(3rd Person POV)
Foreigners flooded into Horn Kingdom in unprecedented numbers, all drawn by the Hellfire Electronics Conference.
Horn City bustled as always, but with heightened energy. Atop a newly constructed tower's penthouse, Mary stood by the window watching the streets below, wine glass in hand.
Princess Mary Nightstar—no, Queen Mary now.
"The people are happy. The kingdom is thriving. And we're no longer Wales' puppet," she murmured to herself. The satisfaction was genuine.
So was the guilt. She'd dethroned her own father to claim this position. The price of independence had been steep.
Her Hellphone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced at the screen. "Mr. Pendragon."
"Your Highness, the Queen." Arthur's voice carried respectful formality laced with subtle amusement.
Mary frowned slightly. She knew Arthur's true capabilities—his power—well enough not to challenge that tone. "You don't need to be so formal with me."
"Then don't be formal with me either. Call me Arthur, like you used to."
"Alright. Arthur." She paused. "So what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I want you to host my conference. As Queen of this nation and my longtime business partner, you should be the one to present what I'm about to showcase to the world."
Mary's breath caught. He was offering her public credit for whatever innovation Hellfire would unveil—a gesture that would significantly legitimize her still-new reign.
"What do you think?"
She didn't hesitate. "Of course. I'd be honored to participate."
"Good. Prepare appropriately. You're a Queen now, after all."
"I understand."
The call ended.
Mary stared at her phone, acknowledging the harsh truth she'd accepted long ago: she was Arthur Pendragon's puppet. She did what he suggested because refusing would be foolish—and because his suggestions genuinely benefited her.
Just like when she'd helped establish Hellfire Bank as Horn Kingdom's central bank. The arrangement had strengthened her position while transforming citizens' lives through secure, efficient transactions that exceeded anything the old system provided.
She'd rather be Arthur's puppet than Wales' or Morningstar's. At least Arthur actually improved the kingdom.
---
Hellfire Park teemed with visitors. Thousands had purchased tickets specifically for this conference, and the venue itself—located at the park's center—drew admiring attention.
The headquarters formed a massive circular structure surrounded by carefully maintained greenery. Glass walls reflected the sky, creating an almost seamless transition between building and landscape. Walking paths curved naturally through gardens and open spaces, leading visitors toward the central auditorium where the presentation would occur.
At the very heart stood an enormous tree, its branches spreading wide above the park.
"Doesn't that tree seem much bigger than before?" someone remarked, craning his neck to take in the full height. "I swear it was smaller last time I visited."
"Maybe it's a rare fast-growing species?" another suggested.
People discussed the tree with casual curiosity, unaware it was the Ancient Tree that powered the world's entire internet and telecommunications infrastructure—a living network hub disguised as landscape decoration.
While conversations continued, attendees settled into their seats. Media crews positioned cameras and equipment, ready to capture whatever Hellfire would unveil.
Among the crowd sat Mithrael. The high-ranking angel had disguised himself as an ordinary human—casual clothes, even wearing a Pendragon-branded jacket. He blended perfectly with the masses.
'Arthur Pendragon,' he thought, observing the stage setup. 'Everything you release becomes the talk of the world. I wonder what you'll show that could actually surprise me.'
Truthfully, Hellfire's films hadn't impressed him much. Entertaining enough to pass time, certainly, but nothing extraordinary by divine standards. This, however—a dedicated technology conference—suggested something different.
The lights dimmed. The crowd quieted.
Then gasps erupted as the presenter walked onto stage.
Not Arthur Pendragon. Queen Mary Nightstar.
"What's Her Highness doing here?"
"Is she just attending, or...?"
Confused murmurs spread through the audience.
Mary approached the microphone confidently, waiting for silence. "Good afternoon. I am Queen Mary Nightstar of Horn Kingdom." Her voice carried clearly through the space. "And today, I'll be hosting this presentation."
Surprise rippled through the crowd. No one had expected royalty to serve as host for a product launch.
But the murmuring quieted as Mary began her introduction, her words broadcast live to audiences across multiple kingdoms.
She spoke about innovation, about Horn Kingdom's partnership with Hellfire, about pushing boundaries. Then she revealed the product name: HS2. The Hellfire System 2.
A gaming console.
Disappointment showed on several faces in the audience. Many had expected something more revolutionary—advanced camera, perhaps, or new communication devices.
A game console seemed almost mundane after flat-screen TVs and DVDs.
Then the demonstration began.
The screen behind Mary illuminated with gameplay footage.
The demonstration began with a deep, resonant voice echoing through the auditorium:
"The gods of Olympus have abandoned me. Now there is no hope."
Thunder rumbled. Flames crackled. The screen showed a warrior standing at the edge of a ship, undead creatures swarming toward him.
"I am what the gods have made me!"
Confusion rippled through the crowd.
"Is this a film? What are they showing us?"
"I don't know, but it's supposed to be a demo gameplay for the HS2. This can't be simple."
A dwarf near the front squinted at the screen. "I've played video games before—pixelated things, simple sprites moving on flat backgrounds. But this... this looks completely different."
He was right. The images moved in three dimensions. The warrior character had depth, muscle definition, realistic movement. While clearly not real—the textures had a certain artificiality—this bore no resemblance to any video game they'd encountered.
Even Mithrael leaned forward, genuine interest flickering in his disguised features. The brutality on display, the mythological themes of gods and vengeance—it resonated with something deeper than mere entertainment.
Mary lifted a controller, her fingers finding the buttons naturally. On screen, the warrior—Kratos—launched into combat against the undead horde.
"By the gods!" The character's voice growled with each strike. "You will suffer!" Blades spun through the air, connected by chains to the warrior's arms. "Feel the wrath of Sparta!"
Mary played for twenty minutes, her expression growing increasingly focused. When a message appeared—"Demo Complete"—she actually felt disappointed. The realization startled her.
'What just happened?' She blinked at the controller in her hands. 'I completely lost track of time.'
She'd never experienced that with entertainment before. Not with films, not with books, not with anything.
Turning to face the audience, she cleared her throat, feeling oddly embarrassed. "That concludes the demonstration of the HS2." A rueful smile crossed her face. "I'll be honest—I wanted to keep playing." She gestured with the controller. "But I should probably introduce the actual product."
Laughter rippled through the crowd, but it carried an edge of hunger. People shifted in their seats, clearly imagining themselves holding that controller.
"What you just witnessed is three-dimensional gaming," Mary explained, regaining her composure. "The HS2 processes these 3D video games with unprecedented depth. As you saw firsthand, the experience is... immersive."
Immediately, hands shot up across the auditorium. Reporters shouted questions over each other.
"Your Highness! What technology powers the three-dimensional graphics?"
"When will this be available for purchase?"
"Can you tell us more about the story? Who is that warrior character?"
"What other games will be released?"
Mary raised a hand, waiting for silence before addressing each question methodically—explaining the processing architecture in simple terms, confirming the launch date, describing the mythological narrative framework that drove the game's plot.
Sitting among the crowd, Mithrael found himself genuinely intrigued. The demo had showcased gods, divine vengeance, mythological warfare—themes that resonated with him in ways mortal entertainment rarely did. As a High Ranking Angel, his curiosity about deities and their portrayal had always existed, carefully compartmentalized. But that game had stirred something.
He could, of course, simply take the HS2 and the game. His power made theft trivially easy—walk into any warehouse, vanish with the product, and no mortal would ever know. But he wouldn't. There was no satisfaction in that.
Besides, the wait wouldn't be long. Two weeks for the Horn Kingdom release, then a month before global distribution. Patience was something he'd cultivated over centuries.
'Arthur Pendragon...' Mithrael studied the stage where Mary continued fielding questions. 'What drives you? How do you produce these technologies one after another?'
The flat-screen televisions, the DVDs, the computers—each innovation had seemed impressive in
isolation. But this gaming system represented something different.
The demo had only heightened his curiosity about the demon responsible for it all.