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The Purity of Sin

Twenty-One

The short ride back into Macka's atmosphere was a tense, silent one. Coran had forcibly restrained himself to remain behind in the castle as even with all the precautions and defenses it was not safe to leave it unoccupied and floating in space.

The others had all piled into the Green Lion; Pidge at the controls, Allura sitting on the bed, stripped of its bloodied blankets, and Hunk and Keith squeezed in next to her so they could both keep a hand on Lance and comfort him as best they could while he shuddered in pain.

The boy in question had grown paler since they'd removed him from the vein valve and his blood supply, which had barely any left. The bandages were holding for the moment though and the all white on his dark skin was a stark contrast, especially tucked up against Allura who was practically glowing.

"Two minutes until entry," Pidge called, hands tight on the controls. She and Hunk had changed into their Paladin armor but Keith's undersuit had been completely destroyed by the cryo-pod and his armor was still with the Mackans, so he was wearing his street clothes and armed with his knife.

As the hastily thrown together plan would go, Green would enter with her cloaking and Allura would descend as though floating with Lance in her arms down to the large audience hall that Keith had described. He was certain someone had to be up and about even at the late hour for Macka and it would make the most sense for a goddess to literally come from the sky. Plus, schematics with accounting for Green's size and all.

Allura had a microphone hooked into her long tresses that would have an echo effect, Pidge explained, to make her sound more powerful. They'd attached the hover pack along with strings of small white lights to make Allura glow.

Despite her new cream-colored fur and countenance, Allura was beginning to look a little green the closer they got.

"I do not know if I can do this," she whispered, tightening her hold on Lance, who barely reacted, eyes closed. "What if they do not believe me?"

"You're going to be great, Princess," Hunk encouraged.

"You can't afford to fail," Keith reminded her and Pidge snorted from the cockpit at the utter lack of tact.

"Dude, that is not very helpful," Hunk admonished and Keith's ears reddened even as Allura paled.

"Uh… go get them?" he tried again and he distinctly heard Pidge's hand hit her helmet with a dull thud.

"Thank you, Keith," Allura sighed but with a small smile. "I appreciate the sentiment."

"We've got movement down there," Pidge called, eyes widening a moment later. "Holy shit, that's a lot of Mackans."

Keith got up from the bed and crossed to the front so he could gaze out Green's front windows. His eyes widened at the sight below, illuminated by the glowing reeds and scones of fire.

It was a funeral. On the stone table where he'd freed Lance just days before there were now numerous shrouds of white; cloths draped over bodies. Keith stopped counting at twenty, stomach threatening to expel the food goo he'd eaten.

"Keith," Pidge murmured, and he startled as one of her gloved hands came to rest lightly on his arm.

"I…"

His stomach gave another lurch. He'd killed… he'd killed all of those shrouded bodies. All of those families. From this distance he could even hear the howls of grief from the assembled living Mackans.

"Do you see the High Priest?" Pidge asked, easing Green into a hover that disturbed not a ripple of air and Keith was grateful for the distraction.

He tore his eyes from the table, looking for another spot of white. And he found it, standing on a raised dais just beyond the table. "There."

"All right Princess, heading of thirty clicks east when you drop down. Ready?"

Allura carefully got to her feet, clutching Lance protectively to her. "Ready." And her voice was even and firm, amber eyes glinting with intensity and displaying none of the nerves from just moments ago.

"Then on my mark," Pidge said, readying her tablet as Green went to auto-control. "Three… two… and one."

And on the last count the panel door slid out from beneath Allura's feet and she and Lance dropped out of sight.

xxx

The High Priest gazed mournfully out across the table, preparing his last funeral rites as acting High Priest. For after this ceremony they would begin a new Purity of Sin ritual and he would offer himself as a sacrifice that he dearly prayed would be enough to guarantee their protection for the trying times ahead.

He stepped to the front of the dais, paws spread wide, and the wails and cries trickled to an end.

"Brothers and Sisters," he called, trying to project strength into his voice although he felt only a bone-deep exhaustion. "Tonight we prepare to send our departed kin on to—"

He cut off as loud gasps filled the otherwise silent night in a way that had nothing to do with funeral rites. The congregation in front of him was staring past him, paws shaking and covering mouths in wonder as hope filled their eyes.

Turning, the High Priest felt his own mouth threaten to drop at the sight before him.

Lady Leora. A vision of pure white and silver was floating serenely down from the heavens, looking every bit as radiant as he imagined a goddess should from what he could make out of the shining lights that seemed to emanate from within her very skin.

And in her arms… it could not be. The sacrifice.

They were saved.

"Lady Leora," he gasped, dropping down into a full bow, aware of his kin doing the same, murmurs of awe and salvation racing through the ranks.

"High Priest," Leora intoned, voice echoing like a hundred, but still managing to sound beautiful and soft. He trembled in the face of her power but lifted his head at the address. "You disappoint me."

The words were like being impaled. The High Priest gasped, clutching at his heart as his mind frantically tried to figure out how to appease a goddess.

"My Lady Leora," he tried, "I am but a humble servant of—"

"Quiet," she growled, and the words echoed around the deathly silent chamber.

Her gaze turned then across the room and many ducked their heads back down, unable to meet it. "You all disappoint me," she continued and now there were inhales and soft sobs.

"Lady Leora," the High Priest whispered, feeling the despair rising. Had she not come to return their sacrifice? Had she discovered his intention to offer himself and found it wanting?

"You have distorted the Purity of Sin," she continued, voice booming. "You have all shamed me."

"I do not understand," the High Priest managed, somehow lifting his head to look in the goddess' direction. "We follow your scripture—"

"Fool!" and her word had him ducking his head back down. "Those words you practice are not my own! They are false. You truly believe that I, a goddess of protection, would demand a blood tribute? Whose words do you follow, High Priest?"

"But—"

"Silence!" Leora barked and he cowered back down. "You live a life of lies, High Priest. You all do. You must look within to find the true Purity of Sin for true salvation. Not this tragedy you have made of it. I have been bound and chained by your dark deeds, High Priest. Only the pure plea of a Paladin of Voltron gave me the strength to break free. Blood is not the answer, High Priest. It has never been."

The High Priest's mind was racing. What was she talking about? For as long as he had lived this had been the way of Macka, their sacrifice a sign of destiny.

It was wrong? All of the killings, all of the blood… all of it was not meant to have been? All of the lives lost, all of the families torn apart… none of it was fated?

"I do not understand," he admitted.

"Then you must learn," Leora intoned. "By starting with the reversal of Sin on this boy."

"The reversal?" he repeated. Was such a thing possible?

"Restore his Sins, High Priest," Leora ordered. "Restore them or suffer my wrath."

"But—"

"Now!"

The High Priest looked behind him, seeking out his sister's eyes where she was grouped with the other members of the Council of Elders. She looked as terrified as he felt.

"V-very well," he said. "If… if you could, Lady Leora, place the sacrifice" – her eyes narrowed dangerously – "the boy here, on the table."

Leora inclined her head and drifted forward as he backed up, afraid to touch such a being of power. She deposited the sacrifice with a tenderness that was not shown in her words before she retreated several feet and cast an expectant eye on him.

"Brother Milnew, my sacrificial blade," he called, "Elder Simone, retrieve the Book of Prayers." He glanced from the goddess to the prone Paladin of Voltron, whose sightless eyes were open and seeming to stare right through him. "We will now aim to reverse the… the Purity of Sin."

Or, at least he hoped so. Because otherwise he was going to bring the goddess' wrath down upon them all.

xxx

Lance twitched uncomfortably, heart racing and pulse pounding in this otherwise silent world, resisting the urge to try and sit up as even the thought of it sent pain rippling through him.

There was rough stone at his back now from where Allura had deposited him and her arms, no matter how furry were comforting because he knew they belonged to her, were gone now and he was utterly alone.

'Keith?' he mouthed, 'Allura?' but no one answered him with a soft touch to his cheek or his hair. He shivered faintly in the cold air, made more obvious now that he wasn't pressed up against Allura. Worse yet, he recognized this cold air.

He was on Macka.

Something lightly brushed against his head and something else on his hand and he whimpered, knowing in that instant it was not Allura. The grip was too harsh, the claws a little too sharp.

Something pressed down on his chest and then more paws were pulling at his neck. They were pulling the bandages off, he realized a tick later.

He squirmed to no avail, the paw on his chest pressing harder and making him gasp as pain exploded from the wound right underneath it.

Cold air nipped at his neck even as warm, sluggish blood dripped down it. All of his struggles came to a grinding halt as he then felt the too familiar sharp sensation of metal press against his jugular.

Was this it? Was this the plan? Let the Mackans finish their ritual? He let out a silent whimper as the blade shifted, not quite cutting but pressing against the existing wound with a sharp sting. A paw pressed down on his forehead, keeping him pinned as he tried to shift away.

'Keith?' he tried again, desperate. He knew, he knew, that this had to be part of the plan. And yet the rational part of his mind was warring with what was actually happening and the sickening feeling of helplessness.

The blade pressed deeper and this time Lance could feel the slow gush of blood. A tear dripped down his face, followed quickly by another. This was it then. This was how it ended. Just like all the previous times he'd already faced down death, no goodbyes, no gentle hands or comforting words.

And then his world was alight with fire. It was singing in his head and exploding out his ears in a torrent of agony and pain. He bucked against the hand holding him down, not caring if he somehow sliced through his own neck. At least it would be over.

" –shall heareth again."

Lance blinked as the absolute sound washed over him. What the…?

It was too much, like the crashing of a waterfall, but it was sound. He could hear. His neck was still stinging but he no longer felt the steady drip and the slight bite of the metal blade was resting not on an injury but rather making a tiny new one, although given how the paw was trembling Lance honestly did not think it was intentional.

"The… the first Sin has been reversed, Lady Leora," came a voice right by Lance's head, which he realized belonged to the trembling paw. The High Priest. "The sac—the boy, he hears again."

The knife lifted then and a sharp clap sounded right next to his head. Lance jerked in surprise, but given all of the paws still holding him down he did not get far. "It actually worked," he heard the High Priest murmur next to him, voice filled with awe. "The reversal…"

"Then proceed to the second Sin," called an echoing voice that even despite the extra ringing Lance recognized as Allura. He felt himself go limp. She was here and was apparently getting all of his senses restored.

He felt another tear slip down his cheek, this time out of sheer relief, even as his left hand stung as he felt the bandages being pulled back and the wound exposed.

The Mackan began chanting again and Lance realized with a sick jolt of fear that if he'd felt that level of pain for the first Sin then it stood to reason that—

"Maras!"called out the Priest and Lance's head slammed into the ground as fire seared into his eyes and then he was crying tears of lava all while his left hand burned as clearly as if it were being cauterized again.

He was screaming silently, tossing his head back and forth while he tried to kick up with his legs and free his arms to no avail. The pain slowly began to recede and Lance blinked open tightly squeezed eyes, closing them immediately thereafter as what looked like suns were hovering just outside and scorching him.

But he had seen something.

After over a day of nothing but darkness he had seen something, and that was what was important, no matter how painful the sight had been. He more carefully lifted his lashes, blinking quickly to dispel the tears that had gathered.

His gaze focused on the harsh amber tones of the High Priest, framed by dark fur. It was not quite what he'd have picked out to see first, but sight was sight. He looked beyond the Mackan's head, taking in the hot orange glow he'd seen – fire in scones – before lighting on a nearly glowing figure floating in the sky.

Allura. Even with her appearance as changed as it was he could still see her and realized the instant her gaze caught with his own. Her eyes widened and he saw her practically bite back a sob. He wasn't so successful, but it wasn't like they could hear it anyway.

Not yet, at least.

Hope bloomed in his chest, almost enough to chase away the still frigid air.

"He seeth again," the High Priest intoned and Lance could hear the gasps of awe from all around. He cast his eyes from his position, trying to make out where exactly he was.

And, his stomach churned, he was back on the stone table where it all began. All around him too were lumps of shrouded cloth and he tried desperately not to think too much on that. Not now.

There were no ropes this time, at least. Just other Mackans. In addition to the High Priest there was a cream colored female wearing a silver robe and a sandy male wearing green; the same two from when they'd cast their purification by fire ritual. They were pressing down on his legs and shoulders, keeping him in place.

He met the eyes of the silver-robed one and to his utter surprise she looked… happy? Perhaps that was too strong, but she did not look upset or angry. Content. Grateful.

Why though? What had he missed?

"I shall now reverse the last Sin," the High Priest announced.

Clawed paws pulled at the bandages now on his right hand and Lance silently whimpered as they caught against the burnt flesh. He couldn't see his hand, pulled as it was down by his side, but he was glad not to. He had a feeling he might be sick.

The silver-robed Mackan, holding onto his right arm, gave it an almost barely perceptible squeeze and Lance's eyes widened further. Was she… comforting him?

The blade was pressed against the gaping wound and Lance flinched back, not even the knowledge that that was going to be nothing compared to the pain he knew was coming making it hurt any less.

"Ladrás!" the High Priest all but shouted at the end of his chant, and this time with his sight restored Lance saw a brilliant blue light envelop down by his hand and a matching sheen pass over each Mackan's eyes.

But sight was gone then as he wrenched his eyes shut as liquid fire filled his lungs and throat and his hand felt as though he'd just shoved it into a furnace. There was screaming then – a horrible, rasping cry – that he realized was coming from him.

It burned, all of it. His own cry grated against his ears and up his throat and he could taste flecks of copper on his tongue as the scream turned into a cough that he could not stop.

The Mackans released his limbs and he curled in on himself, trying to muffle the hoarse gasping and hoping somehow that the fire traveling through his body would douse itself.

But unlike the previous time this time it was not relenting. Tears were pouring down his cheeks and he curled his legs up tighter, choking on the pain as his throat continued to burn.

"What is happening?" he heard Allura demand.

"This Sin was made directly on the body," the High Priest explained. "I… I suppose it is taking longer to release."

Too long, Lance thought, white spots dancing in his eyes. It hurt, Dios it hurt and it wasn't stopping. Voices were turning to sound around him and he hunched in further, the ache in his chest and hands not even registering on his pain scale.

And then finally, finally, it began to recede to the point where he gingerly let go of his legs, hands throbbing. The dizziness though, that was not leaving. Everything felt like too much, too fast.

"It is done," the High Priest said over the roaring of Lance's harsh breaths echoing in his ears. "The Purity of Sin has been reversed."

"Good," came Allura's voice. "Return the boy to me. I shall reunite him with his own kind in a show of peace."

"These… these Paladins of Voltron," and Lance heard the tremble in his voice even over his pounding pulse. "Will they seek vengeance upon us, Lady Leora?" Lance blinked. They thought Allura was Lady Leora?

"Please," called out the female, "protect us, Lady Leora. We… we have lost so many already."

"No vengeance shall be sought," Allura said, voice echoing," and Lance heard the sighs of relief from around the room and murmured thanks. "However… they ask though that you return their armor and ships to them. They will leave Macka in peace."

The High Priest nodded reverently. "It shall be done, Lady Leora. We will bring their 'armor' to their beast-like ships and remove the barrier."

"But heed my words, High Priest," Allura continued. "What has happened here is but a warning of what the future holds should you continue down this path. Sin lives in us all. It is a part of us. To Purify Sin is but a temporary state and one that is to teach, not to harm."

"I… I understand, Lady Leora. We will... we will find the true Purity of Sin so we may learn from it. We will not sacrifice any more in your name."

Lance saw Allura's muzzle curl into a smile and she inclined her head.

That was enough of a cue for the Mackans, as Lance found his arms being hoisted over furry shoulders and pulled forward to the edge of the table, unable to get his legs under him and feet hurting too much to do so even if he could. Allura floated forward and the two Mackans retreated, leaving Lance kneeling on the edge, trembling in a mixture of relief, pain and exhaustion.

Tears were sparkling in her eyes, although she held them in. Without any apparent effort, Allura leaned over and placed one paw on Lances back and swept him into her arms. Her hold was strong and secure and he pressed his face between her shoulder and chest, unable still to stop the tremors racing through him and the even more dizzying feeling of floating.

"Praise be to Lady Leora!" cried out the High Priest and all around the room the chant picked up in intensity. He nestled his head further in, hating how the very idea of the chant was making his skin prickle and his breath hitch.

But then they were moving. Somehow – Hunk and Pidge, he suspected – they were going up without the whoosh of jets or blasters, the voices of the chanting Mackans growing fainter. And then suddenly there was warm air and the hiss of a hatch door sliding shut. He kept his face hidden though, unsure of this sudden rolling in his stomach and just knowing that as soon as he saw the others he was going to lose it.

Silence echoed for all of a second before cries of "Lance!" sounded and Lance could feel hands grabbing at him and laughter and tears.

"Hold on, hold on," Allura called from above him, voice still echoingly beautiful. "Give us some space, please. Pidge, how do I turn this off?"

"Got it," he heard Pidge answer.

"All right, much better," Allura said, voice back to normal. She shifted her arms and Lance bit back the whimper as he felt her start to lower him.

"Here, put him on the bed," he heard Hunk say over Pidge talking into the comms and Coran's joyous whoop on the other end. "His feet are still really bad."

"Lance," Allura murmured as he still clung to her despite the pain it was causing. The Mackans may have healed up their wound, but they were still burned and infected and sporting scrapes and broken fingers. "What is wrong?"

"I…" he choked out, keeping his face pressed to her still. Everything was still moving though and his stomach gave another heave. "I d-don't know."

"Sensory overload," Pidge chimed in from above him. "Green, girl, can you dim the lights? Everyone else quiet."

"Let us get you lying down, shall we?" Allura asked gently and Lance felt her hands – and hands now, not paws – light upon his arm and give it the barest of tugs from where he had dug his fingers into the brocade of her dress.

He let her, finding himself lying on his back and propped up somewhat by what felt like boxes with a blanket hastily draped over it.

He kept his eyes squeezed closed, heart racing as he realized he had not yet heard one person's voice since boarding Green. He was too scared to look though. What if… what if he'd imagined it all? What if he'd just thought that had been his hand and he wasn't actually here because he was de—

"Lance?"

At Keith's voice Lance's eyes flew open.

"Keith," he gasped, lurching forward. And then Keith was there, arms tight around Lance in an embrace and a hand cupping the back of his head.

"I'm here," Keith murmured, breath hot against Lance's neck. "It's okay. We're okay."

"K-Keith," Lance repeated, hot tears stinging his eyes again. "Keith."

He knew he sounded like an idiot, but he didn't seem to be capable of saying anything else. He wrapped his own arms about Keith and squeezed as tight as he could despite the flare of pain it caused, feeling a soft huff of laughter mixed with a sob against his ear.

"We're okay," Keith whispered. "We did it. We're home."

Gradually he felt his pulse begin to slow, the tight feeling in his chest disappearing. Keith continued to just hold him while the others talked quietly around him – "That was amazing Allura!" – "I suppose I did always have a flair for the dramatics…"— "Five dobashes till we land." – "Black and Red are coming up on our six!" –and Lance felt his eyes growing heavy, this time with sleep.

Keith pulled back a bit from their embrace, purple eyes lined with tears. "Hey," he said, voice rough as they met Lance's deep ocean blue. "I think the others want to say hello too before we land."

The dimmed interior of Green did help and Lance let his gaze trace about his family, all beaming at him. Hunk pulled him into a tender side hug while Pidge gently held his hands and Allura pressed a hand against his hair.

"We make a really good team, don't we?" Keith murmured and Lance felt a déjà vu sweep over him.

"You guys are the best," he rasped, more tears pricking at his eyes as he looked about the assembled group.

"We are so happy to have you back," Allura smiled at him. "We shall get you in a healing pod once we arrive back at the castle and in a few varga you will be back on your feet."

He coughed weakly. "Sounds great to me. And then…" he coughed again, voice grating even on his own ears. "Food? Like, real food? No bugs?"

"Bugs?" Pidge's nose wrinkled.

"It was all we had," Keith said defensively.

But the smile Lance sent him made his hackles drop as he realized the other boy was just teasing.

They made it back to the castle without incident and Lance didn't even protest as Allura scooped him back into her arms to carry him to the infirmary where Coran was waiting with a pod at the ready. He was half-tempted to try a line about how she'd literally swept him off his feet, but exhaustion was winning out and was just too comfortable for Allura to drop him in protest (although given his injuries he didn't think she actually would).

"It's good to see you, my boy," he whispered, moustache quivering, as he pressed a hand against Lance's head.

"You too, Coran," Lance returned in kind, lip trembling again.

Coran and Hunk helped him into a cryo-suit over the weird white clothes he found himself in – more ritual garb that he did not want to know about yet – and then into the pod.

His eyes met Keith's as the door began to slide close and the swordsman gave a firm nod. He'd be staying right there until Lance came out.

And that reassured Lance more than anything else ever could.

xxx

Author's Notes:

Reversal of the Purity of Sin was a success! And look, I got one last little bit of whump squeezed in too so I am a happy author. Mackans are on the right track too, getting the living daylights scared out of them by Allura. Hehe. Maybe someday the Paladins will return to try an alliance again, but right now we're going to leave Macka behind for a long, long time.

We've got one small chapter left to wrap things up for our boys and get them some comfort and closure. (Speaking of comfort, I wrote a little fluffy-ish Hunk-centric (and Lance!) piece called What the Universe Sees (And Does Not) if you'd like something else to read before Monday. If you do, please let me know what you thought of it via a review!)

Love as always to the wonderful reviewers: dragoscilvio, RJLadyA, JeromeHaddock15, hobbes101, Subtle Shenanigans, Genni C, Doe, WhiteTails, LeNolaNamiko, imagine forevermore, Pfeh, geekyglamour413, Wolf of the Demise, An Amber Pen, TheFullmetalBitch, Adrianna Agray, ChocolateMonkey, ASleepDeprivedPineapple, Alexa, wingedflower, Ralyssene118, MandyRaccoon, migrane, Justanangryfangirl, LishaChan, Sealure, RavenNighwing42, JazRose, PygmyFalcon and Jennyfish26!

Also, as a reminder, this fic was part of a challenge with author heyheroics. Do be sure to check out her fic, Echo, and make sure to leave a comment telling her how awesome it just recently posted chapter four :)

As always, please drop a comment before you go. This was a fun chapter and I would love to hear what you thought of it! Thanks so much!