First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 487: Toolkit

Xavier stayed on the balcony, one hand resting on the rail, the other holding the device steady as the stream rolled on.

"After they let me out," he said, "I came to Helior Prime. That’s where I am right now. I figured if I stayed somewhere public, nothing stupid would happen."

The chat reacted instantly, comments stacking on top of each other.

HELIOR PRIME??

BRO THAT PLACE IS INSANE

WHICH HOTEL?!

Xavier glanced off to the side like he’d already said too much. "I mean—" he paused, then gave a small laugh. "Doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have said that. Ignore it."

Arlen’s grip on her phone tightened. She knew that pause. She knew the way he’d let it slip just enough to look human, careless, younger than he really was. He hadn’t made a mistake. He’d planted something.

Xavier went on before the chat could spiral too hard.

"When I got here," he said, "I found out something else. There’s a bounty out on Reva and Lyra, and my other friends."

The comments slowed, confusion cutting through the noise.

YES! WE KNOW!

ON THEM?? WHY

WHO PUT IT OUT

HOW COME YOU GUYS DON’T KNOW?! IT’S ALL OVER JUPITER!

BRO NOT EVERYONE IS FROM JUPITER LIKE YOU!

"Some guy named Kylus," Xavier continued. "Apparently he’s a big deal here. Strongest mercenary on Jupiter, that’s what people say."

Arlen almost laughed. Almost.

Xavier let his shoulders slump slightly, selling it. "And look, I’m just... I’m not built for this. I’m human. Normal human. I passed out from stress a few days ago. I don’t even know how I’m still standing most days."

The chat exploded in protest.

NO YOU’RE NOT WEAK

DON’T SAY THAT

YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH HELL

He shook his head slowly. "No. I am weak. Compared to people like him, I don’t stand a chance. I don’t have armies. I don’t have connections. All I have is the fact that they’re my people."

Arlen stared at the screen, jaw tight, watching him fold himself smaller on purpose.

"But I’m still going to try," Xavier said. "I’m going to get Reva and Lyra back. I don’t care what happens to me. If Kylus wants me dead for it, then that’s fine."

That did it.

The chat detonated.

WE’VE GOT YOU

TOUCH THEM AND IT’S WAR

I WORK AT A DEFENSE CORP, I’LL MAKE CALLS

MY UNCLE RUNS LOGISTICS ON JUPITER

DON’T WORRY X, WE’LL HANDLE KYLUS

Messages blurred together, people offering money, influence, threats, leverage. Some claimed corporate ties. Others claimed political reach. A few outright talked about mobilizing resources, freezing accounts, spreading names.

Arlen’s stomach sank.

She knew what he was doing now.

Xavier raised his hand again, trying to calm them, telling them not to do anything reckless, that violence wasn’t the answer, that he didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of him. The words sounded sincere. They always did.

Inside the room, Arlen lowered the phone slowly and looked toward the balcony door.

He was pulling a city into motion without firing a shot.

He was turning millions of eyes into pressure, turning concern into leverage, turning his fans into a shield and a weapon at the same time. And he was doing it with a soft voice and a story about being weak.

Arlen sat there in silence, the jacket wrapped tight around her, watching the man she thought she knew speak to the world like it belonged to him, and realizing with a quiet ache that this version of Xavier was just as dangerous as the one who walked into the Aurex Club alone.

Xavier let the tension bleed out of the stream without making a point of it.

"Alright," he said, glancing at the comment flow like he was skimming a crowd instead of a screen. "Enough heavy stuff for tonight."

The chat resisted immediately.

DON’T GO YET

ARE YOU SAFE RIGHT NOW

PLEASE SLEEP BRO

He smiled faintly and scrolled back a little, reading aloud instead of steering.

"Someone’s asking if Jupiter food is overrated," he said. "Yeah. Mostly. There are exceptions, but if you’re expecting magic, you’re going to be disappointed."

Messages stacked again.

WHAT ABOUT THE SKY

DOES IT LOOK REAL

SHOW US SOMETHING

"I can’t show much," Xavier replied. "Rules. And also I don’t want to get kicked out of wherever I’m staying."

That earned laughter, text and emojis flooding in.

He picked another comment at random. "Yes, I’m eating properly. No, I’m not skipping sleep on purpose. And no, I’m not secretly an alien. Please stop asking that."

More laughter.

The tone softened, the weight easing just enough to feel intentional. He thanked people for staying, told them not to spiral, told them he’d update when there was something real to say instead of rumors. The chat slowed reluctantly, clinging to the moment.

"Alright," Xavier said finally. "That’s it for tonight. Take care of yourselves. Don’t do anything stupid for me."

He ended the stream.

The device dimmed, the balcony quiet returning all at once.

Xavier stood there for a moment longer, then stepped back inside.

Arlen sat on the bed, jacket still around her shoulders, posture stiff, phone resting loosely in her hand. Their eyes met across the room, but neither of them spoke. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Xavier looked away first and reached for a clean shirt, pulling it on over skin that still smelled faintly of blood despite the quick wash. He rolled his shoulders once, already thinking about the shower, about heat and water, and scrubbing everything off.

He turned toward the bathroom.

"What do you think of them?" she asked.

Arlen’s voice stopped him. Xavier paused but didn’t turn around.

"Your fans," she continued. "Do you actually care about them? Do you value them? Or are they just tools to you?"

He stayed where he was.

"You talk about conquest," Arlen said, the words steady but edged. "You talk about breaking systems and taking things apart. Are they part of that too? Just another lever you pull when you need pressure?"

Xavier didn’t answer.

She pushed on anyway. "Are you sincere about anything, or is everything just something you use to get what you want? Because that’s what it looks like from here."

He reached the bathroom door.

"And do you ever think about what happens when they see you clearly?" Arlen added. "When they figure out who you actually are. Do you think they’ll still love you? Or do you think they’ll turn on you and become the loudest enemies you’ve ever made?"

Xavier opened the door.

He didn’t look back. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t defend himself.

He stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him, the sound of the lock clicking into place louder than it needed to be, leaving Arlen alone with the question he hadn’t bothered to answer.