Breathe in…breathe out… Sweat and dust. The scent of desperation… Breathe in. Breathe out. Focus. Blood pumping. Crowds jeering. Opponents screaming. Trembling fists tightened. Lungs tensed. His heart couldn’t keep steady. ‘Patience yields focus. Patience yields focus. Patience yields—’ BANG BANG BANG “Come on, Shiro, it’s time to go!” Shiro jolted, then slumped with a sigh, any semblance of hope for meditation thoroughly dashed. He cringed at the next series of rapid

Soft, sweet chirps carried on the gentle breeze as distant birds swooped after one another. In the shadow of their lively game, farashyons flitted about, landing delicately on the petals of juniberry flowers. With their stems of vivd green, blooms of deep pink, and pistils of bright gold reaching for the clear blue sky, the great meadow was a glorious sight to behold. Allura basked in the warmth of a familiar sun and sighed. “I loved the scent of the mountain juniberries in

The gentle rustling of waves filled the salty, misty air as Arus’s sun peeked over the horizon. Its light cascaded over land, sea, and castle alike, melting away the thin frost coating the waking world. A peaceful quiet hung over it all. Well, most of it. Within the ancient palace, Hunk’s bear snores rattled both his room and the corridor beyond. His limbs were splayed over his bed in all directions, feet sticking out from under his twisted sheets as he subconsciously scratc

Space created neither light, nor sound, nor warmth. It was a cradle for such things; a void through which they could spread and grow as they pleased. With its vastness, anything could hide in any crevice or crater. The Galra, however, had no need to hide, nor a desire to. None outside their own kind had seen it and lived. An artificial solar system; a testament to their taming of the universe itself, down to the very last atom. The outermost ring held it all together in its

Sleek, white transport vehicles soared through the air, weaving around tall, shining buildings in practiced, perfect lines. Each time one passed, sunlight caught in its pristine metal and reflected through the window screens of a grand, spacious office. Datapads filled the shelves alongside odd knickknacks and artifacts from numerous worlds — rather messy compared to most Alteans’ quarters — while a hologram of the solar system spun lazily in the high, domed ceiling. Near the

The sun shone high over planet Arus, warming the land and letting the flowers know it was time to open their petals wide. In much the same way, the ceiling of the Castle of Lions’ bridge unfurled downward in swirling layers, revealing the giant crystal within. Three rings hovered around and lowered it to the floor, dark and chipped, several hairline fractures making it look like it was ready to shatter at any moment; a stark contrast to the new, shining one waiting to be inst

Dawn on Planet Arus was a stunning sight. Warm sunlight shimmered over the rippling ocean into a broad inlet and illuminated the aging Castle of Lions. Within the great keep, sounds of waking filled the halls as its new occupants made their way blearily to the dining room. Hunk was the primary culprit, his yawns and gurgling stomach mixing into the grumbling of a bear. He wobbled to the long table, his eyes barely open, and flopped into the seat between Lance and Pidge. They,

Space wasn’t something that was supposed to bend. In fact, it wasn’t a ‘something’ at all, merely the void in which other things resided. However, rules, as they say, are made to be broken, and the Blue Lion was more than happy to as she soared through slip-space, physics bending to her will. With the Galra fleet long behind them, the small group within took the opportunity to relax. At least, most of them did. For the past couple minutes of the several they’d been flying, P

Kai hadn’t known what was going on for several minutes. Between the Sword in his hands and the snake on the ground, he was mentally occupied as it was, but then artillery fire started ripping through the air, and then there were jets flying around deafening him with their engines, and still Anguis was screaming. In the end, everything seemed to be helping to drive Anguis away from the city before she had the chance to get further in, but it took every ounce of his concentrati