At the edge of Artimia, where the scorched town met the road ahead, two wooden carriages waited, surrounded by a quiet, tense crowd.
Survivors murmured in low voices, their eyes flicking between the two paths before them.
Theo, Dawn, and David stood together, silent as they took it all in.
Suddenly, a firm hand clapped down on Theo's shoulder. He turned quickly—and froze.
"Mr. Gramm? You're alive...?"
"Of course I am!" Mr. Gramm snapped playfully. "Don't you go writing me off just yet."
Theo exhaled a shaky laugh and pulled Mrs. Gramm into a hug. There was relief in his smile, but grief lingered in his eyes.
"Don't take it the wrong way... I'm just glad you made it out…"
Mrs. Gramm held him tightly. "Theo… We're so sorry. We heard what happened."
Mr. Gramm stepped forward, his voice solemn. "Your parents… they were remarkable people, son. They could've saved themselves, but they chose to help us. They saved more people than you'll ever know."
Theo's breath hitched, and he looked away. Just when he thought the ache couldn't go deeper—it did.
Then, he turned to Dawn, who was still cradling Mimi.
"I hate to ask, but… can you take her?" he asked the couple, reaching for the cat. "Please. Take Mimi with you."
Mrs. Gramm blinked. "What are you saying?"
"You're not coming with us, are you?" Mr. Gramm asked quietly, already knowing the answer.
Theo couldn't bring himself to say it. His silence said everything.
Mrs. Gramm's voice cracked. "Theo, think about your parents. What do you think they would've wanted?"
Her words hit like a stone in his chest.
For a moment, Theo's vision blurred—not from tears, but from the sudden storm of memory. He pictured his father's firm hand on his shoulder, the way he always spoke plainly, without fear.
He saw his mother's smile, the way she made their broken home feel whole. He thought of their final stand, of how they hadn't run.
Would they want him to be safe? To run from the world's cruelty and find a quiet life?
Maybe.
But they hadn't chosen safety.
They chose to stay. To fight. To protect others, even when it cost them everything. Theo looked down, his fingers curling into fists.
"I think..." he whispered, voice low, "...they would've wanted me to live with purpose. To not be afraid of doing what's right."
He raised his eyes, resolve rising behind them like fire through the smoke.
"And that's why I can't go with you."
"...I see," Mr. Gramm said as he placed a calming hand on his wife's shoulder. "It's okay."
"No, it's not!" she snapped. "We can't just let him throw his life away! Alvin and Alicia would never forgive us!"
"Honey," Mr. Gramm interrupted gently, "When a man decides to commit himself to something… nothing you say will change his course. And if he turns back now, he'll carry that regret for the rest of his life."
He turned to Theo and took Mimi carefully. "We'll take care of her. But under one condition."
Theo took a deep breath. "What kind of condition?"
"You come back for her. No matter what. Or I'm releasing her into the wild," he added flatly.
Theo stared at him, stunned. For a second, he thought it was a joke. But Mr. Gramm's expression was firm.
"...Deal," Theo muttered.
"Good." Mr. Gramm nodded.
At that moment, Nozomu and his squad approached. Evaughn called out, "All right, everyone—simmer down!"
The crowd quieted. Nozomu stepped forward, standing tall beneath the morning sun.
"As promised, two carriages," he began. "To the left—Nageama. A town east of here where you'll be safe. To the right—our journey."
His eyes scanned the crowd. "This is your moment. Decide now, and live with it."
Theo's chest tightened. This was it. The point of no return.
"If you wish to relocate," Nozomu said, "board the left carriage now."
A wave of townspeople broke off and began boarding.
Mr. and Mrs. Gramm lingered for one last hug.
"Don't worry, Mimi," Theo whispered, brushing his fingers across her head. "I'll come back for you."
Then they were gone, swallowed into the crowd.
Dawn's gaze lingered on the departing wagon. "There's no turning back now," she whispered.
David clenched his jaw, staring ahead. "Gramps… I won't forgive them."
Theo muttered under his breath, "I promise… I'll avenge you both. I'll change this world."
Eventually, only a few remained.
Nozomu faced them. "To those of you still here… I commend your courage... The courage to take the first step towards freedom."
He stepped forward, voice grave. "Our goal is the same—liberation for the People of the Wastelands. And that begins with tearing down the gilded cage built by a man who calls himself a god… but rules like a mad king."
Tana leaned toward Evaughn. "He's going to scare them away again."
Evaughn snorted. "Probably."
"Sacrifices," Nozomu continued. "That's the cost. Some of you won't survive. But if you do… you'll become something exceptional. Superior on the battlefield with a high rate of survival."
The small group stirred nervously.
"Ask yourselves," he said, tone sharp, "Are you willing to risk everything? Even your life? To be free."
Pop muttered to Isabella, "There he goes."
"Yeah..." she sighed. "There goes another batch."
A few more peeled away, turning back toward the safer option.
"This is suicide," someone whispered. "We're not soldiers..."
David swallowed hard. "Most of us… will die?"
His pulse pounded in his ears, but still—he stayed.
Dawn trembled but didn't move.
Theo stared ahead, jaw clenched. "To be free..."
Nozomu's eyes narrowed. "This will be considered treason. And every step could be your last. Are you ready to live with that?"
Curtis Carpenter, a tall teen, stepped forward from the group—lean and broad-shouldered, with striking features that could've been sculpted for posters.
His dark Ivy League-cut hair caught the morning light and swept just enough to look effortlessly intentional.
Even in the tense silence, eyes turned toward him.
He didn't flinch. He puffed out his chest, voice ringing out with the kind of reckless honesty only someone his age could pull off.
"We don't want to die!" he shouted, loud and unapologetic. "But that doesn't mean we're gonna live on our knees either!"
A few heads turned. The tension cracked slightly—his words cutting through the fear like a blade.
Nozomu cracked a grin. "I like that answer."
He turned and marched toward the carriage. "Fall in! We're moving out!"
Theo and the remaining few followed.
Isabella beamed with joy. "Welcome aboard, recruits! Let's all become good friends, okay?"
"Commander Nozomu," Evaughn called, "Tana and I will take the Nageama group."
"Sounds good. We'll regroup at the base. Be safe out there," Nozomu ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
They saluted, and the carriages split—rolling off in opposite directions across the plains of Sector Five.
Theo watched Artimia shrink behind them, the ruins silhouetted in the distance.
Then—
"Isn't that Mimi!?" Dawn gasped, pointing behind them.
A black blur streaked across the distant road.
Theo turned sharply, squinting in disbelief against the wind. "What—no way... She's supposed to be with Mr. and Mrs. Gramm."
At first, it looked like a shadow. But as it drew closer, sure enough, Mimi sprinted after the carriage, her tiny body bouncing with every desperate stride.
"Damn it, Mimi!" Theo shouted, half-rising from his seat. "You're gonna wear yourself out!"
She didn't stop. Her legs were trembling, her pace uneven, but her will remained unshaken.
"Stop the carriage!" he yelled instinctively—but before anyone could respond, a sudden gust of wind swept across the plains.
It was sudden, strong, and precise.
Theo's eyes widened as Mimi lifted off the ground—suspended midair in a swirl of air—and soared forward, cradled by the breeze like a falling leaf caught in a draft.
She landed softly in Theo's arms with a soft thud.
Mimi meowed once, curled into a ball, and nuzzled into his chest, purring like nothing had happened.
"...What are you doing...?" Theo muttered, his arms curled around her protectively.
His voice cracked.
"You stubborn little furball… Why'd you leave them?"
He didn't expect an answer. But her warmth, her heartbeat thudding softly against his arms, said enough.
Just the weight of something small and loyal choosing him again. Especially when she didn't have to, made him weak with joy.
"You should take better care of her, dumbass."
Theo glanced up sharply.
Pop was crouched casually on the roof of the carriage, arms folded and boots balanced against the wood like he'd been there the whole time.
Theo scowled. "Seriously? Do you just float around making smartass remarks?"
Pop replied. "Only when they're deserved."
Theo stood up, bracing Mimi in one arm. "Say that again, I dare you—"
But David reached out quickly, pressing a firm hand against Theo's chest and guiding him back down.
"Don't," he said flatly. "Not worth it."
Pop gave a small laugh. "Y'know, when someone does something for you, you should say thank you."
Then, he let himself vanish in another rush of wind—gone before Theo could spit out another insult.
Theo grumbled under his breath. "What is with that guy..."
David didn't respond. He stared out over the road ahead.
Artimia had faded into the horizon—reduced to memory and ash. No cries, no fire. Just distance.
Dawn's hand slid into Theo's as she sat beside him. Neither spoke, but their silence wasn't empty.
It was shared.
"I told them I'd come back for you," Theo whispered finally, stroking Mimi's fur.
He looked down at the cat curled up, the dirt beneath his nails, the scars already forming from battle.
He remembered the fire, the ashes, the smoke, and the promise.
Live… and change this world.
Theo clenched Dawn's hand.
I don't know how I'm gonna do it. But I will.
David looked to the horizon. Artimia had already begun to disappear behind them, swallowed by distance and memory.
"One step at a time. Let's learn what we can. Let's survive. And more importantly, let's get stronger. And then let's change everything."
Theo took a deep breath and nodded alongside Dawn.
And for the first time, he didn't feel like the boy who had lost everything.
He felt like someone becoming more.
Not a soldier.
Not a hero.
But something that could grow into both.
The carriage rumbled forward.
And the road stretched on into the unknown.