Bruno and the Crimson Veil

lost within myself, I silently asked:

Why did I give in?

I, who had always been known for my willpower... even among ordinary humans.

Confusion. Rage. Regret. Curiosity. Sadness. Happiness.

A whirlwind of emotions surged through every cell of my body, as if they all fought for space within me.

Beside me, Flávia watched with anxious eyes—the kind of look one has only when something bad happens to someone they love.

Without a word, she knelt as well and gently wrapped me in an embrace.

"Everyone gives in to hunger, Bruno," she whispered tenderly. "No newly turned vampire can ignore it. Not even those born with the gift resist completely."

Hearing that, a faint relief washed over me... but it was quickly swallowed by a bitter disgust—at myself.

So... is that it?

From now on, I'm no longer human? Not even my own ideals remain untouched?

My voice faltered, caught between chaos and exhaustion.

"I... feel... lost."

Flávia didn't answer. She just continued comforting me silently with her embrace.

That silence gave my mind room to wander.

For about seven minutes, no sound filled the room—only the muffled echo of my own thoughts.

My mind felt like an escalator in constant motion, dragging me through memories I couldn't stop.

Memories flooded me with force.

I recalled time passing, my body aging slowly, the faces around me.

My family. My friends. The simple moments that now seemed as distant as another life.

Three memories stood out.

The first was an ordinary, perfect day: my whole family gathered, smiling around the table, happy just to be together.

The second was an afternoon with my friends—eating, laughing, talking about the future.

It didn't matter what each one wanted. What mattered was that we dreamed together. That we were there for each other.

The third... was harder to remember.

The day she left.

The girl I thought I loved, moving to another city, leaving behind an absence I never filled.

And there, embraced by a vampire in a silent castle, I asked for the first time:

Who am I now? And what remains of me?

After that long silence, Flávia seemed to notice I was sinking into my thoughts. Firmly, she said:

"Bruno, you haven't changed."

Perplexed, I answered through muffled sobs:

"How could I not have changed? Now I'm a vampire... everything I knew is shattered."

Flávia just nodded softly and continued:

"Transformation doesn't change your mind. It only intensifies what you already feel. That's why you didn't resist hunger."

I felt irritation rise and replied with a trembling voice:

"Do you realize what you're saying? If I couldn't control my thirst and drank your blood... what would stop me from doing worse to someone else?

And if a simple intrusive thought is enough now to... to make me kill someone?"

Flávia brought her hands to my hair and spoke confidently:

"You would never do that. You may be irritable, but you have a good heart, Bruno."

She lowered herself and nestled against my chest, continuing:

"Even when you're at the edge of irritation, you rarely act on impulse.

The few times you've fought, you ended up trembling.

Not from weakness or cowardice,

But from fear — fear of crossing the line and hurting whoever was on the other side of your fists."

My emotional turmoil began to ease, mostly due to Flávia's comfort and something deep inside me, like a veil—a veil of blood?

Bruno could never see it then, nor even imagine what lay within.

His voice, once trembling, was now almost steady. As if enlightened, Bruno asked, confused and hesitant:

"Is it possible not to become a crazed creature who kills for pleasure?"

Flávia nodded gently and replied:

"Of course. Many newly turned vampires, once accustomed, return to see their families and friends."

Bruno felt a faint spark of hope ignite within him and gradually returned Flávia's embrace as his thoughts drifted silently.

Thus, about twenty minutes passed in that comforting embrace.