First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess

The academy wasn’t quiet.

By the time Xavier left the dean’s office, whispers were already snaking through every hallway like static in the air. News spread faster than fire in a dry forest — and Xavier? He was the explosion that set the whole place ablaze.

Every screen, every feed, every student’s device was flashing the same thing:

[#XAVIER_DESTROYED_LUCAS] — 12.8M shares

[The Man Who Shut Down the Blackwoods]

[New Icon of the global rise?]

[Money. Power. Looks. Xavier has it all?]

Every step he took back to class turned heads.

He wasn’t just that ”new guy” anymore.

He was the guy.

Some froze when they saw him, wide-eyed, whispering behind hands like schoolgirls watching a K-pop idol. Some pretended to look away but were obviously filming. Even the staff looked... tense.

He walked back into his classroom.

It was dead quiet.

And then came the lunch break.

Oliver — his best buddy, resident loudmouth, and the only one who’d ever talked to him like a normal person — gave a low whistle.

”Dude. You come back from a meeting with the dean like that?”

Xavier pulled his chair back, sat down like it was any other day.

”Like what?”

”Like you just slapped God and walked away,” Oliver muttered. ”You’ve gone full legend mode now. Global feeds. Trending top 3. Half the girls in the academy bookmarked your profile. Even my crush messaged me asking if I knew you.”

Xavier cracked a smirk.

Then came chaos.

Xavier barely sat on his chair in the cafeteria before the crowd started forming. Students from every year, were already there waiting with phones out. Like they’d sniffed him out ahead of time.

Flash.

Flash.

”Xavier! Can I get a quick pic?”

”Please! My sister’s a huge fan!”

”Wait—can you say ’Blackwoods are clowns’ for my story?!”

Girls leaned in close, hoping for that perfect selfie. Boys gave him nervous daps and pretended like they weren’t starstruck. Some just stared at him from afar with a strange mix of awe and fear, like watching a new king take his throne.

Xavier stood there, calm and unmoved.

He let them take the pics. He didn’t pose. He didn’t smile. He didn’t need to.

He just was.

Oliver squeezed in beside him with his tray, nearly getting elbowed by a tall blonde girl trying to snap a selfie.

He leaned in. ”Bro... I knew you were trending, but this? Overnight icon status? You’ve become a damn brand. Just don’t forget me when you’re ruling the galaxy or something, alright?”

Xavier looked at him. ”I’ll forget you the moment you say something dumb.”

Oliver looked mock-offended. ”So... by tonight?”

Xavier grinned. ”Probably.”

The break ended.

Classes resumed.

But no one was really paying attention. Not the students. Not even the instructors. They were too busy pretending they weren’t sneaking glances at the front row, where Xavier sat—casual, bored, and way too composed for someone who’d flipped the academy upside down just a few hours ago.

Even the system boards were going haywire with notifications.

By the time school ended, the whole city probably knew his name.

Outside the gates, Xavier leaned against his bike, visor half-down, arms crossed, while Oliver jogged toward him with his bag bouncing behind.

”Yo!” Oliver huffed. ”Just got a message from Requiem. He said... and I quote, ’My daughter’s surgery was a success. I would like to meet you two at the hospital.’”

Xavier nodded once, wordless.

They hopped onto the bike, and a few seconds later, the roar of the engine broke the silence as the two zipped off toward the private med center in the mid-sector.

—

The hospital was sharp, sterile, and cold. But Requiem was waiting right at the entrance. He looked different. A little less intense. Like a weight had been cut off his back.

”Xavier.” His voice was low but firm. ”Come in.”

Inside, a few doctors nodded respectfully as they passed, eyes dropping the moment Xavier met their gaze. Requiem led them to a lounge by the recovery wing, where a monitor displayed vitals and a soft beeping filled the air.

”She’s stable,” Requiem said. ”The best team on this floor worked on her. You made that possible.”

Xavier tilted his head. ”You don’t have to thank me.”

But Requiem stepped forward, placing a fist against his own chest. ”You saved her life. That makes you family. If you ever need anything, anything at all... I will be there. No questions. No debt. Just say the word.”

Oliver blinked. ”...Damn. Can I get adopted too?”

Requiem cracked a rare smirk. ”Once she’s discharged, I want to invite you both to my house. A proper dinner. My way of saying thank you.”

Then he paused. ”Also... there’s something I’ve been building. For you.”

Xavier narrowed his eyes. ”Building?”

Requiem pulled out his tablet and flicked through a few holo-tabs. Then he turned the screen toward Xavier.

It was a picture.

A massive humanoid figure—stitched together from spare android cores, decommissioned battle mechs, and combat droids. Raw, rugged, armored to the teeth. A beast.

”I used every part I could salvage from my years as a space mercenary,” Requiem said. ”Still needs final touches. But when it’s done... it’ll follow you like a shadow. I’ll even give it a skin, make it blend in. Won’t just be a war machine. It’ll be a symbol.”

Xavier stared at the image for a beat.

Then let out a low whistle. ”You really didn’t have to do all this.”

Requiem looked him in the eye. ”But I wanted to.”

[Daily task completed!]

—

After the visit, Xavier dropped Oliver off at the gates of the massive estate.

”See ya!”

Xavier revved his bike again and took off, the wind slicing past as he made his way back to the tower.

The moment he reached the Nexus Tower and stepped out of the elevator on the 55th floor, everything was still. Quiet.

His apartment door slid open with a hiss.

Inside, the lights turned on automatically. A soft glow bathed the sleek black floors. The city’s neon skyline stretched outside the glass wall like a dream.

He walked to the window and stared out at the world below.

He wasn’t just some rich kid anymore.

He wasn’t even just a rising name.

”Xavier?” it was Lyra’s voice.

She rushed out from the hallway in a loose oversized shirt, barefoot, ears twitching. ”Where were you last night?! Why didn’t you come home?!” Her tone wasn’t angry. It was something else. Worry. Panic. Maybe even... abandonment.

He looked at her. ”Something came up.”

”That’s not an answer!” she puffed up, lips tight. ”You didn’t even send a message. I thought— I thought something happened to you. You always come back...”

Before Xavier could reply, Lilia stepped out of her room, arms crossed, expression smug. ”Relax, Lyra. Our dear Xavier probably spent the night with a new girl. That’s what city life does to men like him. Give him a taste of power, and they start collecting women like souvenirs.”

Lyra blinked. ”...Souvenirs?”

Xavier shot her a glance. ”You done?”

Lilia ignored him and stretched her arms over her head. ”So. The VR stream. You broke the internet, huh? Half the academy’s feeding off the drama, the other half is kneeling in your fanclub.”

Lyra’s eyes lit up. ”Everyone’s talking about it! You were so cool! Especially when that Lucas guy—!”

She paused.

”...Wait, I’m hungry.”

Xavier raised a brow. ”That escalated quick.”

Lilia yawned. ”Let’s go down to Seraphina’s. I’m not eating delivery trash again.”

The three went to the tenth floor.

The restaurant was quiet, sleek, and only open for every tenant of Nexus Tower. That meant barely anyone.

They were seated immediately.

Moments later, trays began arriving—soft bread, seared crystal-beef, smoked flakes, honeyed rice, floating cubes of gelfruit. It wasn’t even on the menu.

Lilia glanced up. ”Where’s Seraphina? She usually comes out to talk.”

The waiter gave a sheepish smile. ”She’s... in the back. Preparing a special meal.”

Lilia blinked. ”For who?”

Just then, Seraphina emerged from the kitchen.

Her usual grace was still there, but her face was flushed. She carried a tray in both hands, walking carefully, not looking up.

She reached Xavier’s side and gently placed the dish in front of him—an elegant plate with perfect balance and garnishing. Subtle steam rose from the bowl. It smelled like heaven.

”It’s... for you,” she murmured.

Xavier nodded. ”Thanks.”

Her cheeks burned deeper. She turned around quickly and walked back, nearly bumping into the doorway.

Lyra kept chewing with her cheeks puffed like a squirrel, completely unfazed.

Lilia, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.

”...Interesting.”

”So,” Lilia said, stabbing a glowing fruit cube with her fork. ”How was your first night as a celebrity?”

Xavier leaned back. ”Loud. Got fifty sponsor offers before breakfast.”

Lyra blinked. ”What’s a sponsor?”

”People who want to pay me to exist.”

”Oh...”

She looked genuinely confused, then just shrugged and kept munching.

Lilia sipped her drink, eyeing him from across the table. ”So what happens now? Billboards? Modeling gigs? Maybe a full movie deal with ’The Legend of Xavier’ in big golden letters?”

Xavier looked at her. ”You’re jealous.”

She smiled. ”I’m hungry for drama. Big difference.”

Lyra wiped her mouth with a napkin. ”Can we come next time when you do something cool?”

Xavier chuckled. ”You mean when I ruin someone else’s life?”

She nodded without hesitation.

The conversation drifted into nothing serious—random comments, a few jokes, Lyra’s accidental burp that made Lilia laugh harder than she should’ve. Seraphina never returned to their table, though a few more dishes came out, each one crafted with extra care. And every one was placed in front of Xavier first.

He didn’t comment. But he noticed.

Eventually, they stood and left.