In the Fourth Wing series, a big topic of debate among readers is the nature of Violet Sorrengail’s second signet, but I’m pretty sure it’s been staring us in the face this whole time. Rebecca Yarros has mystery-boxed quite a bit of the narrative through the first two books, setting up multiple mysteries yet to be unraveled. While it sometimes annoys me when a writer piles mystery on top of mystery with no resolution, Yarros has done a really solid job of balancing setup with revelation so far.

It’s a good thing, too, because I and other fans are going nuts trying to figure out the answers to these questions, theorizing about everything from whether Naolin is still alive to whether Jack Barlowe will get a redemption arc (please, no). Most of the biggest theories, however, are reserved for Violet and Andarna. Specifically, Violet’s Sorrengail’s second signet through Andarna hasn’t yet manifested – that we know of, at least. Rebecca Yarros has said she’s put plenty of hints in the books about what Violet’s second signet in the Empyrean Series could be, and I think I might know.

Violet Seeing Liam Was A Purposeful Misdirect

It Would Be A Really Clever Red Herring

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The biggest hint that Violet’s second signet is that she can see and speak to the dead is, of course, the extended conversation she had with Liam Mairi during Varrish’s torture session. It was pretty impressive, considering Liam was dead and all. The book strongly implied that it’s Violet’s unrelenting feelings of guilt over not being able to save Liam and the fact she was undergoing such horrific physical and mental torture at the time, that she started hallucinating her dead friend. The hallucination was Violet’s subconscious coping with the torture to keep her mind intact.

But I started thinking: what if it wasn’t a hallucination? What if Rebecca Yarros simply used a common trope – the mind under extreme stress and pain hallucinating a loved one to stay sane – and allowed us to think that Violet was hallucinating to throw us off the trail? Again, Rebecca Yarros has said she’s thrown multiple hints into the books about Violet’s second signet and that anyone who has been closely connecting the dots should be able to figure it out.

If she can speak to the dead, it actually makes the torture scene make more sense to me. I would have bought her hallucinating Liam in moments of desperation. Still, the fact that he stuck around for a few days and seemed to listen to her commands, assuring her he wouldn’t leave, seemed far too advanced and there for him to be a temporary ghost constructed by a fever dream. Instead, I think he was an actual ghost.

It’s Possible Violet Can Do More Than Merely See And Speak To The Dead

It Might Relate To Her Time-Manipulating Abilities

Then I started thinking, what if Violet’s second signet isn’t just seeing and speaking to the dead, but raising the dead? I started pondering this because of Violet’s temporary, Andarna-channeled power to stop time. It would be really odd if Violet’s second, permanent signet through Andarna had nothing to do with time, whether fast-forwarding, stopping, or reversing it. Now, some readers think Violet’s signet through Andarna will be prophecy, and, if I stick with the time-related line of thinking, that would make sense. After all, prophecy and clairvoyance are nothing more than being able to see into the future.

Still, the time theory would still work with Violet being able to resurrect the dead. One way of thinking about it is that resurrection isn’t a type of necromancy, but simply a manipulation of time, rewinding it far enough to a point before that person’s death, thus bringing them back and into the present moment. I think that could even explain why Liam’s ghost eventually disappeared – or at the very least, Violet just stopped seeing him. She was being tortured and under the influence of serum, so it’s likely she wasn’t able to manifest that signet permanently under the circumstances. So she brought Liam back, but only temporarily.

This Being Violet’s Second Sigil Is How Her Father Could Appear

Violet Deserves Closure – Plus, He’s Important

Whether Violet can see and speak to the dead or go so far as to resurrect them, I’m really hoping this is a way to bring her father back, even temporarily. A hundred theories have flown around the fandom about Violet’s dad in Fourth Wing, from him being a venin, to him taking his own life to protect his secrets, and more. Either way, her father’s research is being set up as key to defeating the venin. At some point, Violet will either have to find his missing work, or she’ll have to solve his mystery some other way. What better way to do that than to speak directly to him, alive or dead?

Violet’s had the opportunity to make her peace with every one of her family members, save her father. Violet and Mira have always had a solid relationship. Brennan revealed himself to be alive, and Violet and Mira have finally forgiven him. Even Lilith stopped being General Sorrengail long enough to simply be Violet’s mom, sacrificing herself for her daughter, expressing her love in one final act. With how close Violet and her dad were, it’s only fair she gets one last scene with him to say goodbye. It seems unlikely that her dad would still be alive seeing how that trick was already pulled with Brennan, so I think he’s dead and Violet can bring him back for answers and closure.

There Are A Few Problems With My Theory, Though

It Would Have Been Hard For Violet To Channel (But Not Impossible)

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Unfortunately, there are a few problems with my theory. The first problem is that, when Varrish was torturing Violet, he gave her a serum that cut her off from her powers and made her unable to access them. That puts a pretty significant damper on Liam’s appearance being Violet manifesting her second signet. If she can’t access her powers, she has no powers, simple as that. Any other character in the story would be toast, completely at the mercy of the serum and Varrish’s brutal ministrations.

Still, it’s not impossible to think there might be a loophole. Violet had already been dosed with the same power-dampening serum once, so it could be revealed that with repeated exposure to it, it’s less effective. Violet has also always had a real Chosen One vibe; she’s always been special and unique in the way so many romantasy heroines are. Her power is rare and prodigious and no one is sure where it comes from, or why she can channel so much power. It would be very easy for Rebecca Yarros to write a loophole for Violet that explains why she could access her powers even after taking the serum.

The second major problem with my theory is that, at the time, Andarna was still in the Dreamless Sleep, transitioning to her more mature, teenage form. It’s not clear whether or not riders can channel their dragons when their dragons are in the Dreamless Sleep, but it doesn’t seem like they should be able to. No one actually knows, though, as no dragon as young as Andarna had ever chosen to be bonded to a rider. Just like Violet, Andarna is special, and their bond is strong, so it’s possible that even through the serum and Dreamless Sleep, Violet was able to tap into something or Andarna was able to send her power.

Whatever Violet’s second signet power is, it’s sure to come in clutch in the next Fourth Wing book, Onyx Storm. From a narrative perspective, an author doesn’t tease something this long without the reveal packing a major punch. Violet’s lightning signet has already saved everyone many times, and her temporary stopping time abilities have also been huge (except for poor Liam) in Fourth Wing. Her second power is being set up as being even more rare and powerful. Whatever her second signet is, I’m sure we’ll all groan that we didn’t figure it out sooner.