Alina and The Darkling are Connected Even When It Is Severed He has always wanted her light to balance his shadow. Their connection persists because of what The Darkling believes Alina to be. He is constantly referring to her as "my Alina," which is creepy, but that is the true depths of their connection.
Ulla is a half-sildroher songcaster and the half-sister of The Darkling via their late mother, Baghra. She is also known as Sankta Ursula of the Waves.
While searching for the last amplifier, Mal and Alina find out the truth about Mal's heritage. He is descended from Baghra's sister, making him a great-nephew of the Darkling. It also makes him an amplifier. He accepts this fate, understanding and willing to die for Alina.
He sees his loneliness echoed within her. He sees her strong desire to belong and to find herself and it reminds him of himself. While his desire for Alina is not a healthy one and is obsessive, he truly does develop feelings for her. She is the one person who can bring balance to his life.
Rather than raping or assaulting women, the Darkling tricks Alina into falling in love with him, his goal being to take Alina's power for himself and effectively enslave her.
Basically, Kirigan is very lonely as an immortal being, so he's very invested in the idea that he and Alina belong together. She's been in love with her best friend, Malyen “Mal” Oretsev (Archie Renaux), since they were kids together in the orphanage of a small village called Keramzin.
Alina is automatically powerful just by being the Sun Summor. She destroyed the Fold, which was with the help of three amplifiers. Because of those amplifiers, she is in third place. Coming in at number two, we have the Darkling.
Being one of the rarest and strongest of all Grisha, the Darkling possesses a greatly extended lifespan, appearing as a man in his prime despite being over 400 years old. As a living amplifier his blood and bones naturally amplify the power of any Grisha he is touching.
The Darkling and Alina are polar opposites and opposites attract *winks* yeah they do. At one point in the books the Darkling actually tells Alina that she would make him better, quell his naturally dark and apathetic side and make him love and feel again.
The differences in Mal
A big difference that is made in Mal's character from the beginning of the series is that Mal doesn't sleep with Zoya when they first meet, whereas in the book we are told that he does.
Mal and Alina go on a journey to find the Firebird, thought to be another amplifier, but it is discovered that Mal himself is an amplifier. Surprise! It turns out Mal is descended from Baghra's sister, making him a great-nephew of the Darkling.
Zoya destroys the remains of The Darkling when she realizes what is happening, but The Darkling's spirit goes into the body of a man named Yuri Vendenen. So, while The Darkling does return in some form, he does not return in the one that people recognize him as.
Neshyenyer being from Shu Han adds another layer to the Mal connection: Both Mal and Alina are part Shu, and they've experienced racism all their lives because of it. (Shadow and Bone's handling of race has garnered compelling criticism.)
As the Shadow Summoner, the Darkling is one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) Grisha to have ever lived. His great power is what allows him to live as long as he does — the more he uses his Grisha abilities, which can rejuvenate and strengthen the body, the longer his lifespan becomes.
4 Nina Zenik
Nina attended school at the Little Palace where she was forced to train with the Second Army, in turn becoming a spy for the Darkling. She was captured by the druskelle during her mission of finding those who help rogue Grisha escape.
In Leigh Bardugo's novel, Kirigan (Ben Barnes) stuns Alina (Jessie Mei Li) with an unexpected first kiss. Later, after they demonstrate Alina's abilities to the king's court, the two passionately make out and the narrative suggests they come very close to having sex before they're interrupted.
During The Darkling's attack at Os Alta, he reveals that he has set nichevo'ya on Genya Safin for sparing Alina. Alina fights him and uses merzost, which causes her hair to turn white, and nearly drains her of her power, defeating them both. This leaves her almost dead and the Darkling, also, badly wounded.
Alina would have had to go through some sort of head transplant to choose to be with that man. Instead, Alina chose Nikolai. She knew that Ravka needed stability and surety, and that was something a union between Nikolai and Alina would be able to offer. Shadow and Bone season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Many centuries ago, known then as the Black Heretic, the Darkling returned home to his partner Luda, who was also a Grisha Healer.
The Darkling felt a lot more like a manipulative groomer taking advantage of a young girl than a villain who looked like every other YA love interest.
(I'm not sure how old the actress playing Alina is, I would guess around 20, but her character is 17). Alina is supposed to be 17 and Ben Barnes is 38. Ben Barnes is 21 years older than Alina.
For that reason, Grisha, especially talented Grisha, age slower than other humans, sometimes living for centuries, assuming they continue to use their abilities regularly. Additionally, Grisha can use amplifiers to strengthen their abilities.
As a human amplifier, the Darkling can even amplify Alina's Sun Summoning powers. As of now, these abilities and extensive history make him the most powerful Grisha and the most powerful character in Shadow and Bone.
Zoya is well known and considered to be a powerful witch by the drüskelle. Zoya later gained the abilities of all Etherealki and also demonstrated passable skill as a Fabrikator. After bonding with Juris, Zoya can shapeshift into a dragon. Zoya is fluent in Kerch, Shu and Suli in addition to her native Ravkan.