The pieces were set once more.Sixty-four silent witnesses.Jackson looked at the board — the same pattern, the same light — yet everything felt different. The room carried the echo of his last victory, that impossible moment when he’d cornered the Dragon King. His heartbeat was steady now, not wild with disbelief.He had proven himself once.Now he wanted to know if it was luck… or real power.Jack rested his forearms on the table. His expression was calm but sharp, like a hunter testing new terrain. “Again?”Jackson nodded. “Again.”Sarah, halfway out the door, turned back with a soft gasp. “You’re going for another?”Ryan dropped his half-eaten snack. “Wait— ROUND TWO? Right now?”Jack’s lips curved. “The board’s still warm.”Emily exchanged a glance with Sarah, both smiling. “Looks like we’re not sleeping anytime soon.”Matilda sighed dramatically but slid back into her seat. “Alright, fine. Let’s see if the prodigy can do it twice.”Lena folded her arms. “If he wins again, I’m ca

The Hulk roared again, sending shockwaves across the holo-screen.Ryan leaned so close that his nose nearly touched the projection.“YES!” he shouted, pumping a fist in the air. “That’s what I’m talking about. Peak cinema. This is why humanity invented movies.”Lena groaned into her pillow. “You say that every time someone breaks a car in half on screen.”“Because it’s true every time,” Ryan fired back, tossing a chip in his mouth with dramatic flair.Matilda, curled up with a blanket she’d “accidentally” taken from the ship’s medbay, chuckled softly. “You’re like a child on a sugar rush.”“Wrong,” Ryan said proudly, holding up his cup. “I’m like a child on a mission.”Sarah laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes. The sound filled the lounge like warm light, softening the cold edges of steel and circuits.Emily tucked her legs under herself, resting her chin on her knees. “It’s funny,” she murmured. “We’ve flown across solar systems… but a simple movie stil

For a moment, no one spoke. The thunder from the holo-screen filled the lounge, wrapping them all in a soft flicker of blue and white.Jack sat still, his reflection half-merged with Thor’s on the screen — the storm god swinging Mjolnir through fire and chaos. The resemblance was eerie: two warriors of different worlds, both bound by something greater than themselves.Jackson leaned forward, his eyes bright. “You know what I’m thinking?”Ryan grinned. “Oh, this is gonna be good. Go on, prophet of chaos.”Jackson’s smile grew. “Thor’s hammer and Dad’s Dragon Dagger… if they ever clashed…”Lena gasped dramatically. “Oh no, don’t start this.”Matilda smirked. “Too late. He’s already started it.”Even Emily turned, intrigued. “Okay, wait. That’s actually an interesting matchup.”Sarah sat down beside Jack, setting the snack bowl on the table. “Let’s hear it then. Who wins?”Ryan threw up both hands. “Oh, I’m all in on Thor. He’s literally a god. Lightning, flight, indestructible hammer, A

The soft glow from Jackson’s drawing board cast pale streaks across everyone’s faces, reflecting in their eyes like shards of electric storm. He was hunched over the board, shoulders tense but controlled, as if every line he drew demanded a fraction of his soul. The rest of the lounge had fallen into a hushed reverence, the only sounds the quiet hum of the DragonJet and the faint scratch of stylus on digital canvas.Matilda shifted closer, resting her chin on her folded arms, watching the thunder and shadow collide under Jackson’s careful strokes. “I swear,” she whispered, leaning toward Lena, “he makes it feel alive.”Lena nodded, eyes narrowed in concentration, lips pressed together. “Look at the way he’s tracing your dad’s stance,” she said softly. “That’s… uncanny. It’s like you’re frozen in motion.”Jack leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, gaze fixed on the glowing figures. “He’s capturing the weight,” he murmured. “Every movement, every pause… he gets it.”

Jack’s quiet laugh filled the cabin, low and reflective. The soft hum of the DragonJet mingled with the distant pulse of the stars beyond the viewport. “Better than ever,” he echoed, leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. “You know what, Ryan? That’s not a bad way to put it.”Then his gaze drifted to Jackson — his son, still sitting near the glowing digital board, the storm and symbols flickering faintly on its surface. Jack’s expression softened. “Tell me, son,” he said, voice calm but curious. “When we finally get back… when Dragon University opens its gates again — what do you want to study?”Everyone turned toward Jackson. He blinked, caught off guard, the stylus still in his hand. For a moment, he hesitated — not from uncertainty, but from a kind of thoughtful weight. “Honestly?” he said, glancing at the screen, then back at his father. “Astrology… and Physics.”Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Astrology and Physics?” he said with a half-grin. “That’s an unexpected combo.”Jackson