Echoes in the Dark Chapter 1: Rememberance, a voltron: legendary defender fanfic

Echoes in the Dark - A Voltron: Legendary Defender Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Rememberance

Time is truly relevant to one's self. I could remember everything as if it was just yesterday… but surely it was much longer than just a few hours pass. I could still see his burning violet eyes behind my eyelids, forever ingrained into my skull as I slept. The vision haunted me – it wasn't natural. His eyes, once golden and kind now nothing but a toxic wasteland of glowing hostility.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

The tiredness in the king's voice had taken me off guard. I never thought I would ever hear him so battered and broken, so tired with what he was facing. I shouldn't have been so surprised; so much tragedy had happened to him the past few weeks: he was betrayed by his friend, he had to destroy the homeworld of his greatest allies, the friend he once knew now walked the realm of the living once more only to start a war that the king knew could not be won.

And I had just added to the king's stress with my stupid stunt.

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

I was very foolish, as he had called me. I never realized how much they changed in the time I have been with them. They practically raised me, and yet I was blinded from the truth by my unrequited love for them. Why would I ever think that their minds were being poisoned by the very thing that gave me power, that gave me life? As I mulled over it increasingly longer, I couldn't help but wonder what would have been different if I was able to stop them sooner.

"As long as you are safe, my child.
I don't know what I would have done if I'd
known Zarkon had ever put a threatening
hand on you."

Events played in my mind over and over like a never-ending movie in which I knew what was going to happen, what choices should have been made but there was nothing I could do but watch and suffer.

"Father! Are you busy today, Father? I wish to play
with you!"

"Do not call me "Father", Kitsaki. I am your
king, not your father;
you are expected to treat me like one while
you are on Daibazaal… and anywhere for that matter."

"… Yes, your royal highness."

"Good: remember your place, child. Now then,
you had some experimentations with Honerva today
if I remember correctly. I expect you to head
there immediately and not skip out on them
to play some silly Altean games Allura's
been teaching you."

"… Yes, my King."

I had always assumed that it was just the stress of the throne starting to bear down on him. I assumed he was beginning to be pushed to his limits between being the Black Paladin as well as King of his own planet. Perhaps it was because of the pressure being placed on him to get more experimenting done with quintessence so he could provide a cleaner, longer-lasting energy source to not only Daibazaal but to Altea and even the rest of the galaxy… perhaps even the universe.

"You're late."

"Forgive me, Mother… It slipped
my mind that you requested my presence today."

"You should be more diligent, Kitsaki.
This is very important research we are conducting here,
as you already know."

"Yes, Mother."

"Kitsaki, please remind yourself from time
to time that you are in fact not my child.
You are not heir to the throne of Daibazaal."

"… Yes, my Queen."

I was told stories about her from before I was created. How her eyes were used to be so full of life, so kind. How her skin shown a warm caramel in the sunlight of Altea instead of the dull bronze in the artificial light of her laboratory. I was told she was sweet, while her intelligence was unmatched. She stole her husband's heart without her really knowing. I can remember fantasizing about finding my own husband and stealing his heart in a similar way.

"My, my, Kitsaki! You have certainly grown!
You're almost as big as Allura now!"

"That would be insinuating that
Allura is big."

"Haha! Please refrain from telling
her that. She's in that phase where she takes
everything to heart when it's not true."

"Of course, King Alfor. Princess Allura shouldn't
think of herself anything but beautiful."

"You are very sweet, my child, but you
are more than welcome just to
call me Alfor. You are like a second
daughter to me."

"…Thank you, Alfor."

He was a kind man with a kind family. He always looked out for those who he loved, and always remained faithful to his companions. He could see what was happening to one of his best friends, even trying to call him out on it. He argued with one of his greatest allies for the sake of his own people – something I could never find the strength to. He remained vigilant until the very end… always looking out for everyone before himself.

"Ah! There you are, Kitsaki!"

"Oh, Princess Allura? May I be of
service to you?"

"I wanted to teach you a song that Mother taught me!
She said that a lot of Altean children knew
it as a nursery rhyme but I'm not sure if Honerva taught you…
being busy with the lab and all."

"I… You don't have to,
Princess Allura."

"Of course I do, Kitsaki!
You're pretty much my sister, aren't you?
I have to teach you these things!"

"… Sister, huh…?"

She was just like her father; she always wore her heart on her sleeve as she opened her arms to anyone who would allow it. She was naïve when it came to the world, but it never stopped her. She had a brilliant brain but followed her heart more often. She could dazzle anyone with her eyes and make hearts melt with her smile. She treated everyone as equals and strove to follow in the footsteps of her father.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

I was being haunted by my mistakes almost every chance they had. Demons that waited on the edges of my conscious, just timing the moment when my thoughts slipped so they could torture me once more. I tried so hard to keep them away only for them to break down my barriers so I could suffer my self-inflicted abuse.

"Father?"

"Yes, my child? What is it?"

"What does 'vrepit sa' mean?"

"Now, where did you hear
that, Kitsaki?"

"... I read it in a book in the
library, but I couldn't find out
what it meant. Is it
a bad word?"

"No, my darling. It's an old Galran
phrase dating back to the first
Kings of Daibazaal. You wouldn't
be able to translate it as there
are no more texts pertaining to the
ancient Galran language."

"Oh… That's cool I guess..."

"… What do you think it meant,
child? Just take a guess.
It doesn't have to be right."

"… Onwards."

"'Onwards'? Why would you
think that, child?"

"Because the old Kings were always
looking ahead towards a brighter
future… Just like us now with the study
of quintessence. We are in a new era of
peace, according to Mother… We are always
marching 'onwards' through time."

I never understood why he chose that was his motto. I never found out what it truly meant – perhaps he knew the reality of the phrase and decided to keep it away from someone who did not share his blood. Looking back at it now, I felt foolish for thinking such an innocent phrase could have such a deep meaning. The Kings of Old Daibazaal were ruthless rulers as their planet was still very much untamed. Perhaps there was an underlying meaning in the words… maybe there was something similar in the current Galra language I could never pick out that he knew about. There was no way that he would choose that as a motto because of my silly meaning for the words... and that's if he could remember it.

"You've exhausted yourself
yet again, Kitsaki."

"… I'm sorry, Mother."

"… I just wish you would be more careful.
You are quite important, you know.
We can't have you keeling over in the middle
of such a dangerous experiment."

"I… know, Mother. I am the only
one of my kind."

"Hm... You're the only Kitsaki we have."

"… Am I, though? I was created in this laboratory,
was I not? Surely you could just
repeat the process of making another child
just like me?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps I could go through
the exact same steps and have another
child of the stars born right in front
of my eyes… But there would still only
be one you, Kitsaki."

"I… I'm not sure if I follow."

"Kitsaki. I could make a thousand children
the same way as you but it may never
work again. The circumstances may never be the same
again. We might never be able to
recreate the exact same variables to create
yet another child."

"Oh… I see. There are just too many variables to
really keep track of… and you aren't sure what
caused my birth to be successful after so many
failed attempts."

"… But even then, Kitsaki, if I were able to create
a thousand clones, there would ever only be one you.
You are unique, Kitsaki. Even if every child
from now on was born from quintessence with
your exact gifts, you would still be important
to me because you are you.
You are Kitsaki; my Kitsaki."

She… was kind in her own way. Rumours whispered in ears told stories that she was changing but I never had the evidence to back it up myself. I found that most days we kept a professional relationship as not to hinder any results from the experiments to keep them as unbiased as possible. Even if it was a little strange, and certainly not like the relationship like other children had, I loved her just as I should. I knew she reciprocated the feelings, even if sometimes she showed it in odd ways.

"Alfor… May I ask you a
question?"

"Of course, my child, what
is it that plagues your mind?"

"Does Allura's name have any
meaning to it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"… I've read that Altean Royalty have special ceremonies
specifically for names… The name is the
embodiment of one's life. Surely you
thought of a special name for Allura."

"… 'Ollurae' is an old Altean word
meaning 'of the heart.' It took us
a very long time to find the
perfect name. There were doubts
at first… but surely it was the best decision."

"Huh… Very fitting for her."

"My name comes from the old
Altean name, 'Alephior'. It's said
to mean 'protector of others.'"

"That's amazing… I… I don't
think any other name could be so well suited."

"Haha… I'm glad you think so, my child."

"Thank you, Alfor. I shall allow you back to
your duties… Thank you for humouring me."

"Are you not curious about your own
name, Kitsaki?"

"My name? But I'm not Altean
royalty… or royalty at all."

"That is indeed true, but that doesn't mean
no time went into your name."

"… Could you tell me then?
What my name means, that is."

"… 'Kitsaki' is an ancient Altean name
meaning 'Starlight' or 'born of the stars.'
It's not very common anymore, if
ever at all."

"But… I was made from quintessence, not from a star..."

"Perhaps… But to some, your birth
was from that of a star."

I think about it often – the meaning of a name. A name in Altean culture had a lot of sentiment behind every letter; it wasn't just a word you place on a child to address them. Their name was an embodiment of their very essence… their soul. Mothers and fathers put time and effort into choosing what their child should be called for the rest of their life. Altean royalty even had special ceremonies for all of Altea to rejoice in the name of their next royal. Galrans wasn't as sentimental as Alteans in their naming. It was more common to find Galran with similar sounding names than Alteans who tried to keep their names unique. Despite this, I can't help but dwell on every person whose name I come across. What does their name mean? What does it tell me about them? What does their name mean to them?

"Do you ever wish you lived
on Altea instead?"

"… What kind of question is that,
Allura?"

"… I apologize. That was rather
vague of me… Allow me to rephrase:
Do you ever wish you lived with your proper
parents instead of your current ones?
Your parents don't seem to really…
care about you, Kitsaki."

"You are grossly misinformed,
my Princess. For one, they are not
my parents… and secondly, they
are quite interested in
my wellbeing."

"For experimentations on your
unique abilities!
… Kitsaki. There's a difference
between being loved and being used.
I… believe your relationship with your
parents – er, Honerva and Zarkon,
fall under the latter."

"Well I believe you are incredibly
wrong on your judgement, Princess."

"I'm… sorry, Kitsaki. I just care
greatly for you… I fear that you
are being blinded by your duty to
respect them as your superiors…
… If… you ever change your mind,
there is more than enough room in the
castle back at home to accommodate you
if ever needed."

I remember being hurt by her words, but looking back at it now I can't help but wonder how she saw what was happening before I could. She always saw the best in people right up until the very last moment, but yet she saw the evil in their hearts corrupting them before even I could. I find myself sometimes wishing that I listened to her and took upon her offer. I find myself fantasizing what it would have been like living amongst people who shared my blood. Some days I find myself dreaming of scenarios of times where things worked out in the end and didn't lead to the bloodshed it did in reality.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

"As long as you are safe, my child.
I don't know what I would have done if I'd
known Zarkon had ever put a threatening
hand on you."

"I… never meant for you to
worry… I really thought I
could… I thought I could avoid
all of this mess."

"I know, my child. I… know. But sometimes
you cannot, no matter how hard you try."

Even now, I can still remember the weariness in his voice. His words spoke of past experiences that will never be spoken on his tongue as his eyes shown with melancholy. The King knew far too well what I was experiencing, something I wish I never had the luxury of knowing.

"Do… you ever just… know
you made a horrible mistake
and there's nothing you
can do to fix it?"

…

"It doesn't matter the lesson
you learned from it; only that
you were wrong and now
everyone pays the price
of your ignorance."

Mistress.

"It's unfair… How was I
to know what was happening?
I… I suppose I shouldn't have
been so naïve – that's Allura's
job. But now… Now we are
at war with what used
to be our greatest ally, and
the supposed dead
is walking amongst the
living once more."

Mistress.

"There must have been something
I could have done. There must be something
I can do. He must be in there,
somewhere.
His overexposure to quintessence
couldn't have burned him out completely.
Zarkon must still be in there."

Mistress Kitsaki.

"… You know how I feel, do you
not? He is your Paladin, after all.
You must feel the same guilt that plagues
my heart this very moment. You must
understand my agony when you realize
you messed up when you didn't
stop his poisoned mind from doing
something so arrogantly foolish."

…

"… Help me get him back.
Help me get Zarkon back and end
this needless war. Thousands are
dying because of our ignorance;
we must put a stop to this."

How do you suppose we
save my Paladin, Mistress?
As you said, his mind is plagued
with the very thing that bonds
us together – that makes you
and I almost one in the same.
His mortal shell is no longer wasting
away from the power that courses through
his veins, yet in turn it's his mind that's being
whittled away as we speak. He no longer wishes for
peace amongst the mortal realm; my Paladin
fuels off the spilled blood of those who
oppose him in his lust for more power.
His thirst for such conquest has set
him down a dark path that he may
never return from, much less listen to our
desperate pleas for him to change his heart.

"So… You're saying we do nothing.
That we should just sit back and let
this happen. To give up, more or less like Alfor
has already done by sending away the rest of the Lions.
You wish for us to sit back like we have this
entire time and destroy any chance of us
getting Zarkon back because the possibility
of us actually being able to get him
back is too slim."

…

"If you're ready to give up on your
Paladin, then that's okay. I will not
force you to fight against your Pilot if it's
not your wish to do so. But I can no longer
stand idle while lives are needlessly being taken.
I will go alone; I will find Zarkon and I will
talk to him. Perhaps I can convince him to see
the error of his ways; to show him that
Alfor did what he thought was best
for the people in his short absence.
If he won't listen to Alfor, then perhaps
there's a small chance he'll listen to me.
If not, then I will be killed… and that's
a fate I'm willing to accept for allowing
this to go on as long as it did."

My Mistress…

"If… Alfor asks where I have run off
to, tell him not to worry about me.
Tell him to worry about his own
wellbeing and the sake of his
people over the single life of mine.
I will do everything I can to talk Zarkon
out of this but there is no telling for sure he will
even allow me to speak before he takes my life.
Tell Alfor I am sorry for not seeing the errors
in my ways until it was far too late."

Mistress Kitsaki. I cannot
allow you to do that.

"I'm sorry but I must."

… Then I shall accompany you,
Mistress. I cannot allow the Red
Paladin to experience any more failures
for my incompetence. I shall escort you
to my Paladin in hopes to keep you safe…
and to get my Paladin back once more.

"… Thank you, Black Lion of Voltron."

It is my honour, Mistress Kitsaki.
Let us get back the Black Paladin.

I could connect with her better than any other sentient being in the known universe. There was a particular bond I held with her and the other four that could only be explained by my unique prowess in life-giving. While I was never chosen to be her Pilot – her Paladin – I still remained close to the giant beast. There was an unspeakable agreement between us – as well as the other Lions – that stated I would never be a true Paladin amongst them but rather a temporary Pilot should anything would happen to their current Paladins. That day was the first and only time the Black Lion allowed me to pilot her; she knew the risks, as well as she knew that there was a small chance that we could truly rescue the fallen Paladin, but she took it anyway – she took me to be her Pilot for a brief moment because she trusted me… She trusted me to get him back but… I failed.

And everyone paid the price.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

"As long as you are safe, my child.
I don't know what I would have done if I'd
known Zarkon had ever put a threatening
hand on you."

"I… never meant for you to
worry… I really thought I
could… I thought I could avoid
all of this mess."

"I know, my child. I… know. But sometimes
you cannot, no matter how hard you try."

No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, they kept coming back to haunt me: Zarkon's toxic eyes, Alfor's weary smile, the thought of Allura frozen in time within a sleep pod to keep her safe, the Black Lion's anguished roar. I didn't want to relive my failures, but somehow, I still torture myself with them.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

"As long as you are safe, my child.
I don't know what I would have done if I'd
known Zarkon had ever put a threatening
hand on you."

"I… never meant for you to
worry… I really thought I
could… I thought I could avoid
all of this mess."

"I know, my child. I… know. But sometimes
you cannot, no matter how hard you try."

"There shouldn't have been any try!
I could have stopped him there but
I froze… I was weak despite all the training
Zarkon himself gave me about showing my enemy
no compassion… How ironic it was him
I found myself a statue in front of…"

I wanted to shut it all away and never think about it ever again. I wanted to give myself amnesia so I didn't have to remember Alfor's face as I spoke of my failures. I didn't want to remember the Black Lion trying to soothe my anguish while she dealt with her own. I didn't want to remember my weakness in front of the man who I had once had the privilege to call Father.

"You are pathetic, Kitsaki.
You would be nothing but trash to me,
had you not been born with the power of
longevity coursing through your veins.
You come to stop me but yet
despite my every lesson, you find
yourself unable to stop your old mentor
because you are too sentimental.
That's what makes you Alteans so weak –
you do not thirst for blood as us Galra;
you value the beating blood of family more than
the spilt blood of foes. It's a wonder
at all that Altea even has an army.
You could end my tyranny right here
if you truly wanted to but yet, I see
nothing more than a small child
who thought she was special – that
she could do something that no one else
could by stopping me. I see nothing more than
a pathetic, incompetent child who values the bonds
of tarnished family more than then the life
of her own people. You've come to me because
you told yourself you would end me, and yet
I am still breathing, able to talk to you.
An old Galra has to wonder where your true
loyalties lie, Kitsaki."

I've had what felt like eons to mull over it. Where did my loyalties lie after all? I could have ended everything by spilling his blood when I had the chance. Instead, I allowed myself to be weak and listen to his words and break my heart. He was right: I was too sentimental. I shouldn't be though… What was I sentimental about? As he told me countless times: he wasn't my father. I didn't know my true parents… I was raised as some sort of a lab rat for Honerva's experiments. But even then… I still couldn't help but it. I suppose that's what made me more Altean than just an experiment… my ability to feel.

"Kitsaki. What you did was not only foolish,
but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion.
Do you understand that?"

"I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I
could stop him…"

"As long as you are safe, my child.
I don't know what I would have done if I'd
known Zarkon had ever put a threatening
hand on you."

"I… never meant for you to
worry… I really thought I
could… I thought I could avoid
all of this mess."

"I know, my child. I… know. But sometimes
you cannot, no matter how hard you try."

"… You did what you could.
No one blames you."

I couldn't suppress it any longer. It hurt more if I tried as other painful memories would just take its place. The emotional agony that had once filled me so long ago came back to fill the void in my heart once more like it always belongs; it was always a piece of me this entire time. I allowed it to drown me as if it was going to help.

My hands trembled as I gripped the controls of the giant machine. I could feel her hum beneath my fingers, perhaps trying to offer grounding as my mind plagued itself with the moment that will forever haunt my memories. She was silent in the back of my mind; there was nothing she could say to make me feel better as she worked through her own grief and torment. Shakily, I let go of the controls, leaning back heavily into the large chair that once housed the Black Paladin. Its size was now just a poor reminder of the great Galra who once sat here as head of Voltron.

My heart constricted at the thought as tears threatened to fall.

In a blind fury, I ripped off my helmet, allowing my long, braided blue hair cascade down onto my armor. I squeezed the helmet in my arms, trying to forget everything that happened but failing miserably. I found my finger tracing the cyan light that divided the lower white half of the helmet with the grey top half. My armour was very like that of the other Paladins with the aforementioned grey colouring instead of the colours that were already worn.

My lip trembled at the thought of the other Paladins whose Lions were currently scattered across the universe.

"Kitsaki!"

I jolted in my seat as a voice mixed with relief and panic filled my calm. The Black Lion leaned her head down for me to see down below her; one of Alfor's trusted advisors fidgeted next to the paws of the beast, frantically waiting for me to meet him down there.

I held my tongue as I moved to pull the lever that brought the seat back to the exit. I could feel the Black Lion was reluctant to let me approach them but she did nothing to stop them as she moved her head to the floor to allow me to leave. I sat in the chair motionless as it turned and rolled to the exit. When it came to a stop, I hesitated about moving. The Black Lion hadn't opened her maw yet, allowing me time to collect myself. I could feel her urging me to go, although she wasn't pushing me to. Eventually, I swallowed my shame and stood up, walking towards the opening jaw that shone light of the castle's hanger into her.

The subordinate allowed me to approach them as they stepped away from the Black Lion. When I was far enough out of her range, a blue particle barrier was put up around her as a defense. I looked over my shoulder, feeling her presence fade from my mind as I tried to steel myself as well; she knew that I wouldn't be piloting her anytime soon – that anyone would. She was preparing herself for the long sleep ahead.

"Lady Kitsaki! The King requests your presence immediately at the bridge."

I said nothing, following him to the elevator that led to the bridge. We hopped onto the black speeder I didn't bother loading into the Black Lion earlier. The way back to the bridge was quiet, if not awkward while squeezed together with someone on a one-man speeder. I could feel him tense next to me but he didn't say anything about my apparent treason of defying the King's orders on not engaging Zarkon. For that, I was relieved.

We crammed into the elevator, squeezed against the walls as it carried us up to the bridge. From the corner of my eye, I watched him play with a lock of golden hair behind his ear as he nervously met my eyes. I looked away from him, feeling my guilt rack up even more. I heard him open his mouth to draw a breath, perhaps to offer words of comfort but nothing broke the silence. I stole another look at his face, his caramel skin sparkling in the artificial light as his defeated golden eyes stared at the floor.

The look he held made me bite my lip as I cursed myself for being so weak. I could've stopped Zarkon… I could've ended this sooner rather than later so save everyone from the torment they were facing… but yet…

The sudden stop of the elevator caused me to jolt from my thoughts. The door whooshed open to the bridge where the King was, leaned over his dashboard. Two more subordinates remained faithfully by his side as they all looked up at me.

Myself and the third subordinate stepped out of the elevator, only for it to collapse back into the floor. The bridge of the castle was illuminated blue as lights cascaded down from the ceiling. Five seats remained empty – a gross reminder of the treaty that once was. I picked at the armor of my left gauntlet as the king stared me down intensely.

"Kitsaki," he addressed with a low voice. "What you did was not only foolish, but could have cost your life as well as the Black Lion. Do you understand that?"

I found my voice caught in my throat. I was unwilling to speak but as he was a king, I found myself with very little options. "I… I'm sorry… I… I thought I could stop him…"

There was a pause as I looked down at the floor, unable to meet the Altean's eyes. The Altean next to me moved to join his King as the other subordinates bit their lips. I expected the king to have a burst of anger – what I did was treason of the highest order: not only defying the King's direct order but also unwilling to kill the Galra that threatened all of Altea.

"As long as you are safe, my child. I don't know what I would have done if I'd known Zarkon had ever put a threatening hand on you."

I felt tears burn my eyes as my voice bubbled in my throat. I fought for composure over his tender words, unable to truly forgive myself. "I… never meant for you to worry…" I tried to explain. "I really thought I could… I thought I could avoid all of this mess."

"I know, my child. I… know. But sometimes you cannot, no matter how hard you try."

I felt something inside me break as anger boiled beneath my skin. King Alfor was being far too kind for something that could potentially eradicate his entire planet. I was prepared for him to cast me out, or even kill me himself but he was the same king I grew up knowing – king and compassionate… always willing to give someone another chance.

"There shouldn't have been any try!" I argued. "I could have stopped him there but I froze… I was weak despite all the training Zarkon himself gave me about showing my enemy no compassion… How ironic it was him I found myself a statue in front of…" I gripped my helmet, remembering it was in my arms and not on my head.

"… You did what you could. No one blames you."

"And how could you not?! I could have slain Zarkon where he stood but instead, I allowed him to mock me for the very thing that was allowing him to live – my sentiment. He should be as dead as the day's end but I failed and I allowed him to live."

The King was solemn as he fell silent. He leaned over his dash more so as he closed his weary eyes. He gave a long sigh, opening his eyes once more to the blaring lights of an incoming attack. The King did nothing to address the warning though, instead, he stood up straight before circling around his dash. He approached me with wide steps, and without warning threw his arms around me to encase me in a hug.

I felt my breath escape me as my face pressed into his armor. The tears that threatened to escape before fell freely as I dropped my helmet with a clang, leaning heavily against the older Altean. He held me tight as his hands rubbed the back of my Paladin armor, offering silent support as I wept.

I felt his lips grace my forehead as he planted a fatherly kiss, pulling back with his old features etched with grief. "We must get you away as far as possible… We must not allow Zarkon to get you as you could be utilized to further his power…"

His words stung as I felt a small set of hands wrap around my arm as Alfor pulled away. I looked to my right to see the only other female left in the room gently pulling me away; lavender eyes with locks of pastel pink complimented her dark complexion.

"W-What? No. I'm staying with you."

The king shook his head, turning away so I couldn't see his face. "No, Kitsaki. This is an order: you are to escape Zarkon's wrath before he kills you where you stand. He will not be as lenient the next time he sees you."

I could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke. The disbelief that his oldest friend would truly be so vile to do such an act. I realized that it wasn't just me who couldn't strike the Galran King down when it needed to be done; Alfor himself couldn't betray his friend's trust as easily as he would like to admit, even if it meant for the peace amongst the races. Destroying Daibazaal was perhaps one of the hardest things King Alfor ever had to do, and yet he's faced with the decision to send the science child of that very friend away in fear of her being hurt by him.

I wanted to protest. I wanted to argue, to fight tooth and nail to stay and fight until my final breath but I couldn't. That would destroy Alfor even more, knowing he sent me into a losing battle against Zarkon. I was tired of causing the good king pain, but I couldn't just let him sacrifice everything for me.

I was gently led away by the female subordinate as the blond subordinate and a third ginger subordinate remained dutifully by the king's side. Alfor slowly made his way back to his post, flipping between the windows of his holographic screen. With a sigh, he typed some keys before agreeing to permanently erase the entire database.

"Sire?" the blond spoke up.

"If Zarkon ever finds the Castle of Lions, I'll be quiznak if he gets any files out of her..."

Hearing the King use the light profanity was odd and even slightly unsettling. It was a sign of him throwing all niceties aside for the sake of getting his point across.

Once more, the king gave a long, dramatic sigh. He turned to look at me as I was being escorted out of the room, our eyes meeting as I craned my neck over my shoulder.

"Klyza, Rohs. I want you both to secure a ship for Lady Kitsaki before each taking one for yourselves."

"Sire?" both the blond and pale-pink haired girl gasped. Klyza let go of my arm in shock, allowing me to face the king entirely.

Alfor looked down at his feet before turning his gaze to the ginger who met his eyes. "Myself and Coran shall remain here making final preparations to send the castle as far away as possible. You two are no longer needed here as it would be a risk to your own lives."

"Sir, I cannot allow you to do that," Rohs spoke up, defiantly stepping up to the king.

"I do not wish to hear it. As your King, I expect you to obey my commands, even if it is my last one granted to you. After you complete your duty, you are both dismissed from my retainers."

"King Alfor – "

"Coran…"

As the king turned back to his displays, watching thousands of ancient Altean documents being erased forever from the castle's database, Coran stepped forward to lead Rohs out by the arm. The blond Altean fought against the older male as Klyza grabbed onto my arm, unable to look at anyone as tears fell from her eyes freely.

I felt numb. I just allowed myself to be escorted out of the flight deck and through the castle to the docking bay where empty ships waited for our arrival. Coran led us to a ship specifically designed for me – one that would utilize my seemingly infinite source of quintessence to power it even if I was frozen in a pod. The oldest Altean watched idly as I was loaded onto it, Rohs strapping me into the cryopod as Klyza busied herself with setting the auto-pilot on course.

"… How long will I remain asleep for…?" I voiced up as I placed my helmet back on my head, tucking my braid into it.

None of the Alteans answered verbally, but rather by adverting their gazes to the ground. So, in other words, I won't, unless there was an outside force to turn off my pod.

"The ship will run virtually forever…" Coran explained softly, violet eyes gazing at me with fondness. "If you leave now, there is no way that the Galran forces would ever be able to find you."

"I… see."

Rohs backed away as Klyza reappeared from the pilot's seat. They both held the same expression: guilt, regret, sadness. I supposed I shared the same look as I nodded at them, encouraging them to go ahead with it.

"Akera*…" I whispered to them as they closed the cryopod door.

I watched their faces fall at my words as Coran looked to the ground with heavy emotion. As the cryopod was booted up, coaxing me to sleep, I heard Coran's voice slip through the glass as my eyes slid shut.

"Akera*, Kitsaki."

Until our souls cross paths again.

.:🌌:🌑:⭐:.

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Akera: Altean word for "Until our souls cross paths again"

Hello! Thanks so much for reading this story! I've done a few Voltron one-shots before but this is my first time posting my multi-chapter story for this fandom.

With this fanfiction, I hope to achieve much-needed world-building. That includes somewhat developing Altean and Galran culture, as well as a language that we don't really have. This will all be made up, i.e. NON-CANON, but I will try my best to keep it as lore-friendly as possible.

There will be a canon divergence after Season 2 Finale, as this takes place not too long after Season 2 Episode 8 (where Keith finds his true Galra heritage)

I'll be adding extensive backstories to all the current protagonists and expanding on their characters as I integrate my own character, Kitsaki, into their world. There will be future pairings (two of which are definitive, but others are to be decided), but won't be happening right away. Expect more than just one OC to come in as a story with the plot I have will have an extensive amount to build realness to the story.

I really hope you enjoy your journey in the world of Echoes in the Dark as much as I'm enjoying creating it!