The sun's warm rays bathed the grassland of Sector Five as the wooden carriage glided through it with remarkable swiftness. Inside, an air of awkward silence hung heavy among the trio and the rest of the recruits. The atmosphere seemed on the verge of shattering when Isabella, struck by a sudden revelation, broke the silence.

"I have an idea! Why don't we break the ice and introduce ourselves?" she suggested to the group, but their response remained as still as the air.

Although all the recruits hailed from the same town of Artimia, Theo had always gravitated towards the company of Dawn and David, forming a tight-knit circle. Interactions with the other teenagers had been sparse, limited to occasional encounters at school or during their mischievous exploits throughout town.

Taking the initiative, Isabella cleared her throat and proclaimed, "I'll go first. My name is Isabella, but you can call me Bella. And this antisocial here is—"

Before she could finish, Pop sprang up from his perch atop the carriage. His face flushed with embarrassment. "It's Pop!" he exclaimed, desperate to correct Isabella's portrayal.

Isabella swiftly redirected the recruits' attention back to her. "That's not his real name, of course. He's not fond of it. He says it sounds too—"

"Bella! Enough!" Pop interrupted, his anxiety racing as he turned his back to the group. Isabella chuckled mischievously, entertaining the recruits with their playful banter, reminiscent of siblings jesting with one another.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. You know I love you, Poppy," Isabella quipped, her laughter rippling through the group.

"Don't call me that..."

"Okay, okay," Isabella conceded, redirecting her attention to the recruits captivated by the silence. "Who would like to go next?"

To everyone's surprise, Aeda Milestone raised her hand. Aeda, around the same age as Theo, sported a stylish bob of short, curly hair that perfectly framed her fierce eyes. Staring into them for too long felt like braving a gaze infused with lethal intent.

"I'm Aeda," she announced confidently, her voice carrying a hint of authority, "and this here is my younger twin sister, Aida."

Aida timidly emerged from behind Aeda, her appearance mirroring her elder sister's in every aspect, down to their matching attire. The only discernible difference lay in their hairstyles. Aida let her lustrous hair cascade down her shoulders, its length and straightness contrasting sharply with her sister's short, curly look.

"Hello, nice to meet all of you..." Aida's voice trembled with shyness. She was barely audible amidst the rumbling carriage and the whispering wind.

"Aeda and Aida... Such beautiful names. I can't help but feel jealous," Isabella exclaimed, her laughter filling the air while the twins synchronously expressed gratitude.

Isabella turned her attention to Clarissa Edwards, a young woman in her late teens, who stood taller than the average lady with an athletic build. She had long, dark green hair neatly tied in a short ponytail and wore a simple frame of glasses. 

"Pleasure to meet you. It's Clarissa," she said, greeting Isabella warmly.

Seated next to each other were Bryce Soto and Arthur Pentadraig. Bryce's distinctive features included a close buzz fade hairstyle and bushy eyebrows, making him stand out like a sore thumb. Arthur possessed short, blonde hair and eyes as piercing and blue as the deepest ocean. Their facial expressions revealed lingering resentment from the Artimia incident.

Curtis tore his gaze away from the captivating scenery of the Wastelands and lightly tapped his fist on Bryce's head, breaking him out of his reverie. 

"Your turn," Curtis prompted, delivering the nudge necessary to bring Bryce back to the present.

"Oh, right. My name is Bryce, and this is—" 

Bryce's introduction ended abruptly when the butt-end of a wooden sword came crashing down on his head. He let out a cry and faced the perpetrator, Arthur. 

"I can handle my introductions, thank you," Arthur informed Bryce, then turned to Isabella. "I am Arthur Pentadraig, and it's an honor to meet you, my lady." 

Arthur extended his hand, gently shaking Isabella's, causing her to giggle. However, Bryce rudely interrupted the moment.

"Hey! That hurt, you know!" Bryce protested. 

"And?" Arthur responded, his tone dripping with arrogance and confidence.

"That's it!" Bryce bellowed, his voice reverberating through the air. He assumed a fierce fighting stance. His fist clenched, poised to defend his face, and he swayed with the rhythm of the carriage, matching its every move. Arthur, displaying a graceful flourish, brandished his sword and aimed its tip directly at Bryce.

"You're still cowering behind that toy sword?" Bryce taunted, issuing a challenge to Arthur.

"Have you forgotten the number of times you've fallen victim to this 'toy sword'?" Arthur jeered, his taunt expertly calculated to goad Bryce. 

Anger surged within Bryce, and he abandoned words. His thirst for action took over as he charged forward. Arthur readied his sword for a swing.

"Enough!" Curtis interjected, his voice brimming with fraternal authority, causing the two boys to freeze momentarily before succumbing to the carriage's relentless momentum and toppling over.

"He started it," Bryce grumbled as he and Arthur regained their seats, the tension momentarily diffused.

"Sorry, these two can be a handful at times. Curtis, pleased to make your acquaintance," he said, extending a firm handshake to Isabella.

"Are they your younger brothers?" Isabella inquired.

"I suppose you could say that. We all grew up together in the same orphanage," Curtis explained, observing Bryce and Arthur playfully quarreling with each other. "So you could call it a sort of sibling rivalry, I suppose." 

Curtis turned to Theo, Dawn, and David. 

"Hey, no need to be shy," Curtis encouraged the trio, and David took the lead.

"David. Nice to meet you."

"Dawn. A pleasure to meet you as well."

"Theo. Nice to meet you, too."

Mimi poked her head out from under Theo's arm. "Hey, relax. I didn't forget about you," Theo reassured her as Mimi emerged from his grasp.

"This is Mimi," Theo attempted to introduce her, but she had already jumped from his grasp and made her way to Isabella.

"Mimi, aww, she's adorable..." Isabella exclaimed, lifting her up and tenderly rubbing Mimi's head.

"Poppy, look. Isn't she cute!?" Isabella exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement, as she held up Mimi for Pop to see. Hoping for a similar reaction, she eagerly awaited his response. 

However, Pop merely gave Mimi a fleeting glance before averting his gaze. "Yeah..." his reply was lackluster, failing to capture the charm of the moment Isabella desired.

Isabella gently placed Mimi back down, and the once lively atmosphere in the carriage seemed swiftly replaced by an uncomfortable silence that settled in. As the carriage continued its journey through the plains of the Wastelands, Theo hesitantly raised his hand, contemplating whether to ask his question. 

Isabella noticed his uncertainty and encouraged him. "Yes, Theo? What's on your mind?" she inquired, her anticipation evident in her voice.

Theo took a deep breath and finally voiced, "I just have a question." 

Isabella's face lit up with enthusiasm, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"What is it? I love questions," she responded, her genuine excitement shining through.

"Well, back in Artimia... I can't help but wonder, how were all of you able to fight like that?" 

Theo's curiosity was piqued, and he sought to uncover the secret behind their impressive combat abilities. Pop, never one to miss an opportunity to interject, insinuated himself into the conversation with a snarky remark.

"Simple. We're not weak like you," Pop retorted, his tone dripping with condescension.

Theo's patience reached its limit, his frustration mounting. Determined to defend his honor, he stood up, his anger boiling over, and directly confronted Pop.

"Why don't you come and see how weak I am?" Theo's challenge hung in the air, daring Pop to face him.

Unfazed, Pop let out a casual yawn, seemingly unaffected by the tension. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through the carriage, catching Theo off guard as he was forcefully lifted out of the carriage and tossed into the air like a ragdoll.

"Theo!" Dawn's alarmed cry pierced the air as she watched him helplessly flung about by the relentless wind. 

Moments later, with a bone-jarring impact, Theo was sent crashing back into the carriage. Maintaining his nonchalance, Pop yawned before settling down atop the carriage.

"See? Not even worth my time," Pop taunted Theo, who struggled to restrain himself from responding.

"Pop, enough!" Isabella's voice rang out, her tone firm and reproachful. Turning her attention to Theo, she reassured him, "Please, don't pay him any mind."

Unyielding, Theo continued to eye Pop, determination burning in his gaze. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath, ensuring his voice remained quiet enough to evade any possibility of detection.

"To answer your question, we all took the first step in becoming free," Isabella articulated to Theo, though her words resonated with an air of cryptic significance.

"By choosing to fight back?" Theo ventured, hoping to hit the mark, but his attempt fell short.

"No. Merely choosing to fight back against the Mad King isn't enough."

Isabella inched closer to Theo, close enough for him to perceive the imminent brush of her touch, causing a blush on his face to rise solely from her presence. She delicately grazed the KC embedded at the nape of his neck.

"We all started by getting rid of these."

Theo's countenance mixed with astonishment and bewilderment at Isabella's revelation. Bryce interjected unexpectedly, "That's impossible! Everyone knows you can't remove the KCs without frying your brain."

"I thought they were permanent until death," Arthur chimed in, curiosity piqued by Isabella's enigmatic statement.

"That's what they want you to believe," Isabella replied to the boys before a voice cried out over loud noises from the motion of the carriage. 

"Pop! Trade places with me!" Nozomu's voice erupted from the front, coinciding with a murder of crows soaring above the carriage.

Demonstrating mastery over the wind, Pop descended gracefully from the carriage's rooftop.

"Sure thing."

"We'll delve deeper into this later," Isabella informed the recruits as Pop approached the front of the carriage. As he neared, he noticed an unpretentious gust of wind escaping Nozomu's lips.

"A whisper?" Pop inquired, assuming control of the reins from Nozomu.

"Stay on course," Nozomu instructed, dismissing the question, and Pop urged the horses forward.

"Is something wrong with your sense of direction today? This path doesn't lead back to the base."

"We're taking a detour."

"A detour?" Pop inquired skeptically, but Nozomu once again ignored his question and hovered into the sky, leaving Pop at the helm of the carriage, wearing an expression of perplexity.