Black Sail of the labyrinth Part 5: Following the myth

“MOTHER!” Emeri yelled as she tried to dive into the water as Serika and Yuni held her back.

“It’s too dangerous to just jump into the sea like that. Besides, I don’t think she’ll last long. I’ll pull up as close as I can though,” the ferryman stated.

As the boat pulled up next to the dying Eika, Emeri reached out and removed her gag.

“E-me-ri…” Eika moaned.

“NO! WHY!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! YOU CAN’T DIE ON ME AGAIN!” Emeri tearfully screamed.

Eika’s vision became blurry as she breathed heavily.

“E-meri. I’m sorry. I tried to run, but they found me. I’m… sorry. Sorry I couldn’t protect ya from them. I didn’t tell ya cuz I didn’t want ya ta get swept up in Ginkawa affairs. Sorry I pushed ya so hard on sports. I wanted ya to be strong an healthy. Sorry I’m not the brightest, if I was smarter, maybe I could’ve prevented this like a good mother. Tell Rumi-ne I’m sorry for screwin up and for not beein able ta reunite. Don worry, I’ll tell Kouki and Eriza you’re alright when I see em soon…”

“WE SAVED ERIZA! SHE’S FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE, BUT WE SAVED HER!”

Eika tearfully smiled.

“Good, at least my daughters will live on. Be a good sister an make sure you an Eriza live long happy lives…”

Light vanished from Eika’s eyes as Emeri screamed and sobbed in agony.

Serika, Yuni, and Madoka also teared up as they tried to comfort Emeri.

Suddenly, M.M. pulled up on her yacht.

“How unfortunate. You failed to save everyone. I just got the results of the game. So, you saved your younger sister, yet left her on Naxos. A shame your father couldn’t be there to watch over her. She will live; however, I know not when she will awaken again. Though my associates are en route to retrieve her. We will craft her into a fine Illumous soldier.”

“YOU BITCH! YOU ******* BITCH! YOU MURDERED MY PARENTS, NOW YOU WISH TO ENSLAVE ERIZA!?”

“Why yes, it is as fate decreed. You didn’t lose, yet you did not win either. This result was exactly as I predicted. Though perhaps I should dub thee Theseus Ginkawa for following the myth so well.”

“__!?”

“Just like Theseus, you voluntarily sailed to Crete to rescue people from the labyrinth. You also slew the minotaur. You didn’t use your hands or feet to press the “off” button, like I recommended, though you did make use of the moped and poisoned bayonet. You used thread to find your way out and abandoned a woman on Naxos. Though it was your sister instead of your lover. Finally, and most significantly, you failed to change the sail from black to white, thus sealing your mother’s fate. Had you merely changed the sail, regardless of if you saved your father and sister, your mother would have lived, and I would have suffered my Reichenbach. I had no idea how you performed on Crete until just a while ago, meaning you could have easily fooled me into thinking I had utterly lost, thus forcing me to atone for my failure with my life. However, you failed. You let emotion cloud your judgement and failed to see through my riddles. You played exactly as I wanted you to, and sealed your fate. Perhaps I should call you Oedipus Ginkawa.”

Yuni began to tremble at the mention of the name.

“Oh, it seems your friend knows what I’m alluding to. Well tell her the myth,” M.M. coldly sneered.

Yuni broke down crying as she couldn’t bear to tell Emeri what she had done.

“Very well, I will tell her. Oedipus is infamous for unknowingly marrying his mother. While you by no means replicated that feat, there was another half of the myth. A prophecy was given that Oedipus would marry his own mother and KILL his own father.”

Emeri’s heart began to beat faster.

“The hell do you mean!? You crushed him to bits in your labyrinth.”

“No, I merely destroyed the authentic stone STATUES of your mother and father. Eriza was the only one truly encased in a cement-like agent. I even hinted at it by placing her in the center, while placing your parent’s statues off to the left and right. The placement of the moped was deliberate. It emitted a signal that would prevent the minotaur’s off button from activating so long as it was within a 30-meter radius. Had you left the moped, you would have been able to activate the off switch with the rocks, thus saving your father instead of killing him with your own hand.”

Emeri began to tremble and hyperventilate as she fell to her knees.

“No…NO IT’S IMPOSSIBLE!”

“I merely placed a mind control device on him. My deliberate referring to the moped as a chariot was also a final lifeline for you to avoid tragedy. Oedipus unknowingly killed his father after they got into a quarrel while traveling. One account says the quarrel began after they crashed their chariots into each other. Just like Oedipus, you unknowingly got into a quarrel with your father and killed him. And I even provided an antidote for the poison that ultimately killed him. Seems like you are now a murderer Emeri Ginkawa.”

Emeri’s dam completely burst as M.M. decided to twist the knife even further.

“You always hated the lifestyle your parents tried to push on you. Shouldn’t you be happy that they’re now dead?”

“NO! YOU BITCH! I HATED DOING SPORTS, BUT I STILL LOVED THEM! I WOULDN’T KILL THEM OVER THAT!”

“But disagreements about lifestyles are one of the core reasons people despise and/or kill one another. Many simply resort to verbal attacks, but there are some that will resort to physical violence to lash out at someone they disagree with. You simply proved you are part of the latter, murderer.”

Emeri broke down and began screaming and crying uncontrollably. M.M. chuckled and tossed a small case to her. Emeri frantically opened the case to find a pair of sharp sewing needles.

“Upon realizing the truth, Oedipus gouged his eyes out with needles. Since I failed to retrieve my flash drive, I will offer this to you as mercy to ease your pain,” M.M. sneered as she sailed away.

Emeri immediately reached for the needles, and attempted to gauge her eyes out only for Serika to desperately restrain her wrists.

“NO! I NEED TO ATONE! I DIDN’T MEAN TO KILL HIM! I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT THEM! I… I… AHHHHH! LET ME ATONE!”

Her mind was completely broken, and she was unable to think straight as she forcibly tried to break free of Serika’s grasp.

“DON’T DO THIS! SHE’S MESSING- “

“SHUT UP! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! MY FAMILY! THEY’RE GONE! ALL BECAUSE OF MY SELFISHNESS! I NEED TO BE PUNISHED FOR THEIR UNFAIR DEATHS!”

“I’m sorry I can’t understand, and for what I’m about to do. I’m sorry, but it’s for your own good,” Serika cried.

*Crunch*

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

Emeri screamed in pain as Serika broke her wrists causing her to drop the needles. Serika then pinned Emeri down while Yuni helped restrain her.

                                                                                         …

“I apologize for the ruckus we caused,” Yuni said to the ferryman.

“Well, I can’t blame her. If what that blonde said was true, she must be in tremendous emotional pain. I’d recommend sticking by her side, without being too pushy.”

Yuni pushed Madoka in a wheelchair as they went to buy milk.

“I’ve never seen Emeri like this before. She’s always been so calm and level-headed,” Madoka lamented.

“That evil woman subjected her to a cruel punishment. The best we can do is try to help her overcome it.”

“I really hope so. It’d be a lousy birthday present to see her depressed and miserable.”

“Wait, is your birthday today!?”

“No, it’s tomorrow on the 24th. Though, it’s probably not a good idea to celebrate considering what happened. Once I can move my hand again, I’ll try contacting momma. Though, I don’t think she’ll like the news.