The crew stood on the deck of the Black Dragon’s Foot, orbiting the twilight edge of the Nebula of Never-Was. Below them, Mon’Tarr the Mindjaw slowly sank back into the planet’s molten sea, his message still ringing in their minds:
“You’ve found four. Three remain. But beware… one of the final pieces was never meant to be found.”
Captain Skull Fire paced the deck. The relics—the Sprinkle Orb, the Time Truffle, the Frosted Key, and now the glowing Compass of Primevalon—floated around a shimmering projection in midair, spinning like slices of a mysterious cosmic pie.
“What do they do?” he muttered. “What is the First Flavor?”
Blip Blop’s eyes flickered purple. “According to Mon’Tarr’s memory echo, the First Flavor is… a primordial code. A recipe written into the universe before time. When assembled, it can rewrite anything.”
“Even turn broccoli into pizza?” Nutters asked hopefully.
“Even time itself,” Blip Blop answered.
Zorgabella floated in, her song unusually quiet. “Then someone—or something—may already be trying to assemble it.”
Elara stepped forward, her rings glowing brighter than ever.
“I’ve been feeling… pulled,” she said. “Toward a place beyond any star charts. A lost moon hidden in the gravitational folds of Sector Null.”
Captain Skull Fire nodded. “Set course.”
As they approached Sector Null, the lights of the universe dimmed. Even the ship’s engines whispered instead of roaring.
And then… they saw it.
Floating silently in a black sea of broken comets was a moon-sized vault, made of obsidian and gold. It pulsed with power—and danger.
Written on its surface in glowing glyphs:
"The Recipe Is Not For Mortals."
They landed in silence.
The vault door opened by itself.
Inside was a circular chamber lined with mirrors that didn’t show reflections—but possibilities. One showed Nutters as a banana. Another showed Blip Blop as a giant space whale. Jinko was riding a comet with a cape made of pancakes (that one got a chuckle).
At the center of the vault was a pedestal.
And on the pedestal… sat the Fifth Piece:
A star-shaped crystal humming with warmth and memory.
Elara reached for it—
BOOM!
The mirrors shattered.
The lights went out.
And the room filled with laughter—cold, strange, echoing laughter.
A shape rose from the shadows. Cloaked in energy, its eyes swirling like galaxies.
“I knew you’d bring me the pieces,” the figure said. “You saved me centuries of searching. Now… give them here.”
Captain Skull Fire stepped forward. “Who are you?”
The being smiled.
“I am called The Archivore. I eat knowledge. Rewrite stories. Devour truths.”
He lifted his hand—and the Sprinkle Orb flew from Skull Fire’s satchel into his grasp.
The crew tried to fight. Elara launched a gravity ring. Jinko kicked the crystal pedestal. Nutters threw an entire sandwich.
But the Archivore was too fast. He vanished—teleporting through mirror-light—and took the Fifth Piece with him.
Gone.
Back on the ship, silence again.
“We lost one of the pieces,” said Jinko.
“And someone is one step ahead,” added Zorgabella.
“But we’re not done,” Skull Fire growled. “We’ll find the last two. We’ll stop the Archivore.”
Blip Blop stepped up, glowing brighter than ever.
“And I just figured something out,” he said. “The First Flavor isn’t just a weapon… it’s a door.”
Elara raised her eyes. “To where?”
Blip Blop turned.
“To the Beginning of Everything.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
In Chapter Ten: The Door Before the Universe,
What lies behind the First Flavor’s recipe?
Can the crew beat the Archivore to the final two pieces?
And what was erased before time even began?
Rest well, brave traveler. The universe is watching. 🌠🗝️✨