Moving close to one of the weapons, Ricka examines its intricate details. Its hilt is adorned with a red fire gem he recognized from his original world which was slowly coming back to him like the system said. "Look at the fire gem!" He touches it, and fire wraps around his arms, flaring out and dispersing into small particles of fiery flames before vanishing. "Fire gem!"
"What's that?" Avidia draws closer, and Cipher follows, their intrigue growing.
"Fire gems use little to no mana. As a matter of fact, all elemental gems do," Ricka explains.
"That's why even if you didn't have strong magic or a large mana pool, you could still become a knight. It's how they managed to defeat some of the angel soldiers," Elga adds.
"I see." Cipher and Avidia nod, while Ricka stands behind her, on the verge of tears because he didn't get to finish his explanation.
"So basically, all these swords have elemental gems?" Cipher asks, glancing around at the newly appeared swords after defeating the Sword Protector.
"That's right, and there might even be ancient elemental spirits stored in some of them," Elga continues.
"Spirits? Like the King of Spirits?" Avidia inquires.
"No. The King of Spirits was on a different level of power—so strong that even the mightiest warriors feared to challenge him and his empire," Elga reminisces.
"Then… how did he die?" Avidia wonders. "Was it because of the Wiping?"
"No, he died long before that, at the hands of the first King of Gods, though that was before he became a god. In the end, the King of Spirits' body became the World Tree, and even through the Wiping, it stood tall. To this day, nothing has brought it down. In fact, it grew even stronger, now possessing the ability to clear any attribute or curse from a person or even a god."
They all listen intently, except for Ricka, who roams around. Since remembering anything from that time makes his head hurt, and his heart tightens. "I wonder what gem you are…" He touches one of the swords, and his arm is covered in darkness. "Darkness. This should go well with Avidia's emptiness, since they're part of the same family line," he says, standing up from his crouched position. "Avidia!" he calls out, and she turns to him.
"Yeah?" She walks over as he crouches back down. "What's that?"
"A darkness gem," he says, eyes gleaming.
"Okay? What does that have to do with me?" she asks.
"Do you know the basics of magic and mana?" He tilts his head, unsure if the rules are the same in this new world as they were in his old one. "My theory is—"
"You have a theory?" Avidia looks shocked at his words.
"Yes," he retorts.
"Ricka… has a theory…" she mutters, still shocked. "Guys!" She springs up. "Ricka has a theory!" she shouts, and Cipher and Elga come over.
"Ricka has a theory? Or did I hear that wrong?" Cipher asks, looking at Ricka in confusion.
"Yes, he has one," Avidia replies.
"Wow…" Cipher looks surprised. "That's new…"
"I know, right?" Avidia agrees.
"Oh, shut up!" Ricka's cheeks burn as his ears droop. "I'm older than you, so don't ever think I'm dumb!"
"Oh yeah, aren't you like, centuries old?" Avidia holds back a chuckle.
"Why you—!"
"Go on," Elga interrupts.
Heaving a sigh, Ricka clears his throat and looks back down. "Remember in our past world, magic used to be called Roots?" He snaps his head toward Elga, who nods in approval.
"Roots?" Cipher and Avidia tilt their heads in confusion, synchronized.
"Magic originally started as just elements. You could control fire, wind, water, air, light, and darkness. The other forms sprouted from those, like lava being a form of fire, and so on. Your power, Avidia, should be a base form of darkness, but it falls under the criteria of 'bestowed.' So, if my theory is correct, this darkness gem should be able to boost your emptiness power, just like a lightning gem would for Cipher."
They all stare with their mouths open. Hearing Ricka speak so formally and intelligently is new, but when they piece it together with all the times he helped them in creative ways, they realize that Ricka isn't just dumb—he's smart.
'No wonder he was going to become the pack's leader,' Cipher thought.