~~~~Allura~~~~
I couldn't stop staring at Saoirse. She had disappeared before, and yet here she was, standing here full and well. She had her markings glowing on her skin and her white wings spread out wide behind her.
Her clothes had even changed, several strips of cloth in bright colors covered her white and gold dress, and different ornaments were dangling around her, the white stone being secured on her waist belt.
She stared at us with a peaceful expression and a soft smile. She took a few steps closer to us, but the white lion stopped her, standing in front of her body to keep her from coming closer.
"Saoirse!" I said, happy to see her safe and sound, I tried to get closer to her, but the lion softly roared and made me stop.
"You shall not come any closer to the child." Saoirse said, confusing me and Lotor.
"Saoirse, what are you talking about? What happened to you?" Lotor asked.
The guardian softly growled and let Saoirse walk forward a few steps.
"The child is safe and unharmed. She will be needed in the future, so I must keep her safe. However, at the moment, we must go."
Saoirse turned around and walked back to the Guardian, but I stopped her from going any further.
"Wait, who are you? Why are you speaking through Saoirse?" I asked.
Saoirse and the lion stopped and turned back around to face me.
"I understand your concern, so I shall introduce myself. I am the Guardian of Oriande, the White Lion. I am speaking through the Young Angel as to be able to explain her role in the near future."
I was shocked, Lotor as well. Saoirse was being used as a medium for the White Lion Guardian? But why?
"Why use her?" Lotot asked.
"Without her people, I would not be brought into existence."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Saoirse's people, the Teshirians, were the first race to ever be created. From Teahiria's creation, came quintessence, and with quintessence came Oriande, other planets and races and me, the Guardian. I am here, because of Teshiria and Saoirse's people. With the Light of Teshiria being inside the child, I am able to communicate and use her body to speak."
I couldn't believe it. The guardian was created by Teshiria.
Saoirse and the Lion began walking down the the hall leading into the temple. Focusing on our agenda once again, we followed the two into the temple without fear.
When we walked inside, we saw several ancient markings carved into the walls.
"Look at these ancient markings. They're beautiful." I said.
"The temple of the Alchemists." Lotor gasped, "The mysteries we seek are hidden somewhere deep inside."
We looked forward again and saw Saoirse and the guardian walking down the continuing hall. We kept going forward, walking down a large flight of stairs until finally, we reached a large door and several statues lining the walls.
Each statue had Altean marks on their cheeks and held a large staff in their hands. However, there were a few statues in between the Alteans that had wings and the same markings that Saoirse had running all over her body, along with large wings attached to their back.
"The Sages of Oriande. And Teshirians." I said talking off my helmet and admiring the glorious statues before continuing on.
"My father told me tales of their exploits, but I always assumed they were just children's stories. And I have never heard a single word about Teshirians being here."
"The Life Givers and Angels." Lotor said, "The guardian said that this place was created by Teshiria being brought into existence. And these Alteans were next to unlock the secrets of Oriande, the beginning of Altean alchemy."
Lotor looked over at me, "Allura, the tales you grew up with were not just children's stories."
Suddenly, we heard a noise. We looked aorund and saw the Altean statues being to rise and grip their staffs tightly.
The two of us gasped when we saw the moving statues. Two of the statues tried to hit us with their staffs, but we rolled away in time. We landed further away from the door.
We turned around and saw a stautes about to hit us, but I held out the compass stone and the attack stopped mid-air.
I brought back down my arm once the threat was gone.
"Tell then what you seek, young Prince and Princess?" Saoirse asked behind us.
I looked back at Saoirse and then back towards the statues.
"Great protectors, we seek passage through your land." I knelt down on one knee and presented the compass stone, Lotor following my example.
"We bring you this gift." I felt the stone being taken from me, and heard the thuds of the stone staffs of the two statues cutting us off from the entrance to their land.
Lotor and I stood back up and turned around towards the entrance. Suddenly, the angel statues began to sing a beautiful melody as we continued on.
Saoirse walked down another flight of stairs, but when we came to the stairs ourselves, she was nowhere to be found. Lotor and I walked down the stairs and after a few doboshes, we made it to the bottom.
We arrived in a large room that resembled something very familiar. We looked towards the center of the room and saw Soairse standing next to the white lion near two strange pedestals.
"Now, what?" I asked.
"I don't know, but be prepared." Lotor warned me, "We may yet have to prove that we're worthy to be here."
"Saoirse, please tell us. What must we do to prove our worth?" I asked, but unlike before, she didn't answer me. She simply disappeared along with the guardian.
Just then, the entrance behind us closed with a loud thud, ans pieces of stone fell from above. We looked up and saw the ceiling slowly descend to the floor.
"We're trapped." I said.
"There must be a clue. Something a trained Altean would recognize." Lotor pointed out.
I frantically looked around and landed my eyes on the pedestals, the sound of metal creaking all around us.
After a tick, I finally found out how the room was so familiar.
"Over there!" I said running to the pedestals, "It's like the bridge of the Castle! A teludav!"
I placed my hands on the controls, closed my eyes and concentrated as best as I could. It didn't take long before I felt something incredible rush through my body.
The ceiling shone bright white and engulfed us in its light. That's when I closed my eyes again, when I opened them, I was somewhere entirely new.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
Everything was fuzzy, fading in and out every few seconds or so, but then finally, I could see clearly.
My eyes opened once again, I looked up and saw Allura standing there her back towards me.
I stood up with the lion, keeping my hand in its head, it snarling at Allura as she turned around and saw us.
"You have come, Allura." I said, the guardian speaking through me again. Hearing my voice, Alluea gasped, but didn't step any closer to me or the lion.
"What is this place?" She asked.
"Tell me, young Altean Princess, what will you give for the knowledge you so do seek?"
Allura, confused by ny question, didn't take step closer, nor did she make a single move of answering our question.
All of a sudden, the white lion ran towards her, snarling and roaring as it pounced on her.
Allura quickly dodged the lion, "I do not wish to fight. I come seeking knowledge." She said, her voice echoing in the vast white space.
She grunted as the lion hit her, but I could nothing but watch as the White lion tested her worth.
~~~~Saoirse 2~~~~
"Tell me, young Galran Prince, what will you give for the knowledge you so do seek?" I asked.
Lotor didn't make a move to come forward, or to answer our question. It was finally time for his test or begin.
The lion pounced on Lotor, but the young prince caught its jaws and fell to the ground with the lion
"I will never yield. I will gain your secrets." He shouted.
"You desire for knowledge is great, but I can see past your facade and look into your true ambitions." I said.
The lion locked its jaws on Lotor's arm and threw him across the ground. Lotor screamed and groaned as he bounced on the hard floor and rolled further away from me and the lion.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
Allura panted heavily as she skidded across the ground. She got back up on her feet hovering above the floor and staring at the white guardian while I watched from afar.
"What can I do?" She asked as the lion snarled.
"What will you give for the knowledge you so do seek?" I asked again.
The white lion snarled at Allura again and charged at her once more.
~~~~Saoirse 2~~~~
Lotor sneered at the white lion and I, growing frustrated at the relentless attacks and the same question being asked.
"What will you give for the knowledge you so do seek?" I asked again.
Lotor glared at me and the lion, a ravaging hunger for power and knowledge evident in his eyes as he got back up on his feet.
"Victory or death!" He shouted, summoning a sword into his hand. My eyes widened as the white lion charged forward and a new sense of energy radiating off of Lotor.
It was a dark, corrupted and twisted energy running off him like waves on the sandy shores of the beach. Only unlike the waves that would pull back and forth, his energy was drowning me in darkness and cold.
The lion growled, jumping high into the air as Lotor held his sword high. Then, with one powerful sweep of his sword, he cut the white lion down. The once pure white and blue area was now turned red and yellow.
I fell to my knees, a sense of emptiness filling my entire being as I stared at Lotor.
"You have chosen your path. You have chosen what you shall give up for knowledge. You are Noone welcome in this sacred land. Begone from this world and never return. For if you do return, you price will be your life!" I shouted.
My eyes became stark white and the area was enveloped in a shining light. When the light faded, Lotor was nowhere in sight and I had stood on my feet yet again.
Never shall Lotor taint this sacred land. Nor will any others who choose to seek knowledge for their own personal darkness come to cross into this land.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
Allura stood strong as the lion apporached her. Even though the gaurdian was growling and snarling at her, she didn't waver, nor did she show any signs of fear in her eyes or movements.
"No. This isn't the way. I seek the secret of life." She said calmly.
"What will you give for the knowledge you so do seek?" I asked.
Allura looked down before sighing and speaking her answer to me and the lion.
"To seek the secret and knowledge of life..... I give my own." She answered, before closing her eyes and falling to her knees, her arms spread out in a surrendering gesture.
I smiled. The answer the guardian has been seeking this whole time.
The white lion made contact with her and int that same instant, it turned into beautiful rays of light, then was absorbed into Allura's very being.
The room was immersed in light as Allura opened her eyes. We were surrounded by light and stars, the world shining in so many colors that none of us knew even existed.
"Where am I?" Allura asked looking around the vast space.
"You have returned to the realm of your ancestors, the Alteans and the Life Givers who came before." a woman's voice said through me.
Allura gazed in awe at the beautiful space we were floating in.
"And what of Saoirse? Are you speaking through her as well?" She asked.
"Indeed. We speak through this child as she is connected to us. Saoirse of Teshiria and Earth is connected to all things in this universe. She shall be of aid when the end finally comes tell us, what have you come for, young princess?"
Allura gasped, before shaking it off and asking for what she traveled for.
"I wish to learn the secrets my father knew, the alchemy that created Voltron." Allura said, still on her knees.
"There is no need to kneel here. You are home, and the secret is already within you. Rise, let us embrace you." Allura rose as I wrapped my arms around her in a warm and gentle embrace.
Everything was covered in light as our bodies touched and Allura was given the secrets she desired, her powers being unlocked.
~~~~Shiro~~~~
We lay on the bridge, waiting for Allura and Lotor to come back, hopefully with Saoirse in tow.
The oxygen levels were almost on empty, and we were barely hanging on enough to live.
"There must be some way.... to harness the power of the white hole.... and use it to get the ship working." Pidge said, inhaling deeply between her staggered sentence, before lowering her head and groaning.
"We've tried everything." Hunk said, lying on the ground exhausted, "I don't think... I can't keep moving."
Suddemly, the screens began to beep rapidly.
"Guys, look! It's Allu...." Lance said before groaning again.
I looked out the window and saw Allura, Lotor and the Silver Lion flying back to the Castle.
Allura and Lotor came back to the bridge, Allura quickly powering the ship back up.
"You did it!" Coram said happily.
"We... We should have never doubted you." Lance said, hanging on to Coran's shoulder for support.
"I couldn't have done it and saved Saoirse without Lotor." Allura said, turning to face Lotor who smiled sadly in disappointment.
"You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, nor for me." He said.
"Come on, we should get Saoirse." Pidge said running down the halls with the rest of us following her.
We ran as fast as we could to the silver hangar. When we got there, we saw the Silver Lion with its head down to the floor, its mouth wide open.
We ran inside and saw Saoirse sitting in the pilot's chair.
"Saoirse, are you okay?" I asked running in front of her. I sighed in relief when I saw that she was breathing softly, her eyes closed as she slept in the chair.
I picked her up and brought her back to her room and put her to bed. I didn't leave her side the rest of the day.
~~~~Saoirse~~~~
I sat peacefully in my dreams, the white lion lay its head on my lap as I gently ran my fingers through its white fur.
"Will thay really happen?" I asked, the conversation from earlier in this dream repeating in my mind.
"I'm afraid that it will happen in the very near future. There is ko trying to avoid it. And I can sense that you know it will happen."
I nodded. I understood completely about what will happen in the future.
In order to keep the Universe's hopes and future alive...
In order to protect my friends, family and the homes I cared for so much....
In order to do it all...
"I have to die.."