Humans don’t consume human blood.
Humans aren’t strong enough to fall from a mountainside without sustaining a single scratch.
Humans can’t instantly regenerate their wounds.
Humans have uniform teeth; they don’t have sharp fangs.

Humans.

"…"

So, what does that make me?

After falling into this unknown world, it took me a while to realize that I wasn’t human. Even as rumors spread, I remained hidden in the alleys. The homeless and the trash whispered about a mysterious figure that killed criminals, calling it the “Back-Alley Monster.” A monster, not a human. I wanted to deny it, but I couldn’t.

After accepting my monstrous nature, I no longer hid in the shadows of the alley. A monster that preys on humans is stronger than humans.

As time passed, I learned that no one in these alleys could threaten me. Knowing that I was stronger, I ceased to fear my surroundings. Fear was the first emotion I lost.

In tattered clothes, I wandered aimlessly through the filthy streets, barefoot in the rain. The feeling of stepping on soggy, muddy trash was disgusting—mushy and slippery beneath my feet. I endured the revulsion as I walked.

The falling rain washed away the blood from my hands and mouth. I wondered if my red eyes were from blood, too, but even as I washed them, they remained crimson. I guess my eyes were red from the beginning.

In a puddle that had formed in the uneven ground, I caught my reflection: silver hair and red eyes. Even in this world with all kinds of hair colors, I stood out.

My name was Iria. My age, unknown. My origin, unknown. My past, unknown.

I looked at my reflection, reading the remnants of my memories.

Apart from my name, I had nothing else left in this empty shell. I was just an unfortunate soul inhabiting an empty vessel I didn’t know. What was my name in my previous life?

"…"

I couldn’t remember.

Just a short time ago, I’d clearly remembered, but now, when I tried to recall it, my mind grew hazy. I could walk no longer and sank to the ground.

I had wandered the back alleys all day without rest, searching aimlessly, but I hadn’t found Liana. She might not even be in the alleys. Perhaps she had intentionally avoided me.

Now, I had no idea.

I didn’t know how to live, what I was, why I ended up in this world, or what it wanted from me.

The girl who once showed me how to live had run away from me. In the end, I was alone again, watching the world go by.

Everyone around me was struggling to survive.

The homeless who extended their lives by eating garbage, the normal humans I saw outside the Empire—different from me in every way.

Even if I disappeared, time would continue to flow in this world. In this vast world, I had no role.

It felt as if I were detached from it all.

It had been bearable when there were two of us. But now, it was just me.

"Ugh."

Ironically, the feeling I experienced was hunger.

Three days had passed since the incident, and even though a monster’s body needed less sustenance, I hadn’t had a drop of blood in all that time.

It was a primal sensation.

I wanted to consume humans, to kill, to sink my sharp teeth into someone’s neck.

At this point, I couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

I was a monster.

And as a monster, I had no right to resent Liana for fleeing from me.

That’s only natural for a girl her age. I’d likely killed all the humans there.

Though my memory was faint, Liana had witnessed it all.

Iria, the monster, tearing apart living humans.

If apologies were needed, they should come from me, not her.

Lost in thought, I rose, driven by thirst for blood.

I didn’t want to kill, but I did. A paradox that took me nowhere.

I wandered again without direction.

All I could do was walk, waiting to learn something. I knew nothing else.

While wandering the alley, I bit the neck of a man who had threatened me.

Was it my unusual appearance? I found myself the target of crime attempts in these alleys, usually of a sexual nature.

Before, I would have fled, but now, knowing I was stronger, I felt no need to run.

If this world operated on the law of the jungle, I was the predator, and he was the prey. It was my role to consume, not his.

Drinking human blood was more pleasurable than I’d expected. The sweet taste filled my mouth, and swallowing brought satisfaction that numbed my mind.

Honestly, it was almost frightening how enjoyable it was.

It was the best sensation I’d felt since falling into this world, marred only by the fact that it involved killing.

"Heh…"

I pulled my fangs from his neck.

I had killed another person.

This time, it wasn’t an accident—it was my decision.

Was it rational? I can’t say, as I was simply too hungry to think rationally then.

With my hunger sated, clarity returned, but so did the guilt.

The guilt wasn’t for him—he was the type who deserved it—but for myself, for having killed a human.

A monster that consumes humans roams the Empire’s alleys.

That monster is me.

Will I continue to live like this? It’s a wretched existence.

My bloodstained hands trembled, though the rain soon washed it all away.

For a killer, rainy days weren’t so bad. They erased the evidence for me.

If only they could wash away the scars on my heart as well. Perhaps I expected too much from the rain.

I don’t know.

Even now, I know more about what I don’t know than what I do.

Still, I chose to keep living.

I hated this life, but I was too afraid to die.

So, as a monster, I would continue in this world.

There’s no place for monsters here. The Empire is a city for humans.

Yet, even as a monster, I wished to sleep under a roof that kept the rain out.

Is that too much to ask?

Maybe this is how I pay for killing.

In the end, I lay down on the cold ground, closing my eyes. Tonight, I would likely dream of nightmares.

"Heck, cough! S-stop…"

"How dare you steal, you little brat!"

As I lay there, a commotion caught my ear.

A woman’s voice, and the angry voice of a man.

"Please, spare me!"

"You stole a loaf of bread worth a silver coin! You wretch, if you can’t pay, then sell yourself to cover it!"

The alley was my home, but now, it was too noisy to sleep. Curious, I moved toward the voices.

I walked, step by step, toward the sound.

A pink-haired girl was struggling against a large man.

It was Liana.

She had lived in the alley longer than I had, surviving on theft as she always had.

Without a proper job, and with nowhere to go, it was her only means of survival.

"…"

It seemed this world wasn’t kind to monsters—or to her.

I’d found the one I was searching for. I had so much to say to her.

Was it right for me to interfere?

I hesitated, but I knew I’d regret it if I let her slip away again.

I stepped forward, closer, revealing myself in front of them.

As I approached, they noticed my presence.

Both of them turned their eyes toward me.

Liana’s expression changed drastically when she saw me.

Her pupils shook as if she doubted her own sight, blinking as though to confirm I was real.

Then, slowly, she opened her mouth.

Her trembling voice struggled to form the words.

"I… Iria? Why…are you here?"

"And who are you?"

Our reunion after the incident was far from pleasant.