Costian was born in Ustalav, to a family of Varisians who lived in Varno on the shores of Redleaf Lake, beneath Adler Manor. He had a elder sister named Catiana, and a younger sister named Cornela. The relationship between his parents was strained, and his father was abusive towards his mother. For Costian, this was a normal family life, and the people of his village, used to the terrors that haunted them at night, did little to convince him otherwise.

When Costian was 11, he came home to find his mother dead, apparently having fallen and struck her head repeatedly against the fireplace. Catiana took over in their mother's place, and also seemed to take on not only her chores and responsibilities, but also being the target of their father's anger.

It was soon after that Costian started to hear his mother's voice again, and seemed to get the feeling of being watched. Over time, he learned to control these feelings, and found that he could hear the voices of the recently dead.

Then one day their father went missing. Catiana was blamed for his death, and sentenced to be hung for murder. Cornela begged Costian to save their sister, but he decided instead to flee with his younger sister, leaving Catiana to her fate