Shadow & Bone: What Alina Needs To Do Before She Can Destroy The Fold

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Shadow and Bone season 1. 

The Shadow Fold, a swath of darkness, was at the center of many conflicts in Shadow and Bone season 1. Alina Starkov, the Sun Summoner herself, believed she was training to use her ability to summon light so that she could destroy the Fold once and for all. However, such was not the case. With the Darkling presumed dead by the end of the season 1 finale, Shadow and Bone set up a new journey for Alina to overcome before she can finally bring down the barrier separating Ravka. 

The Fold is dark and full of deadly monsters called the volcra, pterodactyl-like creatures who were once human before its creation. Shadow and Bone established why Alina’s Sun Summoner powers were so crucial — the Grisha was mythologized to bring down the Fold from within, saving Ravka, which had long been affected by the barrier’s existence. Unfortunately, the Darkling, who created the Fold, had other ideas. Instead of using Alina’s powers to destroy it, he expanded its borders, demolishing parts of the west Ravkan city Novokribirsk. While Alina, Mal, and the Dregs — Kaz, Inej, and Jesper — made it out alive, the Fold was now an even bigger threat than ever before. 

The Fold must come down eventually, but there are a few steps Alina must take before that happens. In Leigh Bardugo’s second book, Alina makes a plan to find the other amplifiers created by Ilya Morozova — the Darkling’s grandfather and the man responsible for creating the stag — to eradicate the Fold. This is probably what her main storyline will be in Shadow and Bone season 2. It’s confirmed Alina doesn’t have to kill any of the Morozova’s amplifiers to enhance her powers; all she has to do is find and touch them to do so. She dreamed of the stag in season 1 and is now (involuntarily) wearing its antlers, which will likely help amplify her abilities on a more permanent basis. That leaves finding the other two amplifiers — a sea whip and a firebird (who turns out to be Mal Oretsev in the books) — and it should be enough for Alina to finally be able to destroy the Fold. 

Before Alina can destroy the Fold, she must also train to strengthen her Sun Summoner abilities. She’s come a long way since the beginning of Shadow and Bone season 1, with her power growing enough to allow her to split the light into two separate entities without using the amplifier gloves made especially for her. However, there’s still much left for Alina to learn. It’s possible she will have to train further to hone her powers before returning to Ravka to tear down the Fold. Alina has already made allies with Genya, a Grisha working for the king and queen in Os Alta, and a few others like Nadia and (reluctantly) Zoya. They could help Alina enhance her natural gifts, especially considering how many more years they have trained with their own powers (Alina’s training with Baghra was cut short).

Alina using additional amplifiers and honing her abilities makes sense. The Fold is, after all, far too vast and uncontrollable for the Grisha to eliminate on her own without some help. It’s doubtful Alina’s journey to destroy the Fold will be smooth and easy in Shadow and Bone. And it probably won’t happen immediately, either. But with the amplifiers and some additional training, she’ll finally be able to do what she initially planned from the start.   

About The Author

Mae Abdulbaki
(1087 Articles Published)

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Mae Abdulbaki is a movie reviews editor with Screen Rant. She previously wrote about a variety of movies and TV shows for Inverse, CinemaBlend, Pajiba, and The Young Folks, where she wrote reviews, features, news pieces. Her other work can be found at The Mary Sue, Film School Rejects, UPROXX, Heroic Hollywood, Looper, The List, and Bam Smack Pow, among others. Mae has also appeared on television segments, podcasts, and panels to discuss all things entertainment.

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