself about a poem from before.
"'The wise stand back from the fire, fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame, the embers and he are the same.'"
As she heard this, Jenny grew curious.
"What's that? It sounded just like one of those things I saw on Planet X. Except they didn't rhyme."
"It's a poem by an ancient Altean alchemist. I discovered it carved next to a cave painting of a fiery sphere. I never realized until now that it describes the route to Oriande. We must go into the white hole."
This made Hunk concerned as he spoke while raising his hand.
"Are you guys serious? We're navigating by cave poetry now?"
Jenny knew it would help as she spoke.
"Well, it was cave poetry that led me to the White Lion."
"Touché."
Pidge felt the task to be difficult.
"How are we supposed to go through the white hole? If we get any closer, we're gonna end to like those dead ships out there."
Allura knew a solution to this as she spoke.
"We wormhole inside."
That answer petrified Coran and Babak as they spoke.
"Princess, no!"
"Absolutely not!
"Our Voltrons can withstand forces other ships cannot."
Alphus, considering her role in their creation, spoke up.
"I see what you're saying. You're saying they can withstand that white hole."
"Precisely."
This made Belle concerned as she spoke.
"Are you sure?"
"If this is the home of Altean alchemy, then our Voltrons will make it through."
Lance then spoke up in concern next as he spoke.
"And what if is just another nuclear explosion in space? Then we're toast."
Jenny then turned to Lotor as she spoke.
"Well, maybe Lotor knows something about it that can help us."
However, her suggestion was drowned out by Coran's protest.
"Princess, I think you've taken this quest far enough. Lotor is sending you to your doom."
"Quite the opposite. It is a mission of life discovery."
Babak then voiced his protest next as he and Lance barked at Lotor.
"Silence!"
"You need to zip it!"
"Believe me, I would never ask any of you to do this if I didn't know... if I didn't feel in my heart that it is true. I belong here."
This made Alphus hang her head down as she spoke, catching Jenny's worry as she felt bad for her.
"Which might as well be more than you can say for me."
Later, the Castle crept to the white hole before stopping in place as Pidge spoke while the Voltron lions and the White Lion emerged.
"This is as far as we can go. Any further and we'll be affected by the Patrulian Zone's radiation."
Shiro then spoke to Coran while Lance grew worried as their lions combined into Voltron and were joined by the White Voltron as it transformed.
"Alright, Coran, open up a wormhole."
"Well, let's fly into the cosmic death storm."
With that, the Voltron Force went inside the wormhole that led them inside the white hole before they noticed the debris inside while Shiro grunted from the pressure given to them.
"We're being blasted backward! Full power to thrusters!"
With that, Allura and Hunk boosted the original Voltron's thrusters just as Ayame and Jenny thrusted even farther with their bayards twisting in the keyholes before Allura spoke.
"We're making progress!"
As they got close, however, they were met with a giant white lion that appeared in front of them as Jenny spoke.
"No way! Is that... White?!
Suddenly, the White Lion fired a divine quintessential blast, knocking the both of them back as Allura and Jenny spoke.
"Why is it attacking us?"
"Beats me!"
With that, Shiro spoke up to the group.
"Fire lasers!"
As both Voltrons fired a laser at it, it phased through it before it retaliated as Lance spoke.
"There's nothing to hit!"
As they took the brunt of the blast, the Paladins began screaming as Coran and Belle grew worried.
"What have you done?"
"You used us this whole time! You knew this would happen, didn't you?!"
Just then, they noticed Lotor's glowing marks as the former spoke.
"Wait, what's happening to your face?"
"What?"
"You have Altean marks. And they're glowing."
As Lotor noticed them, he began to remember a certain eligibility for Oriande's passage, confusing Belle.
"The Mark of the Chosen."
"What?"
With that, he put his focus on them as Lotor spoke.
"You need to get out of there! That thing is a guardian! It will only allow worthy Alteans through."
This only made Lance flustered as he and Shiro spoke.
"Oh, thanks for the tip!"
"Pull back!"
As the Voltrons ran away, the guardian shot another divine quintessential blast, urging them to dodge it before it only burst out of the white hole and hit the Castle with its particle barrier up and piercing through the barrier as Coran and Babak spoke.
"All systems are shutting down!"
"Our stabilizers are failing! We're listing into the graveyard!"
With that, Allura spoke, seeing an opening that the White Lion made.
"We must get back to the Castle."
As they took off, however, the guardian fired another blast as Jenny noticed it and dodged the blast as she spoke.
"Whoa, mama!"
However, in the process, the blast hit Voltron, making the Paladins groan before they came apart, making Jenny worried as she spoke.
"Guys!"
As the opening went away, Jenny tried to reach the others.
"Lance! Allura?! Can you hear me!"
Fortunately, they responded via gauntlet communication as Lance spoke.
"Yeah. We're okay. But we took a pretty bad hit."
"Sorry."
Pidge then spoke as she grunted before Lance spoke to her.
"I can't control my lion!"
"Me neither. I've lost power."
"I'm dead in the water."
Shiro then spoke up before Hunk.
"I think we all are."
"These lions aren't going anywhere."
However, Ayame and Jenny spoke up.
"Not all of them. The White Lion's still working."
"Yeah. Let me just—"
When she tried to move it, however, it didn't heed her action as she tried repeatedly and failed.
"Ugh! Never mind. We're dead in the water, too."
Then, Ayame spoke up.
"Hold on. Let me try."
With her, however, the White Lion did move towards the Paladins, making Jenny surprised as she spoke.
"Wait! How did you move it?!"
"I don't know. Maybe it lagged for a while. It did almost get grazed."
Shiro decided to get back to the task at hand.
"Everyone, prepare for a manual EVA. Rendezvous back at the Castle. We need to figure this out."
With that, the Paladins got in the White Lion, piloted by Ayame much to Jenny's surprise before they got in the Castle. When they got in the bridge, however, they saw Babak, Coran, Belle, Cilia, and Sapphire with Lotor as Jenny spoke with her sister.
"What's going on."
"Coran's managed to restore the auxiliary power, but it's not gonna be for long. Best chance we have until it conks out and we run out of oxygen is about a quintant."
This made Cilia concerned as she held Sapphire close.
"How are we supposed to survive, then?"
Lance knew an quick answer to that as he spoke.
"Maybe we can decrease our breathers by one."
At that moment, Jenny noticed Lotor's marks and grew surprised.
"Uh, wait. What's up with your face? And if this is the home of Altean alchemy, why couldn't we get in? And again, what's up with your face?"
"I am sorry to pot us in this position, but I think I know the answer. Look at Allura."
As she removed her helmet, Allura was found to have glowing marks below her eyes as she gasped while Pidge spoke.
"Whoa! What's happening?"
Seeing this, Jenny took off her own helmet before she noticed the same glowing marks on her face as she widened her eyes in joy.
"Hey! I've got them, too!"
Then, she turned to see Alphus' and Lotor's faces with silver marks on Alphus while Lotor's glowed dark purple before she spoke happily.
"And Alphus. And even Lotor! What is going on?"
Lotor knew what it meant.
"It's called the Mark of the Chosen. They are mentioned in some of the Oriande legends. They indicate those worthy of entering the realm."
Then, Shiro and Belle noticed that Babak, Coran, Cilia, and Sapphire's marks weren't glowing as they spoke.
"Wait, why aren't Babak and Coran's marks glowing?"
"Or Cilia and Sapphire's?"
"There are different types of Alteans. Allura, Jennifer, and Alphus possess a deep connection to ancient Altean energy. It enables them to operate the teludav and change their shape and size. Alfor has greater alchemical understanding than any before him. Others are... less magical, no offense."
Jenny then raised her hand as Coran's face slumped in an unhappy look.
"Yes, Jennifer."
"Well, I know that we can change our shape and size, but does that include turning into mermaids? I know I should've asked Allura, but I just wanted to confirm."
"An odd question, but yes. That is part of changing the shape of your body."
This made Jenny do a fist bump with joy before Coran spoke.
"Hey! I, too, can change my body!"
"Perhaps, but the most your type of Altean can do is change your skin color and height."
"Oh. Right."
With the debate settled, Hunk spoke.
"So, what do we do now?"
"We need to enter the white hole alone."
This made Lance and Cilia shout at the same time while Babak reprimanded him.
"What?!"
"Out of the question! Did you forget what that beast did to the Castle?! And to the Lions?!"
"The beast is a guard keeping the unworthy out. It won't hurt us."
"Yeah, and before, you thought it wasn't going to hurt us!"
Jenny then spoke to in defense for him.
"Well, we did kinda rush into this without checking to see what else we should know. I can kinda admit that, now. But all blames aside, how are we gonna get there? We're stuck, and the White Lion won't listen to me."
Allura has an idea to remedy this as she spoke.
"We can use the personal transport crafts."
Babak then stepped up to her and spoke.
"Princess Allura, I must forbid you to do this! It is too dangerous."
Allura then spoke up just as Jenny stick up for her.
"Babak, we must gain some kind of alchemical knowledge in Oriande, both to save our own lives and bring peace to the universe."
"Yeah. Besides, I have a family to look after. All I wanted was for them to be safe. And I'll be jinxed if we made it this far just to fail on my promise."
Lance then spoke to Coran out of worry.
"Babak, don't tell me you're going to cave in on this!"
Alphus then spoke up to calm him down.
"Lance. They're right. Right now, the ship is stuck until Jenny, Allura, and I can somehow get it restarted."
Jenny then spoke up to Lance as she spoke.
"Hey. It's not like I'm throwing my life away for you like before. Just think of it like... like I'm racing against the clock. I'm always good at those odds."
Lance had doubts as he spoke.
"Jenny... I don't know..."
Allura then spoke up next.
"Don't worry. This will work. I can feel it."
Then, Belle thought about Cilia and Sapphire as she spoke.
"But what about Sapphire? She has a smaller lung capacity than any of us here."
Cilia smirked as she got out a hospital airbag before she spoke.
"Don't worry. Just leave that to me."
As the group saw this, Hunk raised his hand while speaking.
"Do you have any extras?"
With that, Lotor, Jenny, Alphus, and Allura took off on the smaller crafts and into the white hole as the group watched while Lance spoke to Babak.
"Did they make it in?"
"I don't know. So far, we can't get any readings beyond the edge of the white hole now that the power's out. And the auxiliary power certainly can't do the job if we want to breathe."
Sapphire then looked up to Shiro as she spoke to him.
"So, what do we do?"
"We'll just have to wait."
In the white hole, Jenny, Allura, Lotor, and Alphus nearer the center as the white lion in quintessential form appeared, making Allura and Alphus widen their eyes as Lotor maintained his gaze before Jenny spoke to herself.
"Please don't blast me, please don't blast me, please don't blast me, please don't blast me!"
It didn't seem to answer her prayer as it opened its mouth and prepared a giant blue orb making the group close their eyes as they prepared for the worst before opening their eyes to see floating pillars and a rocky planet with a sunset sky as Jenny giggled with joy at its beauty while Allura spoke.
"It's amazing."
"I know. Just like Grandpop said."
As Jenny shed tears of joy at the beauty of it all, they landed on a larger pillar before Lotor spoke.
"None of my research or travels have prepared me for this. From here, we are on our own."
At the Castle, Shiro and Ayame stood watch while Belle tended to Cilia and Sapphire (who had the airbag over her face) while Pidge, Sandra, and Hunk got to work with Lance twitching his leg whilst making his suit squeak before Pidge finally spoke up to Hunk.
"Anything?"
"No."
With that, Lance spoke up next.
"What's happening? What do you think they're doing right now?"
Pidge then spoke to Hunk while Lance mistook that for Pidge asking him.
"Now?"
"Yes."
However, Babak gave an answer to Pidge, confusing Lance as he spoke, earning Pidge's response.
"No."
"Wait, what?"
"We're not talking to you, Lance. Is this doing anything?"
Lance then spoke up again about his concern.
"Do you think they're alright? I mean, when will they be able to get back?"
Hunk then answered Pidge's question as Lance mistook that for his answer and earned Pidge's correction again.
"I don't think so."
"You don't?!"
"He's not talking to you."
"Well, excuse me for being concerned!"
"Coran, try to fire the chargers."
As Coran followed Pidge's instruction, Lance spoke again.
"It's just nerve-racking waiting for Jenny and Allura to come back. I mean, Jenny's obviously got a penchant for putting herself before others, and while I appreciate that, it also scares the quiznak of me."
Babak then spoke after receiving a shake in the head from Coran.
"Well, they're probably already kaput."
"WHAT?!"
This made Sandra finally snap as she shouted.
"Shiro! Can you and Ayame take Lance, please?"
Later, Lance accompanied Shiro and Ayame at the hall before he spoke.
"It's okay, guys. I'll be quiet. You don't have to babysit me."
Then, Ayame spoke up.
"Lance... It's okay to be worried about someone. But that kind of stress can't be good for you, especially since we're running low on air."
With that, Shiro spoke up to the two.
"Guys, let me ask you something. Do you remember, on Olkarion, how you asked me about talking to you from inside Voltron?"
This made Lance and Ayame look to him before they spoke.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"What happened there? I can't remember any of it."
Lance proceeded to explain as he stood up.
"We were all in some kind of mystical Voltron mindspace, and you were yelling something, but we couldn't hear you."
"Are you alright, Takashi?"
"I— I don't know. My head... I'm just... I'm feeling so confused... it's like..."
"What?"
"Like I'm not myself."
This made Ayame and Lance concerned as the former spoke.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Lance had an idea why that is as he spoke.
"It's probably just lack of oxygen. You should sit down. We'll get through this."
With that, the trio sat down by the halls as Ayame leaned close to Shiro.
Meanwhile, out in space, Ezor laid on the ship's floor as she spoke with Acxa beside her.
"I'm bored. How long are we just gonna drift here?"
"Until Haggar decides what our next move is."
This made Ezor's face slump backward as she spoke while blushing at her last comment.
"It's times like this I really miss Adea. She was so cool with that luxite. Not to mention she was... kinda cute."
With that, Zethrid spoke up.
"Speak for yourself. Atchiam's where the action is. Those two robot arms are the coolest I've ever seen. My only worthy opponent. But instead, we're just stuck here. While she's doing her magical pondering, we could be out conquering. The whole empire is in chaos. We play our cards right, and we have a nice little territory of our own. Then, Atchiam will have to go look for me and we can fight again."
This made Ezor smile as she spoke in a singsong voice.
"Ooh. Looks like you got it bad for her..."
"It's not like that, Ezor! I just... I just didn't get to finish our fight is all."
"Yeah, sure. But, now that I think about it... you think we could replace Lotor as emperor?"
"Who knows? If we start taking the other commanders out, one by one, starting with that shifty Kospego, we could be the last ones standing."
Acxa spoke differently of this as she spoke.
"No one is replacing Lotor. We just need to wait for orders from Haggar."
Then, the two of them looked to each other before Ezor spoke.
"You wanna go throw things at the crew? It'll be good target practice when we see Atchiam again."
"Yes."
As they walked away to do so, Acxa just made a look that said the situation will take some getting used to.
Meanwhile, at Oriande, Allura, Alphus, Jenny, and Lotor were climbing up a mountain as the first of the group spoke.
"I wonder if Father climbed this mountain."
"Well, it's most likely. Honestly, this is my first time being here, too."
"It's a good thing we have those helmets. Otherwise, we'd be running low on oxygen the higher we get."
As they climbed, Lotor spoke to Allura and Jenny.
"You know, I envy you two growing up with King Alfor and with a family that supports you. I always wanted to be an explorer and learn bout the universe."
This made Jenny surprised as she spoke.
"No way! Me, too! But... why didn't you?"
"My father was only interested in conquering it. He once put me in charge of a planet for year running the Quintessence mining and getting to know the local population. Rather than employ the usual Galran methods of subjugation, I worked alongside the leadership of the planet, learning their customs. We would only extract as much Quintessence as could be replenished. And I enjoyed my time there quite a bit."
"So, what happened then?"
"When my father found out what was happening, he ordered me to destroy the planet. I refused, and he sent me away."
Jenny could guess how well it turned out afterward.
"I'm guessing it didn't end well for the people you connected with, huh?"
"Correct. He destroyed them all. And worse, he made me watch before I was exiled. I was powerless to stop him. I spent the following centuries searching for clues about my Altean heritage, another culture destroyed by Zarkon."
Alphus knew he wasn't quite correct before she spoke.
"You mean by me. It was my power that took everyone away from the face of Altea."
"True, but that wasn't your intention. You were grieving. And somehow or another, your power reacted to that. You have nothing to be ashamed of."
This made Alphus sigh as she sadly smiled before speaking.
"Thanks, Lotor. That... actually makes me feel a little better. And I'm glad I'm with you now. We never would've found this place without you."
As Lotor smiled at Alphus, she smiled back before Jenny spoke.
"Okay, you guys. Let's move on, shall we?"
At the top of the mountain, they saw a bright palace of white light before making their way over to it. Once they did, they saw a White Lion walk from it before Jenny waved to it.
"Hi!"
As the White Lion looked at her, it began speaking telepathically to her.
"You have some nerve to show your presence here."
This made Jenny confused as she stopped waving as it spoke mentally again.
"You have no right to command me."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It's plain to see. I have nothing more to say."
With that, the White Lion walked away, making Jenny nervous as she spoke.
"Wait!"
As she ran, Alphus, Allura, and Lotor ran to catch yo with her as they spoke.
"Jenny!"
"What are you doing?"
"Compose yourself!"
As Jenny went in, however, she saw that the White Lion was already gone before she shouted in echoes.
"I don't understand! What did I do wrong?!"
Then, she thought about the time she couldn't move the White Lion even after avoiding the blast before she thought back to her question.
"What did I do wrong?"
When they caught up, Alphus placed her hand on Jenny's shoulder.
"It's okay, Jenny. You'll find out soon."
"I hope so. I want to make it right, whatever I did."
Then, Allura and Lotor saw the drawings on the walls as the former spoke.
"Look at here ancient markings. They're beautiful."
"The temple of the alchemists. The mysteries we seek are hidden somewhere deep inside."
Then, Jenny saw the White Lion at the entryway before she shouted to it.
"I may not know what I did to you, but I promise I'll make it right!"
The White Lion just simply nodded before walking down the steps where it was as they followed it. When they reached the bottom of the steps, they saw a hall of statues with spears, sitting upon their thrones as they took off their helmets while Jenny and Allura spoke.
"Whoa. Who are they?"
"The Sages of Oriande. My father told me tales of their exploits, but I always assumed they were just children's stories."
Alphus knew who they were as she spoke.
"They're known as Life Givers. They were the first Alteans to unlock the secrets of Oriande, the beginning of Altean alchemy."
"No way..."
Lotor then spoke to Allura as the group walked.
"Allura, the tales you grew up with were not just children's stories."
Just then, one statue began to move before another adjacent to it got out their spears and planted them in front of the doorway. Then, just as another attempted to smite them, Allura used the compass stone to stop the attack before she spoke and they knelt down.
"Great protectors, we seek passage through your land. We bring you this gift."
With that, the statue put away her staff as the compass stone revealed the location and it took the compass stone before the guards allowed passage.
Afterwards, they saw the White Lion at a podium of some sorts as Jenny, Allura, Alphus, and Lotor saw this.
"Hmm. That looks so familiar."
"Now, what?"
"I don't know. But we need to be ready."
"Alphus is right. We may yet have to prove that we're worthy to be here."
With that, the White Lion growled before disappearing and the door suddenly shut itself behind them as Jenny panicked and Allura spoke.
"Eek! What's happening?!"
"We're trapped."
Then, they saw the ceiling lowering itself on them as Lotor spoke while Jenny got stressed.
"Oh, no... we're gonna turn into pancakes...!"
"Calm down, Jennifer. There must be a clue. Something a trained Altean would recognize."
Hearing this, Jenny then looked to the podium as she spoke.
"Oh, wait. I know what it is! It's just like at the Castle!"
With that, Allura and the others ran to it before she placed her hands on the podium and focused on it as the ceiling suddenly turned white and engulfed them.
As the light faded, it sent them to a new landscape separately as Lotor found himself alone and spoke in a backward echo.
"Allura?"
Then, Lotor gasped upon seeing the White Lion with him, growling as it began to charge at him.
In Allura's side, she saw the White Lion headed towards her before she dodged it and spoke to it.
"I do not wish to fight! I come seeking here knowledge!"
However, the White Lion only knocked her away before it showed Jenny knocked to the floor as she grunted before it snarled at her.
"Why... why are you doing this?! I need to know what I did wrong!"
The White Lion only snarled before running at her before switching to Alphus struggling to stand after being pushed as she spoke,
"If you must kill me, please don't hesitate! I don't deserve to live for what I've done!"
The White Lion seemed to oblige as it ran before it showed the creature going after Lotor as he dodged it before it gave chase and he used his hands to hold his mouth open before being forced to the ground as he challenged it.
"I will never yield! I will gain your secrets!"
In retaliation, it bit into his arm before tossing him away to the ground as he hit it with a thud. As for Allura, she sat up, trying to comprehend the situation before she spoke.
"What can I do?"
With that, the White Lion charged again before it showed Jenny barely standing as she shouted.
"What can I do to make up for what I've done?!"
Before it could get to her, it stopped in its place before a bright silhouette of a woman stood beside the White Lion as she spoke.
"First, you must understand what you've done."
When it changed to Alphus, it showed her on top of the White Lion before it tossed her off as she stood up.
"Come on! Stop holding out on me! Just end me!"
Then, the White Lion spoke as she waited for her end.
"I cannot. That isn't the way."
This made Alphus widen her eyes in surprise.
In the case of Lotor, he challenged it again as he spoke.
"VICTORY OR DEATH!"
As it leaped at him, Lotor saw the opportunity and slashed at it, changing the background to red before it faded away and he found himself out at the entrance to the temple. For Lotor, it meant one thing: he wasn't worthy.
"No. No!"
In the case of Allura, she sat up as the White Lion went toward her and she spoke.
"No. This isn't the way. I seek the secret of life."
It then leaped at her as Allura prepared for the end.
"I give my own."
With that, the White Lion went inside Allura as its blue light sparked throughout until a bright blue light engulfed her body.
After that, a blank background was made before the cosmos themselves appeared before her.
"Where am I?"
"You have returned to the realm of your ancestors, the Alteans and the Life Givers who came before."
"I wish to learn the secrets my father knew, the alchemy that created Voltron."
"There is no need to kneel here. You are home, and the secret is already within you. Rise, let us embrace you."
As Allura did so, she became engulfed in white light.
Meanwhile, it showed Jenny in front of the White Lion and the bright blue silhouette of a Life Giver with a crown on her head as she spoke.
"Please, tell me. What have I done to be cut off from my bond with the White Lion?"
The White Lion spoke as it went to her.
"I'm sure you can recall Planet X, another place hidden from anyone's eyes but mine. On your last visit, you resurrected two beings, thus breaking the balance of life and death and your promise not to disturb their rest."
This made Jenny gasp at the realization of this before she shed tears and fell to the floor, convinced that all was lost before the Life Giver spoke.
"Do not fret, my child. You are still young. And mistakes will be made. But there's no denying it is still a grave one."
"I don't... I don't understand how that's supposed to make me feel better."
"Because unlike those that are unworthy, you'll be given a second chance "
"What? R-Really?"
"You'll still be exempt from using the White Lion, but just until you truly understand learn how precious life is and how death's role is just as important."
"That's it? Well, how long would that take?"
"That depends on whether or not you'll figure it out for yourself."
This made Jenny stand up reverently as she placed her hand on her chest.
"But... earlier, the White Lion said I had no right to command it. But how am I worthy then, if that's true?"
The White Lion explained as it approached Jenny.
"While you cannot command me until you learn from your mistake, Oriande's sacred temple, however, will always be open to you. That is, if you know what to do to earn that."
Jenny then understood why they were called Life Givers. Having given her life many times over, she was no stranger to that. Then, there was the ownership to be concerned about.
"I do. I've been doing it since I started my journey. But... what about you? Who's going to ride your likeness with Ayame?"
"That is for you to decide."
This made Jenny widen her eyes before Alphus was seen standing before the White Lion.
"Why... why won't you take my life? I didn't deserve it. I slaughtered a whole race!"
"Yet, you regret it greatly with prolonged penance. In spite of your act, you do have a purpose. To carry on your ancestors' work and to bring peace."
This made Alphus have doubts about her ability as she spoke.
"How can I bring peace to what I've destroyed?"
"By planting a new seed that will restore what was once lost."
This made Alphus widen her eyes as she gazed at the White Lion as it seemed to speak to both her and Jenny simultaneously.
"Now, I ask you again. Do you know what to do?"
With that, Jenny and Alphus closed their eyes before they spoke in harmony.
"Yes. We will give our lives to make our wrongs right."
With that, the White Lion entered into Jenny and Alphus as its light overcame them.
At the Castle, the Paladins, Belle, Cilia, Coran, Babak, and Sapphire were laying in the floor, although the little girl still had her airbag over her as she slept next to her mother while the computer spoke up.
"Oxygen levels— 5%"
Pidge then spoke up as she took big breaths due to lack of air.
"There must be some way for us... to harness the power of the white hole... and use it to get the ship working."
As Pidge groaned, the alarm beeped as Hunk answered.
"We tried everything. I don't think... I can keep moving."
At that moment, Lance noticed the group incoming.
"Guys, look! It's Jen..."
Before he could finish, Lance groaned before passing out as they entered the Castle. Not long after, the Castle was working again as Coran and Lance spoke.
"You did it!"
"We... we should have never doubted you."
Allura then spoke as she motioned to him.
"I couldn't have done it without Lotor."
As she did, Lotor had a smile for her.
"You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, not for me."
Then, Lotor noticed Jenny's sad smile before he spoke.
"Is something the matter?"
"I just found out why the White Lion won't respond to me. It's because... I'm not worthy of it anymore."
This made the group gasp in shock before Belle spoke.
"What?! But you didn't do anything wrong!"
"Well, apparently that's not true. You guys know how Adea's parents were brought back to life? Well, that was a serious mistake. I'm not saying we should fix it right now, and I'm surprised they didn't, but... it's just for a while."
Ayame then walked up to Jenny as she spoke.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Yeah. I'm still trying to grow up. Part of that is dealing with the consequences. Besides, it's only until I learn from my mistake. And until then, there's no one I trust more to fly White... than Alphus. She piloted it before, so it should go to the one who had the most experience with it. And she's trying so hard to make up for what she did to the Alteans. It wouldn't be right if I didn't give her this."
This made Alphus begin to shed small tears as she spoke.
"Thanks, Jenny. It means so much..."
With that, Lance walked up before he spoke.
"Well, I guess you're support crew, now."
"Well, I did say things would work themselves out. My only regret right now... is that Honerva isn't here. She would've loved to see that place."
Lotor then spoke to her as he turned to the group.
"Quite. But we have our own duties to attend to."
"Right."
Unbeknownst to them, Haggar was seeing everything Allura and Lotor as Pidge and Lance spoke before Jenny.
"So, what's the next step?"
"Slow down, Pidge. We just started breathing again."
"We're gonna do what we can for the universe. The right way."
This made Haggar's eyes widen before she went out to speak with Acxa.
"I have the coordinates for our next destination."
"Where are we headed?"
"A place I've been searching for my entire life."