Aurs's moonlight glistening felt like a pleasant pastime after the perils of the days that the people had faced in their world. But suddenly, a ball of light suddenly appears and zooms through Aurs. It flies by and slices off trees.
The sound from them can reach even from The afar sectors, Romelle was sleeping in her room until she is woken by the noise.
In the shrine courtyard. The light stops on top of the gate and reveals a sinister-looking old woman with a scythe slung over her shoulder.
"Who is that?!" Coran said, stared at the camera, pushing the alarm, More Alteans arrive with their guns. The old woman flies towards the temple.
Romelle and the Atleans pursue her. To the temple, where some of the Atleans are slashed by the old woman. Romelle and Coran arrive with other Atleans.
"Hey, are you all right?!" Coran said, exclaimed the injured villagers.
Examining a grave "Here it is... Right here! There's no mistake!" The old woman said. Grabs some soil on the grave with enough moisture... And grab the soil, too.
"Intruder! I asked who you are?! Identify yourself!" Romelle said, demanding.
"Silence! I just have some business with the urn buried here! Once I possess it, I'll leave this sore sight of a village!" The old woman, digging at the grave.
"So... She knows what's buried here!" Coran thought.
The Alteans point their guns at the old woman.
"Leave immediately! Else I'll show no mercy!"
"You talk too much, you stubborn ignorant girl"
The old woman scratches her scythe with her nails, making a sharp screeching sound. The Alteans cover their ears in pain. Giving the perfect opportunity to strike back, the woman leaps and swings her scythe. sends blades that destroy the grave. An explosion ensues and destroys the shrine gate.
One of the blades hit Romelle on her forehead and she winces, backing off.
"Romelle" Coran shouted, stands in front of her.
"Didn't I tell you not to interfere?!"
The Alteans are cut by more blades. The old woman reaches into the soil and takes out an urn.
"Is that Allura's...! I will not let you have it! Not a daemon like you!"
"I am the grim reaper, Urasue! Allura's ashes are now in MY possession!" The old woman laughs as she transforms into a current and flies off into the night sky.
Elsewhere as midnight falls through the rest as Keith sprints across a forest in the dark until.
"Keith" voices shouted as Keith turns around and is hit by an arrow, pinning him on a tree. He winces and reaches for the arrow but the arrow is magical.
"Curses! Who is that?!" Keith thought, and soon his wish was granted as two people stand in front of him, with a bow and sword.
"Is that Shiro? No, it's not... That's Allura... The one who bound me to the tree! With Takashi"
"Why did you leave me to die," Takashi said, Whispering, his tone sad.
"I didn't... I never wanted to"
Keith bolts awake from a tree branch that his on suddenly, his heart racing but relaxes and looks at his hand. All covered in blood.
Keith screamed. His eyes flew open. "A dream... Brought back ugly memories" Keith said to himself
After that, Keith looks down at Shiro and Stats, who are sleeping next to a campfire. Restless, Keith went down next to Shiro, looking at him.
"What am I thinking, ... Shiro doesn't look like Allura, but at the same time he looks exactly like to Takashi".
Soon Shiro instantly wakes and notices Keith, he yells and removing his sword from his scabbard, pointing at him, while Stats looks for a while and goes back to sleep.
"Keith, don't scare me like that I thought you were an enemy"
"Well, I'm sorry about that" Keith said, pauses and looks away.
"Well I forgive you, are you sure you're feeling okay"
"I'm fine, forget about it"
Soon a gust of wind blows. As a certain person flies across the sky above them.
"What's that?"
"What? A daemon?"
"What is it? Why am I getting a sense of something dark, I hope isn't something dangerous"
The next morning in the daylight of the forest, Shiro was walking around the river with Stats in the backpack in toll, while Keith leaps onto a rock in a river.
"What's the matter, Keith? Why the sudden urge to go back to the village?" Shiro asks him.
"Stats" stats said, yawns.
Soon Keith and Shiro arrived back to Arus. Only to find Romelle covered in bandages from forehead to left arm.
"Romelle, you mustn't move yet! I'm not done" Coran said, bandaging up of the last remains of Romelle's wounds.
"Never mind! It's not a serious wound".
"Romelle," Shiro said, reaches Romelle
"Shiro you're back"
"What happened here"
"So you're still alive," Keith said, lands and scoffs.
"So I see, so you sense it the energy of the specter passing," Coran said
"Yeah I did, I'm surprised all you made it" Keith replied.
"I see... He wanted to return because he was worried about Coran and Romelle"
Heading to the shrine's garden, The group examines the remains of Urasue's destruction last night.
"What's this?" Shiro said.
"This used to be Allura's gravesite" Coran explain
"A grave, here?"
"Yes, that woman violated the grave and we were strong enough to stop her. Coran exclaimed, remembering last night when Urasue took Allura's urn.
"Allura had unusually strong powers, even for a priestess. If her ashes get into the hands of some daemon or even worse the galra, I hate to think about it"
Alter looks at the grave intently. Keith turns around and walks away.
"Keith"
"Happened you forgotten, Allura and I were once enemies. Keith explained, touch his chest. "I haven't forgotten the arrow that she pierces my chest?"
"You're right... No one hasn't forgotten"
"But it happened many years ago..." Shiro thought as he knows the story or at least part of it, how Allura lost her life but to Keith, the memory seems fresh to him.
In the memory, Keith the half-daemon wanted to take the quintessence Crystal to become a full-fledged daemon. When he came to Aurs to take the crystal, the priestess, Allura, shot a sacred arrow which held him fast to a tree. But in that battle, Allura ended up sacrifice her life by throwing herself in the fire.
In the library of the shrine, Keith was looking up information on the attacker of the shrine.
"Come on she's got to be here somewhere"
"Keith, why are you looking up," Shiro said.
"The grim reaper, Urasue... She didn't just steal Allura's ashes. According to the shrine's computer, she's some type of witch that tackles dark magic or something"
"Okay, I'm glad you're doing this, though although I fought you were bitter enemies with her."
"I was but I haven't forgotten what she did"
"But Allura died long ago, right? Can't I have an enemy who is dead, right"
"I wish we could have this conversation but I'm busy," Keith said, before glancing at Shiro and then looks away.
Leading Shiro to glares at Keith and grabs his shoulder. "Since yesterday, you've been avoiding me!"
Keith glances at Shiro, pauses, and looks away "It's nothing…"
"It isn't nothing, it's because of Allura or Takashi! That's why you don't look me, right?!"
Upon hearing that, Keith grabs Shiro's hand "It's not...! It's not like that." He explains, his face moves closer to Shiro's
"What are you doing," Shiro said, blushes before waves her hands frantically, "W-what is it?!" He shouted as he pushes Keith away.
Keith falls and rolls backward. While turns to his side and clasp his hands to his chest, blushing.
"W-what was that just now? What? What was that?" Shiro thought
"Darn! What're you doing?!" Keith shouted
"Y-you're the one!" Shiro said, trembling
"What did I do?!"
"Hey, guys," Romelle said, walks towards them with determination. "What?" they shouted together
"Mmm, Romelle, what is it"
"What do you think. I'm going with you to take back Allura's ashes unless. Keith, at least tell me in which direction Urasue is headed?
"Of course, I don't know where"
"Don't worry we'll figure it out on the way" Romelle said in determination.
"Are you sure you, 're still no condition!"
"Shiro It's useless to stop her! and besides, we need all the help we can get if we're going to get Allura's ashes back," Keith said, before walking off.
"Keith, thank you".
"Something tells me we're going to need all the help we can get," Shiro said, runs a few steps forward.
"Shiro, wait"
"Keith's eyes just now... He wasn't seeing at me..." Shiro thought as he looks at Keith. As the group repairs to go after the witch that violated Allura's grave.
Meanwhile, inside a Grand-Canyon like landscape. Laid a kiln embedded into the mountain. Where Urasue was looking at a clay container inside, baking in a fire.
"I wonder if it will be done baking soon, this new child will work my heart's content"
"You seem to be satisfied," asked a voice.
Erasure spun around and saw a certain witch, her body covered in a purple hood and a smug smile across her face.
"Spare me your demonetization, Haggar," said Urasue.
"Oh, I won't say a word," Haggar said. "But I believe someone else wants to speak with you" she added with a self-satisfied smirk.
In the blink of an eye, she showed off her claws to show up an orb made from magic, Urasue's savage expression softened into one of fear as she saw a different portal open within between the world. On the other side, the smoking shadow of a far larger figure appeared, his one glaring eye fixed upon her.
Urasue lowered her head and dropped to her knees before the unblinking stare of emperor Zarkon.
"Zarkon, i-" Urasue begin
"Silence", said Zarkon from across the portal. "Even I disapprove your methods, I have agreed to use them after hearing what you did"
"I will retrieve the crystal," Urasue said. "destroy any enemies now that I have something more powerful didn't you know"
"your possession of bringing the dead back to life is unimpressive," said Zarkon, his eye flaring in annoyance. "Even if I accept it, you still better not fail me or else"
"Of course not, lord Zarkon" Urasue said so low, Haggar could barely hear it.
"Very well, Urasue," Zarkon said, as the orb fades away.
"You heard him do not disappoint him" Haggar ordered as she disappeared to the darkness.
"Cursed that witch, let's just hope this new body is worth it, formed from Earth, holy bones and fire," Urasue said, looking over the horizon as the sun falling over the land".
Meanwhile at the beginning of Nighttime. The group settles around a campfire. "Okay according to the map on my pad, Urasue is close by" Romelle explaining.
"Good, I hope we can make it in the morning," Shiro said, sitting across from Keith to each other, around the fire.
"That's why we repair for battle tomorrow" Keith replied.
"You sure, we hardly know anything about her or what she's capable of" Shiro wondered as everything after that scene seemed like a dream to Shiro. Seen Keith like that made him wonder if he hates him now. Because he reminded him of Allura, her personality.
Remembering what he said, "It's not like that" looking back at it now. Keith's eyes...weren't the eyes of hatred as Shiro first thought, while Keith continues holding onto Shiro's hand, looking into his eyes. Perhaps it was that...
"Hey, Shiro, is there something wrong," Keith asks him.
"No nothing at all" Shiro replied, not wanting to get involved in that mess.
"Okay, I can sense her," Keith said, closes his eyes, folds his arms, and lies on a rock face, and then went to sleep.
"Right, we're all going to get involved in a big fight tomorrow" Shiro reply to himself as he too went to sleep with his heart is still pounding.
And by the next morning, Shiro instantly remembers that when he first saw Keith, he was sleeping, too. Actually, he was bound to a tree… But to him, he looked like sleeping peacefully and thought he hated Allura…
"We must retrieve Allura's ashes as soon as possible!" Romelle said to the group as continues traveling through the mountain.
"I have a dreadful feeling about this". She thought.
"Well, it's too late now?! If Coran didn't want the ashes stolen, why didn't he just scatter the ashes into the river? Instead, you guys stayed sentimental and kept hanging on to them and look what happened?" Keith rambled.
"Keith, it's that how you feel about a grave? A grave is not simply a place to bury a body or ashes. A grave is necessary for the hearts of ones who are left behind." Romelle explains.
"Hearts of those left behind?"
"Yes, Allura was born a priestess, she used her special powers for the good of Aurs. She kept daemons away from Aurs and battle illness and famine countless times, encouraging the people around her. Even after her demise, the villagers have not weakened, they are resolved to live".
"However, people are weak. Danger and uncertainty can weaken his heart. The grave was a place of reassurance. A place where hearts could find peace."
"Huh I didn't know then," Keith said.
"Hmm? Just like that time… Keith was thinking about Allura…thinking about Takashi…something must have happened in the past I always wondered ever since I came to this world I've been having dreams I... I never truly understood them, they were all full of pain and suffering"
Keith notices him stopping and turns around to look at Shiro who instantly realizes something horrible happened to them…between the two. Something involved Takashi.
"What's with you, Shiro?! You have been silent since the moment we left"
"Oh sorry I guess I have a lot on my mind"
"That's okay I get it, we don't know what we're getting into but we got to return those ashes"
"Right" Shiro agreed although, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feeling sorry for Keith.
Back at Urasue's kiln where the clay container was done.
"Now then! Let's see the result of my special magic…and hopefully I don't have to deal with that witch. Kneading the earth from the grace with the ashes and baking it in my Daemon Kiln!"
Entered "Hmm… Looks quite good! Now then…" she said as takes a leaf from her hair and throws it onto the clay container and swings her scythe to cracks open the container.
"Arise! Open your eyes, Priestess Allura", she said as a naked girl with white hair in the container grabs the leaf slowly, sits up, and opens her eyes.
"Allura… I have heard about your exploits from the Galra, you foiled many an attempt by daemons to possess the quintessence Crystal. But I hear that the Crystal has returned and because of that, you will serve me…the one who has brought you back to life! Now go and retrieve the crystal".
Erasure points her finger at Allura which sends a current of magic at her, makes her stand up, laughs up as Allura walks towards her slowly. But the current dissipates and Allura fall sideways on the ground.
"Huh… W-what is this?" Erasure said, grabs Allura's hair and lifts her up "I don't understand, The soul hasn't returned! unless the soul was already been reincarnated in another body?!"
"All of this magic wasted", frustrated she throws Allura on the ground. "Curses! I worked so hard but my time is wasted this time, Haggar is going to give me now"
Back at the group, they travel slowly in a forest with a lot of clay containers are strewn around.
"What's this?" Keith said.
"Stats" Stats said
"You said it, Earthen statues? Are so creepy!" Shiro told him.
The group continues to walks on. A long and narrow bridge connects the forest and the base of Urasue's mountain hideout. Below the bridge is a deep valley.
"Well, there it is," Keith said
"Huh?! We have to cross this?!" Romelle said, grabbing the bridge nervously while Keith and Shiro are in front of her.
"Okay, this is not what I signed up for," Romelle said.
"You don't have to come. We're going in and talk some sense into her". Keith said
"Don't be silly! I refuse to be left behind on a bridge like this?!".
"I can help you with that" Shiro said.
"Guys look" Keith shouted as he sees a group of earthen statues appear on the bridge, in front of the group.
"There's more of the earthen statues," Shiro said. And to his surprise, as the earthen statues crack to reveal warriors in them. They tumble towards the group slowly.
"There's more of the earthen statues"
"Stats" stats shouted.
"Soldiers of the old woman," Keith said.
"Those are the statue we saw… It can't be…?!" Shiro shouted notices warriors approaching them from behind, "Keith! Behind you!"
"Shiro, Romelle… It's gonna shake a bit". Keith said as he sprints and attacks the warriors in front with Shiro behind him.
The warriors break, making the sound of breaking pottery. The warriors are hollow inside.
"Are these guys really made of mud?!"
Shiro attacks the warriors in the back with his sword, slicing them a little while Romelle knocks them with her staff, breaking them.
"They're not that strong! Just that there're so many of 'em!" Shiro said.
Outside of Urasue's kiln.
"What's with all the rockets? Is better that I go over there and work off some frustration!"
Suddenly before she goes off, the body of Allura started moving outside the kin. Surprising her.
"She starting to move on her own, why is that unless"
"Keith! Watch out!" Shiro shouted in the background.
"What does this mean? Could it…" Urasue wondered as she flies outside, above the bridge, and suddenly looks at Shiro.
"I heard rumors about a reincarnation samurai but could it be possible"
Urasue flies downwards and slashes the bridge into two with her scythe. The bridge falls and everyone hangs on for dear life.
"Everybody holds on" Shiro shrieking.
And soon Urasue swoops down and grabs Shiro as Stats and Romelle continue to fall into the valley.
"Shiro" Romelle and Stats shouted as they witnessed Shiro getting taken.
"Romelle! Stats! release me, let me go!"
Instead of getting a clear answer, Urasue swings her scythe at Shiro's neck. "If I let you, you'll die. And now that I've found my reincarnated soul… As if I'd let you go! I need you! In order to fully bring back priestess Allura!"
"Bring back…Allura?! That doesn't sound good"
Doesn't sound good indeed, After years of separation, doesn't sound good for Keith and for Shiro as darkness full of malice arise from the dead.