Invisible in a World That's Far Too Loud

“You’ll never be seen… if you’re afraid of being noticed.” My name is Reno Arkan. An ordinary kid. At an ordinary school. Living an ordinary life… Except for one thing. I can turn invisible. And no, this isn’t a poetic metaphor about some introverted kid who feels ignored by his classmates. No. I literally can turn invisible—physically. I become transparent. I vanish from sight. I disappear from cameras. Even the most terrifying professors can’t mark me present during roll call. The problem? I have no idea where this power came from. And I don’t know why I’m the only one in the world who has it. If the world were normal, maybe I could’ve lived peacefully. But… Unfortunately, this world is anything but normal. Aethra Academy. An elite school with a brutal curriculum and magically armed students. Here, everyone has a Core—a kind of energy crystal embedded in their bodies from birth. That Core determines the type of power they wield: some can breathe fire, some can fly, others can talk to animals. Me? I don’t have a Core. …At least, that’s what everyone thinks. Because my Voidwalker Core can’t be detected. The clock showed 7:13 AM as I sat in the back row, near the window—the classic spot where anime protagonists usually sit. The difference was, I genuinely wanted to hide, not be the center of attention. “Arkan, you came to class today?” my best friend Zeke called out from the front. I grinned. “Don’t make it sound like a miracle, bro.” “Well, yesterday you vanished during Magic Physics presentation. Sensei nearly threw his wand.” I shrugged. “I was… just trying out a new trick.” Zeke squinted suspiciously. “Trick? Or did you use that again?” I went silent. Zeke’s the only one who knows about my ability. He caught me once when I disappeared during a quiz and reappeared in the bathroom. Since then, he’s been kind of like my unofficial manager, constantly reminding me not to overuse my Void Step skill. “Relax,” I finally replied. “I only disappeared for five seconds yesterday.” “Five seconds could be the difference between passing and failing your practicum.” We chuckled quietly. But our laughter stopped when the sharp clack of footsteps entered the room. Aria Velmira. Top three in Aethra Elite Class. Beautiful, cold, and the cause of sudden spikes in blood pressure every time she walked by. “Good morning.” Her tone was flat. But when her eyes swept across the back row, I felt… off. She stopped. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the window, but for some reason… my heart started pounding. Could she—? No way. No one’s ever seen me while I’m cloaked. Not even surveillance cameras can catch me. But Aria… She walked to her seat without saying a word. But in that moment, I felt something start to shift. Classes dragged on as usual. Energy theory, magic structure, and absurd equations that made most of us wonder if we should just open a food stall instead. But when the bell rang, the classroom door suddenly slammed open. A man in elite guard armor stepped inside. Tall, clad in gleaming armor, with the royal emblem on his chest. “Attention! There is an urgent mission for students with a minimum Core rank of D. A reconnaissance assignment in the Collapsed Zone will begin at 3 PM today. Volunteers will be sent into a real battlefield.” The class buzzed with excitement. A real mission? In the first week? I instinctively glanced at the door. Sneaking out before they could recruit me seemed like a solid plan. But then— “Reno Arkan. You’ve been specifically summoned.” Silence. All eyes turned to me. Even Aria’s. What!? Me!? Zeke stared at me wide-eyed. “Did you sign up by accident?” I shook my head frantically. “Never!” The guard locked eyes with me. “You were detected near the Collapsed Zone perimeter last night. No sensors recorded your presence, but traces of Void were found.” Crap. That was when I pushed my skill to a 10-second test run. I thought no one would notice… “Report to North Post at 2 PM. Refusal will result in expulsion from Aethra.” Without waiting for a response, the guard left. It was 1:45 PM when I stood before the gates of North Post. The wind blew cold. The metal armor of the guards creaked with every movement. And there she was—Aria Velmira. She looked at me briefly. “You’re two minutes late.” I raised a hand. “Sorry. I… considered running away.” “If you had, I would’ve chased you down,” she replied casually. I wasn’t sure if she was joking. “You know why you were chosen?” she asked. I shook my head. “Because… I caused trouble?” She stepped closer. Now only a few feet separated us. “Because you’re the only one who can enter that zone unnoticed. That area is swarming with spies from enemy factions. Their sensors are brutal. But you…” She looked me in the eye. “...you can’t be seen by anyone. Not even light. Not even… me.” I swallowed hard. “You… know about my power?” She nodded. “And I want to know more.” As we walked into the Collapsed Zone—filled with ancient ruins and dangerous magical terrain—I realized one thing: The world had started to take notice. And I could no longer hide forever. [To Be Continued…]