Ryan didn’t blink.Jack’s hand moved first. His queen slid across the board like a blade through air, landing neatly on d5. It wasn’t a flashy move. It was precise. Surgical. A counter to the bait Ryan had set two turns ago.Ryan’s brow twitched — just slightly. That tiny micro-expression was everything.“Damn,” he muttered.Sarah raised a brow. “What did he do?”Ryan leaned back with a slow exhale. “He read the trap three turns ahead. Classic Jack.”Matilda’s eyes went wide. “Wait… that was a trap?!”Jackson, half awake but fully invested, sat up. “Of course it was. Ryan always tries to fork the rook with a double queen push.”Lena turned to him, blinking. “You understood that?”Jackson grinned, rubbing his eyes. “Oh yeah. I’ve been watching these two since I was, like, five. They’re nuts.”On the board, Ryan rested his fingers lightly on his rook. He didn’t rush — he never did. But Jack could already see the flicker of recalculation behind his friend’s eyes. Ryan was good at traps…

The board was still warm with the echoes of war. The queen lay toppled on its side, Ryan’s king stood cornered, and Jack’s knight — the star of the night — remained perfectly still in its victorious square. Ryan was still laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. Sarah was leaning against Jack with a soft smile. Matilda was buzzing with leftover excitement, talking about “legendary knight moves” like she’d just watched an epic movie. Lena and Emily were still teasing Ryan for getting outsmarted again. But Jackson… Jackson wasn’t done. He sat cross-legged in front of the chessboard, eyes fixed on the pieces like a soldier staring at a battlefield he was destined to conquer. His little fists were clenched in pure determination. Jack noticed the look immediately. “Oh no.” Sarah chuckled under her breath. “Oh yes.” Ryan leaned back on the couch with a grin. “Ohhh this is gonna be good.” Jackson lifted his chin proudly. “I want to challenge you, Dad.” Matilda gasped dramatically.

The soft hum of the DragonJet’s engines filled the lounge like a heartbeat. The stars outside were scattered across the void in endless rivers of light. Jack sat back in his seat, hands folded as he watched Jackson adjust the chess pieces with far more confidence than before.The boy’s brow furrowed in fierce concentration. Every movement was slow, deliberate. His earlier fumbles had turned into something sharper — almost precise. Jack didn’t need to say anything yet; Jackson was starting to see the board.But Matilda and Lena were never the quiet types.Matilda lounged on one of the side couches, her chin resting on a pillow like a queen watching her jester. “Wow…” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “He’s really… slow.”Lena smirked, twirling a strand of hair. “Yeah. I think I just saw a snail overtake him.”Matilda snorted. “Do you think the snail wants to teach him how to move faster?”Jackson stiffened instantly, gripping his knight like it was a sword. He didn’t even loo

The next day aboard the DragonJet arrived quiet and cold.The lounge was dim at first, the stars outside moving like silver rivers across the black expanse. The soft hum of the engines was the only sound. Then, just like the day before, the gold light of the lounge slowly bloomed to life — warm, steady, ready.And there it was.The chessboard still waited on the table, perfectly reset. It wasn’t just wood and pieces anymore. It was a promise — a battleground.Jack walked in first again, hands tucked in his pockets, shoulders loose. But beneath that calm was something sharper. His son had pushed him yesterday. He hadn’t expected to be cornered that far.This time… he would push back too.A small sound broke the quiet. Light footsteps — fast, eager.Jackson entered in fresh clothes, hair combed but eyes burning like twin flames. His steps didn’t falter.Jack smiled. “Brushed your teeth this time?”Jackson grinned. “Yeah. No excuses today.”Jack chuckled, pulling a chair out. “Good. Let’

The board waited.Its sixty-four squares gleamed softly beneath the golden lounge lights, quiet and patient. Outside the windows, the stars stretched into streaks of silver, but inside the DragonJet, time itself seemed to slow.Jackson stood alone before the board at first, breathing through his nose. He hadn’t gone to sleep right away last night. Every move replayed in his mind like a silent film — every trap Jack set, every opening he’d missed.I was close… but not close enough.His hands hovered over the pieces. His fingers brushed the knight. Next time… I won’t miss.The door slid open behind him.Jack’s voice came quiet. “Up early again?”Jackson turned. His dad walked in, hoodie half-zipped, a calm smile on his face. But there was something in his eyes — a gleam of recognition. This wasn’t a child asking to play. This was a challenger returning for round three.“You’re not the only one who can play hard,” Jackson said.Jack chuckled, pulling out his chair. “Then let’s see what y