Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth

With Wind and Truth out of the way, these are some of the most compelling theories for Arc 2 of Wind and Truth's ending marked the conclusion of his first set of five books, and it will be followed by another set of five in the coming years. The recent book is Sanderson's biggest volume yet (and that's saying something), and it laid the foundation for several narratives.

With everything we know about Roshar and the Brandon Sanderson's books include several Cosmere titles to round out the decade, but he's taking a break from The Stormlight Archive following Wind and Truth. The next book in the series is expected to hit shelves in December 2031, meaning a seven-year gap between volumes. In-world, there's expected to be ten years between books 5 & 6.

8 Shallan Will Return To Roshar As An Older Woman

Shallan Won't Be Able To Avoid The Time Bubble

Shallan Davar fulfilled her arc in The Stormlight Archive Arc 1 by finding self-acceptance, fulfilling her love with Adolin, and defeating the Ghostbloods. Unfortunately, she found herself stuck in Shadesmar at the end of the book with no way to return to Roshar. To make matters more dire, she's also pregnant with Adolin's child.

It seems likely that Shallan will be forced to worldhop in order to make her way back, creating an Interstellar-like dilemma.

Shallan will be spending the time gap between books trying to find her way back to Roshar, but the time bubble surrounding the planet complicates matters. She can remain in Shadesmar, still in Roshar's bubble, but if she travels to another planet, time will progress faster for her than it will back home. It seems likely that Shallan will be forced to worldhop in order to make her way back, creating an Interstellar-like dilemma. By the time she's able to return, she and her children could be older than when we last saw them.

7 Valor Is Hiding Somewhere On Roshar (Explaining The Fourth Moon)

Valor Could Be Roshar's Fourth Shard

Out of the Shards of Adonalsium, Valor is one that has remained a significant question mark. We've known that Roshar has three moons for a while, with their colors believed to represent the Shards Odium, Honor, and Cultivation. The reveal of a fourth moon hypothetically means a fourth god, leading fans to suspect Valor. The fourth moon shattered and crashed into the planet before even Honor arrived, leaving behind a strange metal.

As for Valor's whereabouts, Endowment stated in her letters to Hoid that she sent aid to Valor, which could be referring to Nightblood. Nightblood and Vasher come from the planet Nalthis, where Warbreaker takes place and Endowment is the Shard. If she sent Valor help, it could imply that Valor is already on Roshar, right under Retribution's nose, and has been plotting something the entire time.

6 Lift Will Be The Primary Hero Of Arc 2 (Filling Kaladin's Role)

Lift's Training With Zahel Will Be Game-Changing

With Stormlight leaving Roshar, the orders of the Knights Radiant are essentially null for the time being. Given that Lift's power comes from Lifelight, the Investiture form of Cultivation, she'll still have access to her powers and irregular way of consuming her energy. As shown in the graph below, we also know that Lift will be the main flashback character of book 6.

With Lift being the first POV flashback character for The Stormlight Archive's next volume, she's perfectly suited to have an arc that mirrors Kaladin's from The Way of Kings. We've seen Lift as a child, but the next time she appears, she'll be a young woman. In Kaladin's absence, she's going to be the hero holding down the fort, especially after she trains with Zahel to become a talented fighter.

5 Nohadon Is Some Form Of Adonalsium

Nohadon Isn't Who We Thought He Was

Nohadon has always been a curious character throughout The Stormlight Archive, but the ancient king we thought we knew from The Way of Kings seems even more perplexing after Wind and Truth. His final moment with Dalinar suggests that Nohadon is someone far more integral to the overarching narrative, potentially even Adonalsium itself or some remnant of Adonalsium's power. It's too early to suggest anything definitive, and there are some brilliant theories about who Nohadon might actually be, but it's hard not to note that his name ends in ADON.

4 Adolin Will Defeat The Evil Blackthorn

Adolin Will Have Unresolved Feelings Toward Dalinar

Possibly one of the most upsetting aspects of Wind and Truth's ending is that Adolin was left without a proper resolution to the conflicts with his father. He'll spend years healing from his father's ing, and even though Dalinar offered him some metaphysical touch to show his pride and forgiveness, Adolin will still likely spend years wishing he'd had another opportunity to speak to the man. The fact that there's another evil version of his father out there now sets up a perfect moment of reckoning.

Seeing the evil Blackthorn will be devastating for of the Kholin family and anyone who saw Dalinar as a hero, but particularly so for Adolin. Not only is this Blackthorn working under Retribution's orders, but he's also a copy of the version of Dalinar who got Evi killed. There would be some poetic justice to Adolin fully forgiving his father as he eliminates the essence of the Dalinar whose bloodlust effectively killed his mother.

3 Kaladin Will Take Up The Shard Of Honor

Kaladin Will End The Series As A Vessel

Before Dalinar picked up the Shard of Honor in Wind and Truth, he and Kaladin were considered by fans to be the top candidates to do so. Since Dalinar is no longer available, and Honor is now left in the hands of Taravangian, there's room to consider who will end the series holding the Shard. Kaladin is the King of the Heralds, but he's been described as the living embodiment of honor so frequently that it seems only right for him to end the series as the Vessel. After the heroes defeat Retribution, this seems like the perfect outcome.

2 Syl Will Bring Stormlight Back To Roshar

Syl Is The Stormfather's Daughter

Syl is currently with Kaladin and the Heralds, but she's the most likely candidate to bring Stormlight back to Roshar. With the Stormfather being gone, having his power inherited by his daughter could be a fantastic full-circle moment. Kaladin returning with the Heralds and Syl bringing Stormlight back to the Knights Radiant would be amazing as a turning of the tides moment, and one that would feel earned after decades of storytelling. Given that Stormlight is in the title of the series, it seems unlikely that it would stay gone for very long.

1 Cultivation Has A Deeper Plan Of Her Own

Cultivation Could Be Working With Other Shards

Cultivation is a major X-factor in The Stormlight Archive's second arc, and readers have been quite hard on her for her inaction in Wind and Truth. While it could have just been handled this way for plot convenience, another possibility is that Cultivation wanted the outcome we saw. Cultivation was the one who prepared Taravangian as a candidate to become Odium's Vessel by altering his intelligence. She was also the one who took away Dalinar's memories and then returned them, allowing him to grieve before Odium attempted to turn him into his champion in Oathbringer.

Cultivation left Roshar as soon as Retribution did, which could have been part of her plan all along. One Reddit posted a compelling theory that suggests Cultivation, Endowment, and Valor, are all working together, which calls back to the Valor theory from earlier. There's so much going on in The Stormlight Archive and the Cosmere that we don't know about, and it'll be fascinating to see where everything leads.