Our mission on Naxzela was going smoothly as it could be, and one-third of Galra territory was slowly being taken back by the coalition.
"It appears that all of the planets we've engaged have been pacified, if not totally liberated." Coran said to us through the comms.
I smiled at the good news. The feeling helping of hundreds of thousands of people be freed from the Galra's clutches was amazing.
Suddenly, my screens picked up something on a trail towards Naxzela.
"Guys, we might have a problem." I said, my chair spinning around to better see the location.
"What's the matter, Phoenix?" Shiro asked.
"There seems to be a battle cruiser approaching us." I said.
"What should we do?" Lance asked.
"First we need to contact the Zaiforge cannons." Shiro said calmly, "Matt, what's you status on your cannon?"
"Power is down. Zaiforge cannon Senfama, are you still operational?"
"Negative." Keith responded.
"That incoming battle cruiser must have shut thrm down remotely." Coran said.
"Sorry, Shiro. That's it for artillery support. What should we do about that cruiser?"
Voltron jumped into the air, smashing ourselves into a large Galra structure.
"That cruiser's gonna be too late. Naxzela's almost secure." Shiro replied, "We just need to take out the last of the heavy artillery."
I looked around and saw a ship preparing to fire towards our left.
"On our left, everyone!" I shouted.
"Shield up!" Shiro shouted, in an instant our shield was up.
A new power indicator appeared on my screen for the shield. The shot fired at us and we all grunted at the strain. I pushed some of my flames into the shield and Gaia, making both of then stronger.
We pushed back the blast and as a result, ghe ship was blown to pieces when the blast hit it full force.
We flew through the fiery blaze and activated the Bouloren's shoulder cannon. The blast cane iut large, but quickly split into several shot hitting just as many Galra weak points and structures.
Voltron stood tall and strong as we watched the Galra forces erupt in flames. I could sense all the Galra flames shake and flicker in fear of being hit by Voltron's mighty blasts.
But as our victory was coming closer and closer, i couldn't shake the feeling of cold rushing down my spine. Something was going to happen, and for the first time in a long time.... I was afraid to see the flame that caused this overwhelming cold.
Voltron swerved to the left, swinging his sword back and forth hitting all small Galra fighters, when all of a sudden, an all too familiar flame approached Naxzela.
I was frozen. This flame was warped, and a color that I didn't know. But what i did know was that it was evil enough to create a hundred Zarkons.
Then, that cold feeling returned ten-fold, only this time, it was sinking into Naxzela.
We landed and at the same time,the ground began to shake.
"Whoa! Did we cause that earthquake?" Lance asked at the feel of the shaking ground.
"I don't think so!" Pidge shouted back.
The ground rumbled under our feet, rocks and buildings shook from the pressure as our alarms blared in our ears.
My chair spun once again to the rear view of Voltron. My eyes were wide when I saw what was happening to Naxzela.
"Guys, look over there!" Hunk said, seeing the same thing I was.
We turned around and saw a large structure rise from the ground. It was massive! And from the surrounding area, several more structures rose up from the ground.
"Uh... guys, what are those?" Lance asked.
"We've never seen anything like this from the Galra before." Pidge said.
"Are they weapons?" Hunk asked.
"They look like some sort of generators."
"The Galra created generators with such a dark flame?! Impossible!" I said in disbelief.
"A dark flame?" Allura repeated questioningly.
"I sensed a dark flame around Naxzela not too long ago, and I think this is what's causing it." I informed.
"What ever these things are, stay alert." Shiro ordered.
"I say we get outta here. Pidge, plot a course for our escape." Lance said.
"Hold on, we should figure out what these things are."
"They're not good if Phoenix says they have a dark flame." Hunk said.
Just then, the generators began to glow, giving off an eerie purple light. Hexagonal shapes colored violet appeared above them, then slowly, that same lighr generated before spread across the area.
"This can't be safe." Hunk said.
My heart was pounding hard at this point. The feeling from tuis flame deep in Naxzela was almost too much to bear. I let go of my controls, clutching the cloth of my armor over my heart.
"Do you feel that?" Allura asked, "That wave of darkness?"
"Yeah... I'm feelin' it pretty clearly here, Allura." I said between panting breaths.
I didn't have time to try and catch my breath, because in a milli-tick, we were grunting in pain and pressure from an unknown weight.
"I can't move Red!" Lance shouted.
"Yellow won't budge either!" Hunk added. We were completely helpless as Voltron fell to his knees.
I looked up from my seat and saw the gravitational level on us was increasing at an unbelievable rate.
The power levels on the lions were also going down, and the white flame was growing dim.
"This energy field is holding us down! Gravity levels are spiking!" Pidge informed us.
"We have to get outta here!" Shiro grunted., "If we stay here, we'll be crushed. Everyone, we have to focus. Give everything you've got, and maybe we can fight through this energy field. Ready?"
"Ready!" We all shouted.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on Agnimitra, pushing my flames into her wings, however, even that didn't work. Once we flew into the air, the gravity level was too great for even Voltron to break through it.
We wwre violently pushed back down to the ground and into the hard stone.
"Is anyone else able to move around?" Hunk asked.
"Barely, but the gravitational pull is worse on Voltron." Pidge said, "Maybe if we go down to the surface, Hunk and I can figure out a way to interrupt this energy field."
"That sounds good, except for the zillion robot dudes still kickin' around down there." Lance pointed out.
"We're gonna have to stay in tight formation." Shiro said, "Watch each other's backs. Let's move!"
I bolted out of my seat and towards the exit. I jumped out of my lion and grouped up with the others. We ran as quickly as we could towards the closest generator across the broken bridge.
Since I didn't have shield of my own, I hid behind Shiro and held one dagger in each hand in case of a fight.
"Pidge and Hunk, do you your thing and do it fast!" Shiro ordered.
The two Paladins quickly followed through with Shiro's orders and went to the rod we were up against. They activated their wrist computer analyzers and scanned the structure.
"This rod seems to go all the wat down into the planet's core." Pidge said, "But I'm not detecting any kind of energy source on the planet that could be causing all of this."
"There's definitely something down there, Pidge. It's generating a terrible flame." I said.
"If Phoenix is right, then we'll have to follow it down to the core." Allura said. The door behind us beeped and opened.
"It's open! Let's go!" Pidge shouted, we wasted no time in entering the structure and falling straight down. We landed not too long later abd began our search for the planet's core.
My chest grew heavy as we got closer.
"Guys, this way I can feel Naxzela's flame from here." I said, taking the lead of the group.
I led them down the twists and turns of the structure, until we came to a large door.
"It's behind here." I said. Lance and Hunk readied their blasters in case of anyone inside, but I assured them that room was empty.
The doors opened, revealing a large orb filled with dark energy from its flame.
"Whoa." Pidge breathed out as we entered the room.
"What is this?" Lance asked.
"This is Zarkon's witch's doing." Allura said with spitting poison, "The energy Solaris and I felt... this must be the source."
"This core, it feels so dark and vile." I said, shaking a little at the dark feeling piercing my heart.
Shiro looked around and saw strange similarities not common anywhere else.
"Allura, this facility... it looks Altean." He trailed off. I looked around as well, seeing Altean structures surrounding the caved room.
"I'm afraid you're correct, Shiro." Allura said. We walked closer towards the orb, my heavy chest growing heavier as our distance lessened.
"This is a decommissioned Altean terraforming plant." Allura explained, "Somehow, the witch has been able to reactivate it remotely."
"Can you shut it down?" Shiro asked.
"I can try." Allura walked closer to the orb, stretching out her hand to try and shut down to core.
I saw her bright pink flame change slightly to a cyan blue, and the orb's flame, a deep magenta, was connecting to Allura.
But something was wrong.
"Allura, get away from there now!" I shouted, but it wad too late.
Allura screamed in pain as she was shocked violently with bolts of electrical currents.
"Allura!" We shouted, grabbing on to her and trying to pull her away from the orb.
I screamed along with Allura, the dark flame pouring into me as i made contact with her. I could feel my own flame flicker as it fought with the dark flame.
It was agonizing.
I felt Allura be pulled away, but I didn't move. I was too stiff to move anywhere as my flame connected to the dark one.
My breath was caught in my throat, lungs constricted from the pain as flames engulfed me in a blazing fury.
"Phoenix!" Everyone shouted as they wrapped their arms around me.
I could barely feel their strong arms attempt to pull me away from the orb, for I was in my own world.
A world filled with flames of all colors.
I saw my flame fight with the dark flame of Naxzela.
"Why is this happening?" I thought to myself. Suddenly, my breath hitched and I was falling onto my back.
I gasped for air and coughs harshly as the others groaned.
"Are you two okay?" Lance asked.
"It's too powerful." Allura said.
"Phoenix, what happened to you? You were covered in flames again and not responding." Pidge asked, worry evident in her voice.
I held my head and closed my eyes, "I'm not so sure. My flame connected to Naxzela's flame and they were fighting. I felt like I couldn't breathe."
Hunk groaned from the ground as he sat up. His eyes widened when he took a handful of the soil.
"This soil is weird. It's so whire and powdery, like ground-up rocks or earth." He said. I grew curious and took a look for myself of the soil. In my hajd was a pile of soil, and true to Hunk's comment, it was strange.
I activated my bracelet and analyzed the soil, gasping in shock at what it contained.
"Hunk, this soil contains heximite!" I shouted, his eyes widening with fear.
Suddenly, from the entrance, several Galra robot soldiers fired their lasers at us. Hunk and Lance fired back with their bayard weapons while everyone else put up their shields.
"What's heximite? Some of us May have slept through chemistry." Lance said.
"The while planet is a bomb, one that's big enough to wipe out several solar systems." Pidge explained.
"It's under increasing pressure and when the pressure reaches a certain point, it's going to explode." Hunk added.
"How long do we have?" Shiro asked.
"Twenty minutes at the most according to my calculations." I said.
"We have to get off this planet and warn everyone!" Lance said as he shot another soldier.
"Anyone within ten solar systems of us is going to get blown to pieces." Hunk said.
"That's not exactly helping our cause here, Hunk." I said.
"They could take out Voltron, the rebels and the Blade of Marmora in one fell swoop." Allura added.
"Less talkimg about our impending doom and more planning to get everyone out safe!" I shouted, running past their shields and into the path of danger.
I held my daggers tightly in my white-knuckled fists and charged at one of the soldiers.
I jumped high into the air and slammed my daggers into his head, quickly spinning around and taking out another by plunging my dagger into its chest. I heard the others rush towards the door. After I finished with anither soldier, I took my dagger from his head and ran to catch up with the others.
We ran down the halls and back outside to Voltron. Once inside our Lions, we tried to call for back up.
"Coran! Keith! Do you copy?" Shiro asked, "Anyone? Hello! We've lost communications. Pidge, can you boost our signal?"
"No, there's too much electrostatic repulsion! Phoenix, can you get anything?" Pidge asked.
"No can do, Pidge. Agnimitra is low on power, I'll have to transfer some of my flames into Voltron and try to get some kind of boost." I said.
"Seventeen minutes left." Hunk said.
"We have to get off this planet immediately." Allura urged.
I heard our metal Lions creak from movement as we slowly struggled to stand tall.
I could feel Voltron's pure white flame be crushed as we fell further down into Naxzela.
"Oh, no! We've fallen even further down!" Lance shouted.
"Fifteen minutes!" Hunk yelled.
"No! We can't die here. Not yet." Pidge said with determination.
"Listen. We've come through a lot as Voltron. We just have to think." Shiro said.
I held my head low, the feelign of defeat washing over me, but I refused to give in to the despair of loss.
"Allura, Phoenix..." Lance said, "you two felt the dark energy along with when it first started. You guys have a connection to this magic. I know you two can get us out of this somehow. We all saw what you did on the Balmera and how Allura powers rhe Castle while Phoenix strengthens flames."
"I-- I don't know." Allura stuttered, "I haven't been trained."
"And to help Voltron, I would have to use a massive amount of my powers. I don't know how far I can go." I said.
"Allura, no one trained you to save the Balmera, but you did that. And Phoenix, you figured out how to use your powers all of your own. I know you two two can do it. There's a reason the Blue and Solarian Lion chose you two. Allura is the one who brought everyone together. Phoenix is the one who pushes herself to save us all. You two can do this. Every moment we've had together, they've all led to this day. This is your destiny. Allura is the Heart of Voltron and Phoenix is the flame thay keeps us strong."
I chuckled after Lance's inspirational speech.
"Well now, we can't let his words go to waste, now can we, Allura?" I asked with heavy sarcasm and playfulness.
"No, we cannot. I'll try." She said.
"I'm right behind you."
I closed my eyes and focused my flame on Voltron's. It didn't takeong for my body to be covered in flames and for Voltron's white flame to make itself known to me.
However, there was another flame separate from Voltron. A soft pink flame floating near the white one. I smiled when I knew it was Allura.
I floated closer to the flames, holding them close to my chest and feeling their warmth and power.
"Flame of Voltron, mighty defender of the universe, please, accept my power as your own. Let me fuel your flame to becone even greater for the sake of the universe." I said.
The white flame grew brighter and brighter, growing every second in strength. I opened my eyes and saw Voltron being covered in a bright light, flames licking at our heels.
We jumped high into the air, out of the hole and towards the barrier. Fiore stuck out towards the barrier and roared, firing an even more powerful laser and shattering the barrier.
"Thank you, Lance." Allura said gratefully.
"That was all you and Phoenix." Lance replied.
"Still, who would have thought that you could make such an inspirational speech. Seens that your nore than just a heartbreaking playboy, huh?" I teased, the flames around me dying down a little.
We flew out of Naxzela's atmosphere, escaping, but we still had one more thing to do.
"We still need to diffuse that bomb!" Hunk shouted.
"Keith, can you hear me?" Shiro asked.
"Shiro! Where are you? Is everything okay?" Keith asked.
"Not for long if we don't stop Zarkon's witch. She nudt be aboard thst battle cruiser."
"I'm way ahead of you. And I've brought some backup."
"Rebel Squad is en route." Olia said.
"Good to have Voltron back in the fight." Matt said.
As the rebels and Keith wemt to fight off the cruiser, Shiro contacted Coran.
"Coran, you need to grt as far away from Naxzela as you can immediately. Pick up any members if the coalition who are nearby, but go."
"Wh-What's happening?" Coran stuttered as he asked.
"Naxzela is a bomb, and it's about to go off." Allura said.
"But what about you?"
"Well try our best to stop it, but we need you to do this, Coran." I said.
Coram reluctantly agreed to escape.
"Thrusters are at max power!" Lance shouted.
"I sure hope we make it in time." Hunk mumbled with hope.
"I'll make sure we get out of here in time." I said, sending my flames to the thrusters. The power indicators on my screens for the Blue and Yellow Lions skyrocketed as we flew faster and faster through space.
I could feel my body grow weaker and my lungs burned from the ash building up inside them.
"We're not ginna make it!" Lance shouted.
"We will!" I shouted, pushing even more of my power into the thrusters.
"Phoenix, what are you doing? You're using too much power!" Pidge shotued when she saw the power readings from my lion.
"Let me do this, Pidge!" I said, struggling to keep hold of my controls.
The flames around me grew stronger, until I felt another flame across the system from the battle cruiser. It was a split flame, one that was familiar and yet it wasn't.
Then, Nexzela's flame died down in power. I immediately stopped pushing my flames into Voltron, falling back into my seat.
"Naxzela is returning to normal! You did it!" Coran shouted in celebration.
"Good work, Keith." Shiro praised.
"It wasn't me." Keith confessed, confusing all of us except for me.
"It was Lotor. The cannon on his ship was the only thing powerful enough to take down that shield."
I sighed in exhaustion, feeling the ash in my lungs begin to build up.
I pushed myself up, hunched over and coughed whatever ash would come up.
"Phoenix, are you all right?" Shiro asked.
"I'm fine. It's not too much ash. A little rest and I'll be good as new." I assured through my coughs.
"Attention, Paladins of Voltron and rebel fighters." Lotor announced, "I know we've had our differences in the past, but... I think it is time we had a discussion."
That was the last thing I heard before darkness over took me.