Chapter Text
"You don't look surprised."
"I didn't expect to survive that ."
Death was a peculiar being. So peculiar it was hard to describe. Their face had no particular traits to actually be someone, but seemed to constantly switch between characteristics of people he knew. They weren't tall, they weren't short. They weren't large, they weren't thin. Overall they just were. They stood there, watching him with no eyes, then two, then three, then none. Their voice had no particular tone, they sounded like multiple people talking together.
Again, Death was an entity hard to explain.
"Would you like to go back?"
"Am I needed there?"
Lance took a look at where he was. It was a grand garden filled with the greenest trees, each filled with the sturdiest branches, and the branches were filled with his memories of life. Mama's smiles. Veronica's hugs. Hunk's food. Keith's cute moping. Red and Blue bickering inside his head. The moment he died.
"I thought my afterlife would be like a beach, but a garden filled with memories is good too."
"This is not your afterlife."
"... Then?"
"This is past where your commander is but just before the point of no return. This is where the the delusions that dying people have are made, where the 'life flashing before the eyes' happens."
"Wait, my commander? "
"The one who goes by the name of 'Takashi'.”
“Shiro is here?!” He sputtered.
“No, he’s in the Astral Plane. He’s not dead, his conscience is just separated from his body. You, though, are almost dead.”
The Red Paladin sighed heavily.
“What’s the point of knowing that if I’m dead?”
It hit him like a bullet, and he choked in a breath he was sure was not needed. If Shiro was in the Astral Plane, then who was with the team? Who was the Shiro back with the team? Who was the Shiro they saved?
“Can Haggar clone people?”
“Ah, the Witch. She makes my job much harder by creating life artificially, yes.”
Oh, my God, he left the team alone with Shiro’s evil clone! The boy got up from the comfortable grass so quickly, he was dizzy for a few seconds. Shaking his head in hopes of shooing away his dizziness, he walked up to Death and grabbed their shoulders. Hopefully.
“Take me back. You can do it, yes? Take me back, I need to warn them!”
“I’m afraid is not as simple as you think it is. I can’t just snap my fingers and bring you back to the Land of Living.” Death answered, calmly staring at the burning blue of Lance’s eyes. “You need to prove you want to live, you need to gain your life back. Or you can just give up and rest, completing the circle.” They hold the boy’s face on their hands. “Wouldn’t it be easier? To just let go and rest? Aren’t you tired?”
Oh, he was. Lance was exhausted. Of everything. Of Life. Of Voltron. Of himself. He was tired and he was overwhelmed and he was sad and he was carrying a burden too heavy to be carried. And he wanted it to stop. He wanted everything to go away. He wanted the peace and quiet Death offered him. He wanted to finally stop that crushing existence. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t because his team was still alive. Voltron was still alive. And they had no idea the danger they were into. But Lance knew, and he could tell them. He could save them.
He could prevent them from meeting Death so early.
“I need to save them.”
Death sighed.
“It’s not like I won’t end up here again, anyways.”
“Very well. I just hope you can carry on living without regrets.”
Lance hoped so too.