The group of friends began to make their way through the Diamond Pillar. It was the middle of the day and the casino was just as busy as it always is. People in fancy suits were strutting about, with their luggage and belongings being carried by other people that were wearing metal bands around their neck.

Eventually, the group found themselves at Bacch, a small winery in the corner of the Diamond Pillar. The front of the store was decorated in simple strands of gold ribbons. Scattered throughout those strands was the occasional leaf. The building was built out of white stone, adorned with large, glass windows. Behind the windows were muted lights, drowned out by the fog that tinted that glass.

As they stood at the entrance, Vincent noticed that Zander seemed to pause for a second. His eyes darted around the storefront until they landed on a spot on the corner of the door. Vincent wasn’t sure what exactly he was looking at, but he didn’t really care, either.

After a few seconds of waiting, Zander proceeded to walk through the front door. The rest of the group followed, each person accidentally ringing the entrance bells as they opened the door.

The inside of the winery was simple. Too simple. The walls mimicked the white exterior, but were oddly complemented by the dark-wood shelves and furniture. The interior lighting was warm and mellow, giving the room a cozy and familiar feeling. Everything about that place was comforting, but also off-putting—it wasn’t something that should belong in the Setting Sun. It wasn’t immediately noticeable, but it was subtly present.

Upon entering, the receptionist turned around to greet the party. He was a taller man with deeply tanned skin, well-defined muscles, wearing crimson-red and silver dress clothes. He turned to the group and said, “Welcome, patrons. Can I interest you in anything?”

Vincent immediately began to speak up. “I have no—”

But before he finished what he was saying, Zander shot an arm in his face and interjected, saying, “What are your specials for the day?”

Vincent just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

The receptionist nodded and then gestured for all of them to follow him. He led them to a table near the back, but not one that was suspiciously out of the way. He then attempted to hand Zander a menu.

Zander waved his hand in the air and said, “No, no, I don’t need a menu, I know what I’m ordering. Can I just have water?”

Wordlessly, the receptionist nodded and started to head out the back. Zander folded his hands together, resting them on the table, and then glanced around the vicinity.

Vincent, confused, asked, “Yo, what was that? What if I wanted something?”

Everyone looked at Vincent with the same confused and shocked expression, except for Eliot, he was just as confused as Vincent.

Zander sighed and responded, “We’re not actually…” He then narrowed his eyes and looked up. “Just trust me.”

“Hmmmmmm,” Vincent said, the gears in his brain starting to turn. “Fine,” he finally decided.

After a few minutes, the receptionist returned with a single glass of water on a round tray. He set the glass on the table and looked back at Zander, expectantly.

Zander looked at the glass and then took a sip of it. After the water trickled down his throat and he exhaled in satisfaction, he said, “This is quite good, the taste is so clear and refined. Honestly, my compliments are to the chefs.”

The waiter smiled and replied, “Why thank you. I will let them know.”

“Would it be alright if I went back and told them that, myself?”

Still keeping his smile, the waiter replied, “I’m afraid we can’t just let anyone in the kitchen.”

“Not even for a friend of Dion?”

“I’m sorry, but even for a friend, we cannot take you to the kitchen.”

Zander playfully threw his hands in the air. With a cocky smile, he continued the conversation. “What about showing us around the vineyard? I would like to turn this water into wine.”

The stagnant smile on the waiter crept further out, turning more mischievous. He extended his hand outwards and silently gestured for the group to follow him. Zander calmly stood to follow, with the rest of the group slightly trailing behind him.

While Vincent did follow where everyone else was going, he had no idea what was going on. Halfway through Zander and the waiter’s conversation, he had given up even trying to understand what they were saying. He didn’t care to talk to any chefs, nor did he care to take a tour of the small winery. Even still, he trusted his friend.

The group walked through the door that led to the kitchen, which was occupied by a half-dozen chefs and waiters. But before they entered the kitchen, the waiter immediately pivoted to the left. They followed him through another door that was solid and that had no windows on it.

On the other side of that door was a slight maze of hallways, extending further than what the exterior of the winery would imply. Scattered through hallways were crates and shelving units, each full of utensils, food, and other random items. The lighting was dim and the walls were slightly damp. However, nothing looked too out of the ordinary—it seemed like a typical storage area.

It took the group a couple of minutes, but when they finally reached the end, they were greeted by a dead end. The only thing there was a single crate. The waiter opened the top of the crate and motioned for the group.

The group stepped forward, with Vincent cutting in front of anyone to get a glimpse of whatever was in the crate. What he found shocked and confused him. The crate wasn’t empty, instead, there was an entire ladder that descended into the ground. It was a secret passage.

Vincent’s excitement started to boil when he finally put together that they were being led to a secret meeting palace. And with that excitement in his heart, he climbed down the ladder, descending into darkness.

The rest of the group finally followed him, and strangely, Zander was the last one to make it to the bottom...not counting the waiter, of course. When the waiter made contact with the ground, only his silhouette was visible, seeing as any light from above was barely trickling down.

The waiter then clapped his hands twice. After a few seconds, an almost blinding light filled the room they found themselves in. After his eyes adjusted, looking in the direction of the light, Vincent saw nothing but the color green, coming from a rectangular opening, and the outline of the waiter.

The waiter walked through the illuminated space and the rest of the group followed. As they did, they found themselves in a space that looked straight out of a fairytale. All around them was greenery. Bushes, flowers, grapevines, grass, and many insects inhabited the space. The one thing that stuck out the most, however, was the clear, blue, open sky that was above them.

Vincent and Eliot both let out an audible gasp. Zander let out a sigh of relief and Fang just looked around their vicinity.

Finally, the waiter clapped their hands again, and a grinding sound could be heard behind the group. As they turned around, they saw the rectangular opening in the stone-covered side of the building they walked out of starting to close. When it was completed, it looked identical to the rest of the wall.

“Welcome! I’m so glad you could make it!” a voice called out.

As Vincent turned around, he saw a figure sitting down on the other side of an iron-grated table. The figure was female, and her demeanor was one that was relaxed. Her smile was white, her skin was pale and youthful, and her clothes were nothing special.

The more Vincent looked at the woman, the more something about her seemed familiar. Maybe it was her shadowed appearance, maybe it was her voice, or maybe it was something deeper than that.

“I am Prince,” the woman stated. But before anyone could reply, she continued by saying, “And I...am so glad to see you guys again.”