If his tragic past had you wondering if Shadow and Bone's Darkling is evil you should have no doubt as of Season 2. His newer subordinates definitely cross a line, but just what are the nichevo'ya in Shadow and Bone Season 2?
What are the Nichevo'ya in Shadow and Bone Season 2? How Were They Made?
The Nichevo'ya are a new type of monster introduced in Shadow and Bone Season 2. They were made by Darkling using Merzost, a taboo form of magic.
In the first season of the Shadow and Bone Netflix tv series Alina had thought she was leaving the Darkling for dead in the Fold.
To everyone's shock, not only did the Darkling -- also known as General Kirigan in the series -- survive, but he emerged with a very unusual army.
His new monster, the nichevo'ya, are made of shadows. They are featureless, lack free will, and are thus completely devoted to him.
While we don't see the exact moment of their creation, he himself admits that he used Merzost, a strong magic alternative to the Grisha powers which are known as "Small Science." Merzost is considered an abomination.
The case for or against magic proves to be more complicated in later Grishaverse books, but seeing the nichevo'ya, we do understand why Merzost is deemed taboo. They're among the Darkling's most sinister creations and, for many characters, the one that made them realize their General went too far this time.
Book and series spoilers beyond this point!
How Do the Darkling's Nichevo'ya Complicate the Story?
In Leigh Bardugo's first books, The Grisha Trilogy, we only had Alina's viewpoint, but the series expands on nichevo'ya and the complications associated with them.
Generally, Grisha don't have to worry too much about mild ailments and injuries because the healers among them can fix these.
However, creating the nichevo'ya has left the Darkling scarred, in constant pain, and often coughing due to the toll making them took on him.
These cannot be cured as easily because they were made by Merzost, and the only way to undo them is more Merzost -- essentially more hubris and taboo actions.
Of course, the effects of the Darkling's nichevo'ya aren't felt by him alone. Already, they have severely scarred Genya Safin who tried to run away.
Genya is a Tailor, a Grisha type who can change the appearance of herself and others. However, her abilities don't work on her nichevo'ya-induced scars, which is really shocking for her.
Later on, the Darkling also demonstrates the ability to turn Nikolai into a nichevo'ya, and reversing this is a major part of the King of Scars duology.
A potential Shadow and Bone Season 3 will likely elaborate more on this new threat.
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