Roof confrontation with vampire and Zabulon

The roof confrontation with the vampire and Zabulon is the climactic battle of the first story, where Anton Gorodetsky, the Night Watch, and the Dark Magician Zabulon clash over the fate of the boy Egor, a potential Other with an undetermined destiny. This event exposes the cynical manipulation of both Watches, forces Egor to make his first independent choice, and sets the stage for the ongoing struggle between Light and Darkness in Moscow.

Background and Stakes

The confrontation takes place on the flat roof of the "house on stilts," the same building where Egor lives. The girl-vampire, who had been hunting Egor the previous night, has taken him hostage after luring him out of his apartment with the Call. She holds him with one arm around his chest and her other hand, with extended claws, pressed against his throat, threatening to kill him instantly if attacked. The Night Watch operatives Tiger Cub and Bear have cornered her, but they are at a stalemate: any direct assault would result in the boy's death. Anton, who has been summoned by the vampire as the one who killed her partner, arrives to negotiate. The situation is further complicated by the sudden appearance of Zabulon, the head of the Moscow Day Watch, who declares that both the vampire and the boy are under his protection. He is accompanied by two Day Watch agents, the witch Alisa Donnikova and the warlock Pyotr Nesterov, creating a direct confrontation between the two Watches.

The Battle and Zabulon's Intervention

As Anton tries to talk the vampire down, the Night Watch operatives attempt a coordinated rescue. Semyon and Bear pounce simultaneously, but their attack is repelled by an invisible protective shield that Zabulon has conjured around the vampire and Egor. Zabulon, having shed his human guise, reveals his demonic form: dull scales instead of skin, an irregular skull covered with matted fur, eyes with vertical slit pupils, and a short forked tail. He unleashes a powerful magical assault. In response, Ilya, who is secretly Boris Ignatievich in disguise, unleashes a white cobra made of pure magical energy, which attacks Zabulon. Tiger Cub engages Alisa and Pyotr in a fierce physical and magical brawl. The battle rages across multiple levels of the Twilight, with the combatants moving at different speeds and using immense amounts of power. The struggle is so intense that it spills over into the human world, causing outbursts of deadly depression and irrational joy among the people below.

Egor's Choice and the Revelation

In the chaos, Egor, who has been a passive hostage, makes a decisive move. He withdraws deeper into the Twilight, escaping the vampire's grasp. The vampire, in her surprise, strikes herself instead. Anton follows Egor into the second level of the Twilight, a cold, misty realm where time moves even more slowly. There, he finds Egor contemplating staying forever, disillusioned by the Watches' manipulation. Anton tells him he has something to live for and leaves, forcing Egor to make his own choice. Egor chooses to return, and Anton helps him emerge. Back on the roof, the battle reaches its peak. Zabulon, having defeated the white cobra, is about to kill Anton, but Egor throws Anton the ivory medallion that Zabulon had given him earlier, breaking the Dark Magician's control over him. With the medallion, Anton declares, "Zabulon, you no longer have power over me." At this moment, Ilya reveals himself to be Boris Ignatievich, who had been disguised as the field operative. The boss's presence turns the tide, and Zabulon, realizing he has been outmaneuvered, withdraws.

Consequences and Aftermath

The immediate crisis is resolved: the girl-vampire is captured and later executed by order of the court, and Egor is saved. However, the event has profound consequences. Egor, having witnessed the cynical maneuvering of both Watches, is left deeply disillusioned and refuses to join either side. His aura remains undetermined, a rare and powerful state. The confrontation also reveals the depth of the Watches' manipulation: the entire incident, from the vampire attack to the roof standoff, was a complex maneuver by both Gesar and Zabulon to influence Egor's destiny and to test Svetlana. The event ends with Anton standing alone on the roof, feeling the weight of the moral compromises required by his role as a Light One, while the boss reminds him that "being on the side of the Light is much tougher than being on the side of the Dark." The experience leaves Anton emotionally drained but also more determined to find his own path.