2025-08-31 00:35:08
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Chapter 248
Jackson’s grip tightened around the joystick. His avatar flickered to life—an armored knight with a blade glinting under the virtual sun. Across from him, Jack’s warrior stood tall, sword raised with the same unshakable calm as the man himself.The countdown struck zero.Jackson lunged first, his knight rushing forward with a wild swing. The blade cut air. Jack sidestepped effortlessly and landed a clean strike across Jackson’s flank. The boy’s health bar dipped.Jackson grit his teeth. “Too fast—”“Not too fast,” Jack said evenly, thumb gliding over the buttons without wasted motion. “Too reckless.”The second clash ended quicker. Jackson swung wide again, desperate to land a hit. Jack parried, countered, finished. Jackson’s knight dropped to the ground.“Defeat,” the game announced.Ryan threw up his hands dramatically. “Oh, come on, Jackson! I was at least surviving ten seconds longer than that.”“Shut up,” Jackson snapped, though his ears burned pink.Jack reset the match, calm as
Chapter 247
The board still hummed with tension, Jackson’s rook standing proud in the center, Jack’s queen poised in the balance.But Jack didn’t move just yet. Instead, he leaned back, his calm gaze sweeping across the dome before he exhaled slowly and murmured, “Enough for now.”Jackson’s breath caught. “Wait—you’re just stopping?”“You’ll understand later,” Jack said quietly, sliding the pieces back into their starting positions with methodical care. His voice carried a weight that wasn’t dismissal but patience, as if the unfinished battle had been left on purpose.Ryan groaned, flopping into his chair. “Good. Because I swear if I had to watch one more of those matches, I was going to pass out from secondhand stress.”Jack ignored him, standing with quiet authority. He reached for the DragonTV’s sleek controller on the side table and tossed one toward Ryan. “You wanted mercy? Let’s test you in a different arena.”Ryan blinked at the joystick in his hands. “Wait—you mean…”Jack tapped the Drago
Chapter 246
Jackson slid the phone aside at last, the screen dimming into darkness. His pulse still hummed from the game, but another rhythm had already taken hold of him—the music, the laughter, the quiet strength of the dome itself.He leaned forward, eyes flicking toward the chessboard where Ryan sat slumped like a man who had just lost three wars in a row.“I’m in,” Jackson said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried enough weight to still the air.Ryan lifted his head, squinting. “What? You? The Temple Run champion of the dome? Don’t tell me you’re trading demon monkeys for pawns.”Jackson gave him a flat look. “Better than losing six times in a row.”Ryan sputtered, “It was five! And one was a near draw.”Jack didn’t look up from the board. His hand moved with calm, deliberate grace as he reset the pieces again. The soft clicks echoed like heartbeats. “Sit.”Jackson hesitated for only a second before sliding into the chair across from his father. His hands itched with memory, with old muscl
Chapter 245
The dome was alive with quiet rhythms—clicks of chess pieces, soft strains of layered voices, the faint hum of recycled air threading through it all.Ryan leaned over the board, chewing his lip as though each move might decide his fate. “I’ve figured it out this time,” he muttered, more to himself than to Jack. “I just have to get you to underestimate me. That’s the key.”Jack didn’t blink. His hand hovered, then slid a knight across the board with calm precision. “Your key just unlocked another trap.”Ryan’s jaw dropped. “What? Already? You didn’t even give me three turns this time!”“Patterns repeat,” Jack said again, voice calm, almost soothing.Matilda’s laughter rippled from the circle of singers. “Ryan, you sound like a soldier trying to fight a hurricane with an umbrella.”“Better an umbrella than nothing!” Ryan snapped back, though his grin betrayed him. He pushed a pawn forward with exaggerated confidence. “Your move, War God.”Jack studied the board in silence, the hum of th
Chapter 244
The last credits of The Promise scrolled away, their gold letters fading into DragonTV’s darkened interface. No one spoke at first. The dome was hushed, the recycled air sighing softly as though even the machines felt the weight of what they had just witnessed.Jackson clutched his blanket against his chest, still staring at the black screen. He looked small, swallowed in its silence, until he huffed and tugged his DragonTech smartphone back out. The glow lit his face as Temple Run opened again, the familiar rhythm of running and leaping pulling him from the ache left by the movie.Ryan slapped his thigh suddenly. “Well… that was brutal. My eyes are still leaking. And don’t say it’s sweat, because no one sweats like this sitting down.”Lena let out a soft laugh, though her voice was hoarse. “You cried more than me.”“Lies,” Ryan muttered, reaching for the small board that had been tucked beside his seat. He unfolded the magnetic chess set, sliding the pieces into place with exaggerate
Chapter 243
The dome was quiet again except for the low hum of DragonTV and the faint rhythm of recycled air. The screen glowed bright with the burning sky of The Promise, painting the curved walls with shades of crimson and gold.Jackson had already abandoned Subway Surfer. His DragonTech smartphone now showed the endless sprint of Temple Run, his thumb darting fast as his avatar leapt over pits and ducked under fire traps. The boy’s jaw was set with focus, though every so often his eyes flicked upward toward the suspended lovers on the screen.Ryan caught it instantly and smirked. “New strategy, huh? Pretend the movie doesn’t exist by running from demon monkeys?”Jackson scowled without looking up. “It’s not demons. It’s temple guardians. And I’m on a record streak. So leave me alone.”Lena leaned closer, her expression gentle. “But you still keep glancing up. You don’t want to miss it, do you?”The boy’s thumb faltered, his character smacking into a wall of spikes. Game Over. He muttered under
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