Galactic Exchange: The Merchant Sovereign-Chapter 67 – Market of Shadows

Every empire has its shadows.

And in the corners even shadows fear to reach, a different kind of market thrives—where laws do not bind, and currency is not measured in coin, but in things irreplaceable.

Memories. Time. Names. Souls.

Kairos had heard of it only in whispers.

A place called Veltraxis.

A wandering bazaar that phased between dimensions, never staying in one coordinate system for more than a day.

But now, it had surfaced.

And the next Scarlet Guild Master was inside.

Into the Fracture

"Veltraxis just tethered to the Orbis Rift," said T’rana, pulling up the pulse-reading from the quantum beacons. "You’ve got a narrow window—three hours before it blinks out of phase again."

Kairos nodded. "Do we have an ID on the Guild Master?"

Kessie’s projection flickered in.

"Codename: Morrow. No confirmed image. No fixed biological state. Believed to deal exclusively in soul trades."

"Joy," Vael muttered. "We’re dealing with an ethereal parasite."

Kairos stepped toward the transport bay. "I go alone."

"Alone?" T’rana barked. "That market isn’t just illegal—it bends reality. If you lose your name or essence—"

Kairos looked back, voice low. "Then I wasn’t strong enough to protect the Exchange."

Rules of the Bazaar

As his private skimmer phased into Veltraxis’ gravity well, Kairos saw it.

A structure suspended in void—neither space nor time, but something in between.

Massive floating islands of obsidian and iridescent glass orbited a central monolith shaped like a yawning mouth.

Lights danced like fireflies.

And shadows moved without owners.

A projection shimmered in his cockpit.

Welcome to the Market of Shadows.Rule 1: No violence.Rule 2: Everything is for trade.Rule 3: Leave more than you take.Rule 4: Time stays outside.Rule 5: You may not leave with your original soul. Proceed?

Kairos narrowed his eyes and pressed Confirm.

Veltraxis

The air here wasn’t real.

It smelled of every emotion he’d ever known.

Pain. Ambition. Regret.

Kairos stepped onto the obsidian pathway, surrounded by merchants and creatures from across dimensions—some humanoid, others made of nothing but whispering script or flickering light.

Stalls offered years of life in exchange for forgotten memories.

A fox-masked vendor held out a cage filled with laughter, each giggle stored in glowing orbs.

A crystalline being offered childhoods—yours or someone else’s.

Kairos kept walking, his Scarcity Key hidden beneath a phase-cloak.

He wasn’t a Sovereign here.

He was just another soul among many.

The Whispering Soul Vendor

Near the central monolith, Kairos found the stall.

Runes etched in ancient void-script circled its awning. At the center, a hooded figure stood behind shelves of bottled essence.

"Morrow," Kairos said flatly.

The hood turned.

The figure had no face—just a shifting fog of gold and red, constantly reshaping. frёewebnoѵēl.com

"So," it said. "You came. The Sovereign who trades in truth."

"I’m not here to bargain," Kairos said. "Only to end your operation."

Morrow tilted its head. "And yet, you stepped willingly into a market where only bargaining exists. Your presence alone is a deal."

"What do you want?"

"Your name."

Kairos chuckled bitterly. "That’s all?"

Morrow leaned forward. "Names are the first currency. Power lies in knowing."

"I’ll give you a better one," Kairos said, stepping closer. "Scarlet Master."

The air grew still.

Morrow’s voice turned sharp. "Then let’s trade."

Trade of Wills

Kairos activated the Scarcity Key under his cloak, channeling a wave of controlled pressure through the soul field.

Morrow staggered back—but did not fall.

Instead, a pulse of negation spread outward, nullifying Kairos’ pressure.

"You think Sovereign power matters here?" Morrow laughed, voice twisting into a hundred different languages. "This place isn’t bound by galactic law or worth. It bends to belief. To desire."

"I know," Kairos whispered.

From his coat, he pulled out a vial.

Inside—the Architect’s fractured core.

The data-virus from the previous Scarlet Master.

"I offer this," he said.

Morrow froze.

"The code of your rival. His memories. His failure."

The stall went silent.

"Accepted," Morrow hissed. "But you must take something in return."

Kairos didn’t hesitate.

"I want your core."

The Core of Morrow

The trade was made.

The vial vanished.

In return, Morrow extended a single, red-glowing crystal from its palm—shaped like a flame, but cool to the touch.

As Kairos grasped it, his mind reeled.

Visions. Screams. Contracts written in soulscript. Children sold. Identities erased.

And at the center—Morrow, not a being, but a collective.

A hive of broken beings merged into one form.

A market god forged from endless regrets.

Kairos stumbled.

But he held firm.

"I will burn your name," he said. "Every soul you bound—I will free them."

Collapse of the Bazaar

The market trembled.

Morrow let out a scream—not of pain, but of defiance.

"You broke the Rule of Fifth," it hissed. "You are leaving with your original soul. That is not allowed."

Kairos held up the Scarcity Key.

"I’m not leaving with just mine. I’m taking every soul you stole."

With a flick of his wrist, he released the decryption cascade from the Architect’s fragment—intertwined with the Scarcity Key’s trade logic.

The market lights burst.

The cages of memory, laughter, essence—shattered.

And a thousand voices screamed in release.

Back to Reality

Kairos barely made it to the extraction point as Veltraxis began to phase out of reality.

The monolith imploded.

The obsidian ground fractured.

Behind him, Morrow shrieked—its form unraveling into golden mist.

The Free Exchange’s star beacon pulled him back.

Seconds later, Veltraxis vanished into the void once more.

But not before Kairos whispered:

"Trade in lies... and you’ll be bought by truth."

Return and Consequences

Back aboard the Unyielding Trust, Kairos collapsed into the recovery chamber.

Kessie monitored vitals. T’rana paced.

"Report," he rasped.

"You did it," Vael said softly. "Morrow’s network is gone. Souls are returning. Guild influence in the Orbis Rift has collapsed."

"And... the cost?" Kairos asked.

Kessie hesitated.

"Your Name Index dropped by 17%. Some now believe you’re not real. That you’re a projection."

Kairos chuckled. "Then let them doubt. I’ll still be here."

He reached into his coat and placed the core of Morrow on the table.

"Two down," he said. "How many more?"

No one answered.

But they all knew.

This war wasn’t just for systems.

It was for the meaning of worth.

Narrative Status Panel

Cosmic Units (C.U.): 37,200

Star Credits: 8.3 million

Trust Index: 85.9%

Name Index: 82.1% (Slightly destabilized due to Veltraxis trade backlash)

Reputation: Kairos, Soulbreaker of Veltraxis

Enemies Neutralized:

Scarlet Master Kalthus (Vault Architect)

Scarlet Collective: Morrow (Soul Broker)

Relics Acquired:

Morrow’s Core of Trade

Architect’s Decryption Fragment (used)

Bazaar Trade Sigil (Veltraxis-linked, now inert)

New Passive: Soul Shield – Kairos cannot be impersonated or bound in trade contracts unless he accepts knowingly (+100 resistance to all soul-bound agreements)

Kairos looked out the viewport at the vast starscape.

One by one, the Guild’s shadows were being purged.

But there was one who still watched.

The Scarlet Tyrant.

Master of manipulation. Broker of entire empires.

And Kairos knew—

He would come next.

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