Were you blown away by the shocking conclusion of Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros?
In this guide to the Onyx Storm ending with spoilers throughout, I’ll unpack the plot twists that unfolded on the final pages of the much-anticipated third fantasy book in the Fourth Wing series in order. You’ll get interesting details to help you better understand what went down and theorize for book four in the Empyrean series. Let’s “fire” things up!

Quick Takeaways From the Onyx Storm Ending With Spoilers
THE TOP SPOILERS IN THE ONYX STORM ENDING
Onyx Storm Ending Explained With Spoilers
The ending runs from chapters 56-66.
Need to recap earlier chapters? Read my full chapter summary of Onyx Storm and Onyx Storm character guide first.
Chapter 56
Violet is in Xaden’s dream with the Sage. It’s the first time she knows it’s his dream. This shows that her signet is developing.
Garrick returns from patrol injured by Theophanie.
She said they reached Draithus and (the coastal Poromish city bordering Tyrrendor) to bring Bodhi and Violet or Mira will die.
Chapter 57
They debate what to do and realize Theophanie wants Jack when she refers to Xaden’s brother, not Bodhi or even Liam.
Violet must choose one objective for the mission, and she chooses to kill Theophanie. Brennan reminds her she can’t save everyone or stray from orders. These have been problems for Violet throughout the series. She seemingly works through them here.
Chapter 58
In Draithus, the wyvern outnumber them by a lot. Teine is chained, and Theophanie is holding knives to Mira. Garrick brings Jack. Theophanie slits Mira’s throat.
Chapter 59
Onyx Storm dragons and riders arrive, including Sloane and Dain. Brennan struggles to mend Mira, who is dying. Sloane attempts to transfer power from Dain to Brennan, and there are some deeper tensions between her and Dain implied, possibly romantic. Sloane also suspiciously talks about the greatness of Dain’s powers, but it’s not clear whether this means anything significant.
Mira survives, though it’s never revealed whether she will continue to suffer from her injuries.
Sloane leaves a package from Aaric, which seems odd to Violet because it appears to be Aaric’s mail. She pockets it.
They all leave except Bodhi and Violet.
Chapter 60
Tairn must try to remove Teine.
Theophanie returns to battle Violet. Violet realizes Theophanie isn’t a lightning wielder but a storm wielder, an incredibly strong signet like Violet’s mother’s.
Bodhi believes his signet (countering signets) can help, but Cuir grabs him and takes him away. This may or may not be a clue as to whether he ultimately turns venin.
Violet fights Theophanie.
Chapter 61
(Rhiannon’s point of view) Rhiannon inspects the Medaro Pass. Maren, Cat, Sawyer, Neve, Ridoc, and Bragen are with her. They fight wyvern, and she orders a shield formation for the strength of the squad.
Rhiannon’s perspective may provide clues as to who remains missing at the end.
Chapter 62
Thophanie’s dagger scrapes Violet’s throat. Violet breaks her nose and gains control. Theophanie says that to survive in their world, you must protect your magic. She says that occupying ground where magic has been repurposed creates a barrier. You must drain it yourself. Violet must do so before Thophanie gets there or she’ll die. Violet races to a wyvern for a barrier, and Sgaeyl lifts her and then drops her to Tairn.
Theophanie is on the battlefield with venin and wyvern. Violet and Tairn decide to attack. Violet wields lightning. A tornado strikes.
Aaric’s dragon, Molvic, brings a thousand soldiers and their horses from Zehyllna.
Violet continues to fly for Theophanie.
Chapter 63
(Imogen’s point of view) Imogen and Glane kill several wyvern. Dark wielders head for the turret where Quinn is. Imogen descends and heads that way. Dain joins her. Fire erupts. Imogen, a memory eraser, turns her shield to stone, and the fire parts around them. Dain says he wants to talk about this power later, possibly implying she has multiple signets or other important powers she may have also used on Xaden and/or Violet at the end.
Dain fights the venin on the wall, and Imogen heads to the turret. Quinn projects herself to the venin, and the real Quinn approaches from the stairs below. Imogen and Quinn kill the venin with daggers to the chest. However, the venin has stabbed Quinn near the heart, and she dies in an emotional sequence of events.
Garrick says Imogen must go because the dark wielders are at the walls draining the stone. He says he can’t walk so he “better find some … way to do something.” Imogen also sees Bodhi retching. These may be clues as to who turns venin at the end.
Imogen says they must disarm to live. This may also be a clue as to what happened after battle, though it’s not fully spelled out yet.
Chapter 64
(Violet’s point of view) Violet’s conduit shatters. Theophanie slows the storm to make it harder for Violet to wield. Tairn and Violet get caught in a net and fall. Violet discovers a marble dagger in Aaric’s package. It was a gift from the high priestess’s temple of Dunne in Aretia.
Theophanie approaches. Xaden sends powerful shadows, and Tairn says to use the darkness. Violet realizes Aaric’s signet is precognition, and we know this is more powerful than seeing the ends of battles, but we don’t yet know all he can foresee or how this plays into the plot, as his character arc seemingly continues to grow.
Violet uses the marble to wield lightning and hits Thophanie. Andarna appears, distracting Theophanie, who may have her own reasons to be intrigued by the powers of irids, and Violet kills her with the marble dagger.
Stone doesn’t kill venin, but Theophanie was never just venin (also a high priestess), and Dunne is wrathful.
Chapter 65
(Xaden’s point of view) Sgaeyl is wounded.
Panchek is a venin, and there are venin bonds, so Xaden can’t kill him or Berwyn, his Sage venin. Panchek is the traitor from within. Panchek refers to Sage’s “son,” who may be Jack.
Berwyn kills a dragon (possibly Panchek’s) with his dagger and threatens Sgaeyl. Xaden, due to his bond with Sgaeyl, wields dark shadows to kill venin guards and knock Berwyn and Panchek unconscious. Xaden’s soul departs, and he becomes the ice, killing wyvern across the city. He clings to his love for Violet, but he’s no longer an initiate. His eyes have red veins.
On the surface, it seems Sgaeyl is his first love, but Xaden also seems to know this is the only way when it comes to Violet as well.
Sgaeyl conveys that the wards are completed but extend no further than Draithus, implying she’s still bonded to Tairn at this point. This may also be a clue as to who remains unprotected (for example, those at the Medaro Pass are beyond Draithus).
Chapter 66
(Violet’s point of view) At Riordan House, an officer tells Brennan that four riders, their dragons, and three elders were killed in the valley. Four riders, including Garrick Tavis, and six eggs from the hatching ground are missing. (It cannot include Violet, Brennan, Andarna, Tairn, or Imogen, who are present.)
It’s heavily implied Xaden is responsible for all of this.
Tairn needs a cycle of rest, which is suspect and suggests something big happened to her beyond what we currently know. Perhaps her bond with Sgaeyl or Violet is now broken.
Violet is disoriented. There is an emerald ring on her finger. This is foreshadowed earlier. In chapter 26, Xaden doesn’t like the impermanence of the word “girlfriend,” and in chapter 47, Violet sees an emerald stone missing from the Blade of Aretia at Riorson house.
Violet married Xaden but doesn’t recall it because she asked Imogen to wipe her memories. Of note, though, we can’t be sure of this since, well, Violet’s memories are wiped.
They seemingly married in Unnbriel, per a blessing from there. Recall also that Unnbriel wanted dragon eggs in exchange for an alliance and that this isle is dedicated to Dunne, the goddess of war, who requires a lifetime of service.
Xaden left a note telling her: “Don’t look for me. It’s yours now.” It appears she now rules Tyrrendor, though this isn’t explicitly stated. He may mean “the ring,” his soul (which has departed), or some other magic within the stone. It’s also unclear why Bodhi wouldn’t take over, possibly implying he may have become venin or is dead.
Recap of the Ending With Theories and Questions for Book Four
- Do we find out Violet’s second signet in Onyx Storm? Violet is a dream-walker, a powerful form of inntinsic.
- Who died in Onyx Storm? Quinn was the most significant death in the end, but some characters remain missing, and four unnamed riders, their dragons, and three unnamed elders were also killed in the valley.
- Who is missing at the end of Onyx Storm? Four riders, including Garrick Tavis, and six eggs from the hatching ground remain missing. Xaden’s whereabouts are also unknown.
- Does Xaden die at the end of Onyx Storm? No, but he said he doesn’t want to be found.
- Who turned venin at the end of Onyx Storm? Most clues point to Bodhi, Xaden’s cousin who has always been like a “brother,” or Garrick, who was acting suspiciously and remains missing.
- Why were Violet’s memories wiped? She asked Imogen, who is a memory eraser… or did she? After all, her memories are erased.
Related Onyx Storm Posts
If you enjoyed this post about the Onyx Storm ending, check out these posts about the fantasy romance book series next:
- Onyx Storm Book Review
- Discussion Questions for Onyx Storm
- Best Quotes from Onyx Storm
- Onyx Storm Spice Rating
Want to discuss the ending and/or your predictions and theories? Onyx Storm leaves the reader with SO MANY QUESTIONS! So, share a comment below on anything from who’s the new venin to what happened between Xaden and Violet.
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules