The gates to the Citadel of Citrus Wrath hissed open with a burst of lemon-scented mist. It clung to their skin like condensation on a cold drink—sour, sharp, and strangely invigorating.
"I feel like I just got bitch-slapped by a fruit salad," Stanley muttered, shaking off droplets from his hair.
"Good," Calyx said, rolling her shoulders like she was limbering up for a brawl. "Stay alert. Sour makes people irrational. I once watched a succubus try to strangle a lemon tree because it insulted her zest."
The interior was a swirling fever dream of citrus architecture. Domed ceilings rippled like slices of lime, stained-glass windows refracted the light into tangy hues of orange and green, and veins of glowing juice ran through the floor like pulsing capillaries.
Columns shaped like giant lemon wedges flanked their path. Banners depicting heroic oranges clashing with villainous grapefruits snapped in wind that had no source.
Rafael whistled. "Okay, I admit it. The interior decorator is insane, but committed."
"Where are the Jawbreakers of Judgment?" he asked, looking around.
A thunderous voice boomed through the corridor. "YOU STAND BEFORE THEM."
The walls trembled. From both ends of the corridor, massive doors burst open. Two towering figures marched out, shaking the very foundations.
They were humanoid in shape, but their heads were enormous jawbreakers, each one gleaming under the citadel's sour glow. One was blood-red, the other ultraviolet with streaks of indigo.
They wore armor made of candied steel, sashes that read "SCOURGE OF SWEETNESS," and belts adorned with crushed hard candy.
"State your flavor, Unbaked!" roared Red.
"Prove your crunch!" bellowed Violet.
Stanley leaned toward Rafael. "What the hell does that mean?"
"I think it means fight or die," Rafael said, already unsheathing his sword.
Calyx cracked her knuckles, her grin toothy and unhinged. "About time. I've been craving violence."
The Jawbreakers charged.
Red thundered forward like a wrecking ball, slamming shoulder-first into Rafael. The impact launched him across the room and into a pillar that wobbled dangerously.
"I'm okay!" he called, voice muffled by dust and citrus plaster.
Violet unleashed a spinning flurry of blows on Calyx, who bent backward like a circus contortionist, narrowly dodging a jaw-shattering punch. She retaliated with her whip, which wrapped around Violet's leg, but barely slowed it.
"They don't shatter," Calyx hissed, ducking under a swing. "Too dense."
Stanley ducked as a chunk of ceiling collapsed, dislodged by Red's rampage. His eyes fell on the Seed of Sour, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. He picked it up and sprinted toward a raised pedestal at the center of the chamber, bathed in golden citrus light.
"Maybe the flavor trial is literal! Like, we have to balance the taste or something!"
"Now is NOT the time for culinary theory!" Rafael yelled, dodging a flying jawbreaker elbow.
Stanley slammed the Seed into the pedestal.
The room exploded with a burst of green light. Time snapped like a taut wire.
Everything froze.
Calyx hung mid-flip, Violet's fist was suspended inches from her chest. Rafael floated sideways, mid-swing. Even the banners stopped flapping. A deep silence smothered the room.
A voice issued from the pedestal. Soft, resonant.
"Welcome, Flavorless One. Choose your path."
A spectral wheel appeared, rotating gently before Stanley. Each section glowed with taste-based names:
Bitter Ambition
Sweet Regret
Umami Lust
Sour Truth
Spicy Wrath
He stared. Each option shimmered with a color and scent that tugged at his senses.
"Sour Truth," he said.
The moment he touched it, the wheel shattered into crystalline sugar. Sharp, radiant shards flew into his chest—and visions followed.
His life unraveled before him. Every humiliating moment. The lies. The cowardice. The manipulations he called diplomacy. All the times he smiled to be liked instead of standing for anything real.
The pain wasn't physical—but it crushed him all the same.
He dropped to his knees.
"You cannot lie here," the voice said. "The Forbidden Flavor demands honesty."
Tears burned hot trails down his cheeks.
"I was weak!" Stanley shouted. "I lied to be liked! I let people use me because I was scared of being alone! I never tried to be better, just safe!"
The pedestal erupted in green fire.
Time lurched back into motion.
The Jawbreakers recoiled mid-punch, clutching their heads. Their candy-hard exteriors cracked like glass under emotional shrapnel.
Red screamed and fell to his knees. Violet stumbled backward and shattered into a prism of candied shards.
Rafael blinked. "...What the hell did you do?"
Stanley rose slowly. The green glow still pulsed in his chest, but his voice was calm. Strong. Changed.
"I passed the flavor trial."
Calyx gave a low whistle. "I knew there was something juicy in you."
A distant rumble. Then, at the far end of the chamber, a new door creaked open. It was framed with golden spirals of lemon and lime. A soft, sour wind drifted out.
Stanley took a breath. "The heart of the Citadel lies beyond. And whatever's in there... it's not just about candy anymore."
They stepped forward together. As they passed the pedestal, a final whisper echoed:
"He who masters flavor... may reshape the Dungeon."
***