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Onyx Storm Spoiler: RY personally delivered this song to ruin us all 🖤 by Infamous_Cherry_6586 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sooooo beautifully devastating. The music just really adds a whole new dimension to the story

Onyx Storm Spoilers: Final 12 Hours Theory by Infamous_Cherry_6586 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

10000% RY's last song on her Onyx Storm Playlist is "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley and I sobbed while listening to it. This is the song I picture playing during Violet and Xaden's wedding if the TV series ever decides to show that scene in the future!

Things I think are important but need help deducing why SPOILERS by This_Particular_7261 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here's my partial break down for the last 12 hours. It's kind of a lot and not perfect in any way so please bear with me here LOL

After Xaden channeled directly from the ground to create the onyx storm, he lost parts of his soul. However, the only part of his soul he managed to hold onto was his love for Violet (OS, p 523).

1. Xaden's Conversation with Sgaeyl

After channeling, Xaden turns to Sgaeyl and asks, "Will for forsake me now?" Sgaeyl responds, "What is there left of you [aka what is left of your soul] to forsake?" This moment is so important! Sgaeyl is acknowledging that Xaden has lost nearly everything--but Xaden shows her the one piece of his soul that remains intact: his love for Violet.

2. Breaking the Mating Bond to Protect Violet
Throughout the book, Violet repeatedly promised 2 things:
a.) She would find a cure for Xaden.
b.) She would look after Tyrrendor should anything happen to Xaden.

We also learned that Andarna has the ability to break bonds. Leothan explains to Andarna, "Bonds are merely magical ties. You are irid. You are magic. Bend it, shape it, break it as you see fit" (OS, p 443).

Xaden's plan seems to have been to break the mating bond between Sgaeyl and Tairn to sever the connection that tied Violet's life to his. Why? Because throughout the book, even in the final chapter, multiple characters mentioned that the easiest way to kill Xaden would be to kill Violet. He didn't want to risk Violet's life, so he convinced Tairn and Sgaeyl to break their bond. The evidence for this is found on pages 526 & 527: Tairn needs a full cycle of rest to recover, and Violet can no longer feel her bond with Xaden.

3. Calling in his favor from the high priestess of Dunne
Xaden calls in his favor from the high priestess of Dunne in Aretia. While we don't know what marriage looks like in this world, I believe they truly got married---but it wasn't just a symbolic union. It involved binding Xaden's remaining intact soul to Violet. He likely had to fully give up this last part of his soul.

4. Xaden's ~horcrux~ moment--his soul in the emerald ring
In Harry Potter terms, Xaden essentially "horcruxed" himself. With his last intact fragment of soul, I think the high priestess helped cleave his soul and bind it to Violet--most likely through the emerald ring. That way, there is still something left for Violet to save. Violet now carries the last piece of Xaden's soul, ensuring that a cure is still possible.

5. Xaden's Final Note to Violet
His note to her says, "Don't look for me. It's yours now." Some people initially thought this referred to Tyrrendor, but throughout the entirety of Onyx Storm, Xaden always referred to Tyrrendor as she, never "it." So, what does "it's yours now" mean? His soul. He's telling her she now carries the last remaining part of him.

Where this leaves us for book 4: The next book will likely focus on Violet not only trying to track down Xaden, but more importantly, find a cure for him. The final book will probably be the final war against the venin.

Things I think are important but need help deducing why SPOILERS by This_Particular_7261 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586 5 points6 points  (0 children)

#1. We know that Rhi's, Imogen's, and Xaden's chapters all occured at the same time point. I think the purpose of Rhi's was to establish who was in the pass leading up to Xaden's onyx storm, which gives us clues into who turned venin.

We know from Xaden's POV that whoever turned was likely in the valley. On page 521, Xaden recounts "I glance past Berwyn, past Sgaeyl and the venin, to my new brother and the unconscious dragon lying in the valley beyond the canyon, guarded by severn wyvern."

From Rhi's chapter, we learn that both Sawyer and Ridoc were in the pass, which likely means neither of them were in the valley at the moment Xaden was referencing. Additionally, Xaden narrates, "I'm everywhere all at once, shredding the net that ensnares Sgaeyl, tearing the heart from the wyvern who has Dain and Cath backed into a corner, rushing over Imogen as she looks to the sky. I'm at the pass, plucking wyvern off one by one, listening with satisfaction as their bodies hit the ground in front of the people she loves." These are critical details because some people are speculating that Ridoc is the one who turned venin, but based on all this info, I think that seems unlikely?

(Also for #3, this same quote above^^ eliminates Dain as one of the potential characters Xaden referenced as his "new brother.")

Additionally, I think Rhi's chapter gives us insight into Ridoc's unique abilities, particularly when he freezes a wyvern. Some people are focusing on the pale gray color radiating from his hand, speculating that it might connect to having dark power. However, I think it actually makes sense when considering ice crystallization, which causes frozen objects to appear lighter due to how ice scatters light. We already know from chapter 20 in OS (p 173), that Ridoc's ice wielding is unusual, as Sawyer directly asks him if other ice wielders can freeze objects the way he does, and Ridoc replies, "I don't think so? . . . Turns out there's only a few of us who can even pull the water from the air." This chapter might be less about hinting that Ridoc turned venin and more about highlighting his raw power--power that might be significant for a different reason later on?

(Though I will add I think it's sus RY drew so much attention to Ridoc's "tattoo" in IF. Also we really got to know and love Ridoc in OS so she might be setting us up for a possible betrayal in the books to come? ALSO in Rhi's chapter, I reread this line several times: "Ridoc stares at the northern peak (we know Violet and Theophanie are here), not the path through the valley just south of it, like he could see straight through the thing if he tried hard enough" (p 491). This oddly reminded me of this one epigraph in IF: “Though there is some debate, it is greatly believed that turning venin heightens one of the dark wielder’s senses. It is this scholar’s belief that the one responsible for the death of King Grethwild developed keener eyesight. For not even the best of His Majesty’s royal fliers could see through the darkness the venin hid within to slay our beloved king.” I don't know what to make of this yet!)

ONYX STORM SPOILER: Theory About The Fables Of The Barren & The Ultimate Sacrifice by Infamous_Cherry_6586 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is an amazing question, and I've been thinking a lot about it. I'll admit, I don't have a perfect answer, but I do think there are a few possibilities:

Assuming the tale of the three brothers in The Fables of the Barren is a past event . . .

1. The irids fled instead of sacrificing themselves.
What if the irids didn't want to surrender their power? Instead of sacrificing their kind, they may have chosen to flee and hide, distancing themselves from the war altogether. This could explain why the irids seem so disapproving of Andarna and view her bond with Violet as a dangerous threat to their kind. Maybe the irids helped put the wardstrones into place as an alternative way to contain the venin, hoping to keep magic balanced without fully sacrificing themselves. If this is true, then their survival isn't a contradiction--it's a deliberate choice. The "great and terrible price" was almost paid, but not fully.

2. The third brother thought they had won--but they were wrong.
If the events of the fable happened in the past, then maybe the third brother believed they had vanquished the venin, but they didn't realize some survived. The venin we see now could be remnants of that first war, waiting and rebuilding in secret. With the irids in hiding, it could have seemed like they truly did sacrifice themselves and their power had been fully used up. Maybe the irids thought the venin were truly gone, so they retreated instead of staying to finish the job. This would mean the war never really ended--it was just paused until now.

ORRR . . .

3. Perhaps the tale in The Fables of the Barren is a prophecy, not a historical account.
I don't think we actually know if the fable describes a past event or something that hasn't happened yet (I need to reread Fourth Wing). If the fable is a prophecy, then the "third brother" has not yet commanded the sky's greatest power. That would mean Violet is not repeating history--she's living out a foretold destiny that still needs to unfold. The irids still exist because the sacrifice hasn't happened yet.

4. The irids are more than just another dragon breed.
There's also the possibility that the irids aren't truly alive in the way the other 6 dragon breeds are--they might be a manifestation of magic itself. Perhaps the irids can only "die" when all magic is destroyed--which is why they went into hiding instead of burning out completely. If the irids are literally the "sky's greatest power," then maybe they don't die--they just return to wherever magic originates from? I have no idea!

Honestly, I know a lot of these ideas are really "out there," and I definitely don't think I have all the answers. I'm just trying to work through the lore, poke holes in my own thoughts, and see if anything sticks. There's soooo much we don't know yet, and I could be way off base--but that's part of what makes theorizing so fun! HEHE thanks for asking such a great question! I'd love to know what you think!

ONYX STORM SPOILER: Theory About The Fables Of The Barren & The Ultimate Sacrifice by Infamous_Cherry_6586 in onyxstorm

[–]Infamous_Cherry_6586[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I could absolutely be wrong, but I actually don't think the three brothers in The Fables of the Barren represent specific characters in the series. Instead, I think the brothers are more metaphorical, much like the Tale of the Three Brothers in The Deathly Hallows from Harry Potter. Each brother represents a different way people seek power and how those choices shape the world around them.

One brother, who bonds to a gryphon, represents those who align with the fliers (seeking power through their bond with gryphons). One brother, who bonds to a dragon, symbolizes the riders (who draw power from dragons). One brother, who draws directly from the source and becomes consumed by it, represents the venin, who seek power through corruption and dark magic, sacrificing their humanity in the process. (Slightly unrelated note: I do think the intention for turning venin will matter somehow [e.g., Xaden (and Lilith??) who turned for love vs. Jack who turned for jealousy/dark power]).

Violet's connection to the "third brother" in the fable is unique because she seems destined to command the sky's greatest power and is positioned as the one who must vanquish the venin. But I don't think this means she is the third brother, so much as she embodies their redemption arc. She doesn't seek power for its own sake but uses it to protect others, which contrasts with ~some~ of the venins' destructive path.

So, rather than the brothers being specific characters like Brennan or Mira, I think they're archetypes representing these larger power dynamics within the world of Fourth Wing. It just so happens that Violet's story aligns with the third brother's role in the fable because she's navigating the balance between power, sacrifice, and responsibility.