I keep thinking about this from time to time: Alina's powers are initially positioned as sufficient for immortality. This is multiplied by three super-special amplifiers...
Something tells me that this would be enough to make every otkazat'sya in the radius immortal as well. After all, wouldn't a different outcome be equivalent to Alina having power only for a limited amount of time on one previously-otkazat'sya, which is multiplied by their number? This is not immortality.
Again, how the hell is this thing with immortality supposed to work on the first place? Or is there some limit to the amount of power that's enough for one (1) person, but not eternal enough for, say, two people?
This would provide an interesting perspective on Sasha's belief that a Sun Summoner could be his life-long partner. Especially if we remember oprichniki, unlike LB.
Yeah, but also not necessarily.
The reason is simple- merzost, or as we, intellectuals, call it- ✨magic✨.
Such power transfer shouldn't be possible at all. Not within the boundaries of Small Science. Therefore what happened to Alina wasn't like blowing up a fuse- that would likely have a precedent, since powerful Grisha took amplifiers since the dawn of time without a way to measure any of it, so it's highly unlikely Alina would be the first one to gain too much.
Our understanding of merzost is hardly better than Alina's. We know it's feeding off its wielder, it requires immense power only to tap into it, it responds to intent and doesn't follow laws of nature.
I've speculated before (since we lack a reliable source) that Alina's tragedy was a result of her misidentification of the third amplifier (or its subpar quality) and/or Alina's mental lability, combined with deep-rooted escapism and fear of losing her manly baggage- be it to her dagger or the inevitable flow of time.
Were her Sun Summoning simply divided among the new "Grisha" according to laws of physics, the former would have to equal a sum of the later. Except that we don't know what really happened.
She could've split what she got among those people, but was it enough for every single one of them to become immortal too? Are they equally strong or are there differences? Did Alina "burn" some of her power for the merzost-driven transfer? Did she rid herself of the manifestation of her powers or did she remember to add everything they bring- her superior health and the resulting immortality included?
I've even read a suggestion that since merzost means magic, Alina could've been re-written on genetic level, becoming truly an otkazat'sya. Whether logical or not, that idea doesn't sit well with me due to its disgusting implication that magic could fix her by purging the strangeness out of her, making her "normal" by nature.
Hell, Alina could've been like one of those old street lamps causing light pollution. A part of her powers went to those otkazat'sya she changed, the rest was emanated into the space, where there's no use for it. Rather poetic, I'd say. Very Alina.
As for how Grisha immortality works in the first place- we have two (three) clues:
He looked into the flames. “When a fire burns, it uses up the wood. It devours it, leaving only ash. Grisha power doesn’t work that way.” “How does it work?” “Using our power makes us stronger. It feeds us instead of consuming us. Most Grisha live long lives.” “But not one hundred and twenty years.” “No,” he admitted. “The length of a Grisha’s life is proportional to his or her power. The greater the power, the longer the life. And when that power is amplified …” He trailed off with a shrug.
Shadow and Bone- Chapter 5
I hesitated, then said, “If Morozova survived, what became of him?” “He probably took his own life. It’s the way most Grisha of great power die.” I sat back, stunned. “Why?” “Do you think I never contemplated it? That my son didn’t? Lovers age. Children die. Kingdoms rise and fall, and we go on. Maybe Morozova is still wandering the earth, older and more bitter than I am. Or maybe he used his power on himself and ended it all. It’s simple enough. Like calls to like. Otherwise…” She chuckled again, that dry, rattling laugh. “You should warn your prince. If he really thinks a bullet will stop a Grisha with three amplifiers, he is much mistaken.”
Ruin and Rising- Chapter 10
It might also be reflected in Fjerdan custom to burn Grisha. Matthias claims it's to bar them from tainting the waters of life or whatever, but ashes are less likely to raise.
Matthias nodded. “The Fjerdans believe all the world is connected through its waters—the seas, the ice, the rivers and streams, the rain and storms. All feed Djel and are fed by him. When we die, we call it felöt- objer, taking root. We become as roots of the ash tree, drinking from Djel wherever we are laid.” “Is that why you burn Grisha instead of burying them?” He paused, then gave a brief nod.
Six of Crows- Chapter 20
Grisha are supposed to be closer to the Making, that's how is explained their ability to manipulate existing matter. That likely includes their own bodies to an extent, on subconscious level. More power means longer life, and what is natural death, but the body's inability to regenerate fast enough?
And what if the regeneration becomes too fast? *glances at very old and powerful Grigori, who couldn't even keep his own shape stable*
Grisha don't get sick? They're able to react to pathogens faster, recognize a REAL threat, and build immunity. This might also explain their relative rarity- that their immune system might become too good and view eventual pregnancy as a threat to the organism resulting in higher mortality in embryonic stage, more "unacceptable" combinations of potential mother and child's bodies. Or lead to development of some nasty autoimmune disease to much more serious degree than is usual for other humans, resulting- again- in miscarriage or early death of the infant.
