Onyx Stormwas a whirlwind addition to Rebecca Yarros’Empyrean Seriesnovels. And whileOnyx Storm’s endingleft fans with several questions, its narrative also confirmed a long-debated theory dating back toFourth Wing. Aside from concerns over Xaden’s venin transformation, or where Violet would find Andarna’s seventh breed of dragon—one of the biggest questions among fans was that of second signets, and who else beside Violet and Xaden had one. One moment fromFourth Wing’s endingfirst sparked this debate—as Liam is seen to be wielding ice, but his known signet was farsight.
Initially, fans wondered if Liam’s ice wielding ability was simply a continuity error during the editing process. ButIron Flame’s later revelation of Xaden’s second signet had fans circling back tothe theory that suggested the marked ones—every child of the Tyrrish Rebellion—could somehow access a second signet due to their rebellion relics. After a long wait, Yarros finally confirmed this theory to be true, and revealed several marked ones to have anothersignet inOnyx Storm.
Onyx Storm Finally Addresses Liam’s Perplexing Ice-Wielding Scene In Fourth Wing
Xaden Confirms Liam Could In Fact Wield Ice
After Violet discoversGarrick’s second signetin Samara, she quickly makes a connection between his ability to wield a second signet with the marked ones' rebellion relics, and even mentions to Xaden how she once thought she saw Liam wield ice—referring to the perplexing moment at the end ofFourth Wing. Xaden’s response gave readers the answer they’ve been looking for since book one, and confirms thatmost riders with a rebellion relic have the ability to wield a second signet, although, not all.
I shake my head. “You don’t owe me your friends' secrets.” My brow knits. “But twenty hours of flying game me some time to think. You. Garrick.” I tilt my head. “And I once thought I saw Liam…”
“Wield ice,” Xaden says, stroking his thumb along my chin.
—Onyx Storm, Chapter 12
While readers know Xaden to have a second signet, Violet is the only other character privy to this information—and Xaden explains that becausenot every marked one develops a second signet, no one has thought of him presenting only one to be suspicious. This is later confirmed when Violet asks Bodhi if he has a second signet, and his response is “Don’t have one. Just like Xaden.” However, Yarros' confirmation of Liam’s second signet has opened a whole new realm of possibilities, and while Bodhi seemingly doesn’t have one, it’s later revealed that Imogen’s second signet is rock wielding.
The Marked Ones Were Always Seen As More Powerful
Yarros had long teased the possibility of second signets among the marked ones, and circling back to Violet’s earlier observation of Liam inFourth Wingreally helped to bring the revelation full circle throughoutOnyx Storm’s narrative. But Liam’s ice wielding wasn’t the only clue that convinced readers to theorize about second signets among the group. The marked ones were the only riders forced into the quadrant, and while it’s typical for a small percentage of riders to repeat their first year if they don’t bond during threshing, it was never the case for those with a rebellion relic.
While Yarros was incredibly discreet with how she foreshadowed this, it always left readers feeling like there was a greater significance to the marked ones.
The fact thatthe marked ones always successfully bonded and tended to manifest extremely powerful signets—like Imogen’s mind-erasing, or Bodhi’s signet countering—hinted that something was different with those set of characters versus others. Their rebellion relics were also described to be very similar to the dragon relics given to riders after threshing, and it was often suggested the relics gifted them with some extra abilities. While Yarros was incredibly discreet with how she foreshadowed this, it always left readers feeling like there was a greater significance to the marked ones—all of which the author confirmed inOnyx Storm.
