Book of Modern Days
Chapter Zero

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The young troll walked slowly through the cave, his gray skin, dark hair, and black clothes helping him blend in with his surroundings. Only his nubby orange horns and bright amber eyes stood out in the darkness. One maroon sickle was clutched in his left hand, and occasionally, it would scrape up against the rocks he held onto for balance.

"Terezi, are you still with me?" he whispered, as if the mere statement might make the splintering stalactites hurtle down towards them.

A female troll clambered clumsily over a medium-sized boulder and took his outstretched hand. She wore a skin-tight teal and red costume, and the material squeaked as she slid over the rock's surface. "Yeah, I'm here, Karkat," she replied shakily. "It's hard to see in here though, there's so much gray… I can barely tell you apart from the rocks." She sniffed disdainfully. "Then again, you do stink more than the rocks."

"Thank you, Terezi, that just makes me feel so good about myself. In fact, I would say that's the greatest compliment I've ever received. 'Congratulations, Mr. Vantas, your putrid B.O. allows the blind chick to tell you apart from rocks! And here's what you get for winning! A-'"

"Karkat. Please. Not now," she begged, squeezing his hand. Her wide, pupil-less scarlet eyes fixed on him, and they said all of the things that she would never speak aloud. I'm depending on you. I'm afraid. Don't let me down. I don't think you will, but I'm not sure. I'm afraid.

He paused for a moment and then squeezed back. "Yeah. Okay. I gotcha."

They clambered through the darkness hand in hand for a few more moments, the only sounds coming from their own faintly echoing footsteps and the steady drip of what they hoped was water falling from the cave's ceiling.

"Did you talk to John?" asked Terezi.

"For a few minutes," replied Karkat. "But we didn't say much."

It seemed for a moment that it would be left at that, but then Terezi asked, "What did you say?"

A pause. "Not much. I told him… I told him to be safe. And…"

"… And?" Terezi urged after a long, pregnant pause.

"To do whatever he needs to do." They both knew what that meant. Karkat gave the female's hand an extra squeeze in reassurance, but who and what it was really for, he wasn't sure. "Do you think we're getting close?"

The scarlet-eyed troll inhaled deeply. "I think so," she responded. "It smells like there's…raspberry and vanilla up ahead."

"Flavor to English translation?"

"Blue and white, smartass."

He shrugged. "It's a talent."

They laughed. It was uncomfortable and awkward, but they knew that it was supposed to be funny, and so they laughed, because in a normal day, it would have been funny, maybe even hilarious. But things weren't normal, not even close. So they laughed to pretend, just for a minute.

When their laughter died, they were quiet for a few more moments. Karkat stopped in his place. "There's a slope," he said. When Terezi made a small noise, he instinctively slipped an arm around her waist and guided her down it. It was a long and slippery, wet slab of black rock, but it wasn't steep, at the very least. Still, Terezi had lost her cane to an unseen chasm early on in the cave, so she felt very uncertain on the wet stone. Karkat, blaming himself for the mishap, took it upon himself to guide her.

However, one should not think that he was very good at this.

Karkat managed to trip over the flat stone, sending both trolls flying. Karkat merely grunted, but Terezi screamed, suddenly unable to make any sense of her surroundings. "Jegus Christ!" Her arms and legs flailed about manically. Karkat skidded underneath her, trying to lessen the impact of her fall with his body, but instead, he caused her to trip over him, and she slammed face-first down onto the stone. "Ugh… At least I know where the ground is now," she mumbled, rubbing her now-bloody nose.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" Karkat asked as he scrambled to his feet.

She chuckled. "I'm fine. You're not my lusus, you know."

Just then, the echo of a roar pealed through the cavern walls. They both yelped at the sudden noise and gripped onto each other out of fear. But when it subsided, they both released a deep sigh and let go. Karkat helped Terezi to her feet.

"It's close, isn't it?" he asked.

She gulped nervously. "It's down that way. We keep going straight and it's right there."

"All right." He began to lead her again, but then stopped.

"What's wrong?"

The young male turned around with wide eyes, though he knew she would never be able to tell. "You know, you don't have to do this," he said in an almost pleading tone.

"Yes I do!" the blind troll said, the insult obvious in her voice.

"No, you fucking don't!" replied Karkat, gripping her wrist tightly. "I'm the leader, it's my job to do this! And more importantly, it's my goddamn job to protect you! I shouldn't be putting you in jeopardy just because I'm scared like a fucking wriggler!"

"Why do you always assume that you can do everything on your own? Why can't you ever take the help that's offered to you? For God's sake, Karkat, I'm your matesprit!"

"Which is exactly why bringing you down here instead of Sollux or Aradia was a terrible idea! I should be trying harder to keep you out of harm's way! Granted, Aradia's a goddamn weirdo and Sollux is one of the most annoying fuckasses I've ever seen, but-"

"Karkat, shut up." She miraculously delivered him a slap to the face, the sharp noise echoing repeatedly throughout the caverns. The male troll's eyes widened, absolutely stunned.

"Ow! What the fuck was that for?" he snapped. "Here I am, pouring my fucking heart out to you, and you fucking-"

He never got to finish telling her whatever it was she was fucking doing because she grabbed him and kissed him. He stiffened but then returned it, throwing his arms around her carelessly and trying to pull her in as close as he could. They never showed affection like this to each other despite their rocky matespritship. But right now, at this moment, they were desperate. Desperate to feel close to another living, breathing creature. Desperate for a taste of comfort. How long had it been since they had played that goddamn game? How many months had they spent up in the Veil, trapped with ten other people that they didn't have very close relationships?

Too damn long, they decided.

But suddenly Karkat pulled back. "I… I can't," he said, looking horrified with himself. "I… What was that…?"

Terezi looked as though she had never been more insulted in her life. "What? What are you even saying?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "What, do you suddenly not want to be matesprits with me anymore?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean… Oh, fuck, Terezi. I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed as soon as he realized what she had thought he meant.

"Then what did you mean it like? You'd better have a fucking good explanation."

Karkat put his hands up in front of him, palms open in a gesture that meant "stop." "Okay, okay, just… Hear me out." She raised her eyebrows to indicate that she was waiting. "Okay… I just…. While we were kissing, I…I had this vision. It was like… It was like older versions of us, but I was dressed differently but you were wearing the same thing. And we were doing that, but…"

"But what?"

"But you were dead."

Terezi raised her eyebrows again and she laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Yeah, Terezi," Karkat replied, "I'm making a huge fucking joke about seeing you dead and me kissing you to revive you. Yeah, I would totally fucking joke about that considering our situation. I would completely fucking lie about seeing my worst nightmare – well, second-worst, the first being the one I still refuse to talk to you about – but whatever." He sighed heavily and crossed his arms, tucking his face into his shoulder.

Terezi stood in front of him, eyes wide, and simply stared (or, would have, if she could see.). But then she heard him make small, whimpering sounds, and heard his shirt sleeve wrinkle as he sucked air and mucus in through his nose. "Karkat…?" she asked. "Are you… Crying?"

"N-no," Karkat replied. "I'm fucking fine." He was trying to be brave, but his voice cracked and squeaked, indicating to Terezi that, in fact, he was.

"Karkat…" She stepped forward, miraculously missing his toes, and touched her hand to his face. As she ran her thumb all along his bony, tired features, she felt dripping moisture running down and wetting the skin. Tears, she thought. He really is crying…She wiped his tears away with her hand and held him, the pitiable fool. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," she muttered.

He snorted and brushed her hand away. "Jeez, Terezi, you're not my fucking lusus." But then he smiled. "Don't pity me so much." He coughed to clear his throat and took her hand.

"We're going now?" she asked with a small grin.

"Yep."

They wandered through the maze of stone with minimal incident until they approached a very large cave mouth. White light poured out of it, momentarily blinding Karkat. As he lifted the hand that held his sickle to block the light from his eyes, he asked, "Are you sure this is what you smelled?"

"Positive. Although after this, I may never want to eat vanilla again."

He rolled his eyes. "You're so fucking weird."

A loud voice, sounding both male and female, suddenly echoed from the cave. "If you wish to enter, do so now. If not, leave this place, and never return."

Terezi fixed her blind gaze on him. "Are you sure about this?"

Karkat nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." He gulped and squeezed her hand. "Let's go."

They walked inside.

The beast stirred within her chambers. For hundreds of sweeps, she had remained dormant, only dimly aware of the world outside. But she had awakened. The Descendants had finally been born, and from that moment, she watched them all, analyzing their every move. So far, they had done well. They had not failed utterly like their predecessors, but they were not close to success.

But now, four knew of her existence. There were five left, but the fifth was very ill in both mind and body, and had been left behind in a safe haven to heal. But four out of five was all right. The Maid of Time, the Knight of Blood, the Seer of Mind, and the Mage of Doom. The Maid and the Mage were off helping the race the Descendants had created to eradicate the cancer, while the Knight and the Seer were coming to find her.

And when they did, she would be waiting. It was unclear to her what their plans were, but, like their predecessors, it would likely have to do with overwriting the game. But she was unsure, and so she would wait.

She was very patient, after all.

Karkat, keeping a firm grip on Terezi's hand, raised his sickle as he walked in the cave. "Echidna!" he called to the light, his eyes squinted almost all the way. "Where are you, Echidna? Answer me!"

Suddenly, the white light turned blue, and a nearly featureless, white face appeared from the back of the large cave. As Karkat's eyes adjusted to the light, he could see that the inside of the cave was hollowed out and smooth, and all noises echoed within it. "So at last, you have come," said the face. She had a huge, booming voice, and to call it intimidating would have been the understatement of the sweep. "Knight of Blood. Seer of Mind. Welcome to my chamber."

Karkat stood up as straight as he could. "Echidna," said he, "are you the creature that our ancestors spoke to so many sweeps ago? The one responsible for our creation?"

"The very same," replied Echidna, folding two tendrils of blue in front of her as if she was resting her chin on them. "What do you desire from me?"

Karkat gulped, swallowing the ball of nerves in his throat. He felt added pressure on his hand and quickly cast a sidelong glance at Terezi, who smiled ever so faintly. He looked Echidna in the eyes. "I want to know about my ancestor," he said very seriously and slowly. "I want to know what his downfall was, so I don't make the same mistakes."

"For what reason? Assurance of victory?" The ghostly creature laughed.

"No," said Karkat. "To protect my friends. So many of them have died for nothing already." He swallowed. "I don't want that to happen again."

The beast gave him a slow, thoughtful nod. "Very well," she replied. "And you, Seer?" she asked, looking directly at Terezi.

The female troll blinked in confusion. "Me?" she asked.

"Yes, my dear, you. Why are you here? I sense that you do not want anything from me personally…"

Terezi bit her lip, her sharp teeth sending a tiny drop of teal blood to the surface. "I'm here to protect him," she said carefully. "That's all."

"Is that so? There is no greater purpose for you being here?"

She looked the ghost in the eyes, fixing a gaze that reminded Karkat of a dim fire on her. "It's the right thing to do. There is no greater purpose than to do what's right and just."

Echidna nodded, but whether it was from amusement or approval was anyone's guess. "I see. You are very much like your predecessor, Seer. And you, Knight. Now, come forward," she instructed. As she spoke, a flat, circular rock rose up from the cave floor, shaking the ground beneath their feet. A very thin line of stone from the bottom supported it, melting into the floor. It looked very unstable, but it did not shake or quiver in the slightest.

The quaking slowly came to a stop, and, with a blue tendril, Echidna beckoned them forward. Nervously, the two trolls walked towards the stone and looked down at it. It was filled with swirling blue water, with white, wispy clouds of gas rising from it.

"This," said Echidna, "is the Fountain of Memory. All of history can be seen from within its waters, in perfect detail. Knight, Seer, when you dip your faces into the water, you will be able to follow the paths of your ancestors, as well as those of your friends. You will feel as if you are living their lives alongside them, though you will not be able to interact with them. Do you understand?"

"Yes," replied Karkat, gripping the edges of the wet stone with his fingers.

"I think so," said Terezi, "but how will we breathe?"

The face chuckled. "You needn't worry about that. This will only take a moment, though it will feel like much longer than that."

Terezi sighed. "All right." She turned her face towards Karkat's. "Are you ready?"

He nodded, but upon remembering that she couldn't see him, he said, "Yeah. On three." Both trolls gripped the stone. "One." They tipped their heads down to face the water, the hot air warming their skin. "Two." Karkat moved one of his hands and placed it over the blind troll's. She turned her palm upwards and held onto it. "Three."

The young trolls took very loud, deep breaths, and plunged their faces into the water. Suddenly, they felt their whole bodies being pulled inside. Karkat screamed under the water and choked, feeling his lungs fill up. Terezi guided herself over to his body and covered his mouth, trying to keep the water from going into his mouth and nose. Karkat fixed his yellow eyes on her and pulled her mouth away. To his surprise, he was breathing. "The hell?" he said.

Terezi could somehow hear him clearly and let out her breath. "What's going on? Where are we? I can't smell anything! How are we breathing and talking?"

"I'm not sure," said Karkat, "but I don't think we're in water anymore."

He was correct. The two trolls were now floating in some kind of space within paradox space, amidst strange stars and planets they had never seen before. The sky exploded into color and light. Suddenly they were pulled towards the ground by their feet, and were falling into what appeared to be a large white star.

"What's going on?" asked Terezi again, incredibly panicked from losing her senses.

"We're being pulled down into a star, I think- I don't know!"

They were enveloped in white light once more and, when they could see again, they felt fertile ground beneath their feet. Karkat opened his eyes and looked around, keeping one arm around Terezi half for her protection and half for his own reassurance. "We're in a forest," he explained to her. "Can you smell that?"

"Sort of," she replied. "But it's all really faint. Maybe because we're not really here, I don't know."

Karkat grunted and kept looking around, trying to find something. Suddenly, he saw several large holes in the earth, with grubs just crawling out of them, wailing and squealing. "I think we're by the trial caverns," he whispered. "Can you hear all the grubs?"

"Unfortunately," Terezi replied, putting her hands over her ears. "They're so loud. Jegus, was I that loud as a grub?"

"You're that loud all the time, what are you talking about?"

Suddenly they heard a rustling amidst the squeals of the grubs calling for their lusii. "Hey, what's that?" asked Terezi.

Karkat squinted. Out of one of the caverns, there appeared to be a large shadow running towards the surface. "What the…?" he muttered.

The figure stepped into the moonlight. It was a fully-grown female troll. She was tall and slender, and dressed in a modest black and green dress. Her hair was styled but short, and she had a very regal look to her.

"The fuck? It's an adult troll," said Karkat. "What's she doing in the trial caverns?"

The female ran towards them, and Karkat pulled Terezi behind a rock next to them. The two young trolls watched her carefully, but the adult kept running towards them. She finally stopped just in front of the rock, and Karkat nearly gasped. She looks just like Kanaya, he thought. This must be her ancestor!

The adult female panted, gasping for breath as she finally stopped. Carefully, she pulled away at some cloth she had laid over the little thing in her arms. "I'm sorry I had to take you away," she said to it, holding it to her bosom tenderly. "But I couldn't just leave you there."

Karkat tried to peer over the rock some more when he stepped on a branch. Shit! he thought as Kanaya's ancestor turned her head at the noise. She fixed her gaze directly on him, but then turned her head. Confused, Karkat reached out, despite the fact that Terezi hissed, "You idiot, what are you doing?"

But Kanaya's ancestor didn't even blink. It was almost as if…

"She can't see us!" said Karkat. "Or hear us, apparently," he added in a normal voice as Kanaya's ancestor did not so much as turn in his direction. Terezi got to her feet shakily.

"What's she holding?" asked the blind troll.

"Not sure…" Karkat crept on top of the rock and knelt on it. He peered over her shoulder and saw a tiny bunch of black fuzz nuzzling into her chest. He heard it make whirring and chirping noises, and Karkat could see two tiny orange buds on the top of it. "Is that…?"

The ball of fuzz chirped and crawled up on her chest. Karkat gasped. It was a little grub, but the most striking thing about it was the color of its body. It was a bright, vibrant red, similar to… Very similar to, actually…

"Karkat," breathed Terezi, her blind eyes wide with utter surprise. "That's your color."

"Then…that must be my ancestor," he whispered. He stared in awe at the small creature. But then furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked Terezi.

"Does this mean… Kanaya is my lusus?"