Loving You to the Stars and Back // Keith x OC //

The Truth Revealed

21

Shay, her family, and I ran up to the caves under the surface with the other Balmerans doing the same. Everyone was helping each other get to the same level. "Allura, we're just below the surface," I reported. 

"Got that," Allura responded through the comms. "We will triangulate your location and land there as soon as possible." I watched the castle make its way closer to the Balmera's surface.

"Paladins, how are you holding up?" Coran asked the paladins as Shay's family and I got to the very top.

"I think we've got the monster pretty distracted. How about the Balmerans? Are they in position?" Keith responded. Then, the Castle of Lions safely landed outside of the mine shaft, and  Allura and Coran came out of the castle with a transport pod.

"Bring them out now! Hurry!" Coran yells as he gestures for the Balmerans to head inside of the castle. Suddenly, the Balmera shakes violently beneath us, causing the mine shaft to start crumbling. Cries were heard from all angles of the mine shaft as soon as a rock slide had occurred inside.

"No!" Allura exclaims as she sees the scene happen before her. Because of the rock slide, the Balmerans were trapped in the shaft.

"It's on the verge of collapsing. We must go!" Coran said.

I turn to the Altean, "But the Balmerans! They're trapped in there."

"What can we do? Time is short!" The male Balmeran from earlier spoke in panic. Coran quickly used the communicator, telling Shiro that we needed more time.

Shay drops down to her knees, holding her head, "We're lost! All are trapped with no chance of escape!"

Allura walks up to her and places a hand on Shay's shoulder, "Don't give up. We'll find a way."

"But what can be done?" Shay asks as she looked up at the princess. Then, Shay was looked towards the Castle of Lions as if she had noticed something. "The Balmera," She pauses as she was struck in awe of what was happening. "The ground beneath your mighty ship appears to be healed. Its essence thrives, but how?"

"Not just the castle, you as well," The elderly Balmeran said as she pointed at Allura's feet. She looks down and saw a blue light glowing from underneath. It was the same light that appeared when I placed my hand on the wall. Realizing this, I looked at the ground below my feet, seeing the same light.

"It's happening to you too?" Allura looks at me with wide eyes.

"That can't be," Coran murmured. "It was known back then that very few Altean's possess the power to manipulate quintessence to revive what was taken from the Balmera. Allura's father was one of the few who performed the ceremony to revitalize the creature, and he has bonded Allura's life force with the castle." He looked at me dead in the eyes with no intention of looking away as he speaks, "As for you, you're human. I don't know how you possess the same ability."

"Let's talk about it later," Allura interjected. "We have Balmerans to save." Seeing that the castle, Allura and the castle were slowly healing the Balmera, an idea popped into my mind.

"That's it! You know how you talked about the ceremony? We can try to perform the same ritual and save the Balmera!" I said.

"What ceremony?" The male Balmeran asked.

"In the days of old, when Alteans were given the gift of Crystals from a Balmera, we would repay its sacrifice by performing a ceremony," Coran replied. "A sacred Altean would re-infuse the Balmera with Quintessence. In this way, we had a symbiotic relationship."