Allura was staring in the distance. Not really looking at anyone, as the priestess stopped talking.

"What do you mean, the whole civilization is dead? But, you guys are alive? I mean, just because your soultree died, you guys are still-", but Pidge stopped asking her questions, as the priestess shook her head.

"Us priestesses are not the civilization that has guarded and sacred our planet their whole life.
We are the servants of the gods that keep our planet alive. Therefore we are separated from the holy life that springs from the planet."

She had some awkwardly similar traits to a Nyma, a rebel fighter who especially Lance had a certain connection to. Just that you could only see the priestesses light green face, the rest of her body was covered in violet sheets.

"So what happens now?", Hunk asked, slightly worried, as he saw the plants crumbling beneath his feet.

"We die. Along our planet.", the woman explained.
"What?", Hunk gasped, suddenly stepping away from the small plant he was previously looking at.

"How can we help you then?", Pidge asked, worried as to what they could do about a dead tree.

"Our species has a sacred ceremony that normally we perform about once in a thousand years.
When our tree is about to die, they need a guidance to bring them back from the dead.
Only a spirit who has once been to the dead lands can actually show them a way around it. To return them to the living.
And as we heard, your princess has brought back your former black paladin.
Do you think, Allura, you could bring back the life to our planet?"

The hope in her eyes was blinding, it was shadowing the fear that her mind seemed to be stuck in.

Allura seemed to be thinking. All of this reminded her of the planet Balmera that she had helped to save. But back then they had the castle. And a giant crystal with magical quintessence. Furthermore, the Balmera might have been about to die, but the Balmerans were able to give back their own life source to the planet.
As she understood it for these people, they were not connected to the planet in the same way the Balmerans were.

"I don't think I can.", Allura finally spoke up, sadness in her own voice.
"With my magic, I can only do so much as to save a single person at once. Not a whole planet. At least not on my own. Do you have anything that may give power to your planet? Anything?"

The priestesses face fell at that. "We do not. In fact, our planet lives on sheer willpower alone.
That is why only a guide can help them now. Did you not die to save your friend?"

Low gasps cut the air as the priestess suggested this. But she did not react any further, just waiting for an answer. Allura, however, did not even waver.
"I never died, no. I used quintessence to absorb his body from the black lion and back into a clone body of his so-"

"So, your black paladin did not die either?", the priestess eyes suddenly widened.

"What? No, I mean, yes I did die!", Shiro suddenly spoke up, confused as hell at the comment.

"No, she's technically right.", Allura answered, not even looking at him. "You never died. But you would have, if Zarkons attack proved to be successful.
Your whole body and presence had been absorbed into the lion before that happened.
You were always safe."

Silence stretched between the paladins. "Does that even matter, priestess?", she finally asked.

"Yes, it does.", the woman said, all the hope gone off her features.

"Only someone who has been to the world of the dead can guide back our tree, so it seems.
But that person has to be willing to die for us. Not that we would force you, of course.
If Allura could have helped us, but then again, she would not know the way from the dead to this place, does she?"

Again, silence stretched between them. Until Allura's head perked up again.
"You're right, I don't. But I think I know someone who might does.", she looked around her fellow paladins, each of them looking at her with curiosity.

Only when her eyes landed on Lance, the red paladin, confusion changed the atmosphere.
"W-why are you looking at me?", he finally asked, as the other paladins looked at him in shock and disbelieve.

"Do you remember when you sacrificed yourself for me?"

"Wait, he did what?", Keith was being ignored.

"Of course I do. I was unconscious for a few seconds. I mean, I think I might have been dreaming a bit but, -", Lance's eyes widened at that.
"Unless I didn't?"

Allura nodded and continued to look at him expectantly.
The other paladins stayed muted, except for Keith, who was boiling with frustrated anger.
"Hold on, hold on. You're telling me, Lance just DIED on a mission and you didn't even TELL HIM?
You brought him back to LIFE? And now you want him to DIE again to save a TREE?"
Again, he was ignored. The shame in Allura's eyes was enough of an answer.
It spoke of "how was I supposed to tell?!"

"So, you think I can save this planet?", Lance asked after a while.

Allura waited, until she answered him. "I think you can. But only if you-"

"Of course I'll try. I am a paladin of Voltron. This is my duty. Besides, how could I let an entire planet die, if I knew I could have prevented it?"

This was not a question, and you could see that in his fierce eyes. He already made up his mind.
He was going to die.