"Kavod, I'm not Branchstorm. I'm Storm Windwalker, Branchstorm's father," the other elf said.

Kavod felt his pointed ears warm up as he walked backwards awkwardly. Moonslay gave a small chuckle and turned her head towards the entrance, as if waiting for Branchstorm herself.

"M-Mom, D-Dad, S-Storm...I have to tell you something," Kavod gulped, feeling as guilty as he did when he last saw Branchstorm.

"Kavod, it's nothing to worry about right now. We have a gift for you," Flamebrood ruffled Kavod's hair, making Kavod fix it as it was before because Giants forbid his hair be messy.

"I'm serious! Branchstorm is–"

"Right here," a familiar voice answered.

Kavod turned to the entrance again. This elf was almost an exact duplicate of his father, just as Kavod remembered.

"Is it truly you, Branchstorm?" Kavod questioned.

"Yes," the elf answered.

"What's my favorite adventure we went on?" Kavod quizzed the elf to make sure it was really Branchstorm.

"The one to the Realm of the Goblins, of course. You said you wanted to go back when we were leaving because you wanted to get another sword," the other elf responded.

Kavod thought back for some time.

The adventure of the Realm of the Goblins was when we flew on Beastly Lightbeak and Slayer Clawbrood to go to that exact place.

We got stuck in a Talonshoot tree and ended up attacking the goblins with our dragons. We avoided the rocks they threw at us, but then a goblin told us to go with him.

Then we were almost attacked by him, except a giant stepped on him. I remember getting Branchstorm the sword that the goblins made that day: an orange-hilted emerald sword.

I remember flying back on my dragon with Branchstorm and we agreed that it was "some adventure".

Then we got back and I thought about going back. I never said it.

I never told Branchstorm about my idea of going back and I don't think he can read minds because that's unreal.

So how does this elf know that I thought about it? He lied about me saying it, so that proves that this elf is a fake.

Who is this elf?

Kavod finally came to the conclusion of the elf who posed as Branchstorm was a fake, but he decided to play dumb in order to break their cover.

"I don't remember going to the Realm of the Goblins. I thought we went to the mountain with the Giants," Kavod fibbed.

The elf stared at Kavod in disbelief.

"You don't remember going to the Realm of the Goblins? We went there with Blayer and Seastly! The dragons! The Clawbeak and the Lightbrood! Can't you remember, Kavod?" the other elf was mixed up in what actually happened and names were wrong.

"First of all, it's Slayer and Beasty. Second, it's Lightbeak and Clawbrood. Has getting killed messed up your memories?" Kavod smirked at the faker in confidence.

"What? I didn't die! You just had a bad dream and left me! I had to help my parents find you so we could get together and be like before!" they responded.

"Hold up. Dream? Your parents? We? Like before? Oh, and 'Branchstorm', you have something on your nose," Kavod said, pointing at the elf's nose.

"What?" the elf looked at his nose.

Kavod flicked his finger up from underneath the elf's nose, causing the elf to move their head up and stagger backwards.

"Hey! That's not a way to treat your brother!" Moonslay yelled at Kavod, her gentleness turning to anger.

Kavod realized what was happening and took action.

"You're all fake! This has to be why the guilds are having a meeting at the ninth guild! You are the ninth guild!" Kavod snapped, pointing at each of the duplicates of his family members.

The duplicate of Storm Windwalker was surrounded with dark clouds of smoke, hiding himself from Kavod's view.

Then, the duplicate of Flamebrood Silverlyre was surrounded by the exact same clouds and was hidden just like Storm's duplicate.

One by one, the other duplicates were clouded by the same smoke, becoming hidden from Kavod's view.

"Well done, Kavod," a voice boomed from the entrance of the guild, "well done."

"Let me see the duplicates in their true forms!" Kavod demanded.

"Very well." the voice replied.

The clouds disappeared one by one in the exact same order as before.

Starting from the right with the duplicate of Storm Windwalker, the cloud disappeared to show an anthropomorphic dark gray wolf with dark gray fur and an eyepatch across his left eye. He was dressed in a brown trench coat as if he was a detective.

The next cloud disappeared to show the duplicate of Flamebrood Silverlyre as a fire elf with flames dancing above his fingers, which moved as if he was using magic. The fire elf had crimson clothes on and hair that matched his clothes.

The third cloud disappeared, showing not Moonslay Glowwing, but a frost fairy with red eyes, long light blue hair with white tips, a white dress, and a cyan butterfly hair clip tucked in her hair on the right side.

The fourth and final cloud disappeared to show the copy of Branchstorm as an anthropomorphic white wolf with dark blue fur that was of medium length and spiked out in places, dark blue eyes, and a royal blue robe with gold rectangular buttons in the middle.

"You're the ninth guild! All of you!" Kavod growled, looking each one of them in the eyes.

"I am called Thunder Stormhunter, and I am the guildmaster of the Makaru Guild," the dark gray wolf snarled.

"I am Flarebrood Graysong, and I am a fire elf of the Makaru Guild," the fire elf sneered.

"I am Moonshimmer Glow, and I am a frost fairy of the Makaru Guild," the frost fairy said in a sing-song voice.

"And I am Omaru Stormhunter, the son of Thunder and a moonwolf-elf," the white wolf barked.

Kavod was frustrated; frustrated that this Guild pretended to be his family, frustrated that he didn't know at first, and frustrated because he knew he was in danger.

"Why are you holding the guildmasters hostage at your guild?" Kavod questioned Thunder first, wanting to know the answers.

The Makaru guildmaster scratched his chin with a paw. "We have done so to protect the rest of Azerma," the dark gray wolf finally answered.

"And what is Azerma in danger of?" Kavod continued, his gaze held on Thunder.

"You, of course. The whole city of Azerma was in danger when you killed Branchstorm. Kavod, let me ask you a few questions:

Do you not realize that when you did so, you caused the death of many trees across the Land of the Elves and Troll Land?

Do you realize that you caused the extinction of trolls?

Do you realize that you caused the Giants to lose their vegetables of trees?

Did you ever realize that the goblins are extinct, too?

Did you ever think to remember that the Alderlocks were extinct and are now still extinct because they died at your hands even though you planted them before you left?

And did you, Kavod, think that Azerma would welcome you in open arms after you planned to kill the Alderlocks, killed the goblins, killed the trolls, and killed your brother?

Tell me, Kavod, did you ever think about the consequences of your actions across realms, lands, and cities?!"

Thunder's voice boomed, pardon the pun, and Kavod was filled with so much guilt that the elf fell to his knees and stared at the ground.

"Kavod, the guildmasters are safe, I promise you, and I don't break promises. We only came here to protect the guildmasters from your arrival when you came to this guild, the Chezen Guild. The Guild of Riches, of Royalty, and of Greed.

The reason all of us came is because we had to keep you from leaving without realizing your actions.

And we can't let you stay in Azerma any longer."

Kavod nodded slowly, his eyes filling with tears, each droplet of salty water hitting the guild's floor with silence.

"Then come here, Kavod, and we will escort you to your dragon, Slayer Clawbrood, so you may return home without being attacked by the residents of Azerma for your actions," Thunder offered softy, walking over to Kavod and holding a paw out to the elf, who was still knelt on the ground.

Kavod took the guildmaster's paw and stood up. He looked at the other guild members, who once appeared as his family.

"I-I have one request before leaving," Kavod mumbled after sniffling.

"Of course, my dear elf, what is it?" Thunder replied.

"Can I have my family back?" Kavod requested.

Thunder scratched his chin as he did before with a paw, in deep thought.

"Well, that requires an item of each family member, the tears of the person who wishes to have them back, and a forgiven soul," Thunder finally answered.

Kavod nodded again, removing Branchstorm's satchel from his shoulder and taking out the drawing of  his parents, Moonslay Glowwing and Flamebrood Silverlyre.

Then the young elf glanced at Thunder, holding the items up.

"Well now, I suppose you have a kind heart as to trust me with such a heart even though we posed as your family before. I give you forgiveness," Thunder said, touching the items and mumbling words.

Just as the clouds made the duplicates disappear before, white clouds appeared and revealed Kavod's real family, from the sky above and set back on the ground with him.

Kavod touched Branchstorm's hair and was amazed that his half-brother's hair was just as it was before he died, somewhat charred, but short.

Then Kavod realized that Branchstorm's hair was healing itself, becoming less charred.

Kavod turned to Moonslay, his and Branchstorm's mother, and hugged her, feeling warmth at her touch.

Kavod then turned to Flamebrood, his father, and held up his hand to high-five him. His father smiled in the same way Kavod would when being silly around Branchstorm, and high-fived Kavod, the warmth of his hand returning.

"Thank you, Thunder." Kavod said to the dark gray wolf, but when he turned to face the wolf, he was gone and Kavod saw the bottom of the Land of the Branches, as if he was on the hill.

Kavod looked down. He was on the hill. He turned to his family. They were there as well as the Alderlocks as they were before they were destroyed by the trolls.

Beastly and Slayer were there along with the baby Lightbeaks, who were grown to the same size Beastly was when Branchstorm found him.

All four elves had a group hug and they lived happily elfer after, pardon the pun.