So this was it, this was death.

He'd think he's seen death and met death so many times and by now he wouldn't fear it, would take his last breath in battle with adrenaline coursing through his veins.

But it was peaceful. Quiet. Still.

It made a prince of the misunderstood tremble as his skin burned.

But it felt like a soothing hot bath rather than his own lavender flesh burning. His body was numb but his mind was at ease, maybe it was just in shock.

It wasn't like last time. Or the time before that. Or any time his life was at risk.

Because this time he knew he wouldn't wake up again, wouldn't see his love in a very long time. His throat burned so he couldn't say the one thing he loved most one more time. He wanted to cry but he couldn't.

So the prince looked ahead seeing a faint figure in the sparking bright white light around them. His greatest accomplishment but his most horrid mistake.

His vision darkened. This was it. His ear run but whispers echoed in his head. They didn't tell him to kill again, but praying for him to rise with a hidden power, but he failed them too.

This wasn't like the death when he battled a monster he called father with his blade. Maybe because this time he didn't fight for what was right. But for his own selfish needs.

He rested his eyes for only a moment. He'd just take a break like someone told him hundreds of times, rest, clear your head, so he did. Wishing he could hear that voice of home one more time.

He heard someone but he didn't want to open his eyes. He was exhausted. Hearing glass breaking faded in the back and people screaming someone's name.

He exhaled slowly feeling fingertips on his cheek.

He wasn't dying alone it seemed. But this was the end. He just wished he could say he was sorry.

"Lotor please! Open your eyes!"

~~~~~

"Shield!" Keith commanded as Lotors blast came at them but was blocked by the red shield from voltron a back. It pushed them back anyways as there was nothing steady around them.

"Hunk form canon!" Keith grunted.

"Got it!" Hunk slammed his bayard into the controls and voltrons yellow canon formed on its shoulder and sent a powerful blast back at Lotor but he dodged it anyways.

The canon shot followed the galra as it destroyed astroids around them as Lotor flew out of the attack but flipped around to avoid it quickly.

"It's to fast," lance sneered.

"Then we'll have to get in close, form sword," Keith shouted putting his own bayard in the controls for voltrons hand weapon.

But Lotor formed two blades for each hand. Coming straight toward them with fire in his eyes.

The blades collided as the two machine weapons pressed against each other trying to see who would give in.

"Now we will see how alfors legacy stands against the new altean defender," Lotor smiled darkly and grunted pushing forward.

"Yet your a coward to hide your marks!" Lance snarled back swinging the blade down on him as Lotor sneered blocking, he slammed his foot against voltrons chest sending them flying back but that came at him again.

Blades collided again but danced clanking against each other before Lotor kicked their shield back as they flew back but the prince wasn't finished.

"Move!" Keith cried out and they ducked the powerful weapon before the swords sliced them but went through the rock behind them like warm butter.

They held the sword up but Lotor was already behind them ready to attack.

Keith shouted commands as they worked as a team fluently, the shield going up to block but it flying back to voltrons wings when they needed both hands. But they both shot blast back and forth as Lotor swung his swords with a single shot landing on him.

"We need to stop him moving around, back him into a corner or something!" Hunk looked at them wide eyes.

"Hunks right, we have to eliminate his speed advantage," Keith panted.

"Let's just take down that machine and take Lotor as prisoner," lance said narrowing his eyes.

"We just need to survive," Allura told him, lance swallowed back his pride as he stayed quiet. This is what he'd have to get use to if they won, if he was one of them again. He didn't want to go back to their old ways. Lance just prayed they all make it out of this alive.

"We need to limit his movements," Keith shot back at her.

Keith's eyes landed on a rock in the distance and flew towards it before Lotor could attack them again. He followed them instead as voltron flew in their direction.

"We lure him in close, hopefully it'll slow him down enough," Keith told them and they nodded with the plan. They made it to the rock as Lotor wasn't far behind. The galras ship stopped and Lotor laughed seeing they were trapped.

He let a laser beam loose on them but voltron put its shield up to block the purple beam. Lotor moves to the side trying to land the beam on them but the rocks sides blocked them enough with the shield still able to protect them.

Lotor moved back with a growl and took out his swords as he flew straight towards them.

"Hold still, let him build up speed," Keith told them narrowing his eyes at Lotor.

"Now!" He yelled as voltron flew quickly out of the way just before Lotor slammed his sword into where they would've been. Lotor turned around in the dust but voltron was already about to attack with the lions charging up.

Lotor grunted as he was slammed against the rock and alarms were going off by the beams voltron were keeping on him. Trying to push back with his jets but instead the beams went through the rock and he was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Hunk gulped.

"He's behind us!" Pidge turned to the side.

"Hunk hit him with the shoulder cannon," Keith said sternly thinking quickly.

As the shoulder canon started up and shot at Lotor he was suddenly gone just as the blast was going to hit him.

"Did we get him?" Hunk asked seeing no Lotor.

"I don't know," Pidge made a face.

"I think we got him!" The yellow Paladin smiled brightly.

"No..." lance breathed frowning.

"It looked just he just disappeared," Lance looked at them unsure.

"Yeaaa we got him," hunk put his hands behind his head.

"I'm not so sure," Allura gasped seeing a purple portal open up and Lotor emerged slamming his fist into voltrons face with speed.

"Great, he teleports," hunk grunted.

"Is everyone okay?" Keith panted.

"How is he moving so fast?" Pidge looked at Lotor.

"We've gotta get up and attack," Keith told her.

But once they were up and ready to strike Lotor teleported away in mid air.

"Well we defiantly did not get him," lance said sarcastically but let out a high shriek as Lotor came from the side kicking them down.

He kept teleporting in and out with random attacks before the team could even see where he was coming from. They didn't stand a chance.

"How is he doing that?" Hunk whined.

"He's entering the quintessence field at will," Allura breathed.

"Didn't we take down the gate?" Lance asked confused. "How is he entering without it?"

"Because I gave his ship the ability..." she looked down ashamed.

"Could you use one sentence without saying 'I'?" Lance scoffed but grunted as Lotor attacked again.

"Unlimited power is mine, all realities will fall to the new altean empire!" Lotor chuckled with a smirk as he charged up his chest beam at them. They put up their shield but it failed them causing an explosion across the battle field sending voltron back and powerless.

Lotor panted trying time catch his breath as a drop of swear ran down his face. Finish them. They'll take everything you love. They already started. Lotor closed his eyes and smiled calmly seeing the ancient weapon unmoving. He moved forward and accessed the field.

"W-we have to go in after him," Keith felt his head spinning and his eyes feeling heavy.

"Getting power from the quintessence is the only way we can match his strength," he gulped back sitting up against the chair.

"Can we do that?" Hunk asked.

"If he can do it voltron can... can't we?" Pidge pursed her lips.

"Do you know how dangerous that is?" Lance glared at his lap as he held his hands together.

"My father did it once before but it is extremely dangerous," Allura nodded agreeing with lance. She knew there was tension between them, but she felt lucky enough lance would still fight with them.

"Do we have a choice?" Keith asked.

"we need your help Allura, we have to try," he sighed looking at her.

"I may be able to guide us in, but I'll need you all to focus your energy," Allura gave in nodding.

"Form sword," she told them as she looked ahead at a bright light in the distance.

The flaming sword appeared in hand as they prepared for the battle inside an unknown world.

At maximum speed voltron aimed their way and sword at the light and parted their way into the quintessence field with the sword tearing them away from reality and into the white light.

They opened their eyes from the blinding light and their breath was taken away as they succeeded in, the glimmering white like it was snow around them but Lotor was in the distance awaiting them.

"I underestimated you Princess," Lotor looked at them smugly.

Swords where out and their battle begun once again. Metal clanking throughout the empty space as they didn't feel a thing, no attack made a different to their energy, they didn't feel out of breath from the battle. They didn't feel outmatched as they swiped their sword but Lotor hit them harsh.

"We took a major shot but I feel fine," Pidge gulped impressed.

"We're still as full power," hunk smiled.

"It's the quintessence..." Lance looked around in awe but kept his eye out for Lotor.

"It's more than that, can you hear your lions talking to you?" Keith told them. "Voltron is capable of more than we ever imagined,"

With the power they had they sent a sword swinging shot across at Lotor and caught him off guard as Lotor grunted at the attack but flew back at them with his swords.

They all screamed as they attacked again with the machines evenly matched and lasers were shot. Lotor laughed at the challenge but cried out when lance sent a shot from his lion sending him back with electricity coursing through his weapon.

"Let's finish this!" Hunk panted.

"He's down!" Pidge agreed.

"We have to get out of here," Allura looked at her screens.

"What are you talking about?" Keith asked confused.

"She's right... this is exactly what happened to Zarkon that turned him into a monster," lance felt like he couldn't breath with wide eyes. His breath picked up as he gripped his chest hitching his breath as his body trembled. His nightmare was coming true.

Lotor slowly pulled off his helmet as a dark chuckle erupted from his throat and last his lips, his hair falling in his face as he looked up with the eyes of a mad man. A mad man that was pushed until he snapped.

"Poor Allura, all the power of the universe at your finger tips and it still isn't enough for you, you fear using it!" Lotor laughed with blood thirst in his eyes, full thrusters to attack voltron once and for all.

"All our systems are over loaded, we're out of control!" Pidge nodded agreeing.

"Here comes Lotor!" Keith shouted above it all.

They flew out of the way but it was a game of of cat and mouse as they couldn't get Lotor off their tail.

"How do we stop this!" Hunk cried out.

"We give Lotor all the power he wants," Allura didnt hold any emotion in her eyes as she pulled back.

Lotor faces them but was to caught up with destroying them he wasted no time to head towards them. Allura closing her eyes powered up voltrons chest beam and shot it straight at him.

Lotor put his arms up as he didn't back down growling and panting through the beam that surrounded him, like an animal clawing his way through for the power. Screaming to push through ignoring the burning pain in his body. Not giving up even when he lost his blades.

All Lotor got closer electricity was going through both of them as the Paladins watched the galra. Lance shook his head as he didn't dare take his eyes off. It wouldn't kill him, not with the quintessences being the only thing that's keeping them all alive for now.

But as Lotors machine touched voltrons power with a battle cry full of determination  and pain, it was the only touch he needed to be destroyed and over simulated.

The Paladins panted looking up seeing Lotor far back with his weapon destroyed and scattered parts, Lance feeling a panic attack rising and tears welding. This isn't how it was suppose to end.

"Lets grab Lotor and get out of here," Keith spoke up.

"No we can't, we have to leave now," Pidge bit her lip.

"Wha-what? No we have to get him," lance shook his head.

"Pidge is right, we stay in here much longer and voltron is done for," hunk knitted his eye brows together in frustration.

"No!" Lance slammed his fist down.

"Lance we don't have a choice!" Allura snapped back.

"We can't just leave him! We can't leave him to die!" Lance roared back.

"Lance we gotta go now!" Hunk cried out as lightning surrounded them.

"Lotor made his choice, let's get out of here," Allura told him softly but lance shook his head.

"Then leave me behind..."

"Lance no-" "no one deserves to die alone, not like this," Lance felt a single tear run down his face seeing lotor unmoving ship.

"Let's hurry," Keith sighed giving in as voltron rushed over to grab the sincline ship and quickly get out of the field with all the power they had left. Entering reality again.