Takes place shortly after "White Lion".

Keith picked at the sleeve of his druid robes and sent a longing glance to the cotton candy-colored sky as Haggar led the way into the - was it a temple? - glowing pyramid. She sent him a look and he dropped his hands.

"What is this place?" he asked glancing around.

The markings on the walls kind of reminded him of the hieroglyphs he'd seen during his ancient astronomy course at the Garrison, but mixed with the Altean alphabet.

"Your place is to learn, assist, and protect, not question," she repeated for the nth time.

"How am I supposed to learn if I don't ask questions," he muttered as he stepped closer to the walls.

They actually kind of reminded him of the markings from where he found Blue.

A pressure wrapped around his neck and yanked him away from the wall so he collapsed at Haggar's feet.

"You will learn what I choose to teach you, when I choose to teach it to you. Now get up and follow."

He glared up at her as the glow around her hand faded, the pressure along with it. She sent him a warning look so he ducked his head and rolled to his feet, growling, "Yes, High Priestess."

Once she'd turned, his hand twitched to the knives hidden up his sleeve, but instead he fell into step behind her. They walked down a set of stairs to reach a tall chamber with giant statues of what appeared to be Alteans sitting in chairs and holding spears.

He eyed the statues as they passed, his hand slipping into his sleeve. He wished he still had his mother's blade, even if losing it in Haggar's ambush meant the witch didn't get her hands on it. The quintessence he was sensing coming off the statues was making him nervous, and he knew his throwing knives would do nothing to them.

They were just passing the center of the room when the quintessence flared and the statues came to life. He drew one of the blades, but paused when Haggar raised her hand.

"Don't be foolish, boy. Kneel before the Sages of Oriande."

Keith gave the statues a nervous look, but dropped to a knee and slid the knife back into the sheath on his wrist. Haggar knelt as well, pulling a small crystal out of her sleeve and holding it up.

"A gift, Great Protectors, so we may pass in peace."

There was a moment where nothing happened, then one of the statues lowered their spear and stepped forwards to take the crystal from her hand. As soon as it changed hands, the other statues relaxed and shifted back towards their chairs.

Once the statues were all seated again, Haggar rose to her feet and continued forwards.

Fidgeting with his sleeve again, he stared up at the statues.

"Keep close, boy. This was the only test my source was able to get information on. It would be a shame to lose you after putting so much work into you."

Yes, it would be such a shame if you had to kidnap and blackmail someone else into being your apprentice.

A flicker of energy sparked across Keith's fingers as he turned to follow her.

They walked down another, longer staircase and arrived in a circular room. The alphyn-like creature they'd seen when they first arrived at the pyramid was standing at the center next to a pair of pillars. It watched them enter before growling and disappearing.

Suddenly the door sealed behind them and the ceiling started lowering.

"There has to be a mechanism to stop it. Find it," Haggar ordered, raising her hand up to try to slow the ceiling with her magic.

Keith reached out and found himself drawn to the pillars. His eyes widened when he realised they looked similar to the ones Allura used on the castle's bridge.

"A teludav," he whispered, stepping up to place his hands on the pillars. He glanced back at Haggar, then closed his eyes. He pushed his quintessence into the pillars, trying to get the teludav to work. The quintessence flowed down the pillars, but then drifted away aimlessly.

"BOY!"

Anger flooded Keith and his fingers curled against the pillars.

Away. Anywhere as long as it's away!

There was a flash of bright white light and Keith collapsed. He laid panting for a moment before a growl had him raising his head.

His eyes met the alphyn's.

He quickly rolled to the side as it pounced at him with a snarl. He glanced around for Haggar, and was surprised when he realized he was in some sort of empty plane. Nothing was around for as far as he could see except the white ground and the slightly cloudy sky. As well as the alphyn, which was running back towards him.

He tried to dodge again, but wasn't fast enough and the creature pinned him to the ground. He grabbed it's lower jaw with one hand and drew a knife with the other.

"Get off!"

The alphyn snarled.

He brought his knife up, then paused. This creature, it was part of the temple. This could be part of the tests Haggar mentioned. Which meant getting past this would get her closer to whatever she was trying to do here.

He tightened his grip on the knife.

She's not here to know what I'm doing.

He met the alphyn's eyes and said, "I won't be her puppet."

He closed his eyes and lowered his arms as it snapped at his face.

A pulse of energy filled him.

You are not meant to be here.

Keith opened his eyes and gasped.

He sat up, looking around. It seemed like he was suspended in space, but he could breathe.

"Where am I?"

You are in the heart of Oriande.

He shifted from a lying position to a sitting one. "Who are you?"

You do not belong here, the voice said instead of replying.

"Yeah, haven't heard that one before," Keith muttered.

This is the home of Altean alchemists, of scholars and crafters and life givers, like the young queen you support and her ancestors. You may have passed the final test, but you did not surrender to the power for want of knowledge, but to spite another's quest for it. You are no alchemist.

Keith flinched and glanced down at his wrist. The druid rune there glowered with power, marking him as Haggar's apprentice the same as the ones under his sheath on his other wrist, on his shoulders, over his heart, and at the small of his back.

Suddenly energy floated out of the aether, wrapping around his body. It was bright, blinding, before it faded back to where it'd come.

He blinked the spots out of his eyes, then looked down to see the rune was gone. "What -"

Nor are you one of the druids, who worship quintessence and the Lifelight's beasts, like the empress you came with and her followers. You do not seek to control and expand and corrupt.

You have a warrior's spirit, like your ancestors. You seek to fight and protect, and your power reflects that. With proper training it could make you stronger and faster than your size would allow. Even without, it guides you towards allies and warns you of foes.

There are some things you could learn from the druids and alchemists, but your power is your own and you belong to neither. Even your people have lost their ways after so long separated from the outside.

"W-what?" Keith stared up at the stars that shimmered around him, trying to process. "What does that mean?"

You will have to discover that on your own. Your people left behind the ways of Oriande long before even the druids did, and now it is time for you to leave as well.

The Alchemist Queen awaits just beyond our borders to bring you home. Rise and go to her, Keith Romal Oriol, Sorcerer King of Pollux.

Keith's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to ask… many things, but then the world faded away and with a blink he was sitting on a platform outside the pyramid.

"What happened?"

He turned to see Haggar glaring down at him.

"I… I don't know. I was fighting that al-lion thing and then…"

"So you failed?"

The truth. It was always better to give her the truth, even if it wasn't the complete truth. "I-I guess. Nothing happened."

"Come, we need to return to the ship."

Keith slowly pushed himself to his feet and followed her to the pod they'd come in. "What happened to you?"

"What have I told you about questions?"

Keith fidgeted with his sleeve, tugging it further down his wrist. The voice said Allura was just outside. If he could just keep Haggar from realizing his runes were gone until they were out of the white hole, maybe he could get away.

As for everything else the voice had said… he'd deal with that later.

Makes Keith's name one giant reference because I have no chill.