Note: Mature Content (Mention of Suicidal Thought) He frantically gazed at his family back and forth, waiting for them to move, even just for a little bit. But all he received was aching eyes. So, he closed his eyes again, relieved that he’s the next to be killed.

He found peace in the darkness he saw; he found comfort in the silence he heard, but all he could feel was sadness. 

As the youngest, he had always feared that he’d outlive his family, but to think that they would be forcefully taken away from him… it was just unbelievable.

The grief, disbelief, rage, and overwhelming desire to kill the man who killed his entire family were the only emotions he felt. But the intensity of it all was unbearable, even for Ley.

In an instant, as he was overwhelmed by his emotions, Ley remained frozen in his seat, closing his eyes, and turning his head down, all while a hollow expression remained in his face.

The leader observed Ley with caution and concern as he worriedly and cautiously warned the three others. “It’s happening.” And as they slowly distanced themselves, they kept their eyes on him, watching as he began the phase of his awakening.

The four figures were agents that belonged to an organization that called itself White Trigger. It is a global force dedicated to eradicating those who are with superpowers, individually called Triggers.

Only a sample of the population possesses the capacity to become an awakened trigger, also known as a pre-awakened trigger or a potential trigger. When a potential trigger undergoes the awakening phase, a lethal phenomenon called the Mist of Death occurs.

The awakening is when the potential trigger’s body releases an outburst of black mist that instantly kills exposed humans within a fifty-meter range. A common occurrence that the organization uncovered and studied, yet the four agents standing near Ley expected something different.

As they continued observing Ley, they noticed that his body began to release the black mist, but it was slow, gentle, and prolonged, something that contradicted the organization’s knowledge.

The organization invented a technology designed to prevent an outburst of mist from killing humans called the Mist Siphoner Glove. Its whole purpose is to forcefully absorb the black mist inside the triggers’ bodies, but in doing so, their life force is also absorbed, causing them to die.

The four agents that stood before Ley were no low-ranking agents; each of them held a significant position, with one agent exceeding all titles there were. R was the one who killed Ley’s entire family; he’s also the head of White Triggers. Alongside him are his three department heads—Proxima, Tract, and Attara.

R and Attara stood near Ley and his mist, while Proxima and Tract backed away. As the two began absorbing the mist, with R on Ley’s left and Attara on his right, Attara struggled to keep up with the absorption. Noticing her struggle, R ordered her to stay with the other two, taking on the absorption all by himself.

The leaked mist ceased after a full minute of it being absorbed had passed; it was then that Ley’s body reabsorbed the mist, marking the completion of his awakening. But just as the mist disappeared, so did Ley’s consciousness along with it, causing him to fall back from the separate seat the agents had placed him in.

An unfortunate downside comes with absorbing an enormous amount of mist, and that is the decaying effect it gives to the exposed human flesh, which in this case was R’s right hand. The silent wince he uttered caused the other three to worry.

“Hey, boss. You okay?” Tract worriedly asked, though he was answered by R’s silence as he briefly lifted the glove, only for the ungloving to reveal the decaying flesh of his hand. R, seeing the current decaying state of his hand, assured them as the leader. “This is expected. Don’t worry about me.”

But even with his assurance, their worries remained, and they knew that their tasks weren’t done yet, so they knew not to waste any more time. With one exchanged nod from R, Proxima immediately left the living room and started searching the streets, scouting for potential eyewitnesses.

“No eyewitnesses. The residents—neighbors included—are at a celebratory party far from here." Proxima reported her findings, allowing R to express his relief, turning to Tract. “Perfect. Your turn now.”

On the outside of the street, six funeral cars were parked, lining up on the road of the village, and each car was built with a black coffin padded with foam for comfort. In five minutes, Tract’s mission to place every member of the Rych family onto the coffins was hastily completed.

The five cars loaded with the Rych family’s bodies except Ley were instructed by Tract on R’s orders to go on first. Which the four high-ranking agents followed in pursuit in their car, loaded with the coffin that had Ley’s body inside it. 

R sat in the front passenger seat, where his three department heads sat in the back, while a low-ranking agent drove the car. But before the car’s engine started, R relayed his order to Attara. “I want the house purchased and cleaned.”

It didn’t matter which cars were first to drive, after all they all had one common destination, which was the White Trigger headquarters in the capital of the Philippines, Manila.

While the road was overcrowded with cars and excessive lights, the four agents remained unbothered as they expected and knew that traffic would expand their expected and estimated travel time.

… 

Three hours later. 11:10 PM, December 10, 2023.

In an instant they arrived at the Philippines headquarters; they immediately hopped onto the organization’s private jet to travel to their final destination, Canada’s headquarters in Ottawa.

…

Fifteen hours later. 1:10 AM, December 11, 2023.

The second they stepped foot at Canada’s headquarters, low-ranking agents greeted them with an order they already expected, which was to bring Ley’s coffin and place it into the trigger containment room—a room whose walls are white, padded, and clinical.

R made sure of the process as he watched the low-ranking agents carefully and gently bring Ley’s black coffin from the landing pad to the inside of the room, where they delicately placed Ley’s sleeping body onto the bed.

Proxima, Tract, and Attara stood behind R, accompanying him as they watched the process with him outside the room’s viewing glass. As they finally saw Ley gently sleeping in bed, R ordered the three, dismissing them in the process. “Proxima will handle Ley’s papers. Tract will inform the selected agents. And Attara will handle the Rych residence and Ley’s migration.”

Hearing their orders, the three stepped outside, leaving R completely alone as he stood behind the room’s glass, watching Ley. As he completely removes the mask, his eyes wander in concern, staring at Ley. Wearing this mask is really bothersome, but it doesn’t even compare to the amount of suffering I will endure for you, Ley. 

With the mask finally off, R whispered his goodbye to ready himself for a rest, blurring the glass with his exhale as he stood close to it. “I hope you become as powerful as you should be. For my sake.”  Author's Note: You are finally done reading the first chapter of The Wind To Your Mist! Hope you enjoyed it!