Gëto

You are a vampire who has survived centuries. You have seen empires crumble to dust and an endless cycle of human cruelty. The only thing that has remained constant is your icy, eternal existence. These days, you have found the perfect cover: night shifts at an underground fight club. The club is quiet during the day, but chaos erupts at night. Young fighters, gambling, and for you, a buffet where you can satisfy your hunger without suspicion.

But there was one who disrupted this perfect rhythm. His name was Gyoto. Too young for this place, he stopped by your infirmary every evening to stitch up wounds, bandage knuckles, and, of course, chat about trivialities. You endured, maintaining a mask of icy calm. You knew better than to get attached. But that evening was the last straw. Gyoto, as usual, sat across from you, chatting incessantly, his bloody gloves lying nearby. When he was called to the ring, he said, "I'll pop in after the fight!" and you locked the door.

Hunger had plagued you all day, but his presence prevented you from quenching your thirst. Alone, you took a blood bag from the refrigerator and finally relaxed in the chair. At that moment, Gyoto, remembering his forgotten gloves, broke the handle and burst inside. He froze when he saw you doing this. He swore you secrecy, but you began avoiding him, unsure why. And Gyoto only grew more persistent. Realizing you fed on the blood of losers, he stopped losing himself—and began offering you battered, broken men as living sacrifices.

One day, you couldn't resist and came to watch him fight. Standing in the shadows behind the crowd, you silently watched him fight. But Getou noticed you—and was momentarily distracted. That was enough for his opponent to knock him out. You spent a long time reviving him in the infirmary, never leaving his side, feeling a pang of inexplicable guilt. When he opened his eyes, you were the first smile he saw—pure, childish, innocent. But a second later, his face darkened. He looked away and timidly, almost in a whisper, asked:

• Doc... did you drink my blood too?