Visual Novel: Before the Dawn

rarely thought of her hometown. In the city, she has concerts, TV appearances, and fans. But then her sister Alyona calls: "Come visit. I’m all alone here. At Grandma’s house." Evdokia boards a bus—leaving her medication behind in her haste—and gets off by a leaning post bearing a faded, barely legible name: Skukotino. Alyona greets her joyfully, though she is painfully thin and constantly disappears into the woods. Grandma’s house, standing at the edge of the village, is blackened with age and covered in moss; inside the bathhouse—where Alyona sends her sister to rest after the journey—Evdokia discovers she is not alone. Who you will meet The Bannik, the spirit who rules the bathhouse. He dislikes it when people bathe in his domain alone. The Nochnitsa, a tall, gaunt woman with white eyes. She takes Evdokia’s song drafts and challenges her to a game of hide-and-seek that lasts until dawn. The Boginka, a young woman in the ravine who braids her hair and asks unexpected questions. The Vodyanoy (Water Spirit) and the mermaids Rada and Vladislava. The Vodyanoy wants to sleep, while the mermaids alternate between chatting, arguing, and beckoning the newcomer into the water. The Leshy, guardian of the forest. Not evil, merely very old. You can visit him with a campfire, berries, and nuts, but you must answer his questions. The forest is also home to a talking black dog and a figure from the past to whom Evdokia owes a debt. There are multiple endings—some dark, others hopeful. Features Slavic supernatural beings as fully realized characters—each with their own personality, rules, and reasons for appearing. A game of hide-and-seek with the *Nochnitsa* (Night Hag), with Evdokia’s songs hanging in the balance. An autumn village setting: forest, fog, a wood-burning stove, an earth-roofed bathhouse, a field at night, a river, and a campfire deep in the woods. A story about two sisters, old grievances, and whether it is possible to return to the place you once fled. Lively dialogue: the sisters tease one another, while the *rusalki* (water spirits) and the *Leshy* (forest spirit) speak in ways quite unlike the terrifying entities they are supposed to be.