Vor shlekt ah chilt meh bloo far guh | Vee har ing en sha liet ell aey deed | Lee kell vell are vey til lit

Our kin are separated by colour of blood. | We are without without love or virture. | However, we are forgiven.

Your name is KARKAT VANTAS, and you officially have no idea where you're going.

Stumbling through the barren wasteland, Karkat cursed himself for not thinking his plan through. It was going to be a simple stroll to see how far he could get, at first. Then, it turned into an expedition. After he had passed Terezi's hive, he knew he was too far-gone. He considered turning back, but he couldn't bring himself to stop walking.

Now, he was lost.

There were no landmarks where he had wandered. In fact, that's all there fucking was. Nothing. The place was empty. Colourless. He wondered if he had accidentally stepped on a misplaced transportalizer and been sent to a different planet, as this was a side of Alternia he had never known. Never known existed, even. Yet he couldn't stop walking. Why the fuck couldn't he stop walking? He continued to wander, overwhelmed by the desire to keep pushing on, though he was never able to understand why. In time, he came upon a far more colourful place. The sand was red, now, and the skies were only slightly lighter. A red-ish fog filled the air, making it difficult to see.

And then, finally. He saw something.

And he froze.

The structure wasn't very large, though it stood a few feet taller than he did. Cautiously, he approached it, the fog having dissipated around it. It was smooth and grey, standing upwards, but curving, as though to accommodate an adult troll. He studied it carefully, running his calloused fingertips along the curve. He felt something grace against his head, and he jumped backwards, startled out of his skin. Then, he gaped.

From the top of the curve hung two red chains, suspending a singed iron in the shape of his sign.

Karkat stared, his eyes opened as wide as they could go, his mouth falling open, for what seemed like hours. His breath caught in his throat, and he felt as though he could throw it up any moment. His legs gave way to his crushing anxieties and he fell to his knees, unable to remove his eyes from the hanging symbol.

It was all true. Terezi and Aradia and Tavros and Vriska and all of those freaks obsessed with their ancestors were right. He hadn't believed them when they told him the story of his ancestor. Well, he thought, he had believed them…he just kept the thoughts in the back of his mind. From what they had told him, his ancestor had been the leader of a great resistance against Her Imperial Condescension, fighting for the ablution of the Hemospectrum. They had told him of his sermons, of his friends and allies and their fates.

The thought scared; no; terrified him that he would be the one to take over after such a troll. That he would be the one to bear the burden of such vision. Although he did credit himself on being a visionary and a great leader, he knew he could never be so great that he would gain such a cult-like following. That people would still read his sermons thousands of sweeps after he had died. He wouldn't be able to handle the pressure.

But now he was here. He was here, where his Ancestor had stood and preached his final sermon. Where he had stood in defiance until he died, allowing the white-hot rage to burn inside of him. Tears welled in the young troll's eyes. He had so many questions. So many fears. How could he take over after such a legend? Was he even supposed to? How would he measure up? Would his friends have to die, fighting the same cause? Would he meet the same fate? The grubs crawling in his stomach wouldn't stop, and the tears began to roll down his cheeks. He hugged himself, curling inwards and sobbing into the soft ground beneath him. Sobs wracked his entire frame, each one hitting to his very core. Every fear, every flaw and inadequacy he had about being the best leader he could be was staring him in the face. He could only manage to choke out four small words between sobs:

"What do I do?"

Just then, his grubphone made a noise from inside of his pocket. Someone was pestering him. He sat up, collecting himself enough for sensible communication, and retrieved the damn annoying thing.

- theSignless [TS] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

TS: Collect yourself, young one.

Karkat's eyes widened and he released an audiable gasp, nearly dropping the phone into the candy red sand. After a moment, he squinted at the phone, and frantically looked around for something, anything that could be fucking with him. He found nothing.

TS: You won't find me. For I am not among you.

The troll's eyes shrunk into a skeptical scowl, bringing the phone closer and typing a reply. (though it took a bit longer than usual, as his hands were shaking harder than they ever had before.)

CG: WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT KIND OF SICK FUCKING JOKE DO YOU THINK THIS IS.
CG: HAHA, LET'S PLANT SOME SHIT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT FOR KARKAT TO FIND, THEN DRUG HIM SO HIS THINK PAN RUSTS AND MAKES HIM THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO STRAND HIMSELF OUT THERE.
CG: REALLY FUCKING HILARIOUS.
CG: COMEDY GOLD.

He paused, awaiting a response from the other end. It came within seconds.

TS: Be calm, descendant. I am not here to persecute you.
TS: Simply to explain.
CG: EXPLAIN WHAT.
TS: Your presence here.
CG: YEAH, THAT DEFINITLEY REQUIRES AN EXPLINATION.
CG: BUT YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I WANNA KNOW?
CG: WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
TS: Child, I do not deceive you.
TS: I am your Ancestor.
TS: And what lies before you is truly my bonds.
TS: The birthplace of the sign you bear.

Karkat's head rose, turning toward the structure once more.

TS: You asked me what to do, did you not?

He looked back at his phone, shaking more than he had previously, his breath coming slightly quicker and more shallow.

TS: You needn't do more than this, Karkat.
TS: Fight for your beliefs.
TS: Defend what's right.
TS: And lastly, and possibly most importantly,
TS: Care for your friends as though they were an extension of yourself.

A tear his the screen of his phone. Then two. And three.

TS: I left such a heavy task with you for a reason, child.
TS: I know you are capable.
TS: You and I are one in the same.
TS: And one day, you will achieve my forgotten goals.
CG: BUT…
CG: BUT WHAT IF I FAIL?
TS: You won't.
CG: WHAT IF I DO?
TS: I say again, you won't.
TS: I believe in you, Karkat.

He shuddered, letting free a small sigh, and with it, a sob.

CG: I'M SCARED. I'M NOT YOU. I'M NOT A LEADER LIKE YOU WERE.
TS: Yes you are.
TS: We are the same.
TS: My blood courses through your veins, and with it, all the rest of me.
TS: I have faith in you, as do your friends.
TS: I am so proud of you, Karkat.
TS: And I know you will succeed where I have failed.
TS: Good luck.

- theSignless [TS] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]

Karkat stared, still in shock, at the screen. His eyebrows furrowed, although he felt a strange new confidence within him. His Ancestor had spoken to him. Not through an old journal, nor through stories passed through generations. He had spoken directly to him.

Not only that, but he was proud of him.

Karkat stood, feeling a new sense of vigor and determination, and stepped toward the structure. He reached up, placing his fingers on the blackened irons of his sign, and let out a triumphant sigh.

"I won't let you down, Signless."