The first thing Yotsuba Emi felt was the cold.
Her eyes opened slowly, and she found herself lying on damp, cracked tiles. The sharp scent of mildew burned her nose, and the dim, flickering light above her made the shadows in the room dance like living things.
She sat up, wincing as her head throbbed. The last thing she remembered was lying in bed, scrolling through her phone, and drifting off to sleep. But this—this place was something out of a nightmare.
"Where… am I?" she murmured, her voice shaky.
The room was empty except for her and a strange object on the floor nearby. It was a silver bracelet, and the moment her eyes landed on it, it snapped onto her wrist as if alive. Emi yelped and tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge.
The bracelet's smooth surface displayed a countdown: 01:00:00.
"An hour?" she whispered, staring at the numbers in confusion.
Before she could think further, a distorted voice filled the room, deep and emotionless.
"Welcome, participants, to the Maze of Shadows. You have been chosen to enter this trial. Your objective is simple: survive, complete the task, and escape. Failure will result in death. Timer begins now."
The countdown on her bracelet started ticking: 00:59:59… 00:59:58… 00:59:57.
Emi's pulse raced. This couldn't be real.
The voice continued, "Task: Find the key to escape the mansion. Beware the spirits of the damned who roam these halls. Good luck."
A loud click echoed, and a door on the far side of the room creaked open.
Emi stood frozen, her thoughts spinning. She wasn't the type to panic easily—years of being groomed to take over her family's vast empire had taught her how to think clearly under pressure. But this wasn't a business meeting. This was survival.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Focus, Emi. If this is some kind of twisted game, you need to win.
The room she entered was a narrow hallway lined with peeling wallpaper and faintly glowing lanterns. The air was heavy, almost suffocating, and the sound of her footsteps seemed unnaturally loud.
A noise from behind made her freeze. It was faint at first—a dragging, shuffling sound—but it grew louder with every second.
Emi turned, her heart pounding, but the hallway behind her was empty.
It's nothing. Just keep moving.
Her bracelet now read 00:55:30. Time was slipping away.
She found a map pinned to the wall ahead, its edges frayed and yellowed. The layout showed multiple floors of what looked like a mansion, with a red X marking Start and a green circle labeled Exit on the third floor.
The path between was littered with strange symbols—skulls, question marks, and ominous arrows.
"What do these mean?" Emi muttered, but she had no time to figure it out.
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, followed by the sound of something crashing. Emi's blood ran cold.
"Help! Somebody, help me!" a voice screamed from somewhere nearby.
Her instincts told her to run in the opposite direction, but the faint possibility of finding an ally kept her moving toward the sound.
The hallway branched into another room, this one filled with overturned furniture and shattered glass. In the middle of the chaos stood a girl, no older than fourteen, her face pale with terror.
"Please! Don't let it get me!" the girl cried, pointing to something behind her.
Emi's breath caught.
A shadowy figure loomed in the doorway, its glowing red eyes locked on the girl. Its body was twisted, its movements jerky and unnatural, like a marionette controlled by invisible strings.
The girl backed away, tripping over the wreckage. "Help me! Please!"
Emi gritted her teeth. Her eyes darted around the room, landing on a jagged piece of metal from a broken table leg. She grabbed it without hesitation and stepped forward.
"Get away from her!" she shouted.
The creature's head snapped toward Emi, its glowing eyes narrowing
The creature's head snapped toward Emi, its glowing eyes narrowing as a guttural, inhuman growl erupted from its throat. Its twisted limbs twitched unnaturally as it lurched forward, its footsteps echoing against the cracked tiles.
Emi's grip on the jagged metal tightened. Her mind raced. She had no idea how to fight something like this, but running wasn't an option. The girl was cowering in a corner, trembling and frozen in fear.
"Stay behind me," Emi said, her voice steady despite the panic clawing at her chest.
The creature lunged, moving faster than she anticipated. Emi barely had time to sidestep, slashing the metal shard across its arm as it passed. A black, viscous liquid oozed from the wound, but the creature barely reacted.
"Great," Emi muttered. "It's not going to be that easy."
The creature turned, its movements jerky and erratic, and let out another guttural sound that vibrated through the room. It charged again, its elongated arms outstretched.
Emi ducked and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its claws. She scanned the room for anything that could give her an advantage—a weapon, a distraction, anything. Her eyes landed on a toppled bookshelf near the corner where the girl was hiding.
"Push the shelf over!" Emi shouted.
The girl hesitated, her wide eyes darting between Emi and the advancing creature.
"I said push it!" Emi barked, her tone sharp and commanding.
Snapped out of her fear, the girl scrambled to her feet and began shoving at the bookshelf with all her strength. It wobbled precariously but didn't fall.
Emi needed to buy her more time.
The creature lunged again, and Emi swung the metal shard with all her might, aiming for its head. The sharp edge connected with a sickening crack, but instead of slowing down, the creature seemed angrier.
It swiped at Emi, its claws grazing her arm. She hissed in pain but refused to back down.
"Almost there!" the girl shouted as the bookshelf tipped further.
Emi feinted to the left, drawing the creature's attention, and then darted to the right, putting herself between it and the girl.
"Now!" Emi yelled.
With a final shove, the girl sent the bookshelf crashing down. It struck the creature with a deafening thud, pinning its twisted body to the ground.
Emi didn't wait to see if it would get back up. Grabbing the girl's arm, she pulled her toward the hallway.
"Run!"
The two of them bolted, their footsteps pounding against the tiles as the creature's guttural growls faded behind them. Emi's heart raced as they turned corner after corner, blindly following the map in her hand.
When they finally stopped, they were in a small, dimly lit room with a single wooden door at the far end. Emi collapsed against the wall, panting heavily, while the girl sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
"Th-thank you," the girl stammered between sobs.
"What's your name?" Emi asked, her tone gentler now.
"Yumi," the girl said, wiping at her tears. "Takahashi Yumi."
Emi nodded. "Yotsuba Emi. Listen, Yumi, I know you're scared, but if you want to survive this, you have to stay strong. Can you do that?"
Yumi sniffled and nodded weakly.
"Good," Emi said, glancing at her bracelet. The timer now read 00:42:16. "We don't have much time left. We need to find that key and get out of here."
She pushed herself to her feet and approached the wooden door. The map indicated that the staircase to the next floor was just beyond this room.
Emi turned the handle cautiously and peered inside. The room was empty, but a faint metallic smell hung in the air. In the center of the room was a pedestal, and resting on it was a small, ornate key.
Her instincts screamed at her. It was too easy.
"Stay here," Emi told Yumi, who clutched at her sleeve.
"But—"
"Stay," Emi repeated firmly.
She stepped into the room, her eyes scanning every corner for traps. The floor creaked under her weight, and she froze, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she took another step forward.
The key was within arm's reach now. Emi extended her hand, hesitating for a moment before grabbing it.
As soon as her fingers closed around the metal, the floor beneath her began to rumble. The door slammed shut behind her, and the walls started closing in.
"Emi!" Yumi screamed from the other side.
Emi's heart pounded as she scanned the room. Her eyes landed on a small hatch in the corner—a way out, if she could reach it in time.
Clutching the key, she sprinted for the hatch, diving through just as the walls closed completely. She landed hard on the other side, her breath ragged.
"Emi!" Yumi's voice called out again.
"I'm fine!" Emi shouted back, her voice echoing in the narrow corridor. She climbed to her feet and made her way to another door, opening it to find Yumi waiting for her on the other side.
"I got the key," Emi said, holding it up. "Now let's get out of here."
Yumi nodded, and the two of them headed for the staircase, the countdown on their bracelets ticking ever closer to zero.