What else did Keith see in the Quantum Abyss?
I’ve read some awesome theories on what more, if anything Keith saw while he and Krolia were in the quantum abyss. One of my favorite ones (here) is that that Keith saw visions of Shiro alive and well and that’s why he wasn’t scared in the end. It got me thinking though.
What if he saw something else though? Something worse. Instead of happy visions of their future Keith gets more flashes of their fight. He sees Shiro’s eyes glaring cruelly down at him and feels phantom pains that leave him breathless with fear. He watches Shiro rip him apart with words with a smile on his face. And his last vision? Keith’s last vision was falling, together with Shiro.
Keith wasn’t afraid, but not because he knew they would survive. Quite the opposite actually.
Let’s start with this scene:
Notice that Keith isn’t surprised when Shiro goes rogue. He’s is upset sure, but at no point does Keith look like this was unexpected. It’s like a switch has been flipped, he sets his shoulders and clenchess his jaw. The look on his face is one of resigned determination. He had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he had prayed he wasn’t too late, but he knew from the moment he returned that it was a possibility.
He doesn’t wallow in it, he pulls the others together and takes charge. Look how prepared he is. There’s no hesitation. He’s had long enough to accept what’s happening, and now his first priority is fixing it if he can.
Side note: Notice how he insists Shiro would never give up on them, and wholeheartedly believes Shiro is not to blame, and that this is all tied to either Lotor or the Galra?
Keith claiming this knowledge only really makes sense if he had visions of Lotor and Shiro, probably as he and Krolia were returning from the abyss.
We know he was just itching to take Lotor down from the moment he got back. Now, part of that is righteous fury on behalf of the murdered Alteans, but it’s also personal. Listen to how rough his voice gets, how tense he is, when he pushes the others to take action against Lotor.
Look at his face when Shiro tells him to calm down:
That is not calm. That is anger, impatience, and fear. You can see him calculating, trying to figure out if he’s too late and Shiro has already been compromised. He relaxes slightly once everyone believes him and agree that Lotor has to go, but he’s still on edge.
From the point Shiro goes darkside Keith’s entire demeanor shifts to grim determination.
Look at his face as he enters the base:
You can see him steeling himself for a fight.
It’s not until he reaches the bottom that he realizes exactly where he is, and where he’s seen this all before. His shoulders droop, his face slackens, he’s out of time. This won’t be a fight. This is the fight.
Keith doesn’t stop though. He can’t. His voice gets soft and rough. He pleads with Shiro to come back. It doesn’t work, he knows it won’t, but he has to try.
He doesn’t even flinch when Shiro starts hurling insults, he’s heard it all before. Insteads he meets Shiro’s eyes and makes sure he knows he’s not alone and he never will be, even here.
Keith doesn’t stop fighting. He can’t give up, not if there is even the slightest chance that Shiro can be saved. So he fights and he begs and and tries so damn hard, but he knows how this ends, he’s seen it.
He’s seen it, and it’s killing him. He knows he won’t win, but he has to try, because once upon a time he and Shiro made each other a promise: to never give up on themselves, and to never give up on each other.
And in the end when the time comes, Keith still tries. He holds on tight and won’t let go, because when it comes down to it he never will.
Keith knew they would die here. He came to try to save Shiro, because he will always try to save Shiro, but he also came prepared to die. Ready to go down with the man he loves. To tell him he loved him one last time, and hold his hand as they fall through the stars, so he wouldn’t be alone.
He’ll save Shiro as many times as it takes, even from himself, and if he can’t bring Shiro back, then they’ll go together.
