Black sail of the labyrinth Part 1: The black sail

“What have you done to them?" Emeri growled.

“These are merely animatronics. The real ones have been captured in my labyrinth,” the blonde woman stated as she produced her phone.

Pictures of Emeri’s family encased in stone could be seen.

“These are real and not imitations. My name is M.M. a member of Illumous.”

The girls all went silent as M.M. ordered the animatronics to attack. They all swarmed around Serika.

“MMPH MMPH!” Serika yelled as the three restrained her.

“This is a game Emeri Ginkawa."

"Ginkawa!? My-"

"Ginkawa blood runs through your veins, therefore you are a Ginkawa like your mother and sister. Now then allow me to continue. You must find the hidden labyrinth to save your family. You have a 5 day time limit to save everyone. These three anamatronics will be patrolling the labyrinth reminiscent of the Minotaur. If all three of you are caught, the game ends in your loss. If you manage to save everyone, I will turn myself in.”

“Like we’d- “

M.M. tossed Emeri a micro sd card.

“That contains data on the M family’s members and misdeeds in Europe. It would take time to confirm it though, so I suggest you focus on saving your family. Naturally, I will be attempting to get my card back. As for the labyrinth's whereabouts, your only clue shall be given to you upon my departure. Should you return triumphantly from the labyrinth it shall be my loss and I will except my Reichenbach."

"Reichenbach?" Yuni asked.

"Yes, should a member of my family fail, we face a Reichenbach. It seems you are Kabuki's daughter, yet you lack any qualities that make you a threat. Before I leave,I shall also give you a warning; do not fly close to the sun if you wish to save everyone. Good luck.”

The lights suddenly went out, throwing the room into darkness. When the lights turned on, a few minutes later, they were gone.

“Shit! That bitch kidnapped Serika-chan, worst of all, she left us with a poor lineup. Yuni-chan and I are terrible at running and fighting, while Mado-chan’s still recovering. We have no choice but to try and save them though,” Emeri lamented in her mind.

The girls then noticed a black sail on the ground.

"What's this for? Did some pirates drop it?" asked Madoka.

"No, it's from the Theseus myth," Yuni exclaimed.

"What myth?"

"Ugh, let me explain! Theseus is the one who killed the minotaur according to Greek mythology. When the minotaur was alive, sacrifices were brought to him on a boat bearing a black sail. When Theseus decided to kill the minotaur, he declared that should he prove successful, he'd change the sail to a white one when the boat returned. If he failed, the sail would stay black. Ironically, Theseus was successful, but forgot to change the sail to white upon his return, which resulted in his father, King Aegeus of Athens, killing himself due to thinking his son was dead."

"Impressive Yuni-chan.  I didn't know you were versed in Greek mythology."

"Eh, I just studied it a bit. I'm no expert sadly."

"So does this mean we get on a boat?" asked Madoka.

"No, we hop on a flight to Crete. If we fly we can get there in an hour," Emeri stated.

The girls immediately ran for the marina and hopped on a ferry to Crete.

                                                                                 …

Serika glared at M.M. She was sitting in a chair with her arms and legs bound.

“The hell are you doing this for?” Serika growled.

“Pleasure. I also wished to converse with you, Mao Ookuma.”

“MY NAME IS SERIKA!”

“No, you bear the blood of the Ookumas as well as their DNA. I find it curious how such an ambitious member like Ruchi, would fail to take notice of your rebellion. Killing her is one thing, but based on what we now know I can deduce you planned the whole thing well in advance."

Serika spat on M.M.'s face.

"Miss Ookuma, no harm will come to you here. Even if your friends fail, your life will be spared. If you agree to return to Illumous and embrace your inner demon, I will ensure Ruchi's murder will be written off as a power struggle, and not an act of betrayal.

"I killed that bitch because she was a piece of shit. Also **** Illumous. I'm never joining."

"A shame, though I hope you reconsider. Though it pains me to do so, I will have to seal your mouth, should your friends find the labrynth."

Serika then screamed as loud as she could.

"Sorry, the fact that you can still scream freely means your friends are no where near.  They have yet to pursue us by boat."

"Wait! boat!? I thought you said we were in a labyrinth."

"I never said we were IN the labyrinth. We will be once we reach it."

"And where is it?"

"I'm not telling you. There is a possibility Emeri Ginkawa slipped a listening device on you. Since I left them a black sail, I have no issue slipping that we are on a boat. However, I refuse to divulge everything. This is a battle of wits, however, they have no chance of beating me in their current state."