Lance hadn't been expecting to see Allura like this, not emitting a golden light while draped in royal blue robes and wearing a crown a top her head. And certainly not with what appeared to be her dead older sister lying at her feet.

"Allura!" gasped Lance.

"Mel!" cried Bored which was a name that Lance didn't know, but he had to assume the dead sister was Mel, however that didn't explain why Bored said it with the an angry stomp like she was pissed at her for being dead. "You picked an Ancient One without me? I thought we were all going to present nominations then vote!"

"She picked herself," said the corpse, who sat up in a very non-corpse like manner. Mel certainly looked dead and the fact that her arm was sticking out at a crazy weird angle didn't help. "Her connection with the After is extraordinary."

"This is pure nepotism," argued Bored. "You didn't even look at the candidates I brought!" Bored gestured to the other Paladins who were all opened mouth staring at Allura and Zombie Mel. "You just went ahead and Guardian-upped your own daughter!"

"That's your mom!" yelled Lance, pointing at zombie Mel who was popping her arm back into its socket. "What ran her over? And why are you dressed like that? And why are you wearing a crown? And who are they?" Lance pointed behind the mother and daughter to a blindingly bright light with the silhouettes of a whole bunch ol' people on their knees.

"I am so glad you are all safe," said Allura in an eerily calm voice, completely failing to answer any of Lance's questions. "Keith, Lance, you look different."

"WE look different?" shouted Lance.

"Ah!" cried Mel. They all looked towards her and saw her flicker in and out of existence.

"Mother!" cried Allura, breaking out of her weirdly calm demeanor. She kneelt down beside her.

"No," said Mel, trying to push her daughter off. "I gladly give my soul for you. You've realized your true power. I go happy and proud."

"Or I could heal you and you could continue to exist happy," said Allura, laying her hands on her mother. Glowing energy moved from Allura's hands and into her mother.

"Are they soul merging?" Hunk whispered to Bored.

"Ew no," said Bored. "She's just transferring quintessence. They're related. That's gross."

"Sorry," muttered Hunk.

"That's enough," said Mel when her body had stopped flickering. Her cuts were healing too. "I can do the rest on my own."

"At least I now I know you weren't going easy on me," said Allura, offering her hand to help her mother stand. Huh? What? Huh? What?

"Never," said Mel.

With Allura's help she came to stand. Suddenly the zombie impression was gone and in its place was a regal air. She was dressed in all pink robes and Lance couldn't help, but mutter, "What a goth..."

"Huh?" questioned Keith. Pidge and Hunk were looking at him, confused.

"Alteans wear pink to funerals," explained Lance.

"Oh," they all said together as not only did Mel's robes suddenly have new meaning, but Allura's Paladin suit as well.

"Pink is the new black," whispered Pidge.

"I'm not switching," whispered Keith.

"I believe introductions are in order," said Melenor, directing this at Bored like she was an insubordinate.

"This is Queen Melenor," began Bored.

"Queen Mother," corrected Melenor. "And may I present Queen Allura, Guardian of the After."

There was a collective "whoa" from the Paladins.

"Sorry, your majesties," mumbled Bored, clearly in a rotten mood now. "And here are the souls you rejected without bothering to meet." Bored gestured to the Paladins.

"Hello boys," said Melenor, approaching them.

"Uh, I'm a girl," said Pidge, annoyed.

"This time," said Melenor, gazing at her. "So nice to meet you Pidge, Hunk..." Melenor looked at Hunk in turn then moved on to Keith and Lance, her ancient gaze moving between them as if she, at least, saw them both. "Leakira," she said with a nod.

"What?" asked Lance and Keith at the same time.

"It is the name the universe has gifted your new soul with."

Ohhh there was a lot of weird in that statement. "Why Leakira?" asked Lance, brushing past the metaphysical implications and focusing on an arbitrary detail. "Why not give us a proper celebrity couple name like... Klance?" Lance waved his spirit hands across his face like he was a magician presenting an illusion.

"So like my one letter and then your entire name?" asked Keith, bitterly.

"Okay, that was just my first idea. We're brainstorming here. How about Laith?"

"So your name first?"

Lance stared at the love of his life and realized he had no way of winning this one. "You know what? I like Leakira. It's got a bit of razzle dazzle to it."

"Well, there is no changing it," muttered Melenor.

"Um, I think everything's negotiable," countered Lance.

"Oh, you combined your souls!" gasped Allura, staring at the spot between Keith and Lance. "That's what's different about you. Well, that and I can see souls, but that's a difference with me... How did this happen?"

"Apparently soul-merging was an item on the spa menu here," said Lance. "Along with coronating I guess," he pointed to Allura, "and whatever those two got up to." He nodded towards Hunk and Pidge.

"We were nearly turned to stone by a Medusotaur," said Hunk.

"Yeah that... Wait, WHAT?!" gasped Lance.

"It's cool," said Pidge. "We killed it."

"Aw no fair," whined Keith.

"Aw no fair?" repeated Lance.

"Sounds like their thing was more fun."

"We pledged our eternal love to each other!" yelled Lance. "I cradled you in my arms!"

"And that," said Keith, "is how that feels."

"Truly," said Melenor, turning to Keith. "It is an honour to meet the one and only Black Paladin that hasn't died on the job."

"He almost did though," mumbled Lance. "I saved him, but whatever..."

"Speaking of which," said Pidge. "Should we be concerned that Shiro isn't here?"

"Oh man," said Hunk. "We really should've gotten him that Life Alert before leaving the physical realm. Do you think he's dead again?"

"Shiro is well," said Melenor. "He is completing his journey." Then she turned to look at Keith. "Are you ready to complete yours, Black Paladin?"

"Uh-uh..." stuttered Keith.

Lance didn't know what Melenor meant, but then she reached out and pulled at the very fabric of reality...or not reality...like non-physical realmnesss... and pulled back a piece of it like opening a curtained doorway. She gestured towards it as if Keith was supposed to step through.

Lance gave Keith's hand a reassuring squeeze (though to be fair, he didn't know Mel wasn't leading Keith to his death so the comfort may have been misplaced.) Keith stepped forward, releasing Lance's hand. Lance immediately missed him like crazy and he was only a step away from him. Keith rolled his shoulders back and walked confidently through the opening in false-reality.

It took Lance half a heartbeat to decide to just go on and follow him. I mean, Melenor had specifically invited Keith. She said Black Paladin instead of that celebrity couple name, Le-Ikea or whatever, but Lance had just sworn to always stay with Keith and gosh darn-nit he meant it!

Lance scurried after Keith and managed to slip behind the veil before Melenor released the it and it closed off leaving them seemingly alone in the astral plane (or this version of the astral plane) except for the handsome man in front of Keith who Lance recognized from Keith's memories.

"Dad?" gasped Keith.

"Hello son," answered the aged-like-fine-wine Kogane.