Hi everyone. Please meet Jacky, one of our fellow Empyrean Riders readers and theory lover. She created a video for us about Who is the new brother. Please make sure you watch her video above and read the script below. Thank you so much, Jacky!

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Join me as I talk through the clues and identify our top suspects in the case of who is Xaden’s new brother!

Unmasking Xaden’s New Venin Brother: A Theory-Driven Analysis Post-Onyx Storm

Spoiler Warning: This post contains full spoilers for the Empyrean series through the end of Onyx Storm.

The conclusion of Onyx Storm left readers with numerous lingering questions, the most tantalizing of which is the identity of Xaden’s new Venin brother. Following the successful application of a predictive methodology to identify the Outlands’ champion in Iron Flame, this same approach is now employed to analyze who Rebecca Yarros’s mysterious new Venin rider might be.

Clues from the End of Onyx Storm

The Xaden perspective chapter provides the most revealing insight. Xaden discovers he has a new Venin brother and finds an unconscious dragon in the valley. His shock indicates he knew the individual before their transformation and did not anticipate this turn of events:

“My new brother—and the unconscious dragon lying in the valley behind the canyon. How could he do this, choose this, after watching me stumble and fall over the last five months?”

This strongly suggests the new Venin brother is a dragon rider, was familiar with Xaden’s struggle, and turned Venin only very recently—likely during the Battle of Dralor itself. Xaden notes that he can sense other Venin since January, which supports the idea that the transformation had to have occurred at a moment when he wouldn’t have sensed it beforehand.

Xaden’s thoughts also reveal his conflicted emotions: he fears his brother may be used against him by Berwyn but still refuses to kill him during the Onyx Storm, sparing him while eliminating other threats. He also appears to read the brother’s thoughts or intentions—possibly indicating a telepathic connection or deliberate mental vulnerability from the brother.

Disqualified: Panchek

Some confusion has arisen, particularly among audiobook listeners, about whether Panchek could be the new brother. However, multiple textual clues disqualify him:

• He is clearly not the unconscious rider in the valley.
• He is present and vocal during the Onyx Storm scene.
• Xaden attempts to kill Panchek, a stark contrast to sparing his actual new brother.
• Panchek’s dragon is described in a separate location.

Candidate 1: Aaric

Aaric is a puzzling but not implausible candidate. His signet of precognition, hinted at as early as January, could have allowed him to foresee the necessity of turning Venin. However, there are complications:

• There’s little evidence he was aware of Xaden’s struggle as early as December.
• Xaden and Aaric’s relationship evolves from hostility to mutual respect, especially in battle.
• Aaric subtly works in tandem with Xaden in scenes Violet doesn’t fully interpret.

Despite these intriguing threads, the five-month timeline is a stretch, and Aaric’s distance from Xaden during key emotional moments makes his candidacy unlikely.

Candidate 2: Bodhi

Bodhi is a stronger contender. He knew of Xaden’s Venin status from December, fulfilling the timeline criteria. Though initially portrayed as reasonable and resistant to reckless decisions, Bodhi’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic throughout Onyx Storm.

Notable moments:

• He issues a strong ultimatum to Xaden: either lead as a Duke or face losing the throne to someone else.
• He fights to support Violet and Tyrendor but becomes desperate when he realizes his power is insufficient.
• After his dragon, Cuir, goes unmentioned during the chaos at Dralor, he is seen grounded and potentially transformed.

However, there are logistical inconsistencies:

• His location during Xaden’s final confrontation is unclear.
• There’s no mention of his presence in the canyon, nor is Cuir the unconscious dragon.

Thus, while emotionally and narratively compelling, Bodhi’s candidacy lacks key physical evidence.

The Most Likely Candidate

Garrick is the most consistent match across all available data:

• He learned about Xaden turning Venin back in December.
• He is Xaden’s closest companion through the events of January to May.
• He exhibits increasingly protective behavior, especially after Mira’s death.
• His dragon, Chradh, is missing during the final chapters, possibly indicating unconsciousness or separation during Garrick’s transformation.
• Garrick is present throughout the battle, saves Imogen, and delivers a cryptic line about needing to “find some exploitative way to do something,” which could signal intent to turn Venin.

Further supporting evidence includes word from Rebecca Yarros that the identity of the brother can be found among the “missing riders.” Garrick, explicitly listed as missing, fits this description.

Conclusion

While Aaric and Bodhi both offer compelling narrative and thematic justification, Garrick is the only character who aligns with every major clue:

• The five-month awareness of Xaden’s transformation.
• A close bond with Xaden.
• Recent absence from the battlefield.
• A missing dragon.
• A plausible emotional and strategic reason to become Venin.

The revelation that Xaden has only one new Venin brother in the canyon narrows the final choice. All signs point to Garrick.

Still, with so much room for interpretation, debate is welcome. Share your theories and discuss alternative interpretations here in the comments or under the video.