'This would explain why Rick couldn't reply to any of the questions I had asked earlier.' Gwen wondered to herself as she recalled what the shaman had said to her just before she left the cave, but then Gwen realised that Rick had always been acting this way, even before the incident.
He would always remain silent whenever he was spoken to, and he wouldn't say anything back, almost as though he didn't want to say anything that would make anyone upset with him.
This was how Rick had always been for as long as she could remember.
In fact, Gwen couldn't recall the last time she had heard the young elf speak.
It wasn't like he was trying to be rude to anyone.
He just didn't want to say or do anything that would make anyone blame him for being the cursed elf the others believed him to be.
But never once had Gwen ever blamed her brother for being this way.
She understood why he was so quiet and reticent, and she blamed most of the adults and elders for making Rick feel like a sore in their eyes, like an outcast, like an unwanted child they couldn't wait to kick out of the tribe the moment the opportunity arose.
If anyone were to blame, it was surely them.
So Gwen thought Rick was simply being himself as he had always been, but the moment she had offered the Thornfig fruit to him, Gwen noticed the way he had forgotten how to eat a fruit he was supposed to have been used to eating for the past nineteen years.
It felt strange to see this, and that was what made her realise that Rick had really lost his memories, just as the shaman had suspected he would.
Gwen watched him eating and she couldn't help but ask softly, just to be certain of what she already knew. "You don't recall what happened in the forest, right?"
Rick stopped eating and he lifted his gaze slowly.
He could see how worried she was about him, and he could see how she really wanted to know what had happened to him in the woods, but the truth was that Rick didn't recall anything about this place or leaving into the woods outside.
Rick shook his head slowly in response.
"What about Zok? Do you recall if he came here or not? I need to know if he forced you out of here while I wasn't around."
Rick shook his head again, indicating that he really didn't recall anything.
Seeing this, Gwen sighed deeply and nodded in understanding.
"I see." Gwen tried not to think too deeply about it.
She could tell that Rick wasn't lying because of one thing she knew about him.
He definitely would have tried avoiding making eye contact with her if he were hiding something.
Her little brother had always been the worst liar she knew because he was so easy to read.
If he knew something and didn't want her to know about it, he would always try to avoid making eye contact, but right now, Rick wasn't doing this, and this meant that he was really telling the truth.
Gwen swiftly waved such thoughts away before noticing the fruits Rick had already finished. "Oh, you must need more right? Let me get more for you." Gwen said as she stood up to grab more fruit from the ones she had recently brought back with her earlier today.
Meanwhile, Rick watched as she grabbed more fruits from the pile near the cave wall.
He could see her perfectly shaped hips and back, but when Rick lifted his gaze, he finally noticed something he had completely missed up until now.
Her ears.
Her two pointed ears were twitching with every slight movement she made.
'Huh? Wait a minute. Is she a...?' Rick paused when he finally realised something very important about Gwen.
Her ears were definitely similar to that of an elf.
Realising this, Rick suddenly recalled what he had seen on the system screen earlier.
He swiftly brought his hands up to his own ears and his mouth widened in surprise when he realised he too had a set of pointy ears just like Gwen.
Rick squeezed both ears.
Then he flicked one, then the other.
Then he flicked both ears at the same time, letting them flutter back and forth like two long butterfly wings catching the wind.
'I'm..... an elf.' Rick stared ahead with wide eyes, not quite believing it even as his fingers were still touching his own ears.
'I'm actually an elf.'
He felt the pointy tip of his left ear again, just to be sure, and yes, it was still there.
His long, smooth ear was unmistakably pointy just like that of an elf.
'This is real.' Rick exclaimed happily in his mind.
Meanwhile, Gwen turned around and noticed him playing with his ears with the most unexpected expression she had ever seen on his face.
It wasn't confusion she could see on his face and It wasn't fear either.
Instead, it was a pure, childlike wonder, similar to a child who had just discovered something amazing for the very first time.
On the other hand, Rick had been so engrossed in his new features that he didn't even realise when a slow smile had spread across his face, which was now aimed right at Gwen for the simple fact that he was now an elf.
Well, since Gwen didn't know this, she couldn't help but smile back at him in return.
It was the first time in a very long time that she had seen that kind of expression on his face, and it made her chest feel warm in a way she wasn't expecting.
The moment their eyes met while they smiled at each other, Rick suddenly noticed a new screen appear in front of him.
[Congratulations, you've made Gwen very happy for the first smile you had ever flashed her way.]
[Gwen's affection level is now Level 0 (10%).]
[As a reward, you've acquired your first magical affinity. (Emotive Magic).]
"What?"