(3rd Person POV)
The HS2 demonstration had blown minds at the Hellfire Electronics Conference. Problem was, only young people in Horn Kingdom seemed to care.
Sure, Arthur had introduced video games years ago with arcade machines and the HES console. But the industry remained niche—something teenagers talked about while older generations shrugged and moved on with their lives.
The demographics told the story clearly. People aged forty to one hundred-plus made up roughly 40% of the world's 5.9 billion population. With humans, demons, and dwarves living around two hundred years, and elves stretching to three hundred, the older generations weren't going anywhere soon.
It would take decades before young people could fully overtake population numbers. Right now, gaming was still crawling out of its infancy.
But Hellfire wasn't waiting around. Within days of the conference, headlines exploded across multiple kingdoms:
"Hellfire: Video Games Will Replace Movies as Main Entertainment"
"Queen Mary: 'HS2 Puts Horn Kingdom at Forefront of Innovation'"
"Arthur Pendragon: Cinema Is Yesterday's Entertainment, Gaming Is Tomorrow"
"Hellfire Executive Claims 3D Gaming Will Make Films Obsolete Within Decade"
"Is Pendragon Serious? Experts Call Video Game Claims 'Absurd Provocation'"
The bold claims sparked immediate backlash. Movies were entertainment. Games were toys for kids. The idea that one could replace the other seemed laughable to most people.
But Hellfire had everyone talking. And that was probably the point.
---
In a crowded tavern in Horn City, a feline demon stared at the TV mounted above the bar. The screen replayed Queen Mary's demonstration for the dozenth time that day.
"New era of entertainment?" He snorted into his drink. "What's so special about some game box?"
His demon friend—a scaled guy with horns that curved backward—shrugged. "Hell if I know. My nephew's been going crazy about it though. Won't shut up about '3D' whatever that means."
"Kids and their toys," the feline muttered.
Their third companion, a younger demon who worked at a local film studio, waved dismissively. "It's just games, right? Like those arcade things kids waste coins on? How's that supposed to compete with movies?"
"Didn't Hellfire make those arcade things too?" the scaled demon pointed out.
"Yeah, and they're still just for kids," the studio worker said. "I tried one once. You just move a stick and press buttons. Got boring after five minutes."
The feline demon nodded. "Exactly. After work, I want to sit down and watch something, not... whatever that is."
"Still," the scaled demon said thoughtfully, "Hellfire usually knows what they're doing. Their stuff always sells."
"Sure, but this is different," the studio worker insisted. "Movies are movies. Games are games. They're not the same thing."
The conversation petered out as they returned to their drinks, the TV still playing the HS2 demo in the background.
---
Across the ocean in Morningstar Empire, Ferland City's Demon Pictures studio held its own discussions. In the executive boardroom, tension hung thick as cigar smoke.
"Arthur's gotten too big for his horns," one executive grumbled, tossing a newspaper onto the table. "Now he thinks people will give up movies for... what, children's toys?"
"Gaming consoles," another corrected. "Though I'm not sure what the difference is."
"Exactly my point!" The first executive gestured emphatically. "He's made some good films, sure. But this? Video games? Come on."
"His last three films were massive," a third pointed out. "Maybe we shouldn't dismiss him so quickly."
"Films are films. Games are games," the first executive said flatly. "They're not the same market. Never will be."
At the head of the table, Ashen Gray sat quietly, fingers steepled beneath his chin. Finally, he spoke.
"You all said the same thing about colored films. And sound films before that."
The room went quiet.
"But sir," one executive ventured, "surely this is different? Gaming is just... pressing buttons."
Ashen's expression remained unreadable. "Arthur Pendragon has proven us wrong before."
His mind drifted to years ago—when that disgraced prince had walked into this building asking for help. Ashen had turned him away, certain the "trashy prince" was wasting everyone's time.
Now that same prince ran the most powerful entertainment company in the world.
'I dismissed him once,' Ashen thought. 'Look where that got me.'
"Just keep an eye on the HS2 launch," Ashen ordered. "See how it performs."
The executives exchanged uncertain glances but nodded.
After they left, Ashen remained at the window, staring out at Ferland City.
'You've come far, Arthur,' he admitted silently. 'Let's see if you're right again.'
---
Similar conversations happened across kingdoms—most dismissive, some curious, few truly convinced. But everyone was talking about it.
Weeks crawled by. Finally, launch day arrived.
Hellfire stores across Horn City opened to lines stretching around blocks. Customers—mostly young, but with surprising numbers of curious older demons—pressed forward with cash in hand.
Young people pressed against the store windows, practically drooling over the HS2 display units inside. The wait was killing them.
The line stretched impossibly long—mostly teenagers and twenty-somethings, though some had been camping outside for days just to be first through the doors.
At the very front stood Caiden Lee, a rising telenovela star from HK Channel. Normally he'd be mobbed by fans, but today? Everyone was too focused on the console to care about celebrity sightings.
At twenty years old, Caiden was exactly the demographic Arthur had targeted—young, tech-obsessed, and desperate for the next big thing.
When security finally opened the doors, Caiden practically bounced inside.
"HS2, please. And whatever launch titles you've got." He flashed his mid-tier credit card with the casual confidence of someone who knew his limit was high enough.
The staff didn't hesitate. Within minutes, Caiden walked out loaded with bags—console, controllers, games, the works.
Envious stares followed him down the street.
"Must be nice having money to burn," someone muttered.
"And that credit card? Probably gets him discounts too."
Caiden had just become free advertising.
Horn Kingdom's economy had improved dramatically over the years thanks to Hellfire's influence. More people could afford luxuries now. But "more people" didn't mean everyone could drop cash like a TV star.
The line shuffled forward steadily after that, moving smoother than expected. Staff had clearly prepared well for the launch.
---
At the very end of the line stood Joey, a man in his fifties who looked slightly out of place among the younger crowd.
He hadn't planned to be here at all.
An hour earlier, he'd been walking through the market district after work, browsing shop windows for his daughter's birthday gift. Fourteen years old tomorrow—she was at that age where picking the right present felt like defusing a bomb.
Then he'd noticed the crowd. A line of people waiting outside the Hellfire store.
"HS2 release," someone near him had said.
Joey had paused. That thing everyone was talking about. The one his daughter had been obsessing over since seeing it on TV.
The line wasn't even that long anymore. He'd checked his watch, shrugged, and joined the queue.
Now, finally reaching the front, he studied the HS2 display with mixed feelings. The price made him wince.
But he remembered Rae's excited face during that conference broadcast.
He sighed, grabbed the console and three game titles, and headed to the register. Cash changed hands. Transaction complete.
Walking out with the Hellfire-branded bag, Joey muttered, "You better be worth it."
---
His apartment was in one of the city's nicer complexes—not luxury, but comfortable. His wife Zoey greeted him at the door, then froze when she saw what he was carrying.
"What is that?" Her eyes narrowed on the Hellfire logo. "Please tell me you didn't buy that thing everyone's been obsessing over."
"Don't tell me Hellfire's marketing got to you too," she continued before he could answer. "I told you not to fall for their hype!"
"It's not for me—it's for Rae!" Joey defended quickly.
Zoey blinked. "For Rae?"
"Her birthday's tomorrow, remember?"
Understanding dawned on Zoey's face. Right. Their daughter had been talking about the HS2 nonstop since the announcement.
"You spoil her," Zoey said, but her tone had softened.
"It's a birthday gift."
"Dad! You're back!"
Their daughter Jazirae appeared from her room, spotted the bags, and her eyes went wide.
"Is that—is that what I think it is?"
Joey grinned. "Happy early birthday."
Jazirae squealed, snatched the bags from her father's hands, and bolted for the living room without another word.
Joey and Zoey stood in the hallway, speechless.
"She's never moved that fast for anything," Zoey said slowly.
Joey shook his head, smiling despite himself.
They followed their daughter to the living room. By the time they caught up, Rae had already torn open the box and was connecting cables to their flat-screen TV like she'd done it a hundred times.
"Rae, do you actually know what you're doing?" Joey asked, slightly worried she'd break something expensive.
"Obviously." Rae didn't even look up. "It's just like hooking up the DVD player."
She gestured at the DVD unit sitting below their TV—purchased just a few weeks ago and already a regular part of their routine.
Zoey sighed, watching her daughter work with focused intensity. "I still don't understand why you're this excited. It's just another gadget."
"Mom, this isn't just another gadget." Rae shot her an exasperated look. "This is going to replace movies as the main entertainment! It's a whole new era!"
Zoey snorted. "You actually believe that marketing nonsense? That's just Arthur Pendragon talking big like always."
"You don't get it because you haven't seen it yet," Rae said with the confident superiority only a fourteen-year-old could muster. "Just watch. I'll show you."
She finished connecting the cables, powered on the HS2, and examined the three game cases her father had bought. Her eyes lit up when she spotted one title in particular.
"God of War," she read aloud, already loading it into the console.
Joey and Zoey exchanged glances but said nothing, settling onto the couch to humor their daughter's enthusiasm.
The TV screen came to life with the Hellfire Studios logo—familiar, like the opening of any movie. Nothing special so far.
Then the title screen appeared.
Thunder rumbled through their speakers. Dark, cinematic music swelled as the words "GOD OF WAR" blazed across the screen in burning letters. The camera panned across a desolate mountain landscape rendered in stunning three-dimensional detail.