Zoya was initially infatuated with the Darkling. Upon Alina's arrival at the Little Palace, Zoya instantly hates her for becoming the Darkling's new favorite, and expresses her jealousy by cheating during a duel and injuring Alina.
So, she joins forces with the Crows to help stop the Darkling, even sending a Heartrender into the darkness in order to save Inej. However, as punishment for her betrayal, the Darkling consumes the back end of the skiff with darkness, leaving them vulnerable to the volcra, who attack Zoya and Inej.
In the beginning, the Darkling and Alina felt drawn to one another. Before Alina left the Little Palace, the Darkling kissed her abruptly by the lake, after he told her about the stag he was hunting. He then kisses and touches her at the winter fete, before they are interrupted.
Did he have true feelings for Alina? Yes.
To Alina's surprise, Zoya is jealous of Alina for being the Darkling's favorite. Later, Alina wakes up to see the Apparat appear in the infirmary from the shadows. People on the borders are making altars to Alina.
Mal was oblivious to Alina's love from before book one even began. He slept with Zoya and countless others before he realised who was waiting by his back door. Was this the relationship we were rooting for?
The King intends to punish her for poisoning him, but she reveals to the others that she was abused by the King for years. After the King leaves, she breaks down, saying the others don't understand what she has been through. David then kisses her, and they make up.
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.
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.
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.
For the book character, see Nina Zenik. Nina Zenik is a Heartrender for the Second Army and a spy for The Darkling.
We've been through this huge battle and so much has happened, Nikolai almost feels that sigh of relief, and things are starting to fall into place: Mal's gone off and taken the Sturmhond role; Nikolai has finally accepted that he can be himself; he's finally accepted that he's fallen in love with Alina.
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.
From the start, Zoya views Alina as a rival despite how much they have in common: Much like Alina, Zoya is also biracial, only she's half Suli — not that it dampens her fierce loyalty to Ravka.
5. As a result of winning the war, Zoya will become beloved by common people of Ravka, who no longer hate/ fear her as a Grisha, but love her as a war heroine. (Note: this overcomes one major obstacle of her marriage to Nikolai-- since she's now the beloved hero of the people, they WOULD accept her as queen.)
Finally — big spoilers for Rule of Wolves in one, two, three… — her marriage to King Nikolai gives her political power too. It may not appear that way at the beginning of her story, but Zoya may just be the most powerful Grisha in the whole Grishaverse by its end.
A picture of him in Baghra's cave reveals the man hasn't physically aged a day in centuries. The Shadow Fold was created roughly 400 years prior to the events of the series and the Darkling was already an adult by then. An estimate would put him at 500 years of age, if not a bit older.
Among the Grisha that Alina meets while at the Little Palace and who return time and time again as her story continues, three stand out among the others: Zoya Nazyalensky, Genya Safin, and David Kostyk. All three of them are meant to be a bit older than Alina and aged somewhere around 19 and 20 when the story starts.
Shadow and Bone
It is revealed that Alina had been subconsciously suppressing her power when she was tested as a child in Keramzin for signs of Grisha ability. It was as though she knew that if she was found to be a Grisha, she would be taken away from her best friend, Mal.
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.
Last year, it was confirmed The Darkling, played by Ben Barnes in the upcoming adaptation, would be referred to as General Kirigan. In Leigh Bardugo's books, he is exclusively addressed as The Darkling and his name is not revealed until the trilogy's final book.
Harij was separated from his family when he was a child. He was 12 and his sister, Inej, was 14 when four men took them from their parents' wagon.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Volume 20 continues as the Demon Slayer Corps' initial confrontation with the most powerful of Muzan's demons, Kokushibo, has left Tokito severely wounded and Genya cut in half. Miraculously Genya is still alive hoping that his regenerative power can heal even his fatal wound.
Genya Safin is a Tailor, a hybrid Grisha who has the power to alter people's appearances. Because of her unique gifts she has been placed in service to the Queen of Ravka, a situation that has isolated her from other Grisha and made her an outcast among her own people.
He can gain regeneration and physical strength equal to the demon he is consuming the flesh of. He gains not only their strength but also some of their physical characteristics, such as eyes and hair. Genya consumes the flesh of Upper Four and Upper One, enhancing his demonification.