It has been reduced to nothing more but a crater in the ground, filled with ashes and rubble, the debris going as far as into the forests nearby, for the explosions reached far beyond the borders of the country.

Nia, Stela and Technoblade make their way back to Pogtopia. Sara stayed behind to make sure that her friends are alright as well as mourn the loss of a friend — Wilbur. Stela is also taken aback by the sudden loss, but she hides it well behind a mask of indifference.

Technoblade is awfully quiet, more than usual — one would expect him to boast at least a tiny bit, as he succeeded in destroying a government. A frown is permanently stuck on his lips. He also grieves the loss of a friend; one that he has known much longer than Nia would've anticipated. For she also found out that the man who had killed Wilbur was, in fact, his father. And Technoblade's long-time friend.

Philza.

The man that Techno had told Nia about back when they were still in her old kingdom. When she was still a princess who merely by accident met an anarchist and somehow happened to agree that governments and monarchies are just a poor excuse for a person or a group of people to have power over the others.

Power corrupts, and if anything, both her father and Schlatt have been proof of the statement. Both a king and a president respectively.

Nia didn't know Wilbur that well. She got to know bits and pieces of him as she spent over a month around the man, but she hardly knew him as well as the others to be stunned by his death. Nor was she in any way disconcerted when Dream finally disclosed that Wilbur was the traitor. But that was because she already knew.

"Tomorrow morning, once Sara gets to Pogtopia, I think we should head north," says Stela determinedly, gazing at Nia. "To the Trix base."

Nia bites her bottom lip and nods. "Has Sara agreed to come?" she inquires.

Stela nods. "I didn't really ask, but I don't think I have to. If I'm being honest, I'm quite certain the only thing holding her back was L'Manburg and Wilbur. Both of those things are dead." Her voice is monotone as she talks, suppressing all of her emotions. "I never asked you either. But you have nowhere else to go, just like me, so I just figured you're coming with me."

Nia can't say anything to that. She never explicitly told Stela that she's coming north with her. She's right. About that, and about the fact that Nia has nowhere to go. So far, she's been staying either at Sara's home, or at Pogtopia. Neither of those were hers. As far as Nia is concerned, she doesn't have a home.

She glances at Technoblade, donning a rueful smile. Frankly, she wishes she could hug him. Or take his hand and squeeze it supportingly to show him that everything they've done was for a good cause. And that she appreciates him. But she's not one to show physical affection, and neither is Technoblade.

Perhaps they've hurt a few people along the way. But such is the price of the better good. The means justify the ends. Especially if it means stopping a tyrannical government from rising again. What is that one Greek saying . . . Sic semper tyrannis? Thus always to tyrants.

Technoblade has his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants, walking a few paces in front of Nia and Stela. She watches him kick a rock on the path through the forest. His gaze fixates on a crow later on, remembering how Phil called him the traitor, because Wilbur said it's Techno instead of telling his father that it's him. His muscles tense and the vein on his neck pops up.

"You're going to have to leave him again," says Stela, knowing that Techno isn't listening to anything they say. Which might be for the better as of now.

Technoblade has only just started talking to Nia again, and it breaks her heart that she will have to leave that behind again. Except this time, she plans to not decamp. She won't leave without saying anything — she's determined in that. Techno doesn't deserve that kind of treatment.

He's saved her more times than she can count, even if he doesn't know. Leaving without saying a word the first time around was already a mistake. She should've tried harder to find him.

"I know," Nia sighs. "But I think I know what I'll do before we leave." Smiling thinly, Nia hugs her body, seeing that most of the wounds she suffered before and during the explosion have disappeared.

"What are you thinking?" Stela asks, arching an eyebrow at the princess. Nia bites the inside of her cheek and shakes her head.

"I should say goodbye to Dream," Nia brings up after a while of silence that engulfed the two women, clinging onto them like a sweater made out of itchy material. Stela narrows her eyes at Nia, shaking her head vigorously, knowing very well that it would be a terrible idea to go back and try to find Dream, of all people.

"I doubt anyone will want to see much of you around the remains of L'Manburg or the Dream SMP," says Stela plainly.

A loud sigh leaves Nia's chest. "I know," she says. It won't stop her anyway.

Packed for about a month of travelling, Nia, Sara and Stela are appropriately enthusiastic about the upcoming adventure to the north. Their one advantage is the fact that Stela now knows exactly where to go.

Before they head out of the Dream SMP, however, Nia stops by Technoblade's base. It's quite cleared out after the war, as many of the Pogtopians took whatever they needed and wanted with no regard to Techno. She expects to encounter the piglin in his base as it is early in the morning, but he's nowhere to be found.

Most of his gear is gone, which means that Technoblade left for an adventure of his own.

Running a hand through her hair, Nia licks her lips, nodding to herself. So, she won't get to say goodbye personally. But there was one thing that could be a good means of a farewell. One that she might have to add a note to, but she's sure it won't be hard to find a piece of paper and some ink around the base.

Approaching the ender chest Technoblade has placed in his base, she rummages through the armor, weapons and tools to find what she's looking for. The letter in a red envelope, written by her about three years ago.

Nia was scared to leave the letter for Techno the first time around. But she has nothing to lose anymore. Not really, at least. So she might as well leave the letter for him. Except she opts to leave another note that explains it.

Hi, Technoblade,

if you're reading this, it means that I've already left the SMP with Stela and Sara. And I wanted to let you know this time, that it isn't entirely without a goodbye.

Take this letter as a farewell. It's the letter I wrote years ago. The one I wanted to give you before I fled the kingdom. But I didn't, because I'm a coward. Perhaps it will explain some of the reasons for my quick departure from the kingdom those three years ago. It's not an excuse, of course. I realize I have wronged you when I lied about who I am and my station, but the least I can ask of you is to understand.

I hope you won't hate me because of this.

Yours truly,

Nia.

Looking around, Nia leaves the note on Techno's crafting bench along with the letter.

A rueful smile makes its way to the princess' lips as she shoves her hands into the pockets of her pants, leaving the base behind.