Chapter Text
These trials result in one of two things. Knowledge or death.
Kolivan really wasn't kidding when he'd said that. The Blades were merciless, and Keith was getting the absolute shit beaten out of him. One after the other, they rose from the floor, demanding he surrender his blade. And when he wouldn't, they'd fight. Just him and his small dagger against their full-blown swords and years of grueling training.
They didn't stab him or deliver any fatal blows. But they cut him up all over, easily blocking his attacks and brutally landing sickening punches and kicks that often sent him sprawling and gagging for air. It was like his hours and hours of practice on the training deck had done nothing to help him improve his skills. Maybe if he'd had his bayard, he'd have a chance at winning. But he didn't. He didn't even have his armor. He only had his knife and the body suit the Blades had made him wear for the Trials.
Door after door, room after room, Keith fought the increasing amount of Blades that awaited him. Hours, maybe days passed. He wasn't really sure. Time became a blur and he lost count of how many rooms he had entered, how many people he had fought and lost against. The only thing he was keenly aware of was the increasing pain afflicting his body. Everything hurt so, so badly all over. Sweat beaded his forehead, his breath coming in gasps as his stamina was pushed to its limits. Every cell in his body was on fire, screaming for him to stop.
Surrender the blade and the pain will cease.
No! No, no, no! He wouldn't quit, he couldn't!
But he couldn't ignore the fact that he was rapidly losing steam with each passing round. Black spots were starting to dance across his vision, and his knees were starting to get dangerously wobbly. At this rate, he'd collapse and fail the Trials. He would be beaten up and humiliated for nothing, left without answers and without his knife.
Patience yields focus.
Shiro's voice in the back of his mind suddenly sparked a fresh wave of determination within him. He'd been rushing through everything without a plan until now. He had to calm down. He had to take a moment and breathe. He could get through this. He just had to focus.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Keith winced at the stabbing pains the movement sent through his chest. He clutched his arm, the gash in his shoulder burning as if a million white-hot knives were being thrust repeatedly into his flesh. Stepping into the next room, the new challengers began to rise from the floor, ready to drag him into another bout of agony.
You are not meant to go through that door.
He had to think. There had to be another way out of here besides the door on the other end of the room. There were no windows. The only other exits were…the hatches in the floor.
The Blades stepped off their platforms and they began to sink back into the floor. Rushing forward before the hatches could seal themselves completely, Keith hurled his knife with an incredible accuracy that stunned even him. The blade lodged in one of the hatches, stopping it from shutting, and Keith made a beeline for it. Despite the way his body shrieked at the movement, he managed to kick aside two approaching Blades before trying to tackle a third, who immediately threw him off. He slid right towards the hatch and snatched back his knife before dropping down the chute, grinning in success at his escape.
He landed roughly on the lowering elevator platform, panting heavily. His entire body throbbed as he struggled to process the last few fights. That puzzle had taken him way too long to figure out. If he had only calmed down and listened sooner, he might've been able to spare himself from a few hurts.
"Guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door," he muttered to himself as the elevator doors opened and he stepped into the new room.
There were no Blades waiting for him here, much to his relief. There were no more hatches in the floor either. Were the Trials over? Could he leave and get some answers now? He wanted to see Shiro again. He wanted them to go back to the Castle, where the others were waiting for them.
He started for the door on the opposite end of the room, certain he had to go through there. Certain that Shiro was waiting for him on the other side. But he didn't get very far as his vision began to blur. The adrenaline from the fights that had kept him going had all but drained out of his system, and he felt himself fading fast. His knees buckled, and before he could stop himself, he collapsed to the floor.
The cold metal felt good beneath Keith's burning body, and he let his eyes slide shut, if only for a moment. His head went blank, and for a startling handful of seconds, he felt himself drifting towards unconsciousness. No…He couldn't sleep yet. The door was right there. Shiro and all the answers he sought were right there, just a few steps away. He was beyond tired, but he had to keep going. He had to get up.
Mustering what little strength he had left, Keith pried open his heavy eyelids. His vision was still blurry, and for a moment, all he saw was a smudge of black and white approach. He blinked, trying to focus on the figure towering over him.
"Hey, man." Shiro leaned over and extended a hand to him. "You did it."
"Shiro?" Surprise and relief washed over Keith. He was so glad to see a familiar face after facing nothing but enemies. He was so glad that this was all over. He took Shiro's outstretched hand, letting himself get pulled to his feet.
"Kolivan told me you lasted longer than anyone ever has in those battles," Shiro said. "You don't have to keep this up."
Keith's moment of joy fell away in an instant. "What are you talking about?"
"Just give them the knife and let's get out of here," Shiro urged, granting him an encouraging smile.
Keith's frown deepened. Had he failed the Trials? Or had Kolivan just sent Shiro to get him to give up? But he'd told Shiro he had to do this…Why did he still not understand?
"I can't give it to them, Shiro," he said, and his heart clenched when Shiro's brow furrowed.
"What is it with you and that thing?" he almost snapped, disgust dripping from his tone as he glared at the blade still clutched in Keith's hand.
"It's the only connection I have to my past," Keith said slowly, carefully. There was no use hiding it from Shiro now. He might as well explain. "It's my chance to learn who I really am."
Shiro didn't look convinced though. "You know exactly who you are, a Paladin of Voltron," he insisted. "We're all the family you need."
Keith didn't reply right away. He'd had the knife longer than he'd been a paladin. He'd had questions about it and himself for almost his entire life. He was a paladin, yes…but he knew he was more than that. And he needed to find out what. As for family…the knife was still one of his last real connections to his dad. Sure the others on his team were like a family, but…no matter how close they got, they would never be his dad. They would never be his real family. They couldn't help him feel like he truly belonged.
"Shiro, you're like a brother to me," Keith admitted finally. "…But I have to do this."
"No, you don't," Shiro persisted. "So, just give them the knife."
"I can't do that."
"Just give up the knife, Keith!" Shiro demanded in a rare display of anger that reminded him very much of Mari in that moment. "You're only thinking of yourself, as usual!"
The bite in that statement admittedly stung, and Keith stiffened. He didn't want to disappoint Shiro, especially not after all he'd done for him. But still…He couldn't give this up now. He'd come this far. And he was so close to finally getting answers. He needed to finish things here. He needed to do this for himself. Shiro out of all people should have understood that.
Keith set his jaw. He couldn't bring himself to look at Shiro as he said, "I've made my choice."
Shiro's eyes narrowed at him, his gaze ablaze with an angry betrayal. "Then you've chosen to be alone," he decided, and he promptly turned, walking away from him.
Keith's resolve threatened to crack, fear making his heart nearly leap into his throat.
Freak.
This was it. Shiro was abandoning him, just like everyone else had.
Freak.
Was this really worth it? Losing his first friend, his mentor, his brother-figure, over a stupid knife? Over his selfish desire for finding a purpose?
Freak.
Maybe…Shiro was right. Maybe being a paladin was enough. Maybe their team was enough. Maybe he should just take what he had and be grateful for it.
Shiro was moving further and further away from Keith, and it struck him with panic. He had to stop him. He had to apologize.
"Shiro! Wait!" he called out, and he ran to follow after him.
Suddenly, Shiro and the rest of the room were swallowed by a blinding white light. Keith inhaled sharply, stuttering to a halt in his pursuit and closing his eyes to protect his retinas from getting scorched. But when he reopened them, Shiro was nowhere in sight and he was no longer on the Blade of Marmora base. He was back home. Back in the shack in the desert on Earth.
Keith stared at his surroundings, confused. How had he gotten here? Was he seeing things now? Dreaming? What the actual heck was going on?
Without warning, the entire shack rumbled, as if an explosion had gone off just beyond the walls. He turned towards the door, ready to go out and inspect.
"Keith."
Keith froze in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. It had been so long since he'd last heard that voice. So many long and painfully lonely nights had passed where he wished nothing more than to hear it again. He whirled on his heel, almost afraid to see him.
"Dad?"
Heith Kogane turned to him. "You're home, son," he said, and the soft smile he gave Keith made his eyes sting and his heart scream. After all this time, his dad looked and sounded exactly as he remembered him.
Another boom shook the shack, startling Keith from his stupor. He looked towards the windows, the sheer curtains just thick enough to hide whatever was happening behind the glass.
"What's going on outside?" he wondered.
"Don't worry about that. We'll be fine as long as we stay in here," Heith assured him. His smile was unwavering, totally unconcerned with the rumbling. "Don't you want to catch up?"
That drew Keith's attention back to him. As if that were even a question. "Of course I do."
"Son, so many years have passed," Heith began. "I have so much to tell you."
Answers…He was finally going to get some answers. This was his chance to learn all about everything his dad had never been able to tell him before he'd died.
There was another explosion outside, pulling Keith from his thoughts again. They were getting closer and closer to the house, he realized.
"What is that?"
His dad never gave him a real answer. "Everything's fine," he murmured, watching as Keith moved over to the window and yanked back the curtain.
To his horror, a Galra cruiser hung in the sky, razing the ground with a deadly purple beam. Screams pierced the air, and an army of sentries were marching towards the property. Standing on top of one of the canyon walls, the Red Lion was waiting for Keith. It was waiting for him to come out and stop the Galra before they completely destroyed this part of Earth.
"Dad, I-I'm sorry. I gotta go," he stammered, turning back to Heith. "There's people that need me out there."
Heith's smile had disappeared, replaced with a melancholic frown. He gingerly held Keith's dagger in his hands. "Don't you want to know about where you came from?" he asked. "Your mother gave it to me."
Keith's eyes widened. "Mom?"
His dad was going to tell him about his mom, right here and right now? He'd hardly ever talked about her. Keith hadn't even known the knife had been hers. She hadn't left anything else behind, not even a photograph. He had been so sure she had just up and ditched them without a care in the world after he was born. Now it turned out that his most prized possession had come from the woman he had been so sure didn't care about him.
There was another quaking boom, snapping his focus back to the attack outside. The Garrison was in danger. So was Plaht City. Adam, Shiro and Mari's parents, Lance and Hunk's families, Pidge's mom, they were all going to be at the mercy of the Galra.
"She'll be here soon," Heith promised him.
Keith grit his teeth, a mess of conflicting emotions boiling beneath the surface. He had to fulfill his duty as a paladin. He couldn't afford to wait while the world began to burn around them. He couldn't let innocent people die. But…His dad was right here in front of him. After so long, he was finally seeing him again. And he was finally going to learn who his mom really was. He had to speed this up somehow. He could do both, finding the answers he wanted and saving the planet.
Couldn't he?
"You gotta tell me, Dad. I have to know," he pressed, frantic as he faced his dad once again. "Where did the knife come from? What does it mean?"
Heith looked down at the dagger sadly, still unbothered by the chaos occurring just on their doorstep. "Your mother is almost here. She'll tell you everything," he promised.
Yet another trembling explosion sounded outside. Fire danced across the desert, washing everything in angry reds and oranges. The destruction really was getting closer. At this rate, their little shack, the only home Keith had ever known, would be blown to bits.
"I can't wait around anymore," he said, frustrated and apologetic as he hurried towards the door. "I have to go."
His fingers wrapped around the knob, but before he could twist it and run out to Red, Heith stopped him. "If you go out that door, you'll never find out who you are."
Keith swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry. This was the price of being a paladin. Putting the countless lives of the universe over his own. Leaving behind his home and the history it held. Leaving his dad…
No. He wouldn't be leaving him behind. His dad had died long ago, but he'd still live on in Keith's heart forever. Their house in the desert was still waiting for him. And it would always be there until he was ready to go back. As for his mom…well, he'd gone this long without knowing her. He could go the rest of his life without meeting her, if need be.
He would put himself on the back burner. Right now, he needed to help the people who were here and still alive. He needed to make sure this alliance with the Blade worked out. And he needed to make sure he did whatever he could to help defeat Zarkon and protect the universe.
He had a decision to make. And he needed to make it now.
Keith faced his father, soaking in his presence one last time. "Goodbye, Dad," he whispered, before opening the door and heading outside. As soon as he passed over the threshold, he was swallowed by a red light and thrown into darkness.
Leaving his dad hurt like hell, much more than Keith expected it to. But at least he had finally gotten to tell him goodbye.
When Keith woke up, he was back on the Blade of Marmora base, lying on the cool floor. His dagger was still clutched in his hand, and the relentless aching of his body came back to assault him in full. The room rumbled all around him, debris trickling from the ceiling, but he made no move to get up. He didn't even know if he could. He numbly stared off into space, struggling to process it all. It felt like his head had been stuffed full of cotton, and he feared moving now would make him pass out again.
His gaze dragged over to the door as Shiro sprinted towards him. Concern and honest fear swirled behind his dark eyes, but Keith could still see their familiar warmth as he knelt down next to him. It made his heart faintly flutter with relief. Shiro was back. He hadn't left him after all. He hadn't lost his best friend.
Gentle yet firm, Shiro handled Keith as if he were made out of glass. He wrapped his arm around Keith's shoulders and lifted him off the floor, supporting him as he stood on wobbly legs.
"Keith, are you okay?" he asked, more out of nervousness than actual ignorance.
His voice was quivering, unable to completely hide his fear. Keith was sure Shiro already knew the answer to his own question, and he didn't have the strength to reply. His entire body was aflame, and he was starting to see stars again. If Shiro hadn't been there, holding onto him for dear life, he was sure he would've collapsed all over again.
Kolivan, Antok, Scarlett, and several more Blades suddenly burst through the door. Scarlett hurried to their sides, flitting around them anxiously, but the Blades stayed where they were, blocking the exit. The base shook again, sending more dust and stones raining down.
"Stop what you're doing!" Kolivan barked at them, sounding genuinely angry and desperate.
Keith stared at him, hazy and uncomprehending. "What are you talking about?" he croaked. Just the effort of talking was draining, and it left him sucking in ragged and unsteady breaths. "What's going on?"
The base rumbled again. "Call off your beast!" Kolivan demanded.
Beast? Did he mean Red? In the back of his muddled mind, Keith could feel his lion's unhinged rage. He could feel it hounding the facility, desperately trying to reach him. Keith weakly tried calling out to it, but he couldn't focus. Everything hurt too much. He could barely see straight, let alone think properly.
Shiro's grip on him tightened. "Move out of the way!" he ordered, glaring down Kolivan and his troops. "We're leaving!"
"You're not leaving with that blade. It does not belong to you," Kolivan refused. "You failed to awaken it!"
Keith glowered at him the best he could, starting to get exasperated himself. "What does that mean?"
"Give up the blade!" Antok insisted.
He refused to answer any of his questions, and he was prepared to use force to take the dagger back. Producing his own sword, he charged. But Shiro was livid and well into protective big brother mode. He wouldn't let Antok, or anyone else for that matter, touch Keith. His arm glowed to life and he released Keith, running to meet the furious Blade. Without support, Keith's knees nearly buckled beneath him, and Scarlett scrambled to help keep him up.
Antok swung his sword and Shiro expertly blocked it. But the Blade was still twice Shiro's size. And if Keith had gotten the crap beaten out of him so easily by the other smaller Blades, then Antok was absolutely going to crush Shiro. He wouldn't let that happen. He had to save his friend and their alliance.
"Wait! Just take the knife!" he shouted, stopping them both before their duel could continue. Antok lowered his blade, and Shiro cast Keith a hesitant look, the light fading from his arm as it fell to his side. Keith sighed, steeling himself as he held out his dagger, the last gift from his father and the only gift from his mother.
"It doesn't matter where I come from. I know who I am," he said, slow and unsure, but ready to relinquish it to Kolivan. He was a paladin now. And he had Shiro and the others. He didn't need it if it meant they'd be safe. "We all need to work together to defeat Zarkon. If that means I give up this knife, fine. Take it."
He waited for either Kolivan or Antok to stride forward and snatch it from his grip, but neither Blade moved. Their focus was glued to his dagger, where the jagged insignia on the hilt had begun to glow. It had never done that before, not in all the years Keith had had it. The metal thrummed beneath his fingers, a thing come to life as it grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the room in a brilliant bluish-white light.
"You've awoken the blade!" Antok gasped, and Shiro and Scarlett looked just as shocked as Keith felt.
The entire dagger morphed right before their very eyes, elongating into a magnificent sword. Keith held it stiffly in his hand, unsure of what to do with it now. He still didn't understand what it meant to have "awoken" the thing. He was almost afraid to lower his arm, lest the strange and magical alien sword in his possession suddenly turned into some sort of super explosive weapon.
Kolivan was quick to pick up on his confusion and disbelief. He stared at Keith, the anger gone from his voice as he explained, "The only way this is possible is if Galra blood runs through your veins."
That claim alone and all its implications was like a punch to the gut. "What?" Keith asked, his voice coming out a whisper that threatened to crack.
"Your life force has been connected to that sword," Antok elaborated. "The only way you can awaken one of our luxite blades is if you are of Galra lineage."
Galra. Keith was part Galra. The blood of their supposed enemy was coursing through him, pumping through his heart. His head was spinning at the realization, and he almost dropped the sword. He started listing and Scarlett squealed, on the verge of being crushed beneath him. Shiro hurried back to them, taking Keith's weight.
"It's okay, buddy," he murmured. "I've got you."
Kolivan and the other Blades parted as Shiro helped Keith get back to the changing room to retrieve his armor. They were letting him keep the blade. They were letting them leave. And now, they were more than ready to agree to an alliance and accept Voltron's help in their fight against Zarkon.
Keith had succeeded with their mission. And, whether it had been the answer he'd wanted or not, he'd managed to receive several pieces of the massive puzzle that was the mystery of who he truly was.