The sun hadn’t even reached its full glow when Xavier opened his eyes. The room was silent, draped in soft gold light seeping through the panoramic windows of apartnt PP 69. Nexus Tower stood tall and still outside, like a sleeping god in a city that never really rested.
Xavier yawned, rolled his neck, and got up. The bathroom lights auto-flicked on the mont he stepped in. Steam rose from the tub as warm water filled it with a soft hum.
He slipped in, exhaled, and brought up the System screen with a thought.
[Unlimited Money System – Level 6]
Daily Transaction Limit: $5,000,000
Next Upgrade: Level 7 – $10,000,000/day
Xavier smirked.
Then, with a flick, he opened the Dinsional Store.
Currency Required: USC (Universal Space Chips)
1 USC = $300 USD
His brow twitched. Most of the items were priced in thousands—tens of thousands. So even millions. It didn’t feel right to throw cash at a system shop like so desperate whale in a gacha ga.
"Not yet," Xavier muttered, dragging a wet finger across the air. "I’ll wait for the Justice Points. I’ll be earning a few once I’m done with Lucas, Ethan, and Maxy-boy."
He closed the system screen, leaned back into the tub, and let the silence soak his thoughts for a few more minutes before getting out.
Like clockwork, Lilia and Lyra were ready at the door when he stepped out in fresh clothes. The three of them headed down for breakfast, crossing the marble lobby of Nexus Tower and entering the street café-like entrance of Seraphina’s Restaurant.
The scent of buttery eggs, coffee, and toasted bread was thick in the air. Seraphina herself was behind the counter, wearing her signature black apron over a silky white shirt, hair tied up in a sharp bun. Her gaze lifted the mont she saw them.
"Good morning, Xavier," she said with a faint smile. "Sa table?"
He nodded. "Yeah. And double espresso today. I might need it."
They sat. They ate. Talked a little. Laughed more.
Xavier had zero intention of going to the academy today. He was already ahead—ntally, physically, financially. He’d planned on maybe hitting the VR Dojo or learning a new weapon skill or language. Sothing useful.
But the mont Lilia overheard his plan, she slamd her spoon down.
"You’re not going?! Then take us out! Give us a full city tour!"
Lyra joined in. "In your new car! Please, Master. I’ve only seen the core zones. I want to see the coast and the sky bridges..."
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You two sound like tourists."
"We are!" Lilia grinned. "Let us live!"
He groaned in mock pain, glanced at Seraphina. "You in?"
Seraphina tilted her head. "Tempting, but this place won’t run itself. Besides—" she leaned in—"you wouldn’t want in the sa car with two jealous girls, would you?"
"...Fair."
Once they were done, Xavier tapped his glasses. A soft chi pinged, and the GhostRider X9 purred its way to the front entrance within seconds, clean and sleek like it had just rolled out of a dream.
The city tour began with calm music and wide-eyed wonder.
They cruised through high-sky highways, market blocks glowing with neon, the central docks, and even the floating gardens. Fans spotted them, drones hovered to record, and social dia was already flooding with #XavierOnTour hashtags.
Then, the call ca.
Reva.
Her na lit up on the dash.
Xavier picked it up lazily. "Yo."
"I’m ready for our first weekly session," her voice said, crisp and seductive.
Xavier shifted in his seat. "Now?"
"It’s in the deal, Xavier. You don’t get to postpone this."
He glanced at the girls in the back through the mirror. "I’m...kinda in the middle of sothing."
"You agreed," Reva whispered, voice lower now. "And I always collect."
Xavier cursed under his breath.
"Fine. Where are you?"
She shared her location.
"AI, plot route. Pick her up."
"Affirmative."
Xavier sighed, took the wheel himself this ti.
When they pulled up to Reva’s tower, she was already waiting—black leather skirt, sunglasses, a tight jacket hugging her figure like she was born for it. She opened the front passenger door without asking and sat beside him.
"Morning," she said, flashing a smirk.
The death glares from the back seat were sharp enough to lt steel.
Xavier didn’t react. He just started driving.
And so, the city tour beca a four-person ride... two smiling, one fuming, one pretending nothing was happening.
And Xavier?
He just leaned into the wheel and grinned.
This day was about to get even more chaotic.
The ride started out like any other—smooth, quiet, a light breeze brushing past the tinted windows. But the further they drove, the more the world began to change.
They left behind the glass towers, the hovercraft lanes, and the artificial skylights of Astraeus City. The roads thinned. Neon gave way to dirt and sun. Civilization peeled off in layers until all that remained was earth, stone, and sky.
Xavier rolled down his window.
The air was raw. Dry, but clean. Slled like grass and wind and sothing old—sothing forgotten.
The paved road ran through long stretches of hills and open plains. Wildflowers blood on the sides, waving like tiny hands in the breeze. There were no floating ads here, no scanners, no system prompts. Just silence, broken only by bird calls and the occasional hum of the engine.
Lilia stuck her head out like a kid on vacation, her snow-white hair fluttering behind her. "This feels unreal..."
Lyra rested her chin on her knees, sitting cross-legged on the seat, eyes closed as she breathed it in. "It’s like the world stopped being fake."
Even Reva, who usually leaned into elegance and control, had her boots up on the dash and shades pushed back on her head. She didn’t say anything, just watched the landscape roll by with a soft, unreadable smile.
They passed a lake where kids were swimming without any tech-suits or monitors. Just bare skin and laughter. So adults were fishing at the edge, and others barbecued under makeshift canopies, waving as the car passed. Xavier slowed down and waved back.
It was quiet joy. The kind he hadn’t felt in years.
He parked near a small hilltop and they got out. No drones. No crowds. Just endless grass beneath their shoes and an open sky above.
They ate lunch under a tree. Local food bought from a roadside vendor—simple stuff. Flatbread. Roasted at. Pickled vegetables. Lyra spilled sauce on herself. Lilia teased her. Reva tossed a napkin and told them both to shut up. Xavier laughed harder than he should have.
Ti passed.
And then, it happened.
He stood a little off the hill, watching the sun tilt slightly west... and he heard it.
A voice.
Low. Familiar. Gentle, but firm. Like a whisper inside his bones.
"Xavier..."
He froze. It was his father’s voice.
His fists clenched at his sides as a strange coldness wrapped around his spine. A silence fell over his mind, sharp and unnatural. Not fear. Not quite. But... unease.
He didn’t know if it was real. But it didn’t matter.
He turned back toward the others. His voice ca out lower than usual. "I need to go sowhere."
Lilia blinked. "What happened?"
"It’s nothing," Xavier said, trying to brush it off. "Just sothing I need to check out alone. You guys can—"
"Nope," Lyra cut in. She stood up fast, hands on hips. "You’re not going anywhere looking like that."
Reva narrowed her eyes. "Your tone changed. Sothing happened."
"We’re coming," Lilia added. "That’s final."
Xavier stared at them.
Their concern wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. But it was real. It sat in the air between them like a weight he couldn’t push off.
"...Fine," he muttered. "But don’t slow down."
They all piled back into the car, and this ti, the route curved further—away from even the smallest towns. The navigation system showed nothing but forests and yellow plains.
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