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"Just Like Xaden": After Bodhi's Onyx Storm Comments, I'm Convinced This Theory About His Second Signet Is Correct
After this comment from Bodhi in Onyx Storm, I am convinced that this theory regarding his second signet is right, especially considering the entirety of his story in this installment. Onyx Storm confirmed many theories and left us with even more questions than before, allowing audiences who love Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean Series to speculate as the wait for book 4 persists. However, while some look at bigger possibilities in the series, such as predicting The Empyrean Series’ next character death, others look at what we have learned about the minor characters like Bodhi to answer some questions.
Bodhi’s role in Onyx Storm was sadly minimal despite his previous importance in Iron Flame, often not included in major plot beats and groups like the Quest Squad. However, that small arc made his every moment all the more important to his relationships with others, leading several audiences to theorize that he could be filling an important role from Onyx Storm‘s ending. One line from before that moment helps point to this in my mind while also adding more questions regarding Bodhi and his possible second signet.
Bodhi Says He Doesn’t Have A Second Signet – But What Does He Really Mean?
Bodhi’s Vague Answer Is Never Clarified In Onyx Storm
Bodhi claims to Violet in Onyx Storm that he does not have a second signet, but does so in a way that actually leaves the answer more vague than before. Violet asks Bodhi about if he has a second signet during Signet Sparring in the middle of the book, long after Onyx Storm confirmed the popular theory that most marked ones have second signets. Bodhi tells Violet that he does not, but follows up by saying “just like Xaden” and says so with a “wry smile”, muddling his otherwise direct answer.
Violet asks Bodhi about his second signet in Chapter 28 of Onyx Storm.
As a result, many have speculated on Bodhi’s meaning in this scene. One possibility is that Bodhi does not know Xaden is an inntinnsic, which would make sense as inntinnsic signets are a death sentence in The Empyrean Series. Another possibility, though, is that Bodhi is also an inntinnsic and his comment in Onyx Storm was a way of relaying that to Violet subtly, as they were in public. While I can see the logic of the latter theory, I personally think Bodhi does not, in fact, have one, especially considering how his arc progressed after that scene.
Theory: Bodhi Really Doesn’t Have A Second Signet
Bodhi, Like Quinn, Likely Bonded The Dragon Of An Indirect Ancestor
The theory that Bodhi does not have a second signet makes a lot of sense to me because of Quinn’s story and the feelings of inferiority he faced in Onyx Storm. Xaden explained that many of the dragons the marked ones ride sought them out at Threshing, the second signets occurring due to several of them bonding the dragon of a direct ancestor. However, some, like Quinn, likely bonded the dragon of an indirect ancestor, resulting in unusually powerful signets but no second one for them. Bodhi could have a similar situation to Quinn, adding to his current arc.
Related
Rebecca Yarros is known for her subtle foreshadowing, and one line from the early novel hints at who Xaden’s new venin brother really is.
Bodhi in Onyx Storm, as mentioned, is left behind often, with Xaden holding him back in battle towards the end of the book. Though Xaden’s reasoning is only to do with his venin progression and wanting to leave Tyrrendor with a good Duke, Bodhi rebels against it, causing tension between the cousins. Combining that with the fact that his countering signet does not work against the venin, it makes sense that he would not have one to amplify his storyline. This may have also caused Bodhi to turn venin in Onyx Storm, which would be the culmination of that arc.
Bodhi Not Having A Second Signet Supports Him Turning Venin
Bodhi Turned To Be Helpful In His Own Way
The theory that Bodhi does not have a second signet adds to the possibility that he turned venin toward the end of Onyx Storm, as it would be consistent with his arc in this and previous books. If Bodhi does not have a second signet and felt inferior, he could have drawn from the earth during the Battle of Draithus out of a sense of bitterness that he could not do more to help. His state during the battle only highlights this, as audiences last see Bodhi retching on the ground in Imogen’s POV.
Bodhi could have turned in order to try and save him and later to help Xaden after he vanished in Onyx Storm, adding several fascinating nuances to his transformation and potential story in the next installment of The Empyrean Series.
That being said, Bodhi possibly becoming Xaden’s new venin brother may also be due to his loyalty and love for Xaden. Bodhi’s protests of Xaden’s treatment are that he does not wish to be Duke as that is Xaden’s fate, possibly viewing Xaden naming him heir as a sign of him giving up. Bodhi could have turned in order to try and save him and later to help Xaden after he vanished in Onyx Storm, adding several fascinating nuances to his transformation and potential story in the next installment of The Empyrean Series.
Violet Sorrengail faces new political intrigue and battles old enemies while uncovering the secrets of her second signet. As she strives to save Xaden from venin corruption, her relationships with allies and dragons are tested, leading to intense confrontations and unexpected revelations in a world of dragons and magic.
- Genre
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Fantasy
- Publisher
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Entangled: Red Tower Books
- ISBN#
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1649374186
- Author(s)
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Rebecca Yarros
