In season 2 of Shadow and Bone, the Grishaverse expands before our eyes as we follow Alina as she flees from Ravka to escape the Darkling and then to hunt down the Sea Whip and the Firebird. All of this is in an attempt to grow her powers as the Sun Summoner by combining Morzova’s amplifiers. However, with the Darkling having hundreds of years more experience to strengthen his powers, Alina is forced to take drastic measures in order to significantly grow her powers in a short period of time so that she stands a chance at defeating the Darkling and tearing down the Shadow Fold that has divided Ravka for so long.

All of this, of course, comes to a head in the finale in the form of an epic battle between her and Kirigan. In the midst of the Shadow Fold, she faces him. Surrounded by her friends and allies, Alina stands in the way of an ancient evil that has held her and her country captive for centuries. And as expected, our protagonist prevails, but the defeat of Kirigan isn’t the end of Alina’s story. Based on the finale, there seems to be another adventure yet to come and yet another evil that has invaded Ravka. But what exactly does this suggest about season 3?

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The Defeat of Kirigan

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Although Alina discovers that the Firebird is not a creature, but instead, it is her very own best friend and lover, Mal, she can harness his power without taking his life, which has never been done with an amplifier before. However, no one even thought it possible to possess more than one amplifier, and with Alina’s powers and strength, she is able to find another way. Through their connection, Alina can make an impact on the Shadow Fold and begins to tear it down when Kirigan shows up to confront her. He tries once again to appeal to her based on the connection they share, both possessing rare and unique abilities that will allow them to live long and rather solitary lives. But Alina is not tempted and is able to kill Kirigan.

In doing so, she has freed Ravka from the Darkling, but this may not be the end of him completely. His influence will live on in those who shared his goals and ideals for Grisha to be above the non-Grisha people, especially those who oppressed them for centuries believing their powers to be evil. It is likely that some will make a martyr out of Kirigan, but to what extent that will play in the third season, we don’t know for sure. We also learn that Kirigan’s shadow monsters are not entirely within his control, which suggests that even though he is gone, they may linger on, wreaking their own havoc on the citizens of Ravka. Despite being defeated, Kirigan’s legacy will live on, and the damage he has done over the centuries of his existence will leave their mark on Ravka and take some time to heal.

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A New Threat and a Lingering Darkness

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In the finale, Nikolai is crowned the King of Ravka with Alina by his side as his Queen. However, a new and hidden threat looms in Ravka, a drug called jurda parem that can kill non-Grisha, but can make a Grisha incredibly powerful. At the ceremony for Nikolai, a Grisha woman sitting in the audience takes this new drug and demonstrates her abilities by killing more than half of the party before Alina can stop her. What is even odder is that when Alina goes to use the Cut to stop her from killing everyone in the room, she summons shadow instead of light. This suggests that there is more to her power than she knows, and perhaps her connection to the Darkling and his powers have permanently affected her.

Nikolai also harbors a secret of his own, connected to the shadow monsters created by the Darkling called nichevo’ya. After being injured by one during the final battle, Nikolai’s wound seems unable to heal properly and is strangely infected by the shadow. As he is getting ready for the coronation, it seems he begins to hallucinate when he sees a nichevo’ya in the mirror, but when he looks back, there is nothing there. The creature may have survived through Nikolai (and perhaps others injured by the shadow monsters) despite its master being killed.

With all this left open-ended, Shadow and Bone certainly set itself up for a third season, where we may see Alina explore her powers. Additionally, we will see the Crows return to tackle this new drug that threatens the safety of Ravka.