Heavens Flare

The ruins

The lions landed on an abandoned planet that was left as ruins and destroyed homes as far as the eye could see, no signs of life. They all gathered in the front of the lions to see who sent the signal.

Pidge took the lead with her map as everyone kept an eye out for any survivors from what could've happened on the planet.

"I still can't tell exactly where the signal originates, I'll keep trying to triangulate it's location," she told them keeping her eyes on her technology. They continued to walk as the wounds on the city didn't seem ancient, probably from the past three years...

"These signs are all around us, there was a massacre," krolia looked at a pile of dust and bricks that once was a home.

"The war, it got bloodier and expanded so much after the battle... everyone was thirsty for power," Axca touched the side of a building as Lance stuck close to her.

"It looks like it could've been magic that did this damage," Allura frowned a little.

"Druids?" Lance looked at the other hybrid confused. She shrugged not knowing.

Kosmo growled next to Keith alerted by something, Shiro snapped his fingers to get their attention to stay on their toes, keeping an eye on the wolf.

"Let's keep going," Keith nodded slowly.

-
"These strike patterns look marmoran," krolia walked over to a wall that had a slice that looked like it was from a blade.

"Keep looking, we need to find whatever blade is broadcasting that signal," Keith looked at the team.

But kosmo started to growl again but this time had his eyes locked on a target. Keith walked to his wolf trying to see what it saw, but instead the wolf took off in a sprint with a bark and tackled a body near by.

"Good job," Keith followed with the other Paladins as they all got out their weapons and pointed it at a man that kosmo pinned to the dirt.

"Who are You? Who's broadcasting the signal?" Keith pointed his blade at the man.

"It was me!" The alien man gasped as the wolf toward over him growling.

"Impossible, your not a blade," Keith glared.

"I will explain all of you would just put down your weapons," he grunted and the wolf got off him as everyone backed off.

"Let's see what he has to say," krolia nodded.

—

The survivor of the planet lead everyone to a broken building that lead down below into a cave that had tunnels all throughout under the village. He took them to his home under with a fire to keep them warm and cargo surrounding them all.

"This place is disgusting," Romelle backed away from flys that buzzed around a puddle on the ground.

"This place has been my home for two deca phoebs," macidus turned to her unamused. Her eyes widen.

"I-in altean disgusting means lovely, you don't happen to speak altean do you?" She panicked a little with her hands clasped in front of her.

"This is where the signal was coming from, somewhere below us," Pidge cut in to help out the altean in distress.

"You are clever, but I wouldn't expect less from the Paladins of voltron," macidus hummed and then looked at Lance and Axca.

"You recognize us?" Lance asked surprised.

"Of course, of course blue Paladin... I am surprised to see you, a general of prince Lotor to be a Paladin again," he looked at him, Lance gulped a little.

"Times have changed, we just found that out," Lance nodded softly. "But we're back to help now,"

"And I am so grateful you are," he sighed a little. "It's been so long since I've had guests,"

"Well thank you for your hospitality but who are you? What happened?" Shiro asked calmly with krolia near by. She saw a curtain on the side and her curiosity told her to take a look to see.

"Bloodshed happened here, death happened here, I am macidus and this is my home planet, but now I am the only one left alive here," the stranger nodded as krolia pushed the curtain back. She gasped in horror.

There was marmora blades impaled into the wall, no light on any of them as they were on the wall like.. a trophy...

"What are you doing with these?" She aimed her gun at macidus as the Paladins were able to see the blades hidden behind the curtains. Keith looked almost sick by the blades that were left.

"I hang them in honor of their sacrifice, they died to protect the universe," the man kept calm with the blaster aimed by the galra.

"How did it happen?" Her gaze softened a little.

"This all started when voltron disappeared," macidus started off.

"Without Lotors second in command to take hold of the power of the galra, the power vacuum ensued destabilized much of the universe, galra turned on each other, warlords and pirates became the rulers of the lands," he explained to them as Lance stepped closer to Axca with both their eyes casted down.

"What happened with Hagar, zarkons witch?" Lance asked in a low tone.

"No one knows,"

"But her druids continued her work, carrying out her final orders, many with magic turned to her for her leadership and power, they were set out to destroy every blade,"

"After Lotor took over the throne, almost every marmoran agent was exposed," Pidge inhaled a sharp breath.

"And that's when the slaughter began, all blades were called away from their assignments and sent to this base, Kolivan knew they were being hunted and he wanted to make a stand against them... he believed it was their only means of survival," he looked at the Paladins keeping his voice steady, krolia lowered her weapon finally at the words of her fallen leader.

"When they arrived, my people helped them fortify their base, but the druids found us sooner than we hoped, arriving without warning, they encircled the base and besieged it with magic, after a long battle of attrition, the base fell, casualties on both sides were enormous. My people were the first to try to escape, they were slaughtered. I stayed behind with Kolivan to battle for my home against the druids,"

"But in finals of the battle I was buried beneath a collapsed structure, when I regained consciousness, the fight was over and I was a lone survivor,"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I wasn't there to keep everything under control," Lance crossed his arms keeping his head down in shame.

"You're here now," macidus nodded understanding.

"I've been sending the signal Kolivan gave me ever since in the hopes of finding any remaining blades, instead I found all of you," he threw some wood into the fire. 

"I recognize every one of these blades, I trained many of them myself, if I had only been here," krolia reached for a blade and took one out of the wall. Kolivans.

"There service will not be forgotten," Keith walked over to his mother.

But the blades light flickered. That the owner of he blades life was not gone.

"Kolivans blade, it's flickering," krolia told the others.

"What does flickering mean?" Pidge asked.

"A marmorans life force is connected to their blade, I just saw it glow, he must be alive still," krolia explained quickly with hope.

"Just barely," macidus croaked.

Keith didn't hesitate to bring the blade of his bayard out as he faced the alien with a glare. He knew.

"You've been using that signal to draw blades in," Keith growled. That was enough for everyone to draw there weapons.

"Kolivan proved to be useful after all," macidus laughed with cruelty sending shivers up their spines.

But he suddenly disappeared in blade smoke. Dropping a weapon where he stood. In a flash Keith and the wolf were gone but when the device hit the ground it froze everyone that was in the room.