Kavod and Branchstorm looked at each other with curious thoughts. Why had the moonwolves turned back on their allies and switched alliances? No elf knew the answer, so the elves from the village left, feeling annoyed that nothing happened.

Branchstorm asked Kavod, "I don't have a sword, but if I need one someday, do you have an extra?"

Kavod nodded and they went to his castle to get the green-bladed sword with the orange grip from the goblins that they stole a while back.

Branchstorm didn't know how to use the sword, so Kavod taught him, using his own sword, but they trained without actually hurting each other with their swords.

They trained until Branchstorm accidentally cut Kavod's arm. "Ow! Branchstorm, you slashed my arm!" Kavod yelled, looking down at his wounded arm and back up to Branchstorm.

"You're such an idiot! Why did I ever teach you this? You'll never learn! Maybe you should learn what it feels like to be hurt by a sword!" he scowled, chasing Branchstorm with his sword held up high.

They ended up running to the Realm of Despair, where nothing but a bridge held up by two posts above lava was the land.

The two half-brother elves kept sword-fighting, Branchstorm tried defending himself, but Kavod kept advancing.

But, being unskilled as he was, Branchstorm accidentally cut the bridge's ropes off, causing it to fall into the lava on one side.

"Stop being such an idiot! Look what you did! Now we're stuck over here and no one can get us out!" Kavod growled.

They both stood on one post of the former bridge, but could still reach each other.

Kavod saw his opportunity and pushed Branchstorm off of his post, causing his half-brother to fall into the lava.

Kavod went silent; his anger gone. He watched as his brother's body fell into the volcanic liquid, disappearing as quickly as he had pushed him off of his post.

Kavod put his hand out, as if he could reach Branchstorm before the elf vanished completely, but it was useless.

His parents had left them long ago and Branchstorm was the only elf left to be family.

His own half-brother, killed by Kavod himself, gone forever in the depths of the Realm of Despair. Maybe that's why they call it the Realm of Despair; nothing good comes out of it and all is lost, Kavod thought with tears in his eyes.

"What have I done?" Kavod whispered quietly to no one in particular.