I feel exhausted. My dreams keep getting weirder and weirder, but they all have to do with five lions all chanting some prophecy I don't understand. The poem is usually in random parts, and it's too bad I never have any paper to write it down when I wake up. I do remember one stanza, but that's because it's repeated all the freaking time.

Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

It doesn't necessarily help I can't find a library. If I could, the Altean literature might know what the heck I was dreaming about. Besides, where the heck did they get Shakespearean English? Maybe that's just what it translates to. I don't know. Asking Allura if they have a library might be a good idea. I might go do that.

I get off my bed and change out of my PJs. My room is good-sized, and it has pictures of Altea hung on the walls. The paint is a soft pale blue, and the floor is greyish-white like the floor in the rest of the castle. A full-sized bed stands in the corner of the room. A wall-length window stands behind the bedframe, revealing the beauty of Arus outside. The window will tint as the day goes by or if I want it to. The technological marvels in the castle never cease to amaze me.

Allura said the room belonged to a friend of hers when King Alfor piloted the Castle of Lions 10,000 years ago. I accepted the gift gratefully.

I throw on my tank top and shorts from yesterday (I'm silently hoping if I search for a library, I'll find a laundry room in the mix). I leave my shoes off because I figure we're staying put for a little while. Not to mention, I enjoy walking barefoot. Grabbing my phone, I check the time. It'd be 6:45 A.M on Earth. The others will probably be asleep still.

I slip out of my room, my bare feet hardly making any noise as I tiptoe down the hall. I quietly make my way to the control room, and I notice Coran adjusting a knob on one of the computers. I pad past him silently and continue my adventure. Coming to the first door, I halt and wait for it to open. It doesn't. I pull at the hinges, punch it (my hand hurts from that), give it the world's harshest death glare, and yet it still doesn't budge. I notice a button on the side and push it. The door finally slides open. Boy, do I feel stupid now.

I walk into the room. It's a kitchen. All that hard work, trying to get the door open, and it's a freaking kitchen. I wasted my strength for food goop. Wow.

I grab a drink before leaving. Closing the door, I walk out of the kitchen and further down the hall to the next door. I push the button. A training room! Sweet! Good to know that that's there. The same steps repeat. Close door, walk down hall, open door, inspect room. In the process, I find an entrance to the hangars, more bedrooms, an observatory, a lavatory (I make use of it before I continue), and, yes, a laundry room, thank goodness.

I finally approach the last door in the hall, and I push the button. The door slides open, revealing the room's interior. I gasp. It's the library. I found it!

The library is massive, with shelves amazingly tall and almost touching the ceiling. Books line the walls and are stacked on tables in heaps. A computer stands in the center, no doubt a catalog of what books are in here. I grin and run into the library. Approaching the computer screen, I place my hands on it to wake it up. It boots, and I look at the words on the screen in confusion. Altean. Maybe I should've learned Altean first. Although that might've taken forever.

Suddenly, the Altean characters flicker and move about the screen. I don't have dyslexia! What the quiznak is going on?! The characters suddenly stop, and I can understand them like they're perfect English. Weird...

I type in what I'm looking for, and a few entries pop up on-screen. I hunt them down and take them to a table in the middle of the room, a few feet away from the catalog. I begin to read each one, searching for an answer.

Several hours and a few power-naps later, I find one. The book, Legends and Tales of Long Ago, is the book's title. I flip through the pages and find a story about a lost piece of Voltron (the Voltron legend is in here as well). I read aloud: "'The Soul of Voltron is a mythological being, whose power is beyond imaginable. A prophecy found in the oldest Altean records implies that the Soul of Voltron is a female and is to be feared, yet loved by all. It reads as follows, translated from the Old Altean:

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'Enemies fall around her feet,

All, either strong or weak.

May all who hear the song repeat

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'The mighty powers of fire and storm

And water and nature and land all form,

Within the blade of her terrible sword,

Beware the Soul of Voltron!

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'Let man quake and foe tremble,

At her roar and her mighty rumble!

Let oceans roar and tumble,

And fear the Soul of Voltron!

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'The eternal power live forever!

All will love and adore her,

Friends and strangers all together.

Hurrah! the Soul of Voltron!

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!

"'To save the people of every kind,

And pay the never-paid price,

The Soul herself must sacrifice,

And die! Thou Soul of Voltron!

"'Awake, O Soul of Voltron!

Let thy legend live on

To all the galaxies and beyond!

Arise, O Soul of Voltron!'"

I can't breathe. The prophecy is so vivid. I don't want people to be scared of me! I like people! Not to mention, I'm going to die? What the quiznak is that all about?

I continue reading. "'The Soul of Voltron is of unknown race. She is related to the Voltron Lions and their Paladins in that—as the prophecy states—when the Lions were formed, a small piece of their quintessence was stolen and hidden away somewhere, though no one knows where. Some versions say that it was hidden in a person many galaxies away, but others record that it remains on Altea. The role of the Soul of Voltron will be passed down from generation to generation until the prophecy is set into motion.'"

Snatching my phone from my pocket, I search for a genealogy site online. Who knew that the Castle of Lions has cell-phone reception? I look through my family's lineage and read about every female in my history. Finally, I come to a girl that when she was young, had very dark thin hair. I reckon that's normal for humans, but I keep reading. The next day, she had brilliant platinum hair in a thick mane.

'Excuse me, what?'

Only the piece of Voltron's quintessence is in my blood, circulating through my body.

"'According to the prophecy, the Soul's powers are vast. A few mentioned are immortality, pyrokinesis, aquakinesis, terrakinesis, naturaekinesis, tempestakinesis, and unmatchable strength. Whether the Soul of Voltron has more powers has not been determined.'

"'Myth has it that the Soul of Voltron has two states: the Lion state, and the Voltron state. In the Voltron state is when the Soul is most powerful. Lion state is slightly less, but seems more so.'"

I don't see my Altean friends peering through the door. Coran is about to say something, but Allura puts her hand before his mouth and shakes her head. They leave me to studying soon after.

When I finish reading, I push away from the table, soaking all this information in. Now what? I'm practically a god! Can I just say I'm more than terrified at that prospect?

I can't tell my friends; they'd freak out. I'm barely coping with this whole idea myself. I think Allura already knows something's fishy, and Coran probably does, too. They're probably the only ones I could approach with this if I wanted to, which I don't. Not yet, anyway.

I leave the books on the table, figuring I'll come back later. Other than that, I turn everything off and put everything as I had found it. Slipping out of the library, I push the button for the door, and it slides shut. Suddenly, I find myself face-to-face with a bright orange mustache.

Coran eyeballs me. "What were you doing in there?"

"Reading," I answer simply. "That's what a library is for, right?"

"Well, yes. But what were you reading if I may inquire?"

"It was a book about legends. No specific one, though."

He points at me accusatively. "Aha! You were reading Altean!"

"Yeah?" I quirk a brow. "Got a problem with that?"

Coran frowns. "Well, sort of. I've noticed that none of the paladins read Altean. So, therefore, I'm confused by the fact that you can."

I shrug nonchalantly. "I don't know how I did it. For a second, I wondered if I was dyslexic. But then it switched around and made sense."

"How very interesting," comments Coran, stroking his chin pensively. I'm starting to get creeped out by this guy. I back away slowly.

"So, yeah, I'm gonna go...Bye!" I speed off in the other direction. I flee to my room, the only true safe haven I've found here so far. It feels good to be alone, even if I love my friends. I just need time away from everything to sort this out.

I am not supposed to exist, according to Altean legends.

In those legends, I am omnipotent and can get anyone to do whatever I darn well please.

I don't want to be those legends.

I want to be more than those legends. They don't define who I am.

But they do. Those myths describe my powers, and who I'm supposed to be with these powers I have no idea how to control.

I need help, but I'm too scared to seek it. How am I supposed to understand something when I feel too terrified of what I can do to get help?

Why do I have to be this way?

Why do I have to be the Soul of Voltron?

Why couldn't it have been someone else?

I guess I had no choice in the matter. Life works in dumb ways.

I'm not going to do something stupid over it. The others don't need more stupid from me. They have Lance for that. Speaking of the others, how am I going to break this to them gently?

I mean, the whole aspect of my having powers is crazy enough for me, so I have no idea how they'll react. I really haven't been taking it very well. What if they don't like me anymore? What if they're too scared to hang around me? What if they read the prophecy and think I'm a jerk because of it?

What if I lose my friends? My love interest? My whole family?!

I know what Shiro would say: "You're freaking out over nothing. We're here for you, and we've got your back." It would probably make me feel better for a little while, but I would probably freak out more after telling them.

All this thinking is giving me a lack of oxygen. I need to get outside.

I get back up and stretch my back. Padding to the door, I peek out and glance down the halls. Coran is already onto me, so I need to be careful. I slip out of my room and tiptoe down the hallway like I did this morning. Once I see the control room, I peer inside. Allura stands on the podium in her armor, talking to Coran. Good. They're both busy.

I pass the control room silently. Continuing on my way, I notice the kitchen door is open. Glancing into the room, I spy Hunk chowing down on some food goo. My stomach rumbles quietly, and I realize I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I shake off the hungry feeling in my gut and move on.

I finally make it outside, and I breathe the fresh Arusian air. It looks like it had yesterday. Beautiful. Standing out on the bridge, I look down. I wonder if my powers would activate if I jumped. I'm not going to do that. Too freaky, and I'm not the biggest fan of falling. Flying is fun, though.

If only talking about these powers were easy. It's not. I am only talking about them because I can't get them out of my mind.

"(Y/N)?" I whirl around to find Shiro standing at the door.

"Hey," I murmur in greeting.

He walks up to me. "I figured I'd find you out here. You always did like the outdoors better than being inside. Said that indoors was a prison."

I chuckle, remembering that time at the Garrison. "Too bad we'll never get those moments back."

"We could always make new ones," he suggests.

"Nothing replaces the past, Shiro."

We sit in silence for a few moments, thinking, remembering. It hurts to dwell on the past.

"(Y/N), I... Wanted to apologise."

I glance at him, my head tilted to the side in confusion.

He sighs. "I didn't want you to get hurt when I left. I knew it would hurt you, so I tried to lessen that as much as possible. I guess... It did more damage than I realised."

"Shiro, it's okay."

Shiro meets my gaze.

"It's in the past now." I grin. "We're together again."

A gentle blush spreads across his face. "Yeah, I guess we are."

I flick my eyes to his lips, then back up at him again. He inches closer, slowly closing the gap between us.

"(Y/N)..." The way he murmurs my name makes me want to shiver. Just as we're about to kiss, he shies away. "Ah, s-sorry. Th-That was out of line for me."

I lift a brow at him. He can't even meet my eyes.

"W-Well, it's getting dark. We should probably go inside." Shiro stands and walks back toward the door. "Are you coming in?"

"No," I reply, hugging my knees to my chest. "I think I'll stay out here a little while longer."

"Don't be too long," he says. I roll my eyes at him as he turns and goes inside.

This moment joins all the others now swirling in my head, memories of our time together. When I first started training on the simulator, Shiro would pilot my training ship, teaching me everything he knew to make me better. After each round, he'd congratulate me, tell me what I did right, and point out things that I could do better. We'd sometimes spend lunch together and talk after hours.

In all that time, I never told him how I felt. I'm not going to open that can of worms with him since I got over him, but maybe these feelings are resurfacing. Oh, boy.

What is my life coming to?! Can I just have no emotions, no issues, and no powers? Is that too much to ask?!?

Must be. Eh, whatever.

I gaze at the sky. It's beginning to turn shades of red, orange, and pink. Beautiful. The wind ruffles my hair, brushing coolly against my skin. Is this what paradise is like? I hope so.

I feel goosebumps on my arms and realize the wind is no longer cool but cold. I shiver and rub my biceps to warm them. Maybe I should go inside before I freeze into a (Y/N)sicle. I turn and leave the bridge, entering the warmth of the castle.

Lance comes up beside me. "Boo!"

"You didn't scare me," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, darn." We walk a little way. Lance asks, "What have you been doing all day?"

I grin sheepishly. "Oh, you know, stuffs."

"Stuffs. Like what kind?"

Personal, I want to say, but that might not be a good idea. Although Lance isn't very sharp. "Like, stuffs. Is it really that important?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he comments. "What's up? You're always more open than this."

I sigh. "It's been a hard couple of days, remember? We're in space, Lance. We ain't in Kansas anymore."

Lance's gaze falls to the floor. "Yeah. It hasn't necessarily been easy for me to process, either."

"We're all trying to process it the best way we can. This is my way of trying to handle the stress."

"It's not much fun."

I roll my eyes. "No, like being sitting ducks in space is so much fun," I say sarcastically.

Lance laughs. "You still got your spunk." I turn to walk away. "(Y/N)."

I face him. "Yeah?"

"Just...realize if...if no one else is here for you, I am. We gotta stick together, or we're not gonna get through this without going insane. You can tell me anything, okay?" he says.

I smile. "Thanks, Lance. You're a pal."

"Aw, am I not more?" I punch his arm.

"No, you're not."

"Not yet, I'm not," he corrects, smirking like his life's on the line.

"Whatever," I scoff.

"Come on, I think they've got some food prepped in the kitchen." We walk to the kitchen together, laughing and talking like normal. Lance is such a great friend.

After dinner, I excuse myself and go to my room. I feel dirty, and my clothes need washing anyway. That night, I sneak from my room, wearing nothing but a robe I found in the closet, and pad down the hall.

I put my clothes in to wash and find an elevator. Allura had said there was a pool and (maybe) a hot tub. I remember she said to go up the elevator. Don't really know what she said next. Stepping on the elevator, I let it take me up to where it leads. When the doors open, I close my eyes. The smell of saltwater overtakes me, and I inhale the fumes like they were vital to my existence. Opening my eyes again, I find the room dark, and I can see nothing. I fumble for the light switch, flipping it when I find it. Dim light floods the room, and I look around.

The pool is set for the colder temperature, and I decide to not bother getting in it. Cold baths are not comfortable. The hot tub sits about twenty feet from the pool, and the jets boost on with a loud whoosh! Sighing, I take off my robe and let it fall to the floor, revealing my naked body.

I clamber into the hot tub and feel its heat begin to relax my muscles. I sigh contentedly, letting the water hide my nakedness. I close my eyes in peaceful tranquility.

"Thought I'd find you here."

I jump at the voice and cover my chest in shame. I calm down when it's only Allura, who is wearing nothing but a towel.

"Allura," I gasp. "You startled me. What are you doing here?"

"Altean hot tubs are wonderful at clearing away stress. I come—came—here often. I assume you're doing the same," Allura says, climbing in and throwing her towel to the floor. She lowers herself into the warm, bubbling water.

"Yeah, the stress has really been getting to me." I scootch back to my comfy position.

Allura huffs. "The Galra attack yesterday was not good for the castle. Coran and I spent most of the day trying to fix the particle barrier and defense systems. We successfully have our defenses working, though."

"That's great, Allura!" I cheer. "Good to know that maybe next time we won't be so unprepared."

She smiles. "What did you do all day? I didn't see you until dinner, and the others said that they had not seen you much, either."

"I was in the library."

"Ah, did some exploring?"

I nod. "Yes, actually. I found some stuff I thought was kind of interesting."

"Does this have anything to do with the 'Soul of Voltron'?" she interrogates, adding air quotes to "Soul of Voltron."

Looking away, I say quietly, "Yeah. How did you find out? Coran told you, didn't he?"

Allura chuckles a little. "No, I found out on my own. Every Altean knows the legend of the Soul of Voltron."

"But am I—uh, is it really a legend?" I question. "I mean, Voltron is a real thing, so is its Soul real, too?"

"I'm not sure," she replies, scratching her head. "I never actually believed it existed, but it would explain your powers and why you're so catty."

"Catty?"

"Yes, you're very catty." Allura counts on her fingers. "You have a very curious and sentient personality, you're sleek and agile, and you love being around your friends. You show some dominance around them, like the leader of your pride."

I ponder what she says. I really am kind of catty now that I think about it. Can't believe I haven't noticed that before.

"Okay, so what if I am the Soul of Voltron? I'm still not entirely sure what it means. I can't tell my friends about it; they'd freak!"

"Your friends are stronger than what you sell them for," Allura chides. "I haven't known them as long as you have, but I know that is for certain."

"I just...I can hardly process the idea of me being an all-powerful, non-realistic legend. I don't want to make my friends worried about me, or worse, scared of me when we're trying to fight a hopeless war."

"(Y/N), your friends are there for you," Allura consoles, "and so am I. We'll be here for you to the bitter end."

"That's even more unnerving, Allura," I laugh.

"It made you feel better, did it not?" she says, laughing with me.

I smile. "Yeah, it did. Thank you, princess."

"You're very welcome, (Y/N). I'll always be here for you if ever you need me."

"I may take you up on that,"—I stand, letting the water drip from my bare skin—"but I'm gonna go get some rest. Long day." Hopping out of the hot tub, I grab the robe from the floor and a towel from a nearby closet. I towel off and throw on the robe. As I leave the room, I call back to Allura, "Good night."

"Rest well, (Y/N)." She begins to get up while I exit, making my way quietly toward my room. Once I'm there, I take off the robe, fold it, and lay it neatly on the floor by the bed. I change into my PJs and throw myself onto my bed. Rolling over, I release a silent prayer before I fall asleep,

Help me figure out what these powers are. Give me the courage to tell my friends my predicament when the time is right. Keep us safe in this war. Guide us on the right path to take. Help us help our universe.