THE CHOSEN ERROR

Chapter 2: The First Kill

Aiden stepped into the light, the flickering flames casting shadows across his face. Water dripped from his soaked hoodie, the fabric clinging to his thin frame like a shroud. Rook turned, squinting. His face twisted in disbelief. “Cross?” Aiden said nothing. “You’re supposed to be dead!” the man in the coat hissed, pulling something from his jacket a compact shockblade. Rook took a step back. “Wait wait, what the hell is going on?!”

[MISSION UPDATE: Choose Your Path

Option 1: Confront – No Kill
Option 2: Eliminate Target – Reward: Combat Ability: "Pulse Strike" (Tier 1)

The options hovered in Aiden’s mind, pulsing red and white. He stared at Rook. The man who laughed when Aiden passed out from exhaustion. Who docked his pay for “attitude.” Who stood by and watched his dignity get stripped every single day. And now… plotted to kill him. “I don’t want trouble,” Aiden said, voice low. “Too late,” the coat-man snarled and lunged, blade flashing.

WARNING: Incoming Attack – Evasive Protocol Suggested

Instinct not training took over. Aiden ducked, the blade slicing through air where his neck had been a second earlier. Time slowed. His vision shifted lines, vectors, probabilities. The system was showing him how to move. He struck. Not with skill. With raw, desperate violence. His fist connected with the attacker’s throat. A sickening crunch. The man dropped, gasping, eyes wide. Rook froze, trembling. “You you freak!” Optional Task: Eliminate Target – Rook Target Now Vulnerable

[REWARD: "Pulse Strike" Available if Executed Within 20 Seconds]

Twenty seconds. Aiden’s heart pounded. His hands trembled. He looked down at the attacker, now unconscious. One hit. He was stronger. Rook scrambled backward on hands and knees, slipping in the rain. “I didn’t mean for you to die, I swear!” he babbled. “It it wasn’t me! He said it was just a scare!” Aiden stood over him. The option pulsed red. “He was ready to kill you,” the deeper voice inside him whispered. “He still would. Are you going to let him walk away?” The flames behind them popped. Somewhere in the distance, sirens were closing in. Rook was sobbing now. “Please… I’m sorry…” The system didn’t rush him. It waited. Still. Watching. He clenched his fist and turned away. “No.”

[OPTION DECLINED] Reward Lost: "Pulse Strike" Trait Gained: Willpower +1

The panel faded. Aiden walked away, not because he was merciful but because he didn’t want to become what they were. Behind him, Rook choked out a broken breath. Alive. For now. The alley behind the warehouse was deserted. Aiden moved through it like a ghost, the city breathing around him, unaware of what had just been born.

[SYSTEM STABILIZATION COMPLETE]

Name: Aiden Cross
Level: 1
Tier: Civilian-Class Host
Attributes Unlocked:

– Strength +2

– Reflex +3

– Willpower +1

Next Mission Available:

Task: Trace the Source Investigate the System's Origin

Task: Daily Struggle  Survive 7 More Days

System Commentary:“You survived. Not bad… for a human.” Aiden exhaled. “You're real.” “You made me real.” The voice wasn’t kind. Or cruel. Just...

there. Like the city. Like gravity. He didn’t go home. Not that his “home” was worth going back to just a roach-infested room over a pawnshop, a leaky ceiling, and a broken space heater.

Instead, he found himself walking to an old overpass on the edge of town somewhere he used to go as a kid to escape his father’s rage. It was abandoned now. Forgotten. Like him.

Aiden sat on a concrete ledge, the rain easing into a steady drizzle. The city glittered in the distance, so close and yet unreachable. His hands were still shaking. Not from fear. From adrenaline. He had made a choice. And the system… respected it.

Somewhere beneath all the trauma, he felt a spark. Control. For the first time in his life, he’d stood between life and death and decided what kind of man he wanted to be. He didn’t kill Rook. Not because he couldn’t. Because he chose not to. But next time...

He didn’t know if the choice would be that easy. Hours passed. He dozed off for a while, then woke to the sound of footsteps. Someone was approaching. A girl late twenties, raincoat, sharp eyes. Not police. Not warehouse crew. She stopped several feet away, hands raised. “I’m not here to hurt you.

” Aiden rose slowly. “Who are you?” She pulled something from her coat a small silver badge. Not law enforcement. Something different.

“Name’s Rhea. I’m a Monitor.” “Monitor?” “For system-affected individuals. Like you.” Aiden’s heart thudded. She glanced at the faint glow still hovering behind his eyes. “You’re still unstable. New users usually are.” “Is this a government thing?” “Not exactly.” “Then who do you work for?” She smiled slightly. “That’s complicated.”

SYSTEM ALERT: Unknown Entity Detected – Potential Ally / Risk

Do Not Reveal System Details Without Caution

Aiden stepped back. “What do you want?” Rhea’s smile faded. “I came to warn you. You survived activation. That means others will notice. Not everyone is as… restrained as you.” “Others?” “There are more like you, Aiden. Some awakened. Some chosen. Some… corrupted.” His blood ran cold. “How many?” “Too many.”