Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry about the really slow update. I've been in a pretty bad emotional rut lately, and it's made it really hard to work on doing things I would otherwise. :C I'm going to see if I can get to the counseling center or something, because I've been trying to fight things like this all my life, and I really just can't do it on my own anymore.

Also, I'd like to mention that soon I'll be getting a beta reader to help me out with this story. I'm actually very worried about screwing something up that effs with canon (especially regarding Mindfang's journal, because it confuses the hell out of me). If there's already been anything that fucks with canon a little in the story, please let me know. I'll definitely revise the first couple of chapters once I get into the groove of this fic.

Now, without further ado (about nothing, hehe), enjoy the story! :)

Book of Ancients
Chapter Three

Karkat let go of the small branches in the bush and breathed deeply, feeling his heart racing beneath his gray skin. "I…I'm not sure what just happened," he finally said. "But whatever it was, it wasn't good."

"That… that big troll. The Grand Highblood. Was…was he…?" Neither of them wanted to say it. They didn't want to believe it. But they had to.

"Yeah… I think that was Gamzee's ancestor." Karkat bit his lip. Terrible images of all the things Gamzee had done from his spoor withdrawal flooded through his mind. The fighting, the killing, the fucking honks… Did all of that… Did all of it come from his blood, and not just the drugs? No, no, it couldn't be… His moirail wasn't anything like that. He was a clumsy, loopy, well-meaning lump. Not…not that.

One glance at Terezi told him that she was thinking the same thing, and he decided to change the subject. "Hey, Terezi?"

"Yeah?"

"I forgot to tell you that I'm sorry about being a total dickhead earlier."

Terezi's eyes widened and a huge grin came across her face. "Well, well, look at that! You had the sorry scared out of you!"

"I am not scared," replied Karkat with a slight scowl, but they both knew that he was lying.

She rolled her eyes (or, at least, he assumed she did from the way she angled her face – it was hard to tell with her eyes) and swatted his shoulder playfully. "Apology accepted, stupid wriggler. Now, back to business. What the fuck did we just hear?"

Karkat grinned but then quickly regained his seriousness. "Well… Gamzee's ancestor said something about a greenblood. Could it be Jadeheart?"

Terezi pursed her lips together. "Maybe, but I don't think so. Greenbloods are common, but she's a very rare kind of greenblood. They would have probably said 'jadeblood' if they were looking for her."

"So, what, he's just looking for a random greenblood? I don't buy that. What use would he have for a regular greenblood?" When Terezi shrugged, he said, "Exactly. Let's try to find Jadeheart and my ancestor."

"You really hate his name, don't you?"

"I was wondering when you'd catch on to that."

Terezi sniffed the air loudly, trying to take in her surroundings. "God, this is near impossible," she hissed.

Karkat's tiny pointed ears twitched and he placed his hand on top of hers. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll get you a cane." He began to scan his surroundings and saw a long, white branch that looked like it came from a birch tree. "Look, there's one!" When Terezi gave him a withering glance, he added, "Or, uh, pretend to."

Karkat rose from his place and pulled his female companion up with him. They walked over to the branch, and Karkat took Terezi by the wrist and held her hand out to it. "Go on, it's right there," he said.

Terezi clutched at the open air for a bit before finally taking the wood between her fingers. "Karkat," she said carefully. "This isn't a branch."

As a circle of white light began to form beneath her slim fingers, Karkat sighed. "Yeah, I kinda figured that when the weird portal thing opened."

With little emotion, as they were beginning to become accustomed to travelling through these vortexes of light, they were pulled within it and spun slowly for a few moments. Then, their feet hit solid ground again and the light vanished. But, to Karkat's surprise, he was unable to see anything. Their entire world was blackness.

"What do you see?" asked Terezi.

Karkat gulped. "Nothing," he said shakily. "I can't see anything. It's just black." His heart began to pound in his chest as a hopelessly helpless feeling began to take over.

Suddenly their world exploded with sound, and it was all they could do to keep from covering their madly-twitching ears with their hands. Loud trumpets and what sounded like thousands of jubilant, screaming trolls filled the emptiness. Then a loud, steady drumbeat, following a one, two, three, four pattern began and went right through their chests.

"What the hell is going on?" hissed Karkat, crudely shoving one finger in his ear to try and block out some noise, his other hand protectively gripping Terezi's wrist.

Then, to Terezi's left, they heard the soft click-clack of a troll walking in heels on hard ground. Their stride was slow and confident, and seemed overall unaffected by the noise.

Suddenly the noises came to a halt, and they heard the feet shuffle again before stopping. "His Honorable Tyranny," said a very prim and proper-sounding voice, accompanied by the sound of a scroll unrolling, "wishes to welcome the troll Allexian Redglare, of the tealblood caste, into the ranks of the legislacerators."

Karkat heard Terezi gasp excitedly, and she actually hopped in place a bit. "It's her! It's really her! My ancestor!" she whispered excitedly, sounding as though she had trouble containing herself.

"Allexian Redglare," continued the proper-sounding troll, "is it your wish to be enlisted in our service?"

Her reply was swift, loud, and confident. "I spent three sweeps training and preparing myself for this moment. Of course it's my wish. It's everything that I've ever wanted, Your Honor."

"And you say this, knowing that you will not be given special treatment for your…" His voice trailed off, as though he was trying to find the right word for what he was trying to say.

"My blindness, you mean?" She scoffed openly. "I think you'll find that I can do just as much, if not more, than any troll with sight, Your Honor. No, I do not expect special treatment. I know what I'm getting myself into."

Terezi gasped, and Karkat actually heard her slap a hand over her mouth in shock. "She… she was…"

"Yeah," replied Karkat. "That must be why I can't see anything; her memories are made up of sounds, not pictures."

The other troll, who Karkat presumed was simply the voice for His Honorable Tyranny, cleared his throat and fumbled with his scroll a bit before continuing. "And for what reason do you wish to join the legislacerators, Allexian Redglare?"

"For the pursuit of noble and swift justice."

The voice for His Honorable Tyranny rolled up his scroll. A low but loud, guttural noise echoed throughout the blackness. "Let it be known," shakily said the Voice, "that His Honorable Tyranny welcomes and accepts the tealblood Allexian Redglare, who shall, from this moment on, be given the title of Neophyte. Neophyte Redglare, rise!"

The newly named neophyte's heels clacked a bit as she rose, and again the two young trolls heard loud trumpets and cheers. "I can't believe it," whispered Terezi. "I had no idea she was blind, too…"

Karkat said nothing, but he gave her wrist an affirmative squeeze.

At that moment, the sounds of the trumpets and the cheers began to warp and twist in their ears, and white light shone in their eyes from the darkness. "Looks like we've got a new memory to find ourselves in," commented Karkat.

The transition was quicker and smoother without the need to create pictures, and they found themselves in blackness again. "We're still in Redglare's memories," he told her before she could ask if he saw anything.

Click-clack, click-clack went Redglare's heels. "You wanted to see me, Your Honor?" She had a much stronger voice now, and slightly deeper. Karkat presumed that she had grown older by two or three sweeps.

"Yes," a voice answered, but Karkat was surprised to hear that it was not the nasally-sounding one from before. Rather, this voice was much deeper, with a bit of a raspy growl to it. "His Honorable Tyranny has a very important mission for you, Neophyte Redglare."

Terezi caught it first. "Karkat," she hissed. "That's the Grand Highblood."

"The hell is he doing here?"

They heard the Grand Highblood walk forward, his heavy boots making loud, almost thunderous noises in the chamber. "I assume that you know of the one that they call the Signless, Neophyte?"

"Only rumors, highblood," she answered. "But I have taken nothing as fact."

"And what have you heard, exactly?"

"Many things. Some say that he is merely a strange preacher with ludicrous ideas. Others say that he is trying to overthrow Her Imperial Condescension's reign. Still others insist that he can work miracles."

This seemed to get the Highblood's attention. "Miracles, you say?" A pause. Karkat assumed that Redglare had nodded. "What kinds of miracles?"

"He can heal the sick and cure the insane, they say. I have even heard a story that he can raise the dead."

The Grand Highblood's steps resumed, and from the patterned sound they made, Karkat imagined him stalking around the neophyte like a great tiger circling its prey. "Miracles… Ha! Don't make me laugh…" He didn't appear to be talking to her, so she did not respond. "Well, allow me to inform you of a few things, Neophyte. Firstly, the Signless is real. And he talks too much about dangerous things. Talk is a deadly weapon, you know."

"Yes, highblood, the deadliest."

He chuckled. "You've learned well, tealblood. Remarkable for one of your caste. Very close to the greenbloods, but I suppose you've got enough blue in you to keep your head above water." A light pap was heard, followed by a grunt from Redglare. The young trolls assumed that he had patted her on either the head or the shoulder. "Your job, Neophyte, is to find, capture, interrogate, and bring the Signless back to us, dead or alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes, highblood." The young trolls heard her kneel, and as they heard her clothes rustle a bit as she said, "In my mind, in my words, in my heart. Let all that I do be for the glory of the Empire."

"Very good. Rise."

Click-clack. "Yes, highblood."

"Also," growled the highblood quietly. "I personally have a mission for you."

She paused for a bit, cautious. "I'm listening, highblood."

"There is a greenblood in the Signless's company," he said. "Capture her and bring her to me and to me alone. Alive."

"Yes, highblood," she replied, though the young trolls could hear the tiniest hint of distaste in her voice.

"Good, good. You may go now. Godspeed, tealblood."

With that, the young trolls heard the neophyte turn around and leave. The scene filled up with white again, and they were quickly sent back to the moment that they had found the branch. Terezi dropped it and clutched at the tree instead, while Karkat gripped his knees trying to keep himself from falling over from dizziness.

"T-travelling through these memory portals is going to kill me, I swear," he said in between gasps.

"S-so, my ancestor was apparently not on your ancestor's side?" asked Terezi.

Karkat gulped as he regained his composure. "Doesn't seem like it. And Gamzee's ancestor is pretty obsessed with that Kanaya's ancestor."

"What makes you so sure it's Kanaya's ancestor? I told you, if he was talking about her, he would say jadeblood, not greenblood."

"Well, it's not like we've seen him with any other greenblood so far."

"It's not like we've seen him on two legs so far, either."

"… I really hate it when you're right." He sat down on the ground and finally looked at what had triggered their going into Redglare's memories. "So, that's Redglare's cane, I guess?" he said, admiring the pure, smooth white finish.

"Probably," the Seer answered. "It feels like it's made out of wood, but covered in something hard and smooth."

"It's got a dragon's head at the top," he continued, "with little red eyes on it. Can you smell that?"

"A little. It's like a vanilla candle smell with some strawberry flavor in it."

"… You have the absolute weirdest similes for this stuff." He huffed. "So, have we learned anything else?"

Terezi bit her lip. "I'm not sure… I mean, yeah, we're learning stuff about our ancestors. But I'm not seeing how it applies to us just yet."

"You've got a point there." He sighed and leaned back into the tree. Terezi did the same, blinking her sightless red eyes slowly.

"Hey, Karkat?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… No, never mind."

"No, tell me, what is it?"

She sighed and pulled her knees close to her chest. "Do you think that I'll be as good a legislacerator as Redglare was one day?"

Karkat tried to choose his words carefully. "Well… Terezi… Our planet was destroyed. I don't think…"

"What? You don't think what?"

"I don't think there are any more legislacerators."

"Oh," said Terezi after a few moments, sounding very sullen. Well, of course she did, Karkat told himself, all of her dreams just fell apart right in front of her.

"But, you know what?"

"What?" She tried to hide the fact that she was crying (again, good job, you stupid fuckass, he scolded himself), but it didn't work that well.

"I think you would have been pretty awesome."

She chuckled a bit. "Thanks." The red-eyed troll wiped her runny, wet nose with her hand. "You know, you probably would have made a terrible threshecutioner though."

"Hey, I just complimented you, don't insult me!"

"No, no, I mean… You're too good to be one of those."

Karkat blushed and was thankful that Terezi couldn't see him. "Well… thanks, I guess." He scratched his suddenly itchy neck nervously.

Terezi made a tiny noise as she felt something just brush past her. Karkat looked and instantly jumped to his feet. Walking right towards them was none other than Neophyte Redglare, reaching for her cane.

"There you are," she said to it, and Terezi had an expression on her face like she had just been told by God that they should do lunch sometime. Redglare picked up the staff and slapped it against her palm affirmatively. She tapped the end of it against the ground and whispered, "Come, Pyralsprite" just loud enough for them to hear.

A few moments passed, and then Karkat and Terezi heard a loud whoosh above the trees. Karkat cast his gaze skyward and squinted at the sun's light. Two great white wings burst through the clouds and a huge head broke through the treetops. A great, scaly body followed, and it unceremoniously crashed all four feet into the ground at once, flapping its wings twice before bringing them in close to its sides. Karkat found himself staring into a pair of huge red eyes, and took a step back out of pure instinct.

"That was faster than usual, Pyralsprite," said Redglare with a laugh, resting her hand on the beast's snout, to which it growled lightly. "Have you got anything for me?" The white dragon grunted and opened its mouth slightly, letting a tiny black piece of fabric fall out of his mouth. Redglare caught it in her outstretched hand and brought it to her face. She sniffed at it curiously and, disgustingly, licked it once.

"This is Signless's. Good work, Pyralsprite." Redglare pet the dragon on the snout again, and Pyralsprite breathed out loudly in what seemed to be pleasure. "No troll could ask for a more dutiful lusus than you."

"That's her lusus?" Karkat couldn't help but comment.

"Oh wow… Oh, wow!" said Terezi with a huge smile on her face.

"Now, let's go find Signless, shall we?" Pyralsprite grunted and lowered his head. Redglare felt around his head until she found the point where the skull connected to the neck. Then, she hopped up and mounted the dragon, gripping its long horns in her black-gloved hands. "Pyralsprite, to the sky!"

The dragon roared and flapped his wings, rendering him airborne in no less than a minute. The troll and lusus both ascended heavenward, and Karkat watched them until they were out of sight. He was thankful that he did, because otherwise, he might not have noticed the piece of the Signless's cloth floating downward.

Karkat let it fall to the ground while Terezi got herself to her feet. "Did you see that?" squealed Terezi, bouncing up and down like a little fangirl. "Oh, she was so cool! And how she summoned Pyralsprite with her cane? Totally awesome!"

"Woah, woah, take your tits and calm them, 'Rez." Karkat placed his hands on her shoulders for her to stop bouncing.

"What'd she look like?" Terezi pestered him, obviously ignoring both his words and his touch. "Was she pretty? Does she look like me? What about Pyralsprite? Is he big and white like regular lusii?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Terezi. Your tits. Calm them the fuck down."

"No! My tits will not be calmed! They will remain boisterous and rebellious until my questions are answered! Answer them, Karkat! Answer them for the sake of my rambunctious tits!"

"Okay, okay, fuck it, fine, if it'll make you stop yammering about your boobs." Karkat sighed. "Yes, she looks very much like you. Yes, Pyralsprite is gigantic and white. And, yes, it was sort of cool how she summoned him with her cane. Not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"She's tracking the Signless. Pyralsprite had a bit of his cloak. Actually, it fell, and now it's right by your foot."

Terezi pouted as she stopped bouncing. "What does that mean?"

"It means," said Karkat, "that we need to figure out if she's his friend or foe."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

Karkat gestured toward the bit of fallen cloth. "Grab onto this and hope we get sent to the right time and place."