In the government building in the center of the map, there was a yawning emptiness. “As expected,” Benexi grumbled.


    “We should have sung,” Josi grumbled, ”then everyone would have come!”


    “Yes, to make fun of us!”


    “It doesn''t feel any better now!”


    Half-heartedly, a few of the Thunder brothers hung up some garlands. Two others rolled out the red carpet that the 656 had absolutely no intention of conquering.


    Although the members of the 652 factions had turned up in large numbers, they couldn''t quite fill the large hall of the government building. It seemed empty and somehow lonely.


    “Great party!” cursed Lenebell, ”this is going to be boring as hell!”


    “It''s been boring the whole time!” grumbled Africa. “At least we had another good fight with the 656 yesterday, that was fun. But now we''re sitting there alone. That was an absolutely shitty GW!”


    “And whose fault is it, eh?” Thunder Horny looked around briefly to see if anyone heard him. Then he leaned forward and whispered: “It''s the management''s fault! First they prepare the GW this way. Then they carry it out like this. And at the end they even want us to sing! They''re all crazy!”


    “If we move the chairs apart a little, you can''t see how empty it is.” Josi looked at the room critically. “It''s making me kind of depressed today. It''s the closing party and now we''re in this kind of mood. All the other cities have ignored our invitation. It''s kind of sad. Just as sad that our time here is over.”


    Dude, who was standing on the ladder attaching a garland, said nothing.


    ________________________________________________


    Lady Evelyne sat alone in the kitchen and dealt with the mail. As expected, there was an awful lot to answer, a lot to comfort, a lot to motivate. And then there were the letters that had to get to the other cities on time.


    She pulled out the pink writing paper on which she had written the letter to Elsa what felt like half a century ago and then deposited it in the oven of the old clan castle.


    She pulled out eight sheets of writing paper. Eight letters for eight cities.


    Then she began with the first one.


    “Dear enemies” - could it be written like that? She thought about it. It sounded strange. She started again. “Dear members of the 652” - that sounded better. Somehow friendlier. In her book on good leadership, which she had lost during her escape from the old clan castle, it had been pointed out several times that communication should be non-violent and without aggression. So this form of address was better.


    “Dear members of the 652, congratulations on your victory in this GW and in this bracket! Some say that you didn''t deserve to win because you don''t have enough fighting skills and simply poached members from other cities, especially the financially strong ones. That''s unfair because it misses the point. Yes, you have poached players from other cities and thus created an enormous mass. But that is also an achievement. It''s always an achievement to increase the appeal and magnetism of your own city to such an extent that it develops enough attraction for the other players to come and - this is also relevant - to stay! So it''s not just mass, there''s more to it than that. A successful mix of tactics, clever forward planning, very good teamwork in leadership and charm to become irresistible. The game is called “Mafia”, and you''re allowed to fight with what you''ve got. If these were your special skills, why shouldn''t you use them? The critics will see what you can actually do in combat in GW2. Even our most experienced players say they have never seen a GW like this GW1. In which the balance of power was so clearly distributed right from the start, in which it was clear from the beginning who would be the winner in the end. You can be very proud of what you have achieved, regardless of what some of the opponents may say. Enjoy your victory celebration, you deserve it.”


    Lady Evelyne put the first letter sheet aside and started on the second.


    “Dear members of the 650, unfortunately I have had little opportunity to meet you in person. It was difficult to get in touch with you at all. Ultimately, however, I think your tactic of playing GW all for yourselves and pretending you weren''t there wasn''t stupid at all. After all, you had a very calm GW. You were able to stay away from any arguments, nobody tried to divide you because nobody even noticed you were there. In that respect: You did everything right! Congratulations on your successful participation in GW.”


    It was the turn of the third letterhead:


    “Dear members of 651, I know (as the only one here, I suspect) that the big bang effect is still to come for you. I am impressed, really. And I can only say that you have put in an incredible performance. From weakness comes strength and vice versa. Your tactics were incredibly clever and I''m looking forward to seeing you step out of the shadows in three days'' time. All the best to you!”


    The fourth letter was even shorter:


    “Dear members of 654, you were late to the scene and we were late to meet. Almost too late, but you still showed a little something in the SC. I would like to thank you for the friendly correspondence I had with you and wish you a good time in your city!”


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Now she needed a break. She grabbed a cup of coffee from the sideboard and took a quick look at the cake, which was slowly browning in the oven.


    Then she sat back down at the table and continued writing.


    “Dear members of the 655, we had a lot to do with each other. You were our only front except for the 652, and while we mostly lost to the 652, it was the other way around for you. I hope you also had some fun, even though I realize that it''s extremely difficult from an inferior position. It''s not like we don''t know what it''s like to get hit in the face, lol. We''ve always appreciated you as opponents, regularly tried to give you air, and had many nice conversations with some of you. Lil Arrow, your notoriety pushed the boundaries of this bracket, and it remains a fascination that a single sentence from you to me triggered everything that happened to your character. I owe you an apology the next time we meet, and you''ll get one. Seriously!”


    She put the letter aside and started on the next one.


    “Dear members of the 649, just like the 653, you had a much harder time than we did, for example. Because unlike us, you had a realistic chance of winning GW. We knew from the start that we would lose this one, but you were very well positioned. The valley you had to go through was therefore a very deep one... and it must have been painful to have to experience it every single step of the way. You have my full respect for what you have achieved and for persevering. Since you are almost family, I don''t have to say goodbye to you. Instead, I say: Welcome!”


    It was the turn of the penultimate letterhead.


    “Dear members of 653, I''m afraid it''s been the hardest for you. You were the hot favorites when it came to who could be trusted to deal with the 652. And then something like this happens... and we could feel in every single letter we exchanged how much it hurt to have your dream shattered. I admire those of you who nevertheless tried to stand your ground here until the end. Stay true to yourselves and don''t worry about the past. In the end, it''s not important here... only immersion makes us think it is. Stay strong and united in your current constellation. I wish you all the best of luck in GW2.”


    Then Lady Evelyne pulled the last sheet of paper towards her.


    “My own dear members of the 656, when I write to the others, I write to you too. What have we not been through here! Our GW started with the shock of Mafia leaving us and the account going to the enemy of all people. We knew beforehand that our town was a bit weaker than the favorites in this bracket, but we wanted to at least give it a try. It wasn''t meant to be - and so our goal in GW became to just see how far we could get and make the best of it. I want you to know that I am proud of each and every one of you. You stayed together in the worst hours we had here and didn''t leave, even though the offers were always there and were maintained and renewed throughout. You have grown with the situations and developed in such a way that people can simply have a lot of respect for you. None of you have lost, you are all victors. Because sometimes it''s not about winning, but about getting through something together. Not about overcoming your opponent, but about showing them that you are there - despite everything. Each of you has proven that you''ve got what it takes. And that''s why you will always be my personal winners of GW, even if others will take the crown later.”


    Lady Evelyne once again laid the eight letters in a row in front of her. She thought for a moment and added three sentences under each letter before adding her signature and sealing them all.


    Then she took the cake out of the oven to let it cool.


    ______________________________________________


    Zax had waited until Lady Evelyne had left the kitchen before coming in through the side door. He carefully placed a farewell note in the middle of the table for all those who had not heard his parting words in the hall. He tied his bundle tighter and was about to leave when his eyes fell on the note, which was pierced by a knife and stuck in the wall next to the stove.


    Smiling, he took it down and read it one last time.


    “HELP!


    Yikesy is bullying me. Thunder Dude


    Me too. Thunder Mink


    Not me yet, but soon. AceAngel”


    He took a pen from the sideboard and wrote underneath it:


    “Me too, soon. Zaxsognir”


    He nailed the note with the knife back to its old place in the wall next to the stove.


    Then he took his bundle, shouldered his axe and left the clan castle of 656 in the direction of 652.


    ______________________________________________


    Lost in thought, Sweet Sativa stood outside on one of the hills that lined each area of the cities, looking out over the slowly emptying city of 649. The streams of those traveling the streets below and approaching him were numerous, but the former city of 649 grew emptier and lonelier with each person that left. Sweet Sativa sighed, knowing that he had done everything in his power. That he had not missed anything and that some developments could not be prevented. And that none of it was the end... because the future was everywhere. You just had to be brave and seize the opportunities that presented themselves. Then the future was just one step, and the next step was the possibility, and with the next step the possibility became reality. He turned away from the city of 649 and walked towards the city of 656, boldly striding towards their clan castle.


    ______________________________________________


    Mink''s coronation ceremony had been all right, despite the lack of an audience.The Thunder brothers had done what they always did: they''d simply gotten drunk. From their point of view, that was the best way to liven up a lame party.Mink had eventually passed his crown to Thunder and gone outside to get cigarettes.The sensible members of the 652 had stayed sober, knowing full well that there was still packing to be done. As discreetly as possible, they tried to tidy up a bit.


    “I wonder what the other cities are doing?” Josi wondered, ”Are they celebrating?”


    “I don''t know,” mumbled Ivy, ”maybe they''re just getting drunk?”


    Josi looked thoughtfully over to the stage, where the Dude was standing alone, gazing pensively into nowhere. one wondered what he was thinking?


    Into the momentary silence, there was a sudden knock at the door.


    Josi turned in surprise, went to the door and opened it.


    Lady Evelyne was standing outside with a tray full of cakes, and behind her there were lots of other people, whole crowds, pushing and shoving. And they were all shouting loudly: “Surprise!”


    Lady Evelyne smiled. “May we come in?”


    ____________________________________________


    Much, much later, Thunder opened the pink envelope that Lady Evelyne had brought with her and handed over personally. But the glittering party had gone on until the early hours of the morning, followed by hectic packing and gold collecting, and only now was there time to read the letter.


    He read it to the end and resolved to keep it safe. It was one of those letters you wanted to keep.Real, not just in memory.Especially the last sentences.


    He read them again.


    “It was an honor to play with all of you, friend or foe. We all formed this GW together, no matter which side we were on. And that''s why I''m saying goodbye with what made us special: A piece of cake for everyone. A memorial stone for everyone on the now abandoned battlefield. And for everyone a piece of immortality in a novel.”