Water Boy

 Shortly after Vorden vanished into the very fabric of his surroundings, the students one by one filed in. Vorden had to focus a bit to maintain the ability. Although not too much, barely a sliver of his conscious mind was necessary to maintain the translucent state fully. Invisibility was similar to some aspects and skills utilized by elemental abilities.

The basis for elemental abilities is all the same. One needed to sense the nascent element within the atoms and world around them. To activate one's power all you had to do was reach out with your aura and grab them, shape them, bend them to your will. An element could be condensed, it could be formed into shapes. Elemental abilities were so utilitarian purely for the fact that their versatility was limited only by one's own creativity and strength. The more outside the box your brain could problem solve, and the greater your imagination, it truly was next to limitless, all the various ways you could potentially solve any problem. The elements were all more or less the same.

The difference with powers like this one, an ability that doesn't function by altering the natural world around you, does not require the use of an external force with which to mold and bend to your will. Instead this power operates via manipulating forces that are internal, in other words, your own atoms. On that point it is very similar and requires the same familiar sensations, however, it is closer to the more advanced elemental skills in which a person turns the element in on themself, be it to augment their body and strength, like a mud exosuit, or to make sneaking in to locked places possible by turning into a puddle of liquid and then slipping underneath a door.

Vorden had to focus on his own cells, and atoms. Once he could recognize them he just had to isolate the part of himself that was visible, solid, tangible, and change it. He had to make them match the atoms in the room around him. It was a daunting task trying to maintain the cloak of the unseen ability while trying to do anything else, at least when he first attempted to use the ability. Of course now, after a thousand years, Vorden could perform such menial tasks without much thought or effort. It had long ago become second nature.

While he sat silent, motionless, and alert, he took in measured breaths, calm, inaudible, and unnoticed by the ragtag mix of teenage bravado and burgeoning power that began to occupy his classroom. They glanced at him without knowing it, through him, eyes wandering in a mixture of curiosity and confusion. He could hear the shuffle of feet and the buzzing of voices as students continued to trickle in. Curious glances and speculative whispers filled the air, mixed with adolescent talkativeness.

"Ugh, do we really have to do this crap for two years? It's like they think we are new or something. Gods, I could have probably singed the hair off of the teachers face with a blast of my fire when I was in diapers, before he had even been able to scrounge up enough money for a decent elemental ability book, " a voice sneered. Vorden felt a slight tickle of awareness. The voice belonged to a boy who he later came to find was named Marcus, whose ability to generate fire was as unrefined as his attitude. He was tall, with hair that beamed red almost as vibrantly as his temper, and his presence commanded a strange respect in the room.

"Yeah, right. If you're so skilled then why aren't you teaching the class, huh? " another student chimed in, a smaller, meek looking boy with flaxen hair and deep grey eyes. He had already taken his seat near the front of the class, both of his clenched hands shook slightly as he continued to look down at his desk.

The two boys standing near Marcus exchanged glances and then shared a laugh that echoed back into the training mats. Luckily for them, the boy they were looking at was quiet and unassuming—Riven, a child with the ability to manipulate water, yet not quite at the same level as his peers, wasn't a stranger to the bullying.

Marcus smirked devilishly and the air around him got a little colder. As he started slowly moving closer to Riven he boasted "Well you see, I would... and with my connections I probably could very easily. However talent like mine is better used elsewhere. You know, in more meaningful and impactful ways. Not wasted here, being a slave to the military. My parents already made sure that I had the level 8 fire ability book, before I was even old enough to read. So I don't have to be stuck babysitting a bunch of low level hacks for scraps," Marcus was standing over Riven by the time he paused.

He looked down and noticed Riven's trembling fists. He smiled wickedly and crouched down right next to Riven's desk, so he could look directly into the boy's eyes, a gleeful look of amusement radiated off of his smug face. "Did you want to hit me, water boy? Go ahead, do it. I dare you to try. I won't even hit you back, I promise,". Marcus placed one hand in the air and the other over his heart like he was taking a solemn oath.

Riven's eyes slowly shifted to the face of his tormentor, just beside him. The sight of Marcus's obvious disdain for him and the perverse enjoyment it was obviously giving him made Riven sick to his stomach. He quickly looked away, and shook his head once.

An amused scoff was the only thing heard by the class of students, all listening intently by then. "Figures, Ah well that's just as well... wouldn't want you to injure yourself. Probably best for you to keep to your own lane. You know, the one that's more your speed," Marcus stood up from Riven's side and started to walk back to his own desk. With a dejected chuckle he spat words at Riven from the side of his mouth. "Better stick to punching practice dummies," Marcus goaded, pointing dismissively.

A few tears silently streamed down Riven's face as he slumped lower in his seat. Trying to keep his face blocked from view he looked down. Marcus took his seat at the back of the class and before they could turn away to join their comrade, one of them noticed the tears glistening on Riven's cheek. A dark haired boy with pointy facial features called Nickel, the shorter of the two friends that had been at Marcus's side, added to the tense exchange. "Wouldn't want you to choke on your own tears," the cold voice of the other student chimed. That student Vorden would later discover also wielded the ability to manipulate water. However his ability was at a much higher level than Riven's. A fact that made his seemingly mild chide much more insidious.

Vorden felt an involuntary clenching of his jaw. The darkness swirling among the kids reminded him of the battles he had fought in. He had been on the other side, bullied and ostracized because he didn't fit the mold or because he outright opposed it. It was time to intervene. With a sudden flick of will, Vorden dropped the invisibility.