Chapter Text
It’s laughing that Karkat walks to his death, because the only thing he can think of is this: after surviving as a mutant on Alternia, and fighting tooth and nail to survive the horror that disguised itself as a game twice called Sgrub, twice called Sburb, beating unbeatable bosses that seemed to appear at every turn and being almost-killed within centimeters of his life and crawling his way back every time, and finally, finally winning, standing bruised but tall in the midst of the new universe that they had all created with every face there again, after shoving both fully cocked middle fingers in a fuck you at the universe and the universe saying well suck on this back, finding himself with a new life and a new world and no clue what to do with it but who fucking cares, at least he’s alive, at least everyone is alive--
he’s going to die because in the end he wasn’t broken enough.
“Karkat Vantas, you have been found guilty of the first-degree murders of John Egbert, Jane Crocker, Rose and Roxy Lalonde, Dave and Dirk Strider, Jade Harley, Jake English, Aradia Megido, Tavros Nitram, Sollux Captor, Nepeta Leijon, Kanaya Maryam, Terezi Pyrope, Vriska Serket, Equius Zahhak, Gamzee Makara, and Eridan Ampora, and have been found responsible for the missing case of Feferi Peixes.”
There are only five other people in the room. The guard holding tight to Karkat’s already shackled elbow, the man reading off the accusations with a large, broad gleaming sword in his hands, and three others sitting at a table at the far end, watching with dark, accusing eyes.
Karkat says five, because the other person doesn’t really count as a person in his mind.
“These murders have been stated on the record as the most violent, brutal, and sadistic crimes committed for almost fifty years. As such, only execution has been decided as a fit punishment.” The man spits the words out with a vengeance, and he makes it unmistakably clear by his tone that he would have chosen a much more painful mode of recompense. “You have the right,” he spits, “to have a last statement recorded. Would you like to take that offer?”
shit, man
Karkat keeps staring ahead, ignoring the teenager leaning against the wall to his right.
no getting out of this one huh
“Yes,” Karkat says.
especially since you actually did what theyre accusing you of but whatevs
“Very well.” The man says it like the words make him sick. “You may speak.”
oh well
“They kept forgetting,” Karkat says. “They didn’t see it. They couldn’t see. It was never real, it was all a fucking dream, and of course those pan-rotted dunderfucks didn’t realize it.”
so
“I just wanted it to be over.”
guess this is it
Hands push him roughly to his knees. The man who’s going to kill him doesn’t quite smile.
its been fun while it lasted
Karkat wonders for the first time if maybe he’s actually insane.
see you around
The blade as it swings down feels like absolution.
==> Be past Karkat.