Ryu smiled lightly watching such a scene. This sort of matter, how long had it been since he had seen them?
He was never the type of person to make jokes and poke fun, or at the very least, he didn't do it too often or too overtly, but he had always found peace watching those around him do so.
Last time he had felt this kind of peace his parents were still by his side and his grandparents were still alive. He could remember their dynamics quite well.
His parents had personalities closer to himself. His father was quiet, prideful and stoic. His mother was arrogant and as proud as a swan. However, when they were together they softened considerably. Ryu could remember times where his parents would be months at a time by each other's sides without speaking a word to one another. On one side, his father would be brandishing his weapon. On the other side, his mother would be working on a painting.
Sometimes it would be the vice versa. His mother would be brandishing her swords and his father would be working on his calligraphy.
There was no conversation between them, no words exchanged, no glances made, but both of them had light smiles on their faces as though there was nothing that they would rather do than this.
Then there were his grandparents.
Ryu really didn't know how his parents had come from them because his grandparents were two pairs of goofballs. Although they all had their more serious sides, especially his Grandma Tatsuya who was the most prideful of them all, they also joked around far more than his parents did.
It was hard for them to go a day with his Grandma Tatsuya pulling on his Grandpa Tatsuya's ear, or his Grandma Kunan glaring while his Grandpa Kunan made the same apology he had been making for billions of years, all because he dared to share a drink with Mistress Holy Wing and get drugged into having a child out of wedlock.
Things only became more lively after Elena entered his life. She was so cold and proud elsewhere, but when she was with him and their family, she finally unleashed her true personality. She was the greatest prankster of them all, and she left Ryu speechless all too often.
That sort of love that hung in the air, that sort of ambience, it was enough to bring peace even to the coldest of hearts.
Ryu chuckled lightly, causing Old Wan to look over at him in warning, but he didn't seem to mind at all. Only Selheira looked toward Ryu with a hint of surprise. Laughter wasn't something she thought she would ever see on Ryu. Even when he smiled, the cold depth of his eyes still remained, his very presence applying a metric ton of pressure on all those around him.
Seeing him laugh like this though… She couldn't help but feel that he was much more handsome this way.
…
It wasn't long before Selheira and Ryu began their game.
In his first life, Ryu had been an absolute master of the four arts. Feng Shui, Painting, Calligraphy and Strategy. It had been a very long time since he used some of them, especially Painting and Strategy, the latter of which was the foundation upon which Domain was built.
Feng Shui had become a foundational part of how he forged weapons, while Calligraphy had actually played a strong role in the formation of the first half of his Dao, Dividing Karma.
Painting and Strategy, though, were like abandoned children. However, this day, the latter finally got a chance to flourish.
The board of Domain was split into several tiers. Depending on the skill of the players or the level of game they wanted to play, there could be more or less tiers in use at once. Usually, it would be between two and nine, though there did exist simplified versions for children with just a single tier.
The board tiers themselves were split into different shaped spaces, some were triangular, some were square, some were pentagons and yet some others were star shaped. These different spaces and their shapes represented everything from distance to terrain to special abilities pieces could have depending on the situation.
The goal of the game was quite simple and there were two methods of winning. One was to either occupy territory and the second was to capture or render the strongest piece the opponent had on the board unable to move.
Ryu and Selheira didn't start with anything too crazy, settling for three tiers. Both seemed to use this first game to knock off some rust, but if others outside of the likes of Old Wan, Aika and Samson were watching, it would be hard to tell that this was their goal.
The moment the two began to play, they seemed to become like entirely different people.
The gentle Selheira vanished into thin air, a violent and wild aura ravaging her surroundings. She didn't seem to notice that this happened at all, or else knowing her, she would try to either hide it or blush in embarrassment.
With her being like this, Ryu felt his bloodlines bubble and churn, experiencing a not-so-subtle suppression.
However, by the same token, he didn't seem to notice either, because at that moment, he had also changed.
His edge vanished and his coldness morphed into a gentle warmth. From a man with a piercing gaze, Ryu suddenly became a gentle scholar, his brows were relaxed and his movements were slow. He seemed unbothered by the changes to the outside world.
One would think that the two would become like fire and water, but in reality, they didn't seem to notice what the other was doing at all, all they had eyes for was the board.
The three elders looked toward one another with a hint of shock in their eyes, not having quite expected this outcome.
To think that the gentle Selheira would play far more like Aika, while the cold Ryu would play so much more like Old Wan.
It was fascinating.
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