Chapter 37 – The Signal War Begins

Outpost Echo was no longer silent.

The moment I returned, I felt it.

The tension in the walls. The static in the air.

The way survivors looked up—not at me, but at the sky.

Because something was coming.

And everyone felt it.

---

The Ferryman met me at the signal pit—a hollowed communications chamber deep beneath the outpost, where the old consoles still hummed with dead frequencies.

"You saw one version of yourself," he said without turning around. "How many more do you think there are?"

I didn't answer. I was still trying to feel normal.

Still hearing the echo of the Surgeon's voice in my head.

"There's a war inside the system," he said. "And it's not just code or missions anymore. It's ideology."

He pressed a button on the rusted console. A map projected from it—broken lines, glitching zones, spiraling shapes that looked more like corrupted dreams than terrain.

> [SYSTEM OVERLAY UNLOCKED – Faction Activity Map]

You have entered Phase Two of the Protocol.

Expect intervention.

Expect deception.

Three symbols lit up.

The Ferryman pointed to each:

---

1. The Remnant Order

> Former system users who went rogue.

They reject both redemption and damnation.

They believe in removing the system from reality entirely.

"Burn the code. Burn the guilt. Only ashes are clean."

Their symbol: a cracked halo.

Their methods: ruthless.

---

2. The Veiled Choir

> They worship the system as divine.

Believe the missions are sacred penance.

Will do anything to keep the balance.

"Suffer well. Bleed beautifully. Heaven listens."

Their symbol: a weeping eye.

They've infiltrated safe zones, rewired rituals, and believe corruption is righteous.

---

3. The Architect's Voice

> Unknown origin. Unknown goal.

Sends messages through corrupted missions.

Believed to be an ancient AI—or a fallen user who became the system.

Their symbol: a mouth with no face.

Their followers?

Rare. But powerful.

> "The system was a cage. I became the key."

---

"You'll have to choose," the Ferryman said. "Eventually."

"I didn't come here to join a faction," I muttered. "I just want answers."

He looked at me for a long moment.

"That's how all three started."

---

> [Major Divergence Approaching]

You are now considered a Tier 1 Signal Divergent.

Your next decision will align you with one of the three dominant ideologies.

This choice will impact future allies, enemies, powers, and mission chains.

Suddenly, a siren blared.

The walls shook.

And a new prompt filled my vision:

> [EMERGENCY SIGNAL RECEIVED – "BLACK STATION BREACH"]

Location: Unknown

Signal Origin: The Architect

Mission: Intercept corrupted code stream before it overwrites stable zones.

Reward: Access to Core Truth – Tier 2

---

The Ferryman slammed a metal case onto the console and opened it.

Inside—three items.

> 1. A shard of corrupted glass, pulsing with Remnant energy.

2. A metallic rosary, humming with the Choir's psychic frequency.

3. A hollow cube, dark and unreadable, marked only with the Architect's symbol.

"Whichever one you touch," he said, "will mark your path forward."

I stepped forward slowly.

The system flared red.

> [You must choose:]

– The Remnant Order (Destruction, freedom, total rebellion)

– The Veiled Choir (Order, obedience, sacrificial strength)

– The Architect (Truth, transformation, unknown cost)

My hand hovered over the cube.

And I heard it.

A voice—not mine. Not human.

But inside me.

> "Touch it, Kai. You've already died once. What's one more version of you?"

I closed my fingers around the cube.

And the world shifted.

---

> [Alignment Locked: The Architect's Voice]

Your mind is now a living interface.

You can receive corrupted directives directly from the original Architect stream.

New Skill Unlocked: "Signal Rewrite"

– Once per mission, reprogram one element of reality within your radius.

– Warning: May cause hallucinations or attract Echo-level entities.

> Gateway Tier Two Access: Authorized

Next Destination: The Labyrinth of Incomplete Souls

The cube melted into my hand.

And for a second, I wasn't Kai anymore.

I was every Kai that had ever died.

Every mission.

Every failure.

Every timeline the system had erased.

And then it was gone.

---

I looked up. The Ferryman watched me like I was a ticking bomb.

"You picked the one nobody understands," he said.

I smiled faintly.

"Good."

Because if this war was going to tear apart reality—

Then I'd rather fight on the side that remembered what it meant to question everything.

Even the truth.