First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess

The next morning sunlight bled through the blinds, warm against his face. He dragged himself up, showered quick, and threw on something casual. Lilia and Lyra were already waiting, both oddly cheerful considering the late night. They walked together to Seraphina’s restaurant, the familiar scent of roasted meat and fresh bread filling the air the second they stepped in.

Seraphina greeted them with that easy smile of hers, hands on her hips. ”You three look alive, somehow. Thought you’d be passed out until noon.”

Breakfast was loud, warm, and messy. Lilia had her usual endless appetite, Lyra picked at things more carefully, and Xavier sat back, sipping coffee, listening to their chatter. For a moment, it almost felt normal.

After they finished, Xavier checked the time and sighed. The academy loomed over his schedule, but his body was still sore and the bruises ached when he moved. He pulled out his comm and called in, voice flat.

”Yeah, it’s Xavier. I won’t be showing up today. Injuries. Patch me in remote if anything urgent comes up.”

No arguments. He hung up, slid his comm back into his pocket, and flagged a taxi.

Lilia tilted her head. ”Not going to the academy?”

”No. Somewhere better,” Xavier muttered.

The ride wasn’t long, city towers flashing past the window until neon signs began to creep into view. The cab slowed, dropping him at the curb of a familiar building. The club’s exterior was all chrome and tinted glass, music faintly thumping through the walls even in daylight.

Inside, the usual haze of perfume, alcohol, and neon wrapped around him. He ignored the dancers, the staff, the curious looks, and walked straight toward the upper floor. Past the velvet ropes. Past the guarded door.

Angel’s room.

He knocked once and the door slid open like it had been expecting him. Angel stood there barefoot, hair loose, dressed in something casual but still sharp enough to cut. She gave him a look, half amused, half unreadable.

”You really ditched the academy just to come here?” she asked, stepping aside so he could enter.

Xavier walked past her without answering, his eyes scanning the sleek interior of her private suite.

Xavier dropped himself into the sofa like he owned the place, stretching his legs out. ”. I just know where my time’s worth more. That school can wait. I don’t need to go there anyway. You, on the other hand—” he tilted his head at her ”—owe me answers.”

Angel smirked, walking over to the low glass table and placing a datapad down with a tap. ”I figured you’d say that. Good thing I came prepared. Here’s the breakdown.”

Xavier glanced at the glowing figures scrolling across the screen.

”You gave me five hundred million,” Angel said, sliding her hand across the display so the numbers separated neatly into categories. ”I stretched it as far as I could. Thirty million on weapons—custom stuff, high grade, the kind you won’t find in some back alley shop. A hundred and ten million on bots and drones. Pricey, yes, but you asked for quality.”

Xavier snorted. ”Quality, huh? Half of those tin cans went down like paper when things got hot. If that’s quality, I’m curious what cheap looks like.”

Angel raised an eyebrow. ”Do I look like the one flying them into walls? Don’t blame me for bad piloting.”

”Excuses.” Xavier smirked but didn’t push it. He kept scrolling.

”Ten million for extras—ammo, mod parts, transport fees, secure delivery. Another three million for... let’s call it ’fees and favors’.”

”Bribes,” Xavier muttered.

She didn’t deny it, just smiled. ”Two hundred million for your new car. It’s not just a ride, Xavier—it’s a beast. The kind of machine that makes everyone else jealous just hearing it hum.”

He leaned back, letting out a low whistle. ”Yeah, that one I don’t regret.”

”Some other minor purchases, adjustments here and there. That leaves...” Angel flicked the numbers again, and a balance of ninety million hovered in the air. ”...unspent. Ninety million untouched. Question is—do you want it back, or should I hold onto it?”

Xavier didn’t even hesitate. He leaned forward, plucking the datapad from her hand and tossing it back onto the table. ”Keep it. Buy something for me when I need it. Something useful. Don’t make me think about the change.”

Angel blinked, then chuckled, sitting down across from him. ”That’s dangerous, you know. Giving me a blank check.”

”Dangerous is what you’re good at.” He smirked.

Her grin widened. ”Always.”

Angel crossed one leg over the other, still lounging back but her eyes sharp. ”Oh, and speaking of waste...” she tilted her head, watching Xavier. ”Everything the scavengers stripped from that fight site? Already being processed.”

Xavier’s brow arched. ”Everything?”

”Everything.” She counted off on her fingers. ”The wrecked drones, busted bots, the scrap metal they tore apart. The weapons you dropped, spent mags, cracked armor plates, even the scorched parts of that spaceship. Engines, navigation cores, shielding nodes, and gods know what other junk those vultures pried out. Hell, they even dragged away fragments of your car wreck.”

Xavier let out a short laugh. ”People really will sell anything.”

”They will. And they will make good money out of it.” Angel leaned forward, smirk curving at her lips. ”The haul’s headed for liquidation. Everything gets funneled through the network, and the credits will be transferred to Jason. From there, it trickles back into our side.”

”Meaning I get my cut,” Xavier said flatly.

Angel nodded. ”Exactly. Nothing gets lost.” Then she paused, tone dipping just a little darker. ”And not only that... you’re about to get your first real invitation.”

Xavier tilted his head. ”To?”

Her grin widened, sharp as glass. ”The underworld auction.”

The room went quiet for a moment, except for the loud music and bass downstairs..

Xavier leaned back, expression unreadable but his eyes lit with a dangerous glint. ”An auction, huh?”

”Not just an auction,” Angel corrected. ”The auction. Anything and everything gets sold there—blacklisted weapons, alien artifacts, biotech mods, restricted AIs, slaves, memories ripped out of people’s heads and bottled up... even souls, if you believe the rumors. Some of it that you can’t even find on the black market,” She chuckled under her breath. ”And now, they want you to see it firsthand.”

Xavier smirked, tapping his fingers on the armrest. ”Sounds like fun.”

Angel’s grin didn’t fade. ”It’s not fun. It’s dangerous. Eyes will be on you. But... if you play your cards right, you could walk out of there with more than just toys.”