Mike and Arla had packed Rick's luggage and were waiting downstairs. His father called out,
"Rick! We packed your luggage, come downstairs!"
Thud, thud, thud — the sounds of footsteps echoed on the staircase.
Rick, wearing a robe and pants, walked downstairs, standing proudly before his parents like a model on a runway.
"Mom! How's this?" he asked with a big grin.
Arla placed her right hand gently on his cheek, smiling warmly.
"You look so good in this, Rick."
Then, without hesitation, Rick stretched his hand toward the bags. A beam of light shot out from a simple-looking ring on his finger—and poof! the luggage vanished.
Arla gasped, nearly dropping her jaw to the floor.
"Rick! How did you do that?!" she exclaimed. Even the two academy representatives stared at him with their mouths hanging open like cartoon characters.
Rick casually shrugged.
"I just found a new spell and tried it on the ring. No big deal."
They all were surprised, but it became normal to them.
Later, Rick was walking through downtown with the two academy guys, surrounded by busy streets, colorful shops, and the smell of street food in the air.
"Hello, uncle, where are we going?" Rick asked, eyes twinkling with curiosity.
The two men smiled mysteriously as they glanced at the signs and billboards.
"You'll see," they said together, almost creepily synchronized.
After a few minutes of walking and suspiciously passing several restaurants, they finally entered... a café.
Rick blinked.
A café? Really? he thought, but obediently followed them inside.
The moment he stepped in, he felt everyone's eyes on him. A group of shady-looking men and women were whispering behind their cups of coffee.
A random guy at a table asked, "Is he a new student?"
"Yeah, he's the new one."
"Looks too young for your academy though."
"Well, he's already better at magic than half the magicians in this town... maybe even a top-ranker."
Hearing this, several people raised their eyebrows so high they almost reached the ceiling.
At the bar counter, a woman lazily twirled a key around her finger.
"Here's the key," she said, tossing it casually.
One of the academy guys grabbed it and led Rick toward a small storeroom at the back of the café.
Rick peeked inside... and saw nothing. Just darkness. Pure, unsettling darkness.
He narrowed his eyes, opened his "perspective" a bit... still nothing.
He smirked.
Looks like a cheap horror movie scene.
Without hesitation, the two men walked into the darkness. Rick followed, stepping right after them—and suddenly found himself standing on a train platform, blinking under bright magical lights.
The first academy guy smiled.
"Looks like the train hasn't departed yet. Good, good."
The second one nodded.
"We're in luck. No need for an escort after all."
Rick looked around and saw students chatting and laughing by the trains.
The first guy pointed.
"Boy, you just hop into that train, make a friend or two, and you'll figure everything out yourself."
Rick shrugged, walked toward the train door, and hopped on board.
Inside the train, he peeked through several compartments.
One had six guys aggressively playing cards, probably gambling their lunch money away.
Another had two girls and one boy sitting opposite each other, chatting under a soft green light.
They all had black hair and brown eyes — definitely from the same world.
Rick noticed a green button next to the door. He clicked it.
PSSSHHHT — The door slid open.
The two girls inside gasped.
"Wow!"
They immediately started whispering to each other while sneakily glancing at him.
"Hey," one girl whispered to the other, "he can totally see your intentions."
Meanwhile, the boy sitting opposite smiled warmly.
"Hi! I'm Ben StromViel," he said, extending his hand.
Rick smiled back and shook it.
"Hi! I'm Rick… Rick Theone."
As Rick tried to find a seat, the two girls immediately shifted over, creating a nice empty space between them, smiling sweetly and gesturing toward the open spot.
Rick chuckled and instead sat beside Ben.
The girls instantly looked like someone had stolen their favorite toys. Ben laughed at their faces.
"Don't get your hopes up, sisters. He's sitting with me."
Ben pointed to the two pouting girls.
"By the way, she's Lyra, and she's Elina—my sisters."
Elina, clearly intrigued by Rick's silver hair, leaned forward curiously.
"By the way, are you from the Silver Born family?"
Rick frowned in confusion.
"What's a Silver Born family?"
Ben burst out laughing.
"You don't know?! Silver Born families are legendary! They have silver hair and, uh... let's just say they naturally cause women to lose their minds."
Lyra chimed in excitedly,
"Yeah! Women attack Silver Born men because their natural charm cranks up female hormones like crazy. They're practically walking love potions!"
Ben added,
"But... their family disappeared years ago. Rumors say some were killed by—"
"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" Lyra snapped, her face darkening with anger.
Ben immediately shut up, raising both hands in surrender.
"Okay, okay, let's not summon the devil."
Lyra, trying to change the subject, asked,
"Rick, you're a junior too, right?"
Rick nodded.
"Yeah, I am."
"I thought so. You don't have a badge yet... and your clothes look like they're from a rich guy's wardrobe," Lyra teased.
Rick shook his head.
"I'm not rich. This is literally my first day stepping into this world."
Elina smiled sympathetically.
"Same here. We lived in a normal society too—no magic. It's kinda exciting... and scary."
The train soon stopped at another station.
Ben and his sisters peered eagerly out the window, curious about how magical the academy would be after growing up in such an ordinary place.
Then the doors opened, and a girl with messy, curly hair struggled inside, dragging a huge trolley and several bags.
Rick caught her eyes for a second—and she froze like a deer caught in headlights.
She hurriedly gathered herself, stacked her bags neatly, and... instead of sitting with the open seats beside Lyra and Elina... she plopped right next to Rick.
The two sisters' faces twisted with jealousy so sharp it could slice the train in half.
Blushing furiously, the new girl tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Rick a dazzling smile.
"Hi! I'm Kaley Root."
Rick chuckled lightly and shook her hand.
"Hi! I'm Rick… Rick Theone."
Ben awkwardly waved.
"Hi, I'm Ben StromViel. And these two glowering banshees are my sisters, Lyra and Elina."
Lyra and Elina managed stiff, fake smiles that screamed, We will end you, Kaley.
Ben, still staring out the window at the scenery, suddenly turned to Rick with a puzzled look.
"Hey, Rick... where's your luggage? I don't see anything under the seats."
The girls perked up too, curious.
Rick chuckled and held up his hand, showing them the plain-looking but strangely shiny ring on his finger.
"I store everything in this ring," he said simply.
Ben squinted at the ring.
"You're joking. You can't just—"
Before he could finish, Rick stretched out his hand, and POP! — a pouch filled with gold coins appeared mid-air and dropped into his palm.
Ben practically glued himself to the window in shock.
Lyra and Elina's jaws dropped so wide, you could park a broomstick between them.
Rick casually made the pouch vanish again and leaned back coolly.
Ben finally peeled himself off the window, sat down stiffly, and stared at Rick like he was some kind of legendary beast.
"Rick... what kind of magic is that? I've never seen anything like it. Even magical families don't have storage spells that cool."
Lyra, Elina, and even Kaley nodded together in stunned agreement.
Kaley, still blushing beside him, looked at him like he was a literal god.
Well...
Let's see where Rick's adventure is going to take him next.
What troubles will await him in the academy?
And more importantly... who will become his first girlfriend?
Find out in the next chapter!