Learn Russian: Здесь нет ничего, кроме темноты.

Russian requires a double negative here. To say "there is nothing," you literally say "there is not nothing" (нет ничего). Because the word нет (there is no) always forces the following noun or pronoun into the Genitive case, we use ничего, which is the Genitive form of ничто (nothing).

Why is ничего pronounced with a "v" sound when it is spelled with a г?

The word ничего contains the classic Genitive ending -его. In Russian, the letter г in the Genitive adjective and pronoun endings -ого and -его is always pronounced as a "v".

Why does темнота (darkness) change to темноты at the end of the sentence?

The preposition кроме (except) always requires the Genitive case. Since темнота is a feminine noun ending in -а, its Genitive form ends in -ы, becoming темноты. This reinforces a broader theme of your current lesson: the Genitive case often deals with absence, exclusion, or things not physically grasped yet, whether triggered by a preposition like кроме or by verbs of fear and desire.

Why is здесь placed at the very beginning of the sentence?

In Russian sentences about existence or absence, the location or time is typically placed at the very beginning to set the scene. That is why we start with Здесь (Here) before stating what is missing.