Lord of Entertainment

(3rd Person POV)

As Joshua and his companions prepared to leave the Hollow Tavern, the owner stepped in their path. "There are police officers waiting to arrest you outside. Best you stay here for now."

The cultists exchanged uncertain glances, surprised by this continued protection. "You've already done too much, stopping them from arresting us here," Joshua said softly. "We couldn't impose further."

"I'm no religious man," the owner shook his head, "and you've done nothing to deserve arrest. No thanks needed."

Seeing their lingering hesitation, the owner offered a friendly introduction. "Name's Huck Marshtown, by the way."

Joshua nodded, and his companions followed suit. The average-looking man spoke first, "I'm Miles," followed by the half-demon with his distinctive features, "And I'm Hill."

"Joshua, Miles, and Hill," Huck gestured to some chairs. "Please, have a seat."

"We really should leave..." Miles started.

Huck's chuckle cut him off. "Are you turning away a potential follower now?"

Their eyes widened. "You... you want to join our faith?" Hill stammered in disbelief.

"Did you forget what I said?" Huck raised an eyebrow. "I promised to follow if you turned water to wine."

"That was clearly mockery," Hill pointed out.

"You're right," Huck admitted, then paused thoughtfully. "But after witnessing Joshua's miracle... maybe there is a god who actually cares about us mortals after all..."

"You don't suspect any trickery?" Miles pressed.

Huck shook his head firmly. "I know wines - been serving them thirty years. Never tasted anything with such richness, such perfect balance. No wine like that exists, not even among the finest vintages."

He smiled wearily, gesturing to his trembling hands and sallow complexion. "But more than that - after drinking it, I felt something change. The constant pain in my joints, the fever that's plagued me for months... it's fading. Like a fog lifting. If that's not a miracle, what is?"

Joshua smiled warmly, placing a reassuring hand on Huck's shoulder. "We welcome all genuine followers of Lord Dionysus."

Miles and Hill exchanged glances before taking their seats, joining Joshua in explaining their faith to the tavern owner.

***

The story of Hollow Tavern's miracle spread through Halo District like wildfire. Within half an hour, every street corner near the tavern buzzed with talk of water transformed into exquisite wine.

Reactions split sharply among the populace.

"Water into wine? I'll believe a chicken can lay golden eggs first," scoffed some.

"Other cults always claim miracles - remember that story about healing the incurable plague? All nonsense."

Yet others showed cautious interest. "If it's true, I'd love to taste that wine myself!"

"All this talk is making me thirsty. Think there's any left at the tavern?"

The witnesses of the miracle couldn't contain their excitement, sharing their collected wine with friends. These lucky recipients found themselves instantly addicted to its divine flavor.

Heated arguments erupted across the district. "Tell me where you got this wine, Cory! Stop lying to me!"

Yet among the witnesses, most remained casual admirers rather than converts, especially those who missed tasting the miraculous wine. However, the few who experienced its power firsthand seriously considered joining the Cult of Dionysus.

One such person was Levi Strauss, sitting in his luxurious study, still haunted by the memory of that wine. He'd witnessed the transformation up close, tasted divinity itself, and experienced a moment of pure euphoria.

The aftertaste lingered persistently on his tongue, an exquisite torment. His empty bottle mocked him, driving his craving deeper.

Unlike normal wine, it hadn't made him drunk. Instead, it had improved his chronic eye condition - his perpetually blurry vision, which had plagued him since childhood, suddenly gained crystal clarity.

He would have joined the cult immediately if not for the crowd at the tavern. Despite being the Strauss family's black sheep, openly joining a cult would create too much scandal.

In his notebook, he carefully recorded potential clues about the cult's location. Before leaving the tavern, he'd managed a brief exchange with Joshua, who'd left him with cryptic words: "Where angels cast their shadows at noon, seek the vine's embrace beneath the broken crown."

The riddle consumed his thoughts as he plotted his path to joining the cult secretly.

***

The next day found Levi wandering the district's ancient cathedral square, notebook in hand. He kept rereading Joshua's cryptic words: "Where angels cast their shadows at noon, seek the vine's embrace beneath the broken crown."

'Angels must mean statues,' he thought, checking each building's decorative figures. 'But there are hundreds of angel statues in this district. And what vine? What broken crown?'

His first day, he traced the old temple route, thinking the broken crown might reference the abandoned royal chapel. The second day, he explored the merchant district, wondering if the vine referred to the famous winery street. By the third day, he'd investigated every vineyard and wine merchant in the area, growing increasingly frustrated.

Hope faded as he watched people and vehicles pass by. "Does this place even exist?" he muttered.

Then he noticed a child's shadow stretching across cobblestones, pointing toward the old cathedral's spire. His gaze followed it upward to where stone angels perched along the roof edge. One was missing its crown, broken in the civil war.

His eyes widened. "The shadow path..." he whispered. "At noon, those angels' shadows would point to the old ivy wall - not a grape vine at all, but the climbing ivy that's overtaken the abandoned bell tower beneath the broken angel!"

Finally, the riddle made sense. He needed to wait for noon, follow the angels' shadows to the ivy-covered tower, and look beneath the broken-crowned angel's statue for the cult's entrance.

At precisely noon, Levi positioned himself in the cathedral square, his eyes on the angel statues lining the roof. The riddle had haunted him for days, but now, as the sun reached its zenith, their shadows began to stretch across the courtyard.

He focused on the broken-crowned angel, its jagged silhouette leading up the side of the cathedral wall. The shadow ended high on a section of ivy-covered stone. Squinting, Levi noticed something odd—an iron rung protruding faintly from the overgrowth.

Climbing wasn't easy. The rungs were rusted and uneven, and the ivy tangled around his hands. But at the top, Levi found a narrow ledge behind the angel statue. Hidden beneath its broken crown, a weathered inscription etched into the stone read: "Descend where the vine touches earth."

His gaze snapped back to the courtyard below. Following the ivy downward, he spotted where it thickened at the cathedral's base, cascading into a concealed alcove. Levi carefully climbed back down, his heart racing.

Behind the dense curtain of ivy, he pushed aside the vines, his hands trembling. There, weathered and age-darkened, sat an old, arched door that would have been impossible to spot without the precise alignment of sun, shadow, and broken crown above.

Heart racing at finally solving the complex riddle, he raised his hand and knocked.

The door creaked open, revealing a woman in the unmistakable attire of a Solarus sister. Levi's blood ran cold. No... have the Solarus already discovered and raided the cult's hideout?

"You are?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.

Levi stepped backward, fighting to keep his voice steady. "Just a curious passerby. Don't mind me, I was leaving anyway."

He turned to flee, but her voice rang out. "Wait!"

"I'm just an ordinary civilian!" he called back, quickening his pace.

Suddenly, her hand caught his wrist. "Wait!"

Levi froze, eyes squeezed shut, cursing his foolishness.

"Are you here to join the Cult of Dionysus?" Her question was soft, unexpected.

His eyes snapped open as he shook his head frantically. "No, no! Diony- what? I've never heard of such a cult!"

She smiled knowingly. "You're clearly lying. You solved the riddle to find us, didn't you?"

Levi's mouth opened but no words came. He stared into her eyes, awaiting arrest or worse.

"I'm Elena," she said instead, her voice warm. "You needn't fear - I'm part of the cult too."

"You're..." Levi stared at her Solarus robes in confusion. "But how..."

Elena's smile carried a hint of mischief. "My attire? Yes, I'm a Solarus sister - or was. Now I serve Dionysus, though I maintain my position in the church to monitor their movements."

"Why tell me all this?" Levi asked, still wary.

"Because," she studied his face, "I can sense you're not here to hunt us down, but to join us. Aren't you?"

Levi's shoulders relaxed as he nodded. "You're right..."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Elena gestured toward the door. "Welcome to the Cult of Dionysus headquarters!"

As they entered, Levi shook his head. "Three days to solve that riddle. The location is brilliant."

"This place has quite a history," Elena explained. "It was a hidden bunker during the Empirica civil war. I discovered it as a child - found old letters and tattered uniforms from soldiers who'd sheltered here. Time had forgotten it completely."

Levi's amazement grew as they descended. What started as a cave-like entrance opened into a vast underground chamber. His eyes widened at the scene before him - dozens of people filled the space, gathered around a makeshift stage where actors performed. Audience members sat comfortably, sharing wine and laughter.