In the last episode, Darkling / General Kirigan emerges from the Fold surrounded by creatures of darkness. But where exactly do they come from? Be careful, spoilers.
This article contains spoilers for Season 1 of Shadow and Bone and the Grisha books.In the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, the Grisha have the particularity of mastering Little Science, while respecting certain rules and limits: they must use what nature offers them, in order to be able to control the air, the fire, heal the human body (at the cellular level), or even modify an object (at the molecular level).
The Darkling (Ben Barnes), who has lived for hundreds of years and whose power is unparalleled, broke this rule by using merzost ("magic" in ravkan). It is about creating something by not starting from any element existing in nature.
This is what Morozova did, when he made the three Amplifiers (the deer, the sea dragon and the firebird). But this practice comes at a high price: in Kirigan's case, he unwittingly created the Shadow Fold, transforming men, women and children into Volcra. It is also the only place where his powers are unusable and where he is vulnerable.
Alina uses this vulnerability in the season finale, when she leaves it at the mercy of the Volcras. But the last images of the series show us a badly damaged Darkling, barely escaping the Fold. He is surrounded by creatures of darkness ...
Fans of Leigh Bardugo's books must have felt chills seeing these images since these are Nichevo'ya. These are considered abominations because they were created using merzost. They have the ability to exist outside of the Fold and to be immune to the sun.
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The Nichevo'ya are created and controlled by the Darkling.
Difficult to kill, the Nichevo'ya are formidable predators whose bite never heals. With his new army, the Darkling becomes an even more formidable enemy for our heroine, even if the use of Merzost weakens in the long term the Grisha who uses it.
It will be necessary to wait for a possible season 2 of Shadow and Bone to see these Nichevo'ya in action.
