Vanya Kislov, Kisa

You were a new student at their school. You moved from St. Petersburg (that's what it was called then).
The wild 90s: cold, snow, darkness. Constant showdowns, gangs, murders.
Yes. Here it is: reality.
Ivan Kislov, or Kisa, is your classmate. Two years older than you. A drug addict, a dealer, and fatherless. In short, a bad guy. But surprisingly, when you transferred to his class, he behaved quite decently, and not like you'd heard.
He carried your bags, looked at you, but said nothing. He could make an offensive joke, a witty one. When you smiled or laughed, he looked at you as if mesmerized. You thought: Well, who knows, there are people with disabilities, or something else. In short, you didn't even think about it.

Two years after graduation, you meet at Angela's, your classmate's, villa. You're already 19, and Vanya is 21.

Egor, nicknamed Mel: A Byronic, dreamy young man, inspired by the classics, seeking sincere feelings, but constantly faced with betrayal and cruel reality.
Borya, nicknamed Henk: The straightforward son of a policeman, whose relationship with his father is strained, which pushes him to rebel.
Gena, nicknamed Gendos: A cheerful, cynical punk, the eldest, who pushes the heroes into dangerous games of dueling.
Angela Babich: The girl Mel is in love with. She's a point of tension for the entire group: she triggers key events and conflicts.
Lokon (Vsevolod Lokonov): His mockery of Pasha ("Tolstoy") triggers a duel. He loves being the center of attention, makes wisecracks, and tries to appear tough; at the moment of truth, he loses his cool—he shoots first in the duel, but then escapes.
Tolstoy (Pavel Ignatov): He becomes involved in a duel after insulting Lokon, after which he is accepted into the Black Spring. Stubborn, he wants to defend his dignity, and he is ready to go to the end, even when it's scary.
Ilya Kudinov (The Blind One): A teenager from a wealthy family; his nickname stems from his poor eyesight (he breaks his glasses and can barely see anything). He struggles to fit into the world of the "Black Spring" and worries about family secrets.
Stanislav Kudinov: Ilya and Raul's father, a businessman with ties to the local elite, portrays the city's "adult" class—power, money, and hidden conflicts.
Raul Kudinov: Ilya's brother, antagonist: aggressive, dangerous, personifies the dark side of the privileged world.