You were slouched up in your chair in your Lion, wearing the Paladin armour. You were waiting.

You went early on to your Lion, so you wouldn't run into anyone on your way. You just really wanted to be by yourself. And if you could have, you would have stayed in your room. But you were a Paladin and you had training to do.

You took a deep breath. And your Lion purred to you. "I know, I'm just messed up today." You said, letting out a shivering sigh. "So, what do you think of the Red Lion?" You then asked and let out a small laughter, almost like you were mocking yourself. And your Lion growled quietly. "They both are." You chuckled as you answered her.

Then you covered your eyes with your hands as you felt the anxious beating of your heart. "I do like him." You sighed as you shook your head. And your Lion purred softly. "You too?" You said a bit surprised as you couldn't help but smile.

Just then Coran's face appeared on your holographic screen. "Alright Paladins, we are closing in on the Karthulian system and planet Griezian Sur. Is everyone ready?" Coran asked. And you heard confirmations from everyone. "Alright. I'll meet you down there." Coran said as his face disappeared from your screen.

Your Lions soared out of their hangars. And when you were out, you saw a large green planet before you. "Can you tell us anything about what will be waiting for us down there?" Shiro asked as you started approaching the planet. "Yes. The planet is full of thick forests, similar to your rainforests on Earth. It's mostly hard to navigate, but the temple is easy to find." Coran explained.

Just then some large objects appeared before you. You startled as you evaded one just in time. "Whoa, what are those!?" Keith exclaimed on the intercom. And hearing him made you again realise that you had to see him soon. There was no way around it. And you let out a deep sigh. You started to feel slightly anxious.

"Oh, those are just Wabbles. Nothing to worry about. But if you touch them, they'll explode. So I suggest you don't." Coran said in a cheerful voice. "Coran? Nothing to worry about?" You sighed as you realised that the large objects had now pretty much surrounded you. They resembled beetles of some sorts, just larger in size. And there were probably hundreds of those between you and the planet.

"What the hell Coran, there's so many of them!?" Hunk complained, yelling. And you felt kind of bad for him. He used to say that he was the worst pilot of you all, even though it was still no picnic for you either. You still weren't that confident about your piloting skills, but you just had to somehow maneuver your way through those.

So you took a deep breath and concentrated. "You think we can get through?" You asked your Lion. And she roared defiantly. "Alright, let's do this." You still said just as she suddenly warned you about one Wabble coming your way. You quickly pulled the handles to evade it. "Thanks girl! I knew I can count on you." you said as you evaded another one. And soon you were starting to get the hang of it.

Just then you heard an explosion. You startled and saw Hunk's Lion swirling away from the Wabble field. "I'm fine!" Hunk immediately yelled with a nauseated voice. Poor Hunk. Keith of course was already on the other side. The others were also doing quite alright.

Then, after a couple of close ups, you finally made it through the field and to the planet's atmosphere. And you actually felt quite proud of yourself. You were getting better all the time.

You landed your Lion to a bare area on the planet's surface. Then you got up from the chair. "Wish me luck." You said to her a little halfheartedly. And then you paused and tried to still your fast beating heart. You knew you had to face Keith, but you were also glad that there were others present too so he couldn't start demanding answers. Cause you had none right now. Then you took a deep breath, lifted your chin up and got out, trying to act normal. You knew Pidge would quickly notice that something was wrong if you acted strangely.

As you got out, you saw the others already gathering near Coran. Further away was a huge ornamental ancient temple made of stone. It resembled a pyramid in shape. And you looked at it with awe as you probably had never seen a building that old. At the same time it was ancient and futuristic.

As you walked to the others, you realised that Keith was looking at you with a frowning expression on his face. And your racing heart again reminded you of its existence and a giant lump got stuck in your throat. And in that moment your concentration got lost and you accidentally tripped on something. And you would have fallen straight on the ground, if Shiro hadn't caught you in time. "Sorry!" You said to Shiro as you immediately got back up. But he just smiled at you.

"Something distracting you?" Pidge looked at you while smirking. But you glared at her not amused. Your throat felt so dry that you could have drank a bucket full of water. And from the corner of your eye you saw that Keith was still looking at you. But you kept your eyes on the ground, or Pidge, or Shiro, or anywhere else but him.

"It must be my radiating presence that's tripping you." Lance suddenly said while leaning closer. And you looked at him, slightly surprised. He had quickly gotten over what happened in the lounge before. Then you nervously let out a laughter, trying to hide your overall confusion.

Until you remembered what Keith had said about Lance's flirty comments. You knew they were for fun, but he didn't. "Nah, I think it was just a root." You replied to Lance. And he almost gasped, probably wondering of why you weren't playing along like you used to. "Oooooh, you got the cold shoulder." Pidge on the other hand laughed out loud.

"Paladins, focus. That was your first challenge." Coran interrupted everyone. "What!? I didn't pass the test!?" Lance looked at Coran questioningly. "No, not your stupid pick-up lines. The Wabble field." Keith answered Lance irritated. "They're not stupid! You're stupid!" Lance then replied him, glaring back. And you sneered at his lousy comment.

Coran cleared his throat loudly so you would all focus on him and not on Lance. Then he turned towards the giant temple behind him. "This is the ancient temple, where the original Paladins were tested. When you go in, you will be challenged both mentally and physically. So I hope you're ready." Coran said almost too cheerfully. "So, off you go! Good luck Paladins!" He then sent you off.

You started to make your way towards the temple. And while you were walking, you observed your surroundings. The planet was filled with all kinds of vegetation that somewhat resembled plants on Earth, they were just different colours. And as you were looking at everything curiously, you were left a bit behind the others.

Then you realised that Keith was also deliberately staying a bit behind. And soon he was next to you. And you immediately felt your heart starting to beat fast again. You noticed that he was looking at you, trying to make eye contact, which you wouldn't give him. You tried to keep your head down so he couldn't see how nervous you were.

Then you saw Keith glancing at the others. And since they weren't paying attention, he turned back to you. "What the hell (Y/N)? You can't just say something like that, and then try to avoid me." He quietly said. And you took a deep breath, still averting your gaze.

Suddenly Keith took a hold of your arm and gently turned you so that you had to look at him. And you saw from his eyes that he was genuinely confused. And you felt so bad for not giving him any answers. "Please, this is not the time or place for it." You just replied to him.

Keith looked straight into your eyes, and when he couldn't get a response, he let go of your arm. Then he frowned. "Fine. But I'm not letting it go that easily. You will have to talk to me at some point." He said. And you could hear determination in his voice. And it actually felt really good. Did he really like you, for real? Keith was probably the kind of person who wouldn't reveal his feelings easily, or at least if he wasn't sure about them. And you were glad that he wanted answers, you just first had to go through the things that held you back on your own.

Just then you arrived at the entrance of the temple. It was huge. It was definitely ancient estimated from its ornamental walls. And you had no idea what was waiting for you inside. You just had to be pretty much prepared for anything.

You all entered the temple and arrived at a large hallway. There were six doors, of course colour coordinated, one for each of you. You looked at the amber coloured door and took a deep breath. Then you turned to the others. "I guess this is where we part ways." You said, trying to smile, even though you were feeling nervous.

"Good luck everyone. Be safe." Shiro said to you all. And just before getting in, you quickly looked at everyone, to see how they were feeling. And everyone seemed a bit tense too, probably wondering what you would have to confront. Then you took another deep breath to calm your mind before going through the door.

You arrived to a small and dark room that had nothing in it. The only thing you sensed was the damp air and strange atmosphere that the room radiated.

Then suddenly a voice was heard. And you stopped. "Greetings Amber Paladin." The voice stated with a low tone as it echoed through the room. You immediately looked around taking out your bayard. But you couldn't see anyone. "No need to worry." The voice said calmly. You hesitated at first, but decided to trust it anyways. For some reason it felt like it wasn't a threat. So you put your bayard away.

"What is your price?" The voice then asked. "My price?" You asked puzzled. "What would be your price?" It just stated again. And you were speechless as you didn't understand what it meant.

Then suddenly people started emerging from the shadows. And you alerted again, until you realised that you recognized each and every one of them. They were slowly closing in on you, and you were frozen. It was unbelievable. Those were people from your previous life, before you became a Paladin. Your friends, parents, family, schoolmates. Then you gasped, as amongst them you saw him. It was your partner from your previous relationship.

You immediately felt the palms of your hands starting to sweat and your stomach turning into knots. You hadn't seen him or your parents in awhile. And you felt so conflicted. At the same time you felt sadness and hatred. "What is this!?" You tried to ask, but your voice was muffled to a whisper. You knew it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. It was just a test.

"What would be your price?" The voice asked again. "I don't understand what you are talking about!" You yelled at the voice as you were starting to get anxious. Then suddenly all the people in front of you started to suffocate. They fell to the floor holding their throats, trying to gasp for air. And you froze. You just looked at them with wide eyes. "What...what is this!? Stop it!" You yelled. You knew it wasn't real, but you couldn't help but feel like it was.

"What would be your price? What would you sacrifice?" The voice just asked again. And your mind started to get muddy. You tried to think, but you couldn't grasp your thoughts. Tears were starting to form on your eyes and you tried to gasp for air as it seemed to run out.

"Me! Take me!" You just yelled as loud as you could. And then it came quiet. And the suffocating stopped as everyone got up. "You would sacrifice yourself for them? You would even save the ones who have hurt you?" The voice asked with the same calm tone. And you looked at them. You were so conflicted but still answered confidently. "Yes."

"Why?" The voice asked. And you went speechless as you tried to think of an answer. Very early in your life you had learned that it didn't have to be 'an eye for an eye' world. Of course you were angry for the ones who hurt you, but you tried to be the better person. Then you started to speak with a muffled voice. "Why would I want someone else to suffer?" You asked. And the voice was quiet.

Then suddenly everyone disappeared. And you tried to still your fast beating heart and calm your breath as you were starting to feel a bit lightheaded. Was it over? Was that it?

But then suddenly another image appeared before you. And you gasped. You saw the other Paladins fighting a giant gladiator. "Why are they fighting!?" You immediately demanded to know. "They are fighting for you." The voice replied. "What? Why me?" You asked confused.

"Tell me one good reason why they shouldn't fight for you." The voice asked as you looked at the others, scared for them. Even if you still knew that it couldn't be real, it still felt unbearable. They were struggling, getting hit and hurt. And all their voices were starting to get muffled in your mind. "Please don't!" You tried to plead to the voice. That was the last thing you wanted, for the others fighting for you. It wasn't fair. "They don't have to fight for me!" You yelled at the voice. "Tell me a reason." It just replied harshly.

You couldn't do anything but watch as the others fought. You wouldn't forgive yourself if anybody got hurt because of you. You felt so helpless and you couldn't bear it. "I don't deserve it!" You yelled anxiously as you fell to your knees and tears started pouring from your eyes.

"The greatest weakness for you is that you tend to put others before yourself at all times and all costs. You would endure all the pain in the world so that nobody else would have to." The voice stated clearly. And you listened to it as you leaned your hands on the ground, trying to bear the tears pouring out. It was right. You felt that you didn't matter. That you were not worth it.

"Do you matter?" The voice then asked. And you felt so conflicted that you didn't know what to answer. Then you looked at the others still fighting and you started to think. You would do anything for them. So, would they do anything for you? Did you really matter? They were fighting with so much drive that you started to feel a sensation that you hadn't felt in ages. You started to realise that they cared for you. And you felt deeply encouraged.

"Yes." You answered, your voice quiet but determined. And for a while it was quiet. Then the image disappeared and suddenly it was dark again. And you kept breathing heavily while wiping out your tears. "Are they alright?" You asked anxiously. "They are fine." The voice answered.

"What was the point of this!?" You demanded to know as you looked around defiantly. But the voice was quiet for a moment. Then it finally answered. "You are a curious one. You would do anything for the others. That is your greatest strength and weakness. Make sure that nobody takes advantage of it. There might come a time when you will have to put yourself before anyone else. At that time, remember your value." The voice spoke calmly. And then the room went totally quiet. Only your ragged breaths were heard. How could that be a test? It was torture.

Then a door at the end of the room opened up and a stream of light entered the darkness. But you stayed still. What the hell just happened? Did you really pass the test? You were still so confused but you wiped your tears away and got up. Your feet felt weak but you started walking towards the door. You wanted to get away from there.

You slowly approached the door. You knew the others could see from your appearance that the test had been hard on you, but you didn't care. You just hoped the others had passed theirs.

Soon you arrived to a giant hall. And the others were there already. Except Shiro. Everyone seemed beaten, and lost in their own thoughts, probably trying to gather themselves. Pidge was sitting on the ground, looking miserable. You were certain that she had seen her father and brother. Lance was standing a bit further away with slouched shoulders, his back facing you. You guessed that he had probably seen his family. He missed them so much. Keith was leaning against the wall, his head tilted down. He didn't talk much of his past, so you had no idea what he could have seen. And Hunk was pacing around, quite nervously. You were also not certain what he could have seen.

Then Keith realised that you had arrived. He lifted his head and looked at you. And from your eyes he could see that you had been crying. "Are you alright?" Keith asked as his expression changed to a concerned one. "I'm fine..." You answered, giving him a small reassuring smile.

"How are you all?" You then asked the others. "Man, that was rough." Hunk said with a muffled voice as he stopped. Lance still had his back facing you, not even reacting to the question. Then you went to Pidge and kneeled down next to her. "You okay Pidge?" You asked silently. But she didn't answer, she just immediately hugged you. "We will find them." You quietly said to her as you wrapped your arms around her. And you could feel her slightly shivering.

Then Shiro came into the room. And he too seemed like he was carrying all the burdens of the world on his back. He seemed so down. "You alright Shiro?" Keith asked worried. And Shiro stopped as he lifted his head and looked at you all. "I'm fine. But I'm glad to see you all." He said while trying to smile a reassuring smile, even though you could see it was fake.

Then Pidge let go of you and got up. "I guess we all made it through, even though I can't say I enjoyed it." She said with a bit of disgust in her voice. Then Lance suddenly turned towards you. And he looked so beaten too. "I wonder what's next? It can't get any worse...right?" He asked, looking at you all questioningly. And just then you realised that the trials weren't probably over yet.

You got up and started to look around the hall. And that's when you noticed that there were six pods near the walls. And they had the same colours as yours. "What do you think those are?" Hunk asked, noticing the same thing. And Lance was already going towards the blue pod. "Maybe it's a sleeping pod? Maybe it's a sleeping challenge?" He looked at you and smiled. He tried to act cheerful, but it was all just a show.

"Why would we come all the way here to sleep?" Keith answered him a bit irritated. "Well, you know, if you play hard, you have to get a good nights sleep...so..." Lance tried to come up with an explanation without succeeding.

Then suddenly the atmosphere changed. The room was suddenly filled with a strange energy. And everyone tensed up. "Those pods are probably not for us." Shiro stated firmly. "If I were you Lance, I'd get back here, just in case." You said to him as you took out your bayard. And Lance backed away quickly. Your bayard turned into your fighting staff as you were all facing your matching coloured pods now. You were prepared for what was about to come, even though you had no idea what it would be.

Then the pods started to open up. A cloud of steam erupted as their tops were lifted open. And then some figures emerged from them. You couldn't see them clearly yet as it was dark, but you still took your fighting stance.

Then you suddenly gasped. You had emerged from the amber coloured pod. Literally you. Or something that looked exactly like you. It was also wearing the same coloured armour. And as you looked around, you saw that everyone had their twins now standing in front of them.