Out of the Dark (WIP) [Prologue, Chapter 1; 38.4k words]

[velena]

Out of the Dark is an interactive fiction set in a medieval fantasy Rus’ setting, inspired by slavic mythology and folklore.

DEMO

You wake up after a vivid nightmare with almost no memories, except those of a dream you’ve just had.

What happened before you went to sleep you don’t know, and the room that greets you when you open your eyes doesn’t seem any more familiar than the forest from your nightmare. In the small village in the north, that seems like it’s been forgotten by the gods and most people, you have to collect the pieces of your life.

Friendly faces are scarce here and the few people that are well-disposed toward you act too suspiciously. Who to trust is for you to decide and that decision can hardly wait. Dreadful things start happening around you; monsters and malevolent spirits roam too close to the village and some think you are too blame. And maybe they’re right. Maybe they can sense it, this unnatural hunger and darkness swirling inside you since you woke up. You can certainly feel it, clouding your mind and chipping off pieces of you.

And the ominous words from the nightmare are spinning in your head.

“Enjoy your gift. She will come to collect the debt soon.”

Romantic options

DANKO/DANKA. They are a dull winter sun, pale and barely warm. Their eyes are frozen rivers that only come alive when they settle on you. Their pale, frightened face is the first thing you see when you wake up from a terrible dream, hurt and devoid of all memories. They say they’re your friend and you can’t feel any threat from them, but a nagging feeling of uneasiness creeps up inside you every time they refuse to meet you eyes when you start asking questions.

VASILISA/VERAN. A witch, a healer, a recluse. In the village they are regarded with unease and grudging respect. You come to their home for help and they provide it, albeit reluctantly. They are guarded around everyone, but you, along with Danko/Danka seem to be the last people they want to deal with. Alas, neither they nor you have much of a choice; no one else can help you with the strange curse that afflicts you.

NEREV. TBA

YARA. TBA

Updates/Wordcount

Prologue: 4k

Chapter 1 (updated 03.06.26): 34.2k

Total: 38.2k

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AI Disclosure:

No — This project does not contain the output of Generative AI
Yes — This project contains the output of Generative AI

[CobaltAlbireo]

I enjoyed what there is so far. Feels like a thriller mystery with several unanswered questions, personally i hope it will lean a little more into self doubt and unreliable narrator angle, with player questioning what we did and what we didn’t do and how much can we trust ourselves. The atmosphere is dark and thick and i am interested in what’s going on. I hope it will turn out well.

Collected couple little typos while reading.

I assume it should be “you can ask either of them later”.

Little oopsie.

I assume it’s “From what you’ve come to know”.

Little oopsie #2.

Little oopsie #3.

Hope it turns out pretty neat.

[velena]

Thank you for pointing out the typos.

I do plan to lean into an unreliable narrator angle, and hope I can pull it off well. Trust and deciding who to place it upon, as well as wether you can trust yourself and your memories, will be a major thing.

[Pancake]

this is so beautifully written, I am so looking forward to reading more of this story

small mistakes

[velena]

I have updated the demo with small fixes.

-– the typos that have been reported have been fixed.

-– the last choice has been fixed. Apparently, there was… a lot of mistakes there.

-– I have also added the option to do something even if you were able to resist Morana’s influence.

-– I also apparently forgot to make the stats screen visible. It will be visible now after you finish customizing your character’s appearance. Bear in mind it is still in the works and is subject to change.