*WILL BE EDITED LATER*

The sincline mech and Voltron floated across the way from each other, analyzing their opponent in silence. The robots didn't move to engage into battle, both trying to figure out a plan of action. As Keith waited to see what Lotor would do, he sent Shiro's body to the castle in an escape pod. He contact the royal advisor and told him. "Coran, you've got incoming."

Arcadia, who's body was being possessed by Proliux, eyed the sincline mech. Her gaze didn't leave it for a moment while she asked, "Shall I distract him?"

"No," Keith replied quickly. Although he knew Proliux was in control of Arcadia's body and trusted him, he didn't want to risk her getting hurt. She was already poisoned and still needed the elixir to pried the toxin from her body. Another reason he didn't want her to leave was because he was trying to conceal her presence from Lotor. He was waiting for the perfect moment for her to make an appearance. "Stay here until I give the command."

The draconian nodded her head in understanding. "You are the new leader of Voltron. I shall heed your commands, young paladin."

Keith was grateful for Proliux's understanding. He glanced at Arcadia, noticing her one golden eye was now silver. The other still remained crimson due to the potion Shiro injected her with. His attention was drawn back to the sincline mech when it began moving. It held up its palm, formed a purple sphere of energy, and shot a powerful laser at Voltron. Keith acres quickly and issued a command. "Shield!"

The paladins activated the wings on the back of Voltron and formed a shield just in time to block the laser. They were pushed back by the impact, feeling the in feisty of the laser as it met the shield. Keith remained focus and ordered the yellow paladin. "Hunk, form cannon!"

"You got it!" Hunk jams his bayard into the slot inside the yellow lion. A large shoulder cannon formed on Voltron's shoulder and was aimed at the sincline mech. Once gathering enough energy, the cannon fired a powerful beam at Lotor. He maneuvered the mech skillfully to dodge the beam as it pursued him. Small explosions triggered as the beam hit and blew up asteroids.

Lotor activated the thrusters on the sincline mech and zipped around. Lance saw how fast the mech was going and the difference in speed Voltron could move to adjust the cannon's aim. "He's too fast!"

"Then we'll have to get in close. Form sword!" Keith shoved his bayard into the console of the black lion, activating the sword. The blue and red lions clashed together as Voltron formed a mighty blade.

The sincline mech used both of its hands to summon duel blades created from pure energy. Now armed with twin swords, it flew at Voltron at high speeds. The mighty defender raised its sword and blocked the two blades from piercing its metal exterior. The two mechs pushed against one another, striking left and right to break each other's defenses. Lotor managed to break Voltron's defense by manipulating the controls of the mech and kicking it in the side.

Voltron was sent flying a few yards away from the sincline mech. Keith looked up just in time to see Lotor boosting towards them with one of his swords raised, readying to bisect Voltron. "Move!" He shouted.

The paladins piloted Voltron to safety just in the nick of time. The sincline mech's blade sliced through and asteroid and severed it in half. Seeing it missed, the silver mech flew after Voltron. The two machines continued to exchange blow after blow, but the silver and purple mech was much faster than Voltron. Keith issues another command after exchanging another few blows with the sincline mech. "Shield up!" They blocked the mech's sword. Sparks flew from the impact and Keith gave another order. "Attack!"

Pidge pushed on the green lion's controls, using the shield to bat away the sincline mech before it separated into two pieces and returned to Voltron's back. The mighty defender soared towards its enemy and clashed blades once again. The paladins forced Lotor back and aimed Voltron's laser at him. Like before, he was too fast.

Using the asteroid field to his advantage, Lotor performed a sharp maneuver and met the laser head on. He blocked it with his twin blades and flew directly at Voltron. Once again, the two mechs exchanged blow after blow with their swords. The sincline mech's movements were much faster and sharper than Voltron's. It used its tail-like appendage to knock the paladins back.

After the pain subsided from the attack, Pidge could feel the slight irritation from the lengthy battle setting in. "We can't touch him. He's too fast."

"We need to stop him moving around so much, back him into a corner or something," Hunk said.

"Hunk is right. We have to eliminate his speed advantage. Limit his movements." Keith looked around to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage. He located a large asteroid not too far from their current position. "There!"

"Watch out!" Arcadia shouted, grabbing Keith's attention. He looked back just in time to notice the sincline mech was directly in front of Voltron. There was nothing he or the other paladins could do to block the incoming attack with how close Lotor was.

Acting quickly, Arcadia placed her hand on the side of the interior of the black lion and placed a protective barrier around Voltron. The sincline mech's swords couldn't pierce the barrier and wound up soaring backwards when its weapons bounced off the surface. Next, Arcadia morphed the barrier into large spikes and sent them soaring towards Lotor. Her spell hit its mark and Keith took advantage of the stunned state the mech was in to fly towards he oddly-shaped asteroid.

"I thought I heard Arcadia's voice earlier!" Lance bellowed.

"Is she okay?" Pidge asked after hearing her voice. She heard the strange masculine undertone of her voice, unable to recognize who it was.

"I'll explain later. For now, just focus!" Keith hollered. He focused on piloting Voltron and arrived at the spot he thought would work. "Now we lure him in close. Wait for him."

Voltron turned its back to the asteroid and saw the sincline mech speeding towards them. It stopped a good distance away, crossing its swords and shooting another powerful beam of energy. Voltron used its shield to protect itself, being forced back against the asteroid.

Seeing his laser wasn't working, Lotor flew around and fired at different angles at the paladins. All he wound up hitting was the asteroid, which made him frustrated. Flying away, he circled around and set his sights on Voltron. Engaging his thrusters, he flew directly at the robot.

"Let him build up speed," Keith said, waiting for the perfect moment to dodge the approaching mech. He watched Lotor closely before making the call, pushing on the black lion's controls once he was close enough. "Now!"

Voltron dodged the sincline mech and flew behind it, using the asteroid to corner it. The green and blue lion's mouths opened and fired lasers at their opposition. The paladins thought they managed to get the upper hand, but were shocked when their lasers pierced through the asteroid and created a large hole in the center. The lasers ceased firing as they looked around.

"Where'd he go?" Hunk asked, unable to see where Lotor went.

Pidge looked around and spotted the sincline mech not too far away. "He's behind us!"

"Hunk, hit him with the shoulder cannon!" Keith shouted.

"On it!" Hunk activated the shoulder cannon.

Voltron aimed the cannon at the mech, waiting for it to build up enough power to fire. Checking the cannon's statue, Keith noticed it was ready. "Fire!" A blue beam of energy shot from the cannon directly towards Lotor. The paladins thought they'd one the battle when seeing the mech was gone.

"Did we get him?" Lance asked.

"I don't know," Hunk replied.

A victorious smirk crept onto Lance's face. "I think we got him."

"It looked like he just disappeared," Pidge said.

"Yeah! We got him."

"I'm not so sure," Allura expresses her uncertainty.

Sensing a strange energy signature, Arcadia turned her head. Without receiving Keith's permission, she exited Voltron and transformed just in time to protect the paladins. Transforming into her dragon form, she took the brunt of the attack when Lotor reappeared out of nowhere. Her body went dialing back, slamming into an asteroid.

Allura gasped in horror as Keith shouted the draconian's name over the comms. "Arcadia!"

The paladins guided Voltron over to the asteroid she crashed in to, disregarding Lotor. They all heard a groan from the comms and knew it came from her due to it sounding like two voices.

"Are you okay?" Pidge asked.

"I'm fine," she answered, getting back on all fours. She shook her body, spreading out her wings. "His speed is incredible. I'm not sure I've a spell that can slow him down."

"Stay here and recover a bit," Keith commanded. "We'll keep him busy."

Voltron flew directly at the sincline mech and tried to punch it, but it vanished just like before. The mighty defender looked around to see where it went, but was unable to locate it. Lance clearly knew their punch hadn't connected with their intended target. "Okay, so that time we definitely did not get him."

Suddenly, Lotor reappeared and used his mech to kick Voltron. He repeated his disappearing act over and over again, delivering multiple blows to the mighty defender. Arcadia could only watch in horror as he attacked in quick succession while popping in and out of reality. Hearing the painful cries of Arcadia's friends, Proliux guided her body back into battle.

After Voltron stabilizes itself with its thrusters, the paladins began question Lotor's ability to vanish and reappear at will. "How can he just disappear like that?" Hunk asked.

Allura was able to easily find the answer after a few seconds of thought. "He's entering the quintessence field at will."

"Didn't we blow up the gate?"

"How is he entering without it?" Pidge inquired.

"Because I gave his ships the ability," Allura confessed with a guilt-stricken look on her face.

Before another paladin could speak, Lotor attacked again. He prepped for another attack, aiming his laser at Voltron. However, he wasn't able to fire because of something large crashing into him. Looking at what had hit him, he saw the white-scaled dragon hovering a few yards away. He aimed his laser at her and fired within seconds.

Arcadia dove under the laser and flew around to avoid being blasted. Once the beam vanished, she casted a shadow spell. Five black crystals circled around the sincline mech. Tendrils shot out of the crystals, wrapping around the arms, legs, and neck of the robot. Each tendril pulled in a different direction to keep Lotor from escaping. Forming a large ice shard above her head, she aimed it at the cockpit of the mech. She threw the ice shard, but it was shattered by the tail of the mech. Using the sharp tip, it also sliced itself free from the tendrils and destroyed the black crystals. Instead of attacking, the sincline mech vanished and retreated to the quintessence field.

Keith, having been watching the battle, knew what they had to do next. "We have to go in after him. Getting power from the quintessence is the only way we can match his strength."

"Can we do that?" Hunk asked.

"If he can do it, Voltron can," Pidge answered without skipping a beat. She then doubted her proclamation. "Can't we?"

"My father did it once before, but it's extremely dangerous," Allura chimed in.

"Do we have a choice?" Lance remarked.

"We need your help, Allura," Keith said. "We have to try."

Arcadia flew over and spoke to the princess, her image appearing on the dash of the blue lion. "You must have doubts which is quite normal, Princess. Believe in yourself and you shall gain what you seek."

Allura glanced at the image of the dragon and saw her one silver eye. "You are not Arcadia, but you speak just like her. Who are you, truly?"

"I am Proliux, former grand master of Draconia. My residual quintessence resides in the lions and I am using this body as a temporary vessel to aid you in your battle against Lotor. I must apologize for keeping my presence a secret."

"It's an honor to speak with you, Master Proliux." Allura looked away from the dash for a second before glancing back at it. "If you truly believe I am able to guide us, I'll need the help of everyone."

Arcadia flew to Voltron, reverted back, and returned to the black lion's cockpit. She stood beside Keith, her hand placed on the top of the seat. "What do you need from us, Princess?"

"I'll need you all to focus your energy."

One by one, the paladins and Arcadia closes their eyes to focus their energy into Voltron. Each one could feel their connection and just how deeply bonded they were to their lions and friends.

In the distance, a rift appeared. Bright light seeped through the tear in reality. Allura opened her eyes, gaze locked on the small rift. Feeling the energy flowing through Voltron, determination glimmered in her eyes. "Form sword."

The red and green lions came together and formed the grand sword. It was engulfed by pure flames, burning brightly against the darkness of space. Voltron surged forward, its thrusters activated and soaring at high speeds towards the rift. It jams the fiery blade into the small tear, creating a ring of fire. Using its strength, the machine ripped open the rift further and traveled to the quintessence field.

"You did splendidly, Princess," Arcadia said, resulting in the paladins to open their eyes.

Allura gasped at the sight. "Huh?"

"Whoa." Lance was in complete awe at their surroundings.

Across the way, the sincline mech hovered with its twin blades drawn. A few seconds tick by before it flies at full speed towards Voltron. The mighty defender met its opponent halfway, clashing blades over and over again. The fight grew more intense as both robots were fueled by the quintessence surrounding them. 

After taking a major hit from Lotor, the paladins realized how it didn't even make a dent in their defenses. Pidge was flabbergasted. "We took a major shot, but I feel fine."

"All this quintessence is keeping us at full power," Hunk stated.

"It's more than that. Can you hear your Lions talking to you? Voltron is capable of more than we ever imagined," Keith said.

Sword and shield in hand, Voltron fired its laser at Lotor. He blocked it with his blades and was pushed back by the force. Once the beam vanished, he flew at the paladins and prepared for another barrage of attacks. "Attack!" Keith shouted, seeing how close the mech was.

Blurs of blue and purple clashed repeatedly as they soared through the quintessence field. Both robots switched between offense and defense as the battle escalated. They were equally matched all thanks to the quintessence surrounding them, which they were constantly absorbing after their attacks.

Eventually, Pidge tried out one of Voltron's new abilities. "See if you can dodge this!" She pushed on the green lion's controls and sent its head flying directly at the sincline mech. It didn't attack the adversary, but it did fly around and confuse it.

Lance saw Lotor was distracted and tested out another ability. "Come and get some!" At the top of the sword, a sphere of blue lightning discharged and sent the enemy mech flying backwards. It was paralyzed as electricity courses through its mechanical body.

"Let's end this!" Pidge shouted.

"Finish him!" Lance hollered.

"Let's destroy that guy!" Hunk yelled.

Allura was catching her breath when she was struck with realization. "We have to get out of here."

Keith was taken aback at the princess' words. "What are you talking about?"

"This is exactly what happened to Zarkon. Exposure to all this quintessence turned him into a monster!"

"I'm afraid the princess is correct," Arcadia spoke calmly, looking down at the black lion's readings. Most of them were in the red. "If we don't, we risk corruption."

Lance also examines Voltron's readings. "They're right. We're out of control!"

"All our systems are overloaded," Pidge said after a quick diagnostic.

Keith looked back at the sincline mech and saw it heading straight for them for another frenzy of attacks. "Here comes Lotor."

Before Lotor could attack, two large scaly hands with sharp claws manifested out of thin air. They radiated a golden hue and had draconic symbols etched across its scales. They grabbed the mech and imprisoned it in its palms.

The paladins were taken aback at seeing such a sight. Keith looked over and saw Arcadia was holding her hands the same way the golden ones were. Putting the pieces together, his eyes widen. "An illusion spell..."

Arcadia smiled weakly. "I will hold him at bay for as long as possible while the rest of you try to come up with a plan."

Taking another look at her, he saw her nose and eyes were beginning to bleed. "You're bleeding! Stop casting the spell!"

"I can be just as stubborn as your lover, young paladin. Focus on the threat for I shall ensure this body will survive the battle. But I cannot guarantee the toxin will not claim her after this battle has been waged and a clear victor has been named."

Keith gritted his teeth. He knew how close Arcadia was to death and should've sent her back to the castle with Shiro. He chose to allow Proliux to control her body and join them in battle to help stop Lotor. He would have to live with the consequences of his actions even if that meant they'd result in Arcadia's death. "Why did this have to happen...?"

"Focus, young one," Arcadia said.

Keith lifted his head as he heard Hunk ask, "How do we stop this?"

Allura thought for a second before concluding, "We give Lotor all the power he wants." She then spoke to her best friend. "Arcadia, release Lotor when I give the command."

"Understood, Princess," the draconian replied.

Allura focused the excess power Voltron had to offer into its chest. Once she had built it up enough, she shouted, "Arcadia, now!"

The draconic hands vanished, releasing Lotor. As he continued his pursuit, a power beam emitted from Voltron's chest. The sincline mech was caught directly in its path and tried to push through it by utilizing its blades. Its efforts were in vain as it was constantly knocked back and couldn't get close enough to strike. The sound of Lotor's screaming couldn't be heard by the paladins.

As the beam fades, the sincline mech floats aimlessly through the quintessence field as purple sparks and lightning fizzled and cracked from its metallic body. The paladins noticed how Voltron was experiencing issues, electricity emanating from the dashes of the lions.

"Let's grab Lotor and get out of here," Keith said.

"No, we can't. We have to leave now," Pidge remarked.

"We must try!" Allura bellowed after nearly getting shocked by a bolt of electricity.

Hunk sided with the green paladin after seeing the extent of damage caused by the powerful attack. "Pidge is right. We stay in here much longer and Voltron is done for."

"But we can't just leave him!"

"Allura, we gotta go now," Lance responded.

Keith eyes the mech as it floated lifelessly with no signs of revival. "Lotor's made his choice. Let's get out of here, Allura."

"What of Arcadia? She could possibly get him out!" Allura suggested.

"Forgive me, Princess, but this body is too weak to perform another spell. The toxins are slowing her heartbeat and it won't be long before she meets her maker," Arcadia responded. "You must hurry and leave the quintessence field to not only save your life but that of your dearest friend's."

That was all Allura needed to hear to be convinced to leave the quintessence field. She understood and helped her fellow paladins fly Voltron out of the quintessence field and back to where the castle is located. Once out, the rift seals behind Voltron and the only thing that remained was a brilliantly gleaming patch.

Allura hung her head with a melancholic expression. "If we'd stayed in the quintessence field, we would've kept fighting until we destroyed ourselves. Just like Lotor."

Keith's face appeared on her dash. "What did you do in there?"

"I transferred the excess power from Voltron. It's a technique I learned on Oriande. Thanks to Lotor."

"Thank you, Allura," Lance spoke gently. "You saved us."

"Not just us. The entire universe," Hunk corrected.

In the distance, the castleship begins floating towards Voltron. Coran immediately contacts the paladins. "Oh, you're back!" He was overjoyed to see they all were safely back from their fight with Lotor.

"Lotor is no longer a threat," Keith informed the royal advisor.

"Right. I'm afraid we face a bigger threat now. Lotor's jumping in and out of the quintessence field created multiple growing rifts in the fabric of time and space," Coran told the paladins, scamming the many rifts caused by the sincline mech.

Lance wasn't sure what he was getting at. "What does that mean?"

"It means unless we do something fast, those tears will continue to expand until all of existence as we know it has been destroyed," Pidge stated.

"There has to be something we can do," Keith chimed in.

The green paladin immediately got to work looking for a solution. "Scanning the rift for any strand refabrication possibilities."

Hunk also joined in. "I'm running models to see if there's any chance it can close on its own."

Pidge waited for her lion to finish scanning. When it did, she couldn't find what she sought. "Nothing."

Just like her, Hunk was unable to detect any slither of possibility of the rifts closing on their own. "Nope. Me neither."

"How long do we have?" Keith questioned.

"Based on the way those rifts are expanding, about 15 doboshes," Coran replied.

"Allura, you have to have a way to close it. Voltron opened it up, maybe we can I don't know! There's gotta be a way!" Lance spoke up.

Allura hung her head with sorrow. "I'm sorry, but I just don't possess that level of alchemic knowledge."

"The only thing that could possibly pull that rift closed would be a source of gravity more powerful than a supermassive black hole," Pidge said.

"Any chance we can find one and tow it over here in 15 doboshes?" Lance questioned.

That was when Coran realized they did have a solution. "Wait a tick. The teludav."

"What about it?" Keith asked.

"To make wormhole jumps, the teludav creates a brief flash of infinite mass. There might be a way I can overload the teludav reactor and seal the rift.
If one of the flashes went off in the rift, it could do the job."

"But that would mean sacrificing the Castle of Lions," Hunk mumbled melancholically.

"What choice do we have?" Pidge inquired. "The Castle will be wiped out with the rest of us."

"But still...it's been our home."

Coran could also feel sorrow at the fact of losing the castle. "Oh, I hate to say goodbye to my grandfather's creation, the last piece of the real Altea."

Allura stared at the many rifts as they gradually begin to fuse together. She would make the final decision. "Coran, begin preparations. Everyone else, start unloading the Castle. We need to evacuate immediately."

Just then, the sound of a loud 'thud' was heard over the comms. Lance blinked in shock at the noise. "Uh, what was that?"

Keith knew it came from the black lion's cockpit. Looking around, he found Arcadia collapsed on the floor. His eyes widen in horror at seeing how pale she's become and hearing her wheezing as if she couldn't breathe properly. "Pidge!"

"What is it, Keith?" The green paladin asked.

"I need that antidote! Arcadia doesn't have much more time!"

Allura heard the desperation and fear in Keith's voice. "Minor change of plans. Pidge, deliver the antidote to Keith once we return to the castle before helping to unload. Keith, I leave Arcadia in your hands. Leave the castle to the rest of us."

Voltron disbanded and the five lions soared to their hangars. Once the black lion landed, Keith jumped from the seat and scooped Arcadia up into his arms. He carried her out of the black lion and placed her gently on the floor. Pidge arrived a few seconds later, handing him a vial with a strange golden liquid contained inside. She wanted to remain there, but she knew she had to unload the castle with the others. She also decided to take it upon herself to grab anything personal of Arcadia's as she dashed out of the black lion's hangar.

Keith knew time was short and needed to administer the antidote as fast as possible. He took off the top of the vial and tried to figure out how to administer it. Not wishing to waste a drop, there was only one solution he could find. He poured the golden liquid in his mouth and placed his lips over hers. Pushing the liquid past her lips slowly, he made sure she wouldn't choke on it. He waited for her to swallow before administering the rest of the antidote.

After every golden drop was gone, Keith pried his lips from Arcadia's. He watched her closely, eagerly awaiting for her condition to stabilize and her eyes to open. He saw the color returning to her face, but his own heart felt like it stopped when seeing she wasn't breathing. "No..." He checked her pulse and couldn't find it. "No, no, no!" He looked up at the black lion, glaring. His fierce gaze was meant for Proliux. "You said this would save her!"

Keith pulled Arcadia into his arms, cradling her limp body against his. His body shook with anger and sorrow, gripping her body tighter. He clung to her as if she was his lifeline and the only person that could keep him from disappearing in the darkness of space. Pressing his forehead against the side of her head, he gritted his teeth. Mentally, he began to blame himself for not stopping Shiro before he escaped the castle. Then he blamed himself for the prolonged battle with Lotor.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Keith lifted his head and saw Krolia. Standing beside her was the wolf. He stared into his mother's eyes, voice shaking as he spoke. "I-I...this is..."

"Keith," Krolia interrupted before her son could finish. "You can't blame yourself for things that are out of your control. If you must blame someone, blame the person who hurt both of your friends. You've done everything you can for both of them."

"Arcadia... She's..." Keith tried to force the words from his mouth, but couldn't will himself to do so. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He kept them at bay for as long as he could.

"What about me?"

Keith's eyes widen, causing some tears to fall when he heard a familiar gentle voice. He looked down at the girl in his arms and saw she was staring up at him with golden eyes. The crimson was gone and they both shone brightly. "Y-You're...?"

Arcadia was perplexed at what he was trying to say. "Are you okay, Keith?"

Krolia smiled faintly at the draconian. "I think he's in shock."

"What? Why? Did something happen?"

Before she could get an answer, Keith held her tighter than earlier. He squeezed her against him, feeling the warmth of her body and listening to her even breaths. Burying his face in her snowy locks, he sighed a shaky breath. "I thought I'd lost you..."

She couldn't hug him properly because one of her arms was pinned against their bodies. She snakes her free arm around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. "You saved me, Keith. Thank you."

"I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for Proliux," he said.

"Proliux as in Grand Master Proliux? Did he speak to you through the black lion?"

Keith nodded, lifting his head so he could meet her gaze. "Yeah. He knew where to find the antidote. For some reason, Pidge had it."

Now that she thought about the taste in her mouth, she recognized it from the remedy she made for Shiro. "That concoction was meant for Shiro after he was experiencing random head pains. I never expected it to be used on me."

"How are you feeling?" Krolia asked.

"I feel great, almost like I took a really long nap and am ready to conquer the universe all by myself," she replied. Seeing the shocked expressions on Krolia's and Keith's faces, she blinked. "Too soon?"

Keith chuckled. "No."

Suddenly, he moved his arms to the underside of her knees and her upper back. Standing up, he carried her in his arms towards the black lion. She looked her arms around his neck as they made their way over to the metallic feline. "Y'know, my legs works perfectly fine. And why're we entering the black lion?"

"I'll explain everything once we're inside."

Keith carries Arcadia into the cockpit of the black lion with Krolia and the wolf close behind. He placed her back on her feet and sat down in the pilot's seat. As they flew out of the castle, he told her about their battle with Lotor and how they now needed to sacrifice the Castle of Lions to seal the tears in reality created by the sincline mech. She casted her crestfallen gaze out of the eyes of the black lion. "I can't believe it. So much happened while I was unconscious..."

"What is the last thing you remember?" Keith asked.

"The cloning facility on that asteroid... I remember it falling apart at the seams and us fighting against Shiro." She gasped, eyes widening as she clamped a hand over her mouth. "I-I sliced off Shiro's prosthetic arm."

"What you did somehow snapped Shiro out of the trance he was in, but...he's not the real Shiro. He's an imposter. Shiro...died during our last battle with Zarkon and somehow the black lion retained his essence."

Gears started to click in place and rotate inside Arcadia's head as she finally understood why the black lion had been acting strange for a while. "That's why I couldn't understand him! Proliux's quintessence and Shiro's consciousness were mingling and causing distortions within Black. No wonder whenever he spoke it sounded like nonsense. I wonder if both Shiro and Proliux were trying to warn us about the imposter. Where is the imposter now?"

"In the cargo hold," Keith replied. "I know he's an imposter, but..."

"He's still Shiro," Arcadia smiled. "There is a—"

Suddenly, a powerful blast shook the black lion. Krolia and Arcadia grabbed onto the seat to keep from being knocked over. The wolf lowered its body to the floor until the lion ceased shaking. Arcadia looked around the cockpit and unlatched her hands from the seat after all was quiet and steady. "Was that...the castle?"

All five lions turned around to see the large rift was gone. Keith, Arcadia, and Krolia heard Hunk's voice as it came over the comms. "It worked."

"You did it, Coran," Allura's voice was picked up by the comms as she spoke to her royal advisor.

"And look." Hunk flew the yellow lion towards an object floating were the rift once was.

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"It's a diamond. The pressure crushed the Castle of Lions into this little diamond." The yellow lion opened its mouth and allowed the diamond to float inside. Once claimed, he flew back to join the rest of his friends.

"Well, we saved all realities everywhere. What do you guys want to do now?" Lance inquired.

"We need to find some place to land and see if there's some way we can help Shiro," Keith responded.

"Actually," Arcadia spoke up with a proud smirk. "I think I might know how to get Shiro back. We should even be able to use the clone's body as a vessel."

"Was that Arcadia?!" Pidge demanded over the comms. "Is she okay or being possessed again?"

"I'm fine, Pidge. And I'm not being possessed by a old, dead draconian." Arcadia patted the side of the black lion's hull. "No offense, Master Proliux."

"There's a galaxy not too far from here," Hunk said. "There's even a planet with viable atmosphere where we could touch down."

"Then that's where we're headed." Keith took to the lead and guided everyone to the planet Hunk mentioned.

Once arriving, Keith and Arcadia unloaded the portable healing pod with Shiro inside. Everyone left the lions and gathered around. Keith laid Shiro on the ground carefully with Allura sitting on her knees on the other side. Arcadia stood behind Keith as he spoke, "This body is barely living, but Shiro's spirit is alive. It's inside the black lion alongside Proliux. I've heard him talking to me."

Lance's eyes widen, tears beginning to form. "He he tried to tell me, but I didn't realize." Running over, he fell to his knees beside Shiro and apologized. "I'm so sorry, Shiro. I-I didn't know. I could've—"

Allura placed a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention. She smiled reassuringly and stood up, walking towards Arcadia. "I do believe we have the same idea in mind."

The draconian smiled back. "I'm going to need your help with the transference. I'm sure Master Proliux will help as well."

The princess took Arcadia's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "Then let's do this together."

All eyes fell on Arcadia and Allura as they walk over to the black lion. They released each other's hands once standing in front of the lion.

"You are weakened from the battle with Lotor. I shall act as the temporary vessel while you extract Shiro's consciousness," the draconian said.

"Thank you, Arcadia." Allura placed her hands on the muzzle of the black lion, closing her eyes. She focused on searching the black lion's consciousness for Shiro and found him. Carefully, she extracted his spirit and transferred it to Arcadia's body. Once all the fragments were assembled and stored in the draconian's body, the princess lowered her hands.

Turning around, Arcadia revealed her glimmering golden eyes as her body was enveloped with a violet glow. She returned to Shiro and placed her hands on either side of his head, transferring his spirit into the imposter's body. Just like her body, His was encased in a brilliant purple. His hair turned white as violet particles floated upward. Arcadia removed her hands from his head and waited for the end results.

After the light faded, Shiro's eyes open to reveal they were glowing a pure white. It then faded as his irises and pupils took shape. He flew up and erupted into a coughing fit. Once expelling his lungs, he leaned against Keith with a groan for support as his eyes closed.

One by one, the lions lifted their heads to the sky and roared. Romelle was startled by the green lion and covered her ears. Hunk and Coran leapt into each other's arms, jubilantly cheering with tears of joy. Lance was in shock and Pidge wipes her own tears away with a sniffle. Keith smiled at his friends as he held Shiro.

Arcadia and Allura sat on the other side of Shiro and noticed he was stirring. Opening his eyes, he looked up at Keith and muttered, "You found me."

Hearing his voice, Keith turned his head and looked down. The smile was still present on his face. "We're glad you're back, Shiro."

"Rest," Allura muttered softly.

Shiro, with an exhausted sigh, closed his eyes and welcomed sleep. Arcadia smiled down at him. She then looked up and gazed into Keith's lilac eyes. "I will see to his healing personally."

Keith smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you, Arcadia."

"So what are we gonna do?" Hunk asked. "The Castle is destroyed."

"There's only one place that has the plans necessary to build a replacement for the Castle of Lions." Pidge then began to beam happily. "Coran gave them to my dad."

Arcadia, Allura, and Keith stood up. Everyone had the same gleaming smile as their leader. Keith gazed out at the beautiful scenery. "We're going home."

•••••••••
A/n: I will be taking a small break before jumping in to season 7. Hopefully, I won't lose interest in this book and can keep it alive. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~