A/n: And here's the chapter I promised! I was debating whether to include this chapter before or after the episode "The Journey". I decided for it to take place during the episode. This is also another long chapter. Sorry about that 😥. I also want to apologize for how dark it gets for a few seconds during the fight scene. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
••••••••••••••••••••

A couple of days after crossing into another reality, Arcadia had recovered from her guilt. She and Keith had woken up early and decided to train together. While he fought against the gladiator, the girl stood a few yards away to work on her shadow alchemy. She licked her dry lips eagerly as she stared at a phantom copy of herself. She circled around it, crossing her arms in the process. "Still needs a little work."

When she heard a painful grunt from Keith, she turned to see he had been struck by the gladiator. Before he could receive another whack or zap from its staff, she formed a shadow ball in her palm and tossed it. The dark sphere pierced the robot directly in the back and passed through its chest before dissipating. The gladiator clattered to the ground as its legs gave out and dropped its weapon, lifeless.

Keith pushes himself off the ground after watching Arcadia defeat the gladiator with a single spell. He looked toward the girl, noticing the self-satisfied grin on her face. He scoffed under his breath. "Show off..."

"Heard that," she snorted with laughter, the phantom vanishing. She stared at the spot where the shadowy image of herself once stood. She cupped a finger under her chin, biting the inside of her cheek while deep in thought. An idea struck her and she smirked, eyes darting over to Keith. "How about a test?"

This sparked Keith's interest. He watched closely as Arcadia waltzed over while smirking like the Cheshire Cat. "What kind of test?"

She clasped her hands together behind her back as she walked circles around him. "Nothing physical, but I want to see how well your observation skills are." She stopped beside him, leaning into his side slightly. "Think you can handle it, darling?"

The boy crossed his arms as he thought for a few seconds before responding with a question. "What're you planning, Arcadia?"

The alchemist shrugged innocently. "Oh, nothing. I'm just curious about something. You won't even need your bayard. All you'll need to use is your eyes and possibly a few other senses. So, you wanna take the test?"

"Is there something in it for me if I pass?"

"Hmm..." Arcadia pursed her lips as she tried to think. "All right. If you pass, you can ask me for one thing. It can be anything, too. Just as long as it's in reasonable terms."

"And what if I fail?" Keith inquired, a single brow arched in curiosity.

"Nothing. You just fail. Although, I might think of a suitable punishment at the end if you wind up flunking. I'll make sure it's a good one, too. Or in your case, a bad one," she replied, her grin widening. "So, you better not fail."

"Bring it," Keith smirked.

"Great!" The young girl cheered. "There's only one rule—the test only ends if you call it quits, pass, or if you pick wrong."

"What exactly is this test?" The boy questioned, curios as to what the alchemist was scheming.

"It's simple, really. You just have to guess which phantom is the real me."

The lights flipped off for a brief second, which alerted Keith, before turning back on. He looked around after the short blackout and saw ten phantoms surrounding him. They all resembled Arcadia, their bodies composed of shadows and eyes a bright and menacing crimson. He remembered the phantoms from when he and the girl were sent aboard Zarkon's ship to power down the mainframe. Two of them had dragged him off the ship against his will.

"Guess correctly, Keith," Arcadia's voice resonates from all phantoms with a demonic and wispy undertone.

The phantoms eyed the paladin as he began his search for the real Arcadia amongst them. Their crimson eyes tracked his movement closely as he examined them with narrowed eyes. He wandered over to each phantom and spent a few seconds observing before moving to the next. "This is kinda creepy," he comments under his breath.

"It's not that bad," Arcadia chuckled, her laughter echoing throughout the training room. "But you could always quit if it's too creepy for you to handle."

It was difficult to pinpoint which phantom was her when she talked because it seemed all the copies were talking. He also couldn't see their mouths moving.

"I'm not giving up so easily," Keith scoffed at her teasing response.

"I know. You're too stubborn to know when to quit."

"And so are you," he retorts. "Guess I really did rub off on you..."

"And my patience has rubbed off on you, as well," she snickered.

Minutes passed and Keith had analyzed each phantom. He spun on his heels with a smirk as he walked up to one of the shadowy silhouettes. It didn't blink or move as he approached it. He reached out, taking its shadowy hand in his as his smirk morphed into a faint smile. "I know it's you, Arcadia."

"Is that your final answer? I'll give you a chance to choose another phantom if you want to or if you want more time," the girl's voice echoed around him.

"Just tell me I passed," he sighed.

Every phantom except for the one he was holding vanished. The shadows around its body evaporated, revealing his pouting girlfriend. She yanked her hand from his and crossed her arms. "How'd you know? It didn't take you long to figure it out."

Keith shrugged his shoulders. "You're just... warm. The others phantoms were cold."

She frowned in defeat. "Curse you, brimstone..." She threw her head back with a dramatic sigh. "Since you won fair and square, what would you like your reward to be? You better make sure it's a reasonable request."

"I don't know," Keith honestly replied. "I'll have to get back to you on that."

"...Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, fine," Arcadia sighed in disbelief. "You can "get back to me" when you've thought of something."

Keith fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Did you think of a punishment?"

"Oh," she started. "In fact, I did. But there's no point, anyway. You passed the test."

"What was it—the punishment, I mean."

"I was gonna make you suffer. You'd have to survive an entire month without hugs or kisses from me." Arcadia turned her back to Keith, hiding her smirk. "Good thing you passed, isn't it?"

Keith's eyes widen in bewilderment. "You're serious?"

"I know how much you love my hugs and kisses. It would've been the perfect punishment!"

"It would've been torture!" Keith yelled.

"What's the point in a punishment if it doesn't hurt the other party in some way, shape, or form? Besides, you passed!" She cheered. "So you'll still get your daily dose of hugs and kisses. Maybe even a few more here and there." She turned back around and sauntered over to the boy. She grabbed his cheeks in her hands and pulled his face down, placing her lips over his in a chaste kiss.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds before Arcadia pulled away. She removed her hands from his cheeks, placing them behind her back. "Happy now?"

Before Keith could respond, the lights flickered before the entire training deck was basked in darkness. He reached out into the darkness and grabbed Arcadia's hand. "Are you doing this?"

"This isn't me this time," she admits. "Maybe the castle's experiencing issues?"

"Whatever is going on, I've got a bad feeling about it."

Arcadia held out her other hand, a flame engulfing the appendage and providing the couple a decent amount of light. They heard a series of bangs from all around, which puzzled the duo. They drew closer to one another, listening to the groaning and creaking of metal.

Manifesting the flame into a fireball, Arcadia tossed the projectile into the darkness and watched it explode once it hit the floor. They heard a girly shriek, which alerted them.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing those things!" The person shouted.

"Lance?" Keith asked in confusion. "How did you—?"

"I pried the doors open, genius. Allura asked me to check on you two after the lights turned off," he retorts.

"Has Coran found the cause of the blackout?" Arcadia inquired eagerly, igniting another flame in her palm.

Lance followed the light and stood beside the golden-eyed girl. "Not yet. He said it might take a while. I can't stand the dark!"

"I could always try giving the entire castle a jolt to see if that'll help," Arcadia suggested.

Just then, the power flickered back on. Lance sighed, shoulders slumping forward in relief. The alchemist dispelled the flame and looked around the training room. "Guess it wasn't anything too difficult to fix."

The trio's worry returned once they heard Allura's distressed voice over the intercoms. "Multiple lifeforms have infiltrated the castle! Everyone, be prepared to fight!"

Lance looked down at his empty hands and shrieked. "I don't have my bayard!"

Keith was dressed in his casual attire, minus his jacket, with his bayard in his hand while Arcadia was outfitted in her suit. The girl looked at Keith before her eyes trailed over to Lance. "Let's go get your bayard. By the sound of it, you're gonna need it."

Keith activated his bayard as he, Arcadia, and Lance dashed out of the training room. They rushed through the castle corridors to the Cuban boy's room. As they made their way to their destination, they were relieved to not have encountered any of the intruders.

Their relief was short-lived when they entered Lance's room and his arms were grabbed by a tall, lanky alien with four eyes and hauled into the air. The boy screamed out as he struggled against the intruder, causing him to chuckle. Arcadia sprung forward, palms blazing with bright flames. She placed them against the enemy's exposed arms, burning his skin and forcing him to release Lance. She extinguished the flames and grabbed ahold of the boy, pulling him away from the stranger. She snatched his bayard up off the floor in the process and they ran out of the room.

"Here," Arcadia spoke up, handing Lance his bayard. "You're definitely gonna need this."

"So, what now?! The castle's been invaded by weirdos!" Lance shouted, gripping his bayard tightly in one hand.

"Hold on," she said. Tapping into the communication devices wrapped around her horns, she was able to contact Allura. "Allura, what do we do?"

"Come to the bridge! Everyone's here except for you, Keith, and Lance."

"Lance is with me and Keith. We'll be there shortly."

"Be careful, Arcadia."

The transmission ended. Arcadia kept her eyes forward as she spoke to the two boys. "We're heading to the bridge. Everyone's waiting for us there."

"A shame you won't make it there," a familiar voice taunted them as they turned the corner. They skidded to a stop, Keith and Arcadia recognizing the naennu amongst the throng of aliens blocking their way. It was the one they encountered on the swap moon a couple of months ago. The other alien amongst the group that caught their attention was the large one standing in the center.

His stature was large and muscular. He loomed threateningly over all the other aliens and the trio, refusing to speak. Keith, Lance, and Arcadia immediately took a few steps back when he took a single step forward, the floor trembling underneath his single thunderous step. They turned to run the other way, but more aliens appeared. Now, they were surrounded.

"H-Hey, can't we all just get along?" Lance asked with a nervous, forced smile.

"They're not here to negotiate, Lance," Keith hissed.

"This must be the collector," Arcadia muttered loudly enough for the two boys to hear.

"The who?" Lance's brows furrowed in confusion.

When they thought the collector was going to speak, another alien stepped forward and spoke in his place. "The collector only desires one thing from the paladins of Voltron."

Keith already knew what they wanted and stepped forward, activating his bayard. "Yeah, well, we're not handing over Arcadia. Got it?"

"Wait," Lance spoke up, eyeing the girl in front of him. "They're after you?"

"Weren't you listening once we returned from the swap moon?" Arcadia retorts.

Lance looked away for a split second, searching his memory for the conversation. When he couldn't recall it, he shook his head. "Nope."

Th alchemist rolled her eyes, not shocked one bit. "Of course..."

"Hand over the draconian and we'll be on our way, Paladins," the alien said. "There's no need for violence."

"Whoa! Hold on!" Lance stepped past Arcadia and stood beside Keith. "Arcadia's part of the team, too! She's staying here with us! You're the ones who should leave before we whip your butts Voltron-style!"

The alien looked up at the collector, who nodded his head. He looked back at the paladins and Arcadia with a glare. "Grab her!"

Arcadia acted quickly and grabbed both boys, yanking them toward her. She placed a barrier around them just as the aliens fired their weapons. She released Keith and Lance with a sigh. "We need to get to the bridge. There's too many of them to fight with only the three of us."

Keith recognizes the mischievous glint in her eyes. "What's your plan?"

She smirked. "Just stay close to me. I'll get us to the bridge."

The barrier around them began cracking. Arcadia's smirk widened as she placed her hands against the interior of the barrier, shattering it. The pieces acted as shrapnel, surging outward toward the aliens and the collector. They screamed out in pain as they felt the sharp pieces pierce their skin and force them to cease firing.

Then, Arcadia summoned ten phantoms and ordered them to keep the aliens and the collector busy. They did her bidding, allowing her and the paladins to escape. "When did you learn to do all that?!" Lance shrieked as they ran past the occupied enemies.

"I'm always learning new spells. You're just not paying attention, as usual," she retorts.

Lance pouted at her insult. "Well, if you hung out more with me than your boyfriend, maybe I would pay attention!"

"Why would I—never mind."

<———————<<<<<<

Keith, Lance, and Arcadia made it safely to the bridge. Once they were inside, Coran engaged a lock and the door sealed shut behind them. He sighed, slumping against the control panel. "That should keep them out."

"I'm not so sure about that, Coran," Arcadia said.

"There's this big scary dude with 'em! He looks like he could eat a house!" Lance shouted in fear. "Or the entire castle!"

"Who are these intruders?" Allura asked in anger.

"The collector and his crew," the alchemist responded. "The naennu Keith and I encountered on the swap moon must've told him about me. I was afraid this was going to happen."

Coran typed on the console, pulling up the video feed for all the corridors of the castle. They spotted the group of aliens and their leader trying to search for the bridge.

Hunk's eyes widen in fear when he saw the large figure amongst the alien crew. "Oh, what did we do to make this guy mad?"

"Nothing," Arcadia sighs. "He's just here to do what he does best—collect. Hence the name "The Collector"."

"He's after Arcadia," Keith said bluntly to avoid more questions from the yellow paladin.

"No!" Hunk wailed. "We can't let him have space dragon!"

"We're not," Keith proclaimed.

Arcadia looked out the large window, scanning the void of space. "Where's his ship?"

"According to the castle's sensors, there is no ship," Coran replied.

"He's most likely cloaking it. That would explain why the castle didn't pick up anything until they were onboard," Pidge said. "It's also possible they were responsible for the blackout. It provided them enough cover to sneak aboard."

"What're we supposed to do? The scary alien is gonna find us eventually!" Lance shouted.

The golden-eyed girl stepped forward. "Give him what he wants."

"What?!" Everyone shrieked in unison.

"No!" Keith and Allura shouted.

The princess approached her best friend and shook her head. "We will think of a way out of this. There's no need for you to hand yourself over."

"Allura's right, Arcadia," Keith said in agreement. "We're not handing you over to them!"

"Listen," the draconian exhaled. "He's after me and me alone. If I hand myself over, none of you will get hurt." She approached the main console, nudging Coran out of the way. She found the button that would transport her to the alchemy cannon and pressed it. Before she fell through the floor, she felt someone grab her wrist and fall alongside her.

Once she landed in the familiar leather seat, another body landed in her lap. She looked and glared at her boyfriend. "Keith, what're you doing?!"

"I should be asking you that!" He yelled back, climbing to his feet. "Sacrificing yourself is not how a team works!"

"I know!" She shouted. "I'm doing this to protect those who are more important than myself!"

Keith's eyes widen at her words. He couldn't believe what he just heard. "You really think you're not important?"

Arcadia looked away, staring down at the floor. "I'm not important, Keith. The universe doesn't need me, it needs you and the others. The least I can do is make sure you all are safe."

Anger boiling in his blood, Keith slammed a fist against the controls of the alchemy cannon. He gritted his teeth, his body shaking from the anger. "You are important! Do I need to list all the times you've saved us to prove that you are?! Because I will if it'll change your mind about this stupid plan!"

"Nothing will change my mind," Arcadia responded calmly. She refused to raise her voice in arguments, knowing the yelling would only crescendo and kindle the flame further.

The door to the room slid open with a hiss, revealing the collector and his crew. He stomped into the room, forced to bend over and shimmy through the doorframe due to his immense size. His crew followed suit and stood behind him, aiming their weapons at the couple. Arcadia glared at the collector as he took a few steps toward her.

Keith went to activate his bayard but was stopped when an alien with three eyes and six arms grabbed and disarmed him. He was knocked to the floor, pinned down by the multi-armed alien. His sword slid across the floor before transforming back. Using one of his free arms, the alien held his firearm against the back of Keith's head.

"Wait!" Arcadia flew to her feet. "You said you would leave peacefully once you have what you came for, correct?"

The collector nodded painfully slow. Arcadia inhaled deeply before exhaling. "Then take me and leave the others alone." The large alien pulled out a device and tossed it to her. She caught it and stared down in confusion. Looking up, she saw the collector pointing to his neck. She grimaced, placing the device around her neck. She heard a small 'click' and knew it was securely in place. "There. Now will you—"

The collector pulled out a small switch and flipped it. The metallic collar sent a powerful shock through Arcadia's entire body. A bloodcurdling scream escaped the girl at the immense pain. She fell to her knees, the shock intensifying. A few seconds later, she collapsed onto the floor as she blacked out.

Keith struggles against his captor, his anger returning tenfolds as he witnessed Arcadia being shocked until she lost consciousness. "You—!"

Before he could get another word out, the alien smacked him in the back of the head with his weapon and he blacked out.

<———————<<<<<<<<

By the time Hunk and Pidge found Keith, the collector, his crew, and Arcadia were gone. They hauled their leader up by his arms and carried him to the lounge. They placed him on the couch, waiting for him to wake up. Allura and Coran paced back and forth as they waited for him to wake.

"So, what now?" Lance asked, shattering the suffocating silence.

"We go after the collector," Allura responds.

"But how? The castle can't pick up on his ship's location," Pidge asked.

"But the castle can detect Arcadia's mana signature from galaxies away," the princess explained. "All we need is to locate her and we discover the collector's whereabouts."

"That's great and all, but how're we supposed to get her back?" Lance inquired. "He might kill her if he knows we're on his trail."

Coran shook his head. "No. The collector would never kill Arcadia. She is too vital to his collection."

"Then let's form Voltron and get her back!"

"That's great and all, Lance, but our leader is—" Pidge started.

"Fine," Keith grunted, rubbing the back of his head. He pushed himself off the couch, nearly losing his balance as his vision cleared. "Get to your lions."

"Hold your klanmüirls, paladins," Coran spoke up. "We must check for Arcadia's signal. The collector may already be galaxies away."

"I don't care!" Keith yelled, clenching his fists tightly. "We're getting Arcadia back."

The advisor nodded and headed to the bridge with the five paladins. With Arcadia's residual mana around the castle, he was able to pinpoint one location. "According to the castle's radar, Arcadia is located in the Unix System."

The paladins and Coran stared up at the main screen, watching the red dot slowly move. "How far is—" Keith began but stopped when the red dot vanished. His eyes widen and he leans forward in his seat. "What happened?"

"The signal's gone!" Coran shouted.

<———————<<<<<<<<

Arcadia's eyes slowly fluttered open. She groaned, pushing her body off the cold floor. She carefully climbed to her feet and shuffled forward. Glancing around, she realized her prison was a glass box. Reaching out, she placed her hands against the glass, peering out to see what all she could. She spotted many other glass prisons that were home to more creatures. She slammed her fists against the glass, testing its durability. When she tried to use her magic to break the glass, the collar around her neck gave her an intense shock. She gasped in pain, digging her fingers underneath the collar. She could feel the cool metal brushing against her branchia, which made her uncomfortable.

Removing her hands from the collar, they traveled up to her horns. She felt them and frowned. "They took my communicators. Guess they're not a stupid bunch after all." She flopped down in the middle of the cell, crossing her legs with a huff. "An escape plan is in order."

"Good luck with that," a deep, gravely voice told her.

She glanced to her left, seeing an alien with a long scaly tail and reptilian-like skin in the next glass prison talking to her.

She was surprised she was able to hear him through the thick glass and vice versa. "Enhanced hearing?" She asked.

He nodded. "Sadly, yes."

"Well, that explains that..."

"You're a draconian," he pointed out. "Thought every last one was wiped out when Draconia exploded over ten thousand deca-phoebes ago. No wonder the collector was desperate to get his hands on you. Just another gem to be placed on the shelf to collect dust, though."

"What does he do with us?" She inquired curiously.

"Nothing," he huffs. "Like I said, you'll just collect dust like the rest of us. Every now and then, the collector will come by and admire his collection."

Arcadia stood up and placed a hand on her hip. "Exactly how long have you been trapped here?"

"Twenty deca-phoebes. I'll be here 'til the day I die."

"We'll see about that. What's your name?"

"Helix," he said before coughing. "And you?"

"Arcadia," she smiled.

"Strange name."

"So is Helix," she snorted with laughter.

"Touché."

The door located across from her cell opened, revealing the naennu from the swap moon. He pushed in a cart loaded with trays of food. Arcadia swiped her tongue across her bottom lip, watching as the alien approached her cell. "So... feeding, huh? You sounded so high and mighty during our first meeting. I'd call this a demotion, not a promotion."

"Shut it, draconian," he hissed, opening a small compartment in the bottom of her cell. He shoved a tray of food through the slot before pushing it back into place, allowing the girl access to her meal.

"Whatcha gonna do? Stare at me to death?" She knocked her knuckles against the glass. "I'm literally in a display case. Or if you're feeling brave, I dare you to come in here and face me. It'll be an even match because of this stupid collar."

The naennu murmured curses under his breath as he moved away from Arcadia's cell to Helix's. She noticed the grin on the lizard's face as he watched the naennu closely. He lunged at the glass, frightening the other alien. He snickered before backing away. Arcadia bit her bottom lip to keep her grin from showing.

Once the naennu was out of sight, the girl complimented Helix's scare tactic. "Nicely done."

He shrugged. "He makes it too easy. It provides me with my daily entertainment." He took the tray and began to eat. "I'd suggest you eat. It's the only food you're gonna get until tomorrow."

She glanced at the pile of gray goo and shook her head. "I'm good. I already had green goo today."

It fell silent for a few minutes between the two as Helix ate his meal. Once he was finished, he tossed the tray aside. "So, what's your plan?"

She casted a smirk in his direction. "I've got a few already in mind."

<———————<<<<<<

Two days passed since the collector came and took Arcadia. The castle was currently located in the Unix System, the last known location of the alchemist before her signature vanished into thin air. The five lions searched for hours upon hours, desperate to find their friend.

"I miss Arcadia just as much as everybody else, but we can't just keep searching blindly," Lance commented. "We've no idea if she's even here anymore."

"This is her last known location. Maybe the collector knew we could track her and was able to mask her mana signature," Pidge said. "She could still be here, Lance."

"Just keep searching," Keith commanded.

"Coran," Allura contacted her advisor. "Any luck?"

"I'm afraid not, Princess. I'm scanning other galaxies for Arcadia's signature, but I can't seem to locate her," Coran sighed sorrowfully.

"This collector guy really knows how to disappear," Pidge comments.

Hunk's stomach suddenly rumbled, which could be heard over the comms. "Um, guys? We've been searching for hours. Can we call it a day?"

"Go back to the castle, then," Keith growled. "I'm gonna keep searching."

Hunk was too blinded by hunger to acknowledge Keith's anger. He flew the yellow lion back to the castle to get a bite to eat. Lance followed after him in the red lion, deciding to avoid the warpath Keith was traveling down.

"Keith," Pidge sighed. "I want Arcadia back, too, but we can't keep pushing ourselves like this. We still need to locate the comet. Who knows what Lotor's planning to do with it."

Keith gripped the black lion's controls tightly, his body shaking with anger. "She gave herself up to protect us! You know why, Pidge?" The small girl remained silent, waiting for the boy to continue. "The reason why she did was because she said she was unimportant!"

"What?" Allura gasped, overhearing their conversation. "She is not unimportant! She's one of the reasons why we've achieved so much."

"I've lost Shiro and now Arcadia," Keith confesses, his voice shaking in sorrow and anger. "I've lost the only two people in the entire universe who've been there for me through the toughest of times. I'm not giving up on either of them!"

Pidge remained silent, staring out at the empty space around them. She also didn't want to give up on Shiro and Arcadia. They were both her friends and Arcadia was a sisterly figure to her. She turned the green lion to face the black one once coming to terms with her feelings. "Let's keep searching."

Keith and Allura smiled, guiding their lions away from the castle alongside Pidge to continue their search.

<———————<<<<<<

A week passed since Arcadia's capture. She sat in the middle of her cell, staring at the guard who was posted outside the door located adjacent to her glass prison. She saw him shaking and trying to avoid her gaze, which caused her to smirk.

The alien looked back and saw her smirk, becoming even more frightened. He dropped his firearm, causing it to fire a single laser. It bounced off the glass, causing him to scream as it ricocheted back at him. He ducked and it passed through the wall behind him, leaving a small hole as proof before dissipating.

Arcadia's smirk grew as Helix chuckled deeply at the guard's frightened state and his clumsiness. The alien grabbed his weapon and scurried off.

"You've frightened more guards in a single movement than I have in twenty deca-phoebes," Helix chuckled with his gravely voice. "I'm impressed."

"Wait until I get us out of here to be impressed. I'm putting my plan into motion today," Arcadia responded.

A few hours passed and it was time for the naennu to pass out meals. Arcadia flopped down in the middle of her cell, acting as if she was unwell. When the alien reached her cell, he knocked against the glass. When she didn't budge, he cursed under his breath and circled around to the back of the cage where the door was. He opened it and scurried over to her. She remained deathly still, which alerted the naennu. He went to warn the collector, but he stopped when a hand wrapped around one of his four legs.

Arcadia's eyes flew open as she dragged him to the floor and pried her hand from around his leg. She pinned him to the floor, a hand around his neck while other searched his pockets for the chip to the collar. "So, where's the chip?"

"I-I don't have one!" He yelled in fear.

"Oh, please," she scoffed, adding pressure to his neck. She dug her sharp nails into his skin, earning a wince from him. "I know the collector gives all his crew members chips. I could hear you talking about it a couple days ago."

The naennu was confused. "What are "days"?"

She tightened her grip, suffocating him while rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Not the point. Where's the chip?"

The naennu choked, weakly trying to pry her hand from around his throat. Arcadia released her grip just enough for him to breathe. "B-Back pocket!"

She searched his raggedy clothes and found it. She smiled menacingly before slamming his head against the floor, knocking him out cold. "Thank you for your cooperation." She stood up and slid the chip into the small slot on the side of the collar. A small 'click' was heard and the device fell off her neck, clattering against the floor. She grabbed the chip and the key to the cell from the unconscious naennu before darting out of the glass box.

The alchemist rushed over to Helix's cell and freed him from the glass prison and the shock collar. He thanked her just as she placed the cell key and the chip in his hands. "Why're you giving these to me?"

"Release as many prisoners as you can and take them to the escape pods," Arcadia explained.

"What're you planning, draconian?" Helix questioned.

"I'm gonna destroy this entire ship from the inside out. Just make sure you save the others quickly."

"And where're we supposed to go once we've escaped?"

"Once I get my communication devices back, I'll send a frequency to the escape pods. Use it to hail the Castle of Lions. There, you'll find Princess Allura and the other paladins of Voltron. They'll help you. Make sure to mention my name so they know you're not their enemy."

"After twenty deca-phoebes, I'll be able to see my family again. Thank you, Arcadia," Helix smiled at her.

She smiled in return. "Just make sure to get back home safely. Now go."

Helix took off, freeing the other aliens from the collector's collection.

Arcadia left the prison block and searched the nearby rooms for her communication devices. She took out two guards while snooping around and was able to locate what she was looking for. Morosely, one of the crew thought they were golden rings and was wearing them on his fingers. In order to get them back, she would have to take down seven more aliens. Taking a deep breath, she strategized and jumped out from her hiding spot. The aliens noticed and immediately recognized her. When she thought they were going to attack, they all shrieked and backed away.

All seven aliens cowered in the corner while toppling over one another. She chuckled at their reactions. "Really? You all had more backbone when you infiltrated the castle. What happened? Is it because your precious captain isn't here to protect you from the big bad dragon?"

The group of aliens pushed a single one forward. The girl was taller than the small alien, who only came up to her thighs. She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Really? You send forth the smallest one out of the bunch?" She bent over, staring at the small alien. "I've a feeling you're the one they bully around here."

The small alien frantically nodded, hugging his laser rifle tightly. "H-How did you kn-know?"

"The smallest ones are always the easiest to push around. How 'bout this—you help me and you'll get your revenge on the entire crew. I'll even guarantee you safe passage and forget you were among the collector's crew. How's that sound?"

The small alien's eyes widen before he smiles at her. He nods and spins back around to face his fellow crew members, aiming his rifle at them. "All right. None of you move! I'm tired of being the one you all kick around!"

"Y-You're siding with the draconian?!" One alien shouted.

"Yeah!" The small alien retorts. "Got a problem with that?"

Arcadia smirked as she stepped toward the cowering aliens. She pointed to the tall one in the back. "You." He shrieked, jumping a few feet in the air. "Those aren't rings. Hand them over."

The alien swiftly took off the golden bands and tossed them to her. "H-Here! Take them!"

She smiled sinisterly at him as she slid them on her horns. "Thank you very much." She activated them, hoping the castle would detect the signal. She waved a hand in the air, encasing the six aliens in a barrier. "I'll let my new friend here deal with you," she said, nodding toward the small alien beside her. She departed and headed to the engine room of the large ship.

Once at her destination, Arcadia reeked havoc and destroyed every engine. A handful of guards surrounded her, but they were no match for her alchemy. All the aliens were knocked unconscious within a few seconds. "Now, to the bridge."

On her hike to the bridge, Arcadia wiped out more of the crew. As she drew closer to her destination, more aliens blocked her way. She sent her shadow clones after them, deciding to keep her sights set on the collector himself.

As she entered the bridge, she heard a series of explosions. The ship plummeted slightly, causing her to lose her footing. She fell to the floor and heard a familiar pair of heavy footsteps coming toward her. Looking up, she saw the collector. Before she could make a snarky comment, he grabbed her by the throat and hauled her into the air. She only grinned at him as she unsealed her powers. Her nails and horns grew while her fangs protruded from her gums. She dug her sharp, talon-like nails into the collector's exosuit and managed to pierce his skin. She sent a shock through his entire body, forcing him to drop her. He backed away silently, holding his injured arm. "For someone who frightens many, you don't talk much."

Another round of explosions shook the ship, which caused the collector to fall. Arcadia managed to keep herself on her feet and stared out the window. She saw the pods and was relieved to know Helix was able to few the other prisoners and escape before the explosions. She contacted Helix's pod and sent him the hailing frequency of the Castle of Lions.

"You better survive, draconian," Helix replied once he received the frequency. "I owe you a proper thank you."

"I'll see you at the castle, Helix."

The transmission ended. Arcadia leapt over the collector's body to reach the main console. She placed her hands against the controls and fried the ship's systems to oblivion. The metal panels bursted off as flames erupted from the hardware. As the gravity generator inside the ship exploded, the girl found herself floating. She held onto the destroyed console, staring out into space. She spotted a planet not far and glanced back at the collector. She floated over to his large form, glaring daggers at him. "We're finishing this."

<———————<<<<<<<

After returning to the castle from another search, the paladins headed to the lounge to relax for a while. Lance huffed out a sigh as he threw his body onto the plush couch. "Man, it feels like we've been searching for months."

"It's only been a week, Lance," Pidge said. "And before you even say it, we're not giving up."

Keith remained silent as he listened to his friends chat. Ever since the third day of Arcadia's disappearance, he'd gone from small conversations to complete silence. When someone asked him a question, he'd simply ignore them. When someone tried to see if he was all right, he'd ignore them. He'd given the cold shoulder to everyone, including Coran. On the fourth day, he completely shutdown. He wound up skipping meals and focusing solely on training to occupy his thoughts.

"Hello~? Earth to Keith?" Pidge waves her hand in front of his face. All he did was blink and look at her with a stoic expression. She sighed with pursed lips. "Why do I even try?"

As she sat down beside Hunk, Coran contacted them. His frantic face appeared on the screen in the lounge. "Paladins, report to the bridge immediately!" Everyone flew to their feet and ran to the bridge.

Once they all arrived, Coran shared what he found. "We're receiving a transmission from the Galant Quadrant!"

He typed a command into the console and an image of a reptilian alien popped up. "Paladins of Voltron, my name is Helix."

"How did you discover this frequency?" Allura asked, suspicious of the alien.

"Arcadia gave me the frequency to the Castle of Lions. She is the reason the others and I were able to escape the collector," Helix replied.

Keith's eyes widen at hearing the name. He steps forward and stands in front of the screen, speaking for the first time in days. "Where is she?"

"She's currently—"

An enormous explosion rang out. Helix looked behind him and saw the collector's ship enshrouded in flames and smoke. Another explosion occurred, much bigger than the first one. Pieces of the ship hit the group of escape pods but weren't enough to damage them.

The paladins and Coran gasp, eyes wide as saucers as they watch pieces of the collector's ship float aimlessly around Helix's pod. Keith shook his head in denial. "No. She couldn't have been onboard! Coran, get us there right now!"

Coran nodded and Allura opened a wormhole. They traveled through and popped out the other side a few yards from the throng of escape pods.

From the debris, Keith saw a blur of white heading straight for the pale blue planet in the distance. He stormed out of the bridge, alerting the others. They yelled after him, but he ran and changed into his paladin armor before departing to the black lion's hangar. As the metallic feline came to life, Allura's shouting voice echoed from the comms. "Keith, what are you doing?!"

"I'm going after Arcadia."

<———————<<<<<<<

Arcadia, with the collector in her grasp, flew toward the unknown planet. Once she entered its atmosphere, she was enveloped in cold. Looking around, she saw the planet was a frozen wasteland. Snow fell from the cloudy, gray sky as she landed by a frozen lake. She tossed the collector's body across the snow-covered ground before transforming back to her normal self.

She glared sharply at the collector. "Your days of collecting are over. Ripping families apart just so you can add to your collection. I'll make sure you never leave this planet."

The collector stood up, reaching for his helmet. Arcadia wouldn't admit it out loud, but she was looking forward to seeing the face of her captor. He pried the helmet from his head and tossed it into the snow beside his feet. Arcadia gaped in amazement and shock at seeing the man under mask. "Y-You're part draconian."

"Unlike you, I'm a half-blood. My mother was draconian while my father was galran," the collector's deep voice said.

The alchemist stared at the horns atop his head and the golden-slitted eyes that matched her own. The purple skin complimented the yellow tint of his eyes. "Draconians refused to mate with other species in order to keep the bloodlines pure and avoid tainting the mana flow. When...?"

"You were not the only draconian to survive your home world's destruction. Quite a few draconians were spared and rewrote their murderous ways. They established a new society on a planet not even the galra could locate. From there, it bloomed. My mother wound up captured by galra when she departed the colony. That is how she met my father."

"W-Where is this draconian civilization?" Arcadia asked nervously.

"Destroyed by Prince Lotor himself. You, are the last living draconian this universe will ever see. I captured you in order to preserve such beauty. What my mother told me of her people fascinated me. When I heard there was a single pure-blooded draconian left, I knew I had to add you to my collection."

"You..." Arcadia gritted her teeth in anger. "How dare you?! I'm a living, breathing person who deserves to live her life the way she desires! I may be the last of my kind, but I will not spend my life inside a glass box so you can preserve me like an artifact! I've people who care about me and someone I want to spend the rest of my life with!"

The collector grew angry at her words. "You will never understand my ways! I do it to protect and preserve endangered species!"

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Helix has a family! You tore a family apart because of your sick hobby!" She conjured a shadow ball in her palm and threw it with a frustrated cry.

The collector dodged, pulling out a strange weapon. He ran toward her, the snow acting as no hindrance to his movements. He wielded the staff-like weapon and lunged forward to strike her. He managed to nip her arm, which sent a jolt of electricity through her body.

Arcadia grimaced at feeling the tingly sensation before putting distance between her and the collector. "You really like shocking people, don't you? It's a shame your mother's magical abilities weren't passed down. This would've been a more interesting and fair fight." She charged her palms with her own lightning and sprinted forward. She dodged the staff and delivered a shock to his body. "Get a taste of your own medicine."

The collector reared his elbow and hit her directly in the face. She cried out in pain and backed away from him. She rubbed her face, wiping blood from her nose. She growled threateningly, her wings sprouting from her back. She released the seal on her powers, flying toward the collector. She released a battle cry as her fiery fist made contact with the enemy's jaw.

Due to the power behind the hit, the collector flew back and slid across the frozen lake. Because of the slippery ice, he had difficulty getting back on his feet and wasn't able to dodge the kick Arcadia delivered square in the jaw. He grunted as he slid back, dropping his staff.

Arcadia flew in for another kick, but the collector grabbed her ankle. He slammed her body against the ice, creating cracks in the surface. She cried out in pain as he tossed her body aside as if she weighed nothing. Her body rolled across the slippery ice, wings furled up against her back. He stomped over to her, creating more cracks in the ice. He raised his foot and brought it down on her abdomen.

Before it made contact, Arcadia grabbed his foot and kept it from crushing her. She gritted her teeth, struggling against his strength. Due to his muscular and large build, she stood no chance against the brute in hand-to-hand combat. She twisted her body around and forced his foot to penetrate the ice. He lost his balance, which provided Arcadia the opening she needed to recover. She flapped her wings and flew up into the air. Snow pelted against her exposed face, drenching her and her suit. She was thankful for the brimstone coursing through her veins, but it wouldn't stave off the cold for much longer.

The collector struggled to free himself. His wiggling caused the cracks to multiply and the ice to shatter. When Arcadia thought he would drown due to the heaviness of his exosuit, she was wrong.

The half-blood activated his suit's thrusters and managed to get his body out of the water before they short-circuiting. He landed on the ice and glared up at the girl. He bent his knees and jumped into the air.

The draconian gasped in shock at seeing how high he could jump. He grabbed her ankles, dragging her down to the ice. Like before, he slammed her body against the ice and knocked the air out of her lungs. Before she could recover, he released her ankles and grabbed her throat. Choking her, he pinned her against the ice. She scratched at his armor, which caused him to tighten his grip. "I refuse to kill you," he hissed, adjusting his body and digging his knee into her abdomen.

Arcadia struggled against his strong grip, gagging and gasping for air. She tried to use a spell, but she couldn't concentrate due to the lack of oxygen. Through her haze, she saw a black blur before hearing what sounded like a roar.

The snowy ground and ice shook, grabbing the collector's attention. His grip slackened just enough for Arcadia to concentrate. She reached out and grabbed his arms, piercing her sharp talons into his exosuit.

Looking down at his prey, the collector saw Arcadia's eyes changing from gold to crimson. Her body became enshrouded with shadows as she screamed at the top of her lungs with a demonic undertone. Shadowy tendrils crept out from underneath her body, wrapping around the assailant's body and hoisting him into the air. He grunted as he struggled to free himself.

Another set of tendrils emerged from underneath Arcadia. The shadowy appendages surged upward, piercing the collector's body through his exosuit with ease. He screams out in pain, coughing up blood. The tendrils dug deeper into his flesh, causing another agonizing scream to escape his lips. Blood trickled down the tendrils, a few drops dripping onto Arcadia's shadow-consumed form. Once they hit the shadows surrounding her body, they evaporated.

The tendrils didn't release the collector until they knew his heart was no longer beating. Once there was no heartbeat, they tossed his body aside and retracted back into Arcadia's body. The shadows disappeared from her body and her eyes returned to their normal golden tint. She didn't move from her spot, unable to feel her entire body due to the exhaustion she was suffering. Not only had the battle worn her out, the shadow spell she just used consume most of her mana. She couldn't even use a basic healing spell to heal her injuries.

Her eyes were half-lidded, staring up at the snowflakes that were gently dancing through the sky. Her breathing slowed as she heard the cracking of ice and someone screaming her name. She couldn't even raise a finger due to her current state.

As the cracking crescendoed, it was accompanied by a loud shattering. She felt her body plunge into the frigid water, her body petrified and unmoving. She knew she couldn't breathe, but her body wouldn't listen to her. Her eyes slid close as she sunk deeper into the lake. Her mind was brimming with thoughts and vivid images of her time with the paladins and Coran. While her mind raced from memory to memory, she felt something wrap around her body and pull her out of the cold lake.

Vision still blurry, Arcadia looked around as her body was hoisted from the water and onto the snow-covered ground. She breathed out, a small cloud signifying just truly how cold it was. Then, she felt her body being picked up a second time and the sound of someone shouting her name over and over again rang in her ears. She heard the faint sound of metal clanking, unsure of what was happening.

Next, she felt not snow but cool metal against her back. Her vision cleared slightly, being able to make out a figure hunched over her body. Slowly, the image cleared and she could see it was Keith. The worried expression on his face was clear as day. She wanted to touch him, but she couldn't move a muscle. She weakly called out to him as he cradled her body against his. She thought he said something about a healing pod, but she wasn't sure. Before long, her eyes closed again and she fell unconscious.

<———————<<<<<<

Eyes fluttering open, Arcadia heard a familiar hiss. Her vision was slightly blurry, but it cleared within seconds. She stepped forward, emerging from the healing pod and nearly tripping over the edge of it. She was able to steady herself before she could fall and stepped out of the healing pod. She looked around, noticing Keith reclining against the side of the healing pod. She crept over to him after noticing he was asleep.

Sitting on her knees beside him, Arcadia smiled as she ran a hand gently through his hair. She saw his eyes twitch before slowly opening, continuing to stroke his sable locks with a soft smile.

When he was fully awake, Keith was greeted by the sight of a smiling Arcadia. No words left his mouth as he lunged toward her and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her toward him, causing her to fall and collide against his chest. His cheek was pressed against the side of her head as he held her close. He shakily sighed as one of his hands found the back of her head and cradled it against his shoulder. "You're an idiot."

"I was expecting more along the line of "are you okay" and not "you're an idiot"," she snorts with laughter before turning her head and placing a kiss on his cheek. "By the way, you should be sleeping in your room. Wouldn't want to wake up stiff and sore, would you?"

"I wanted to be here when you woke up," he said in a low tone.

"Well then, how about we head to my room? You do think my bed's more comfortable than yours."

"I don't think, I know," he replies before accepting her offer. He left the infirmary with Arcadia and headed to her room to get a proper night's sleep.

Once inside the alchemist's room, Keith flopped down on her bed with a heavy sigh. He had bags under his eyes and wanted to sleep more, but his full attention was focused on Arcadia and he couldn't bring himself to sleep just yet.

The young girl picked up on his drowsy state and smirked as she climbed onto her bed. Keith lifted his head from the sheets as he watched her every move closely. She crawled over to him and straddled his hips, watching as his cheeks turned a pale red. She giggled at how easy she could make him blush.

Leaning forward, she rested her hands on his chest as her eyes locked with his. She decided to talk about the first thing that came to mind to break the silence between them. "When I landed on Earth, I didn't know what to expect. I was excited yet frightened to meet another species. The five years I spent on Earth were life-changing. But the most shocking thing I found out about your people were their ears."

"Out of everything you saw and experienced, our ears were the most shocking?" Keith asked with a raised brow.

"Yes!" She moves her hands from his chest to his ears, rubbing them between her fingers. "All my life I've only seen people with pointy ears. Draconians, alteans, galrans... Everyone had pointy ears until I encountered my first human. It's strange how they're so... round."

"Yeah, well..." Keith reaches up and grabs her ears, mocking her actions. "Yours are so pointy."

She smiled down at him with a faint giggle. She enjoyed his gentle touch as his fingertips rubbed the tip of her ears. When she felt his fingers slowing their ministration, she saw he was falling asleep underneath her. Her smile widened as she realized her own actions were lulling him to sleep.

Keith's hands lazily fell from Arcadia's ears and flopped on the bed by his sides. His eyes closed and his breathing became deep and slow.

Once Arcadia knew he was in a deep slumber, she leant down and kissed him on the forehead before crawling off his body and laying beside him. She snuggled into his side and soon felt an arm sprawled across her waist. She gave him one last kiss on the cheek before falling asleep. "Good night, Keith."