Impure Confession (English version)

Night World Part 1

New York City, also known as the Big Apple, the melting pot of cultures, and other names. However, the nickname it's most famously known for, in both the natural and supernatural worlds, is: the city that never sleeps.

A man walks under the full moon with a wide smile on his face, watching as his beloved city remains full of life, even though it's already past three in the morning. Taxis streak across the roads, painting them yellow. Homeless men sleep in discreet corners with their shopping carts filled with God-knows-what. Gangs patrol the streets. Prostitutes lurk in dark corners, waiting for clients. Drug dealers peddle their wares, glancing around nervously, fearing the police might pounce at any moment. Drunkards and adulterers sneak into their homes, some more successfully than others. Yet none of this concerns the smiling man—after all, this wasn't his world. No, his world was darker, more mysterious, and much older.

He strolls along, listening to music through his headphones, cheerful and almost skipping. Anyone who saw him might think he was mad, especially since he was wearing sunglasses in the dead of night. But in New York City, a madman roaming the streets isn't exactly out of the ordinary—nor are one or two screams. However, one particular scream caught his attention: a woman's cry. He heard it clearly, despite his music being loud. With a quick motion, he adjusts his headphones and long winter coat, heading toward the source of the sound.

Though the scream was filled with panic and fear, the man moves calmly until he arrives at its origin: a dark alley, usually home only to trash and rats. But tonight, there was something more. Five men in sharp suits held a woman on the ground, motionless. Her white coat was stained with mud from the previous rain. The buttons of her shirt had been torn, revealing a black bra against her pale skin. Her jeans were slightly pulled down, just enough to show that her underwear was also black. Four of the men held her arms and legs, while the fifth sank his teeth into her neck, where a thin stream of blood trickled down. The woman's consciousness was fading along with her blood, but she managed to see, albeit blurred, the man standing before her. She tried to call for help, but she had no strength to speak.

One of the men noticed her looking at something. He turned quickly and saw the smiling man.

"Jo!" the suited man exclaimed.

The vampire who was drinking her blood immediately stopped, lifting his head at his companion's alert. His red eyes and elongated fangs betrayed his monstrous nature. He examined the man in sunglasses, scanning him from head to toe.

"What are you waiting for? Get rid of him!" he ordered, before returning to the woman's neck.

The eyes of the other four men also turned red. At inhuman speed, they moved toward the smiling man. The first to reach him came from behind, yanking off his headphones and MP3 player, which fell to the ground.

"Sorry, brother. Wrong time, wrong place."

The vampire opened his mouth wide, baring his fangs, preparing to sink them into the man's neck. But as soon as his teeth touched the man's skin, they shattered.

"What the—?"

Before he could process what had happened, the smiling man grabbed his tie and yanked it downward with tremendous force. The vampire's head smashed into the concrete ground, creating a crater. With the impact, half of his head turned into a red pulp, and his body rapidly aged, crumbling into ashes. Only his clothes remained. The other vampires hesitated, confused and fearful at the sight. The man seized the moment, calmly walking past them. Without understanding why, the vampires felt an intense, burning pain coursing through their veins, as if they were being consumed from the inside out. They dropped to their knees, their heads bubbling grotesquely before exploding, splattering blood everywhere. But the blood didn't linger—it evaporated almost instantly. Their bodies, too, aged rapidly, turning to ash.

The last vampire, the one drinking the woman's blood, realized the danger and tried to flee. But he felt an unbearable burning in his legs, which then exploded, causing him to collapse to the ground, screaming in agony. Despite the pain, he tried to compose himself and looked at the smiling man. Through the sunglasses, he could see the red glow in the man's eyes and the elongated fangs that appeared as he grinned.

"You... you're one of us! Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Why ask, fledgling, when you know nothing?"

The man approached the fallen vampire, staring directly into his eyes.

"You thought you could slaughter the flock without the shepherd unleashing the dog on the coyotes?"

"But... I need to feed! The thirst... it's uncontrollable."

"You don't need to kill to quench your thirst. The last thing we want is for the flock to know there are wolves among them."

"I didn't know! I swear!"

"Didn't know? Your sire didn't teach you anything?"

"Sire? The one who turned me? I don't know... I never saw him again."

"I see. An abandoned one... You've had bad luck in this life. Maybe you'll fare better in the next."

"Wait, I—"

Before he could finish, a blade of blood emerged from the man's hand, slicing off the vampire's head. It flew into the air, and by the time it hit the ground, it had already turned to ash.

The man pulled out his phone, removed the protective cover, and held it to his ear.

"It's done... Yes, all dead, no survivors... You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else."

He hung up and was about to leave when something grabbed his leg. He looked down to see the blonde woman clutching his pants.

"Oh, still alive, huh?"

He shook his leg to make her let go and crouched slightly to examine her condition.

"Looks like you've lost a lot of blood. By the time an ambulance arrives, you'll be dead... Oh well, tough luck. Maybe your god will give you another chance."

As he stood to leave, the woman, with the last of her strength, grabbed his pants again.

"Can't you die in peace?" he muttered, annoyed.

He looked into her blue eyes, which, despite everything, still shone with a fierce will to live.

"You really want to live, huh?" He crouched again. "You know, they say the other side isn't so bad... unless you've sinned a lot. But that's not for me to decide."

The woman choked on her own blood.

"You're sure you want to live? There are fates worse than death."

The woman tightened her grip on his pants.

"Very well. If that's what you want. But remember: this was your choice."

The man opened his mouth wide, revealing his fangs, and sank them into her neck.

End of Chapter.