Since its first four episodes were released, Vampire Academy has been a gripping drama, keeping fans questioning and anticipating the next move, and has even thrown some spanners into the works that fans of the novel series wouldn’t have expected — I’m looking at you Mikhail.
One of the more burning questions, however, has definitely been the nature of the connection between Vasilissa and her guardian, Rose. Fans of the novel series and the earlier movie might be aware of this connection and the reason for it, but it’s something that the show has been keeping under wraps. In this weeks episode, Beyond the Wards, however, it has finally been revealed that the connection arises because Rose is “Shadow Kissed”.
What does it mean to be Shadow Kissed?
Being Shadow Kissed means that a person’s spirit is connected with another and as a result, they share a more intimate bond. This allows the one who is Shadow Kissed to feel the emotions of the one they are connected to and sometimes, feel their thoughts and experience their dreams.
In the case of Rose Hathaway an Vasilissa Dragomir, however, the Shadow Kissed bond also allows her to sense the approach and proximity of Strigoi. This is a useful tool for both Rose and Vasilissa and is something that hasn’t been seen in the Dominion before.
How does a person become Shadow Kissed?
Becoming Shadow Kissed isn’t something that a person choses, but is something that is forced upon them as a side effect of being ressurected. When a spirit user — such as Vasilissa or St. Vladimir — ressurects someone using their magic, this forms a bond between the two souls and thus, the one who has been resurrected becomes Shadow Kissed.
Anna was the first known person to become Shadow Kissed when she was ressurected by St. Vladimir, but she quickly went mad and eventually, after the death of St. Vladimir, she is known to have killed herself.
What are the negatives?
Whilst being Shadow Kissed has its advantages, and has indeed saved Vasilissa numerous times when she has been in danger, it also has some negatives.
When a spirit user uses their magic, they tap into a darkness that is passed onto the one who is Shadow Kissed. We see this on numerous occasions, when both Sonya and Vasilissa’s eyes go black. The only difference is that Vasilissa passes the darkness onto Rose, whilst Sonya is forced to live with hers alone.
As a result, Vasilissa is told by Clarice Sewani (a Moroi professor) that the connection between her and Rose would eventually lead to her downfall. As a result, Vasilissa tells Rose that she doesn’t want her to be her guardian anymore.
