At this point, all of you should've finished the quest about the chained Frost Giant in Snezhnaya.

In the quest, we learned that it is about a Snegovik who fell in love with a human. They were supposed to marry but the Snegovik was drafted to a war. They didn't see each other for a long time, and no one knows what REALLY happened to them.

We freed the Frost Giant with the help of the "spirit" of his lover and assisted him until we reached the light house where he's supposed to meet his lover, but there was no woman to meet. Instead, a "frozen" shadow appeared that takes the form of the woman. The traveler said that the frozen shadow was a manifestation of the Snegovik's wishes to meet his lover again.

So, what actually happened to them?

From the very beginning, the spirit of the Snegovik's lover who assisted us in releasing the chains that bind the Snegovik could've been the lingering "will" of the woman. We witnessed how the woman tried her best to meet her lover, and a compassionate Snegurochka actually assisted her.

https://preview.redd.it/eys558vpxakh1.png?width=813&format=png&auto=webp&s=096c3657bde117d763fa52d9c1d5318310afc4bf

Lady Pavlina banned the woman to meet the Snegovik. And we also learn, that the Snegovik's name is Donskoy, who was said to be "slumbering".

https://preview.redd.it/gosewsjzxakh1.png?width=767&format=png&auto=webp&s=a316ab9525175eff07ce3a7e76aeeb54f5f36677

But we all know that before she could even meet him, she was stopped by the other Snegurochka and branded a sword against her. It was only in the quest that we were able to "interfere" and stop them, but in the past, she wasn't able to get through them.

The real reason to this slumber is simple. Lady Pavlina had used Eitr to "modify" Donskoy.

Snegoviks doesn't have the ability to turn into a giant. That is beyond the capabilities of their race. But the usage of "Eitr" could make it possible.

https://preview.redd.it/f5o8jgzvzakh1.png?width=796&format=png&auto=webp&s=964e290eed1cc516f0f6cafe1b8383356bbba8ba

Now, what is the Eitr?

It was first mentioned in the artifact "Disenchantment in Deep Shadow":

>Countless days and nights of toil passed, as the Snow-King's company was driven through an unending succession of forbidden acts and descents into the ruins of ancient civilizations,
all to trace the faint outline of a dream once shaped by a primordial golden realm, and bring forth a vast embryo long hidden in shadow.

This particular part is also in the "Notes by a Certain Noble Individual" which we all know is the Tsar.

>...Foray four hundred and forty-six: The records found alongside the Embryonic-Ichoric-Telluric-Rudiment, or "Eitr" for short, have provided a sufficiently clear picture of the matter, which is noted as follows...

The Eye of Graeae also gave us a brief description of the Eitr:

https://preview.redd.it/d5613ksd0bkh1.png?width=779&format=png&auto=webp&s=d236d1c85f19a9f87d8e97a434ea689696aab765

But how was the Eitr created?

In the "Notes by a Certain Individual", the Tsar finds out that Anarchasis (Voyager) was looking for the Primal Light:

>...The Saint had come to Hyperborea in search of that light from the very genesis of the world, a fragment left behind at its inception. It is a light that is undissipated hope itself, a light that holds the potential to illuminate the entire cosmos. From what I have seen of it projected in that house of ministry, it is also the very same light that brought about my birth...

In the artifact "Disenchantment of Deep Shadow", it stated the following:

>There was a time when primordial venom and primal light clashed in a corner unseen by the heavens' gaze.

>If a love, a fervor, and an ambition just greater than the world itself were to take shape — they had to be born and kindled in a place unseen by any eye.

>It was a design that could not endure the slightest deviation in its course, and an experiment that stood but a hair's breadth from world-spanning madness.

>It was almost as if someone had stayed the hand of fate itself, forcing coin toss after coin toss until the desired outcome was reached.

>Or perhaps, only through upheaval at the periphery can certain possibilities pass through layer upon layer of constraint, and be captured and brought into being by a plan most absurd.

This tells us that Anarchasis was able to find the Primal Light (possibly with the help of the Angels), and it does tell us how HARD it is to create the Eitr. This passage tells us that the Eitr CANNOT be made in Teyvat.

Teyvat runs on a "single, linear fate" which is governed by Heimarmene.

The creation of Eitr is led by Anarchasis (Voyager), and she possibly created the Shadow Realm because she needs a place unseen by the Heavenly Principles. A place where fate isn't bound. A place where infinite possibilities still exists.

>...Might this stem from the fact that the Shadow Realm teems with possibilities yet unobserved? Should we follow this hypothesis, the relationship between the Shadow Realm and the Abyss may be one that is fundamentally antithetical and mutually repellent, explaining why the realm has remained untainted to this day...

So the Eitr was made, but how does it work?

>The Eitr has changed everything. It is as if we have obtained the final form of the Prime Chimeric Nexus.

>It is like a living bio-furnace that can devour any living embryo without limitations.

>And its products are nothing like the previous Chimeric Beasts, which had to undergo nurturing cycles to await their growth and harmonization before reaching a completed stage.

>Instead, the Eitr swallows, then fully absorbs the embryos, and directly reconstructs their biological traits. And even with that, the number of circulatory systems remains but one.

>This must have been the foundation stone for developing a sort of perfect life form.

In simpler terms, it's a bio furnace that absorbs two or more things then spits one thing out without any complications. It's a hundred steps ahead of Koschei's bio-alchemy where he needs an artificial chimeric nexus just to combine two lifeforms into one.

In one of the flashbacks, Pavlina describes the Eitr:

>Pavlina: It is the remnant of some forbidden experiments conducted during the age of Hyperborea... It possesses unimaginable power, and its composition is complex...

>Pavlina: Within it is not only some peculiar... flesh, but also the power of the Light Realm that has been modified to specialize in acts of creation, as well as...

>Pavlina: In short, it possesses unimaginable power. It comes into contact with life, and alters it...

>Pavlina: Then, these life-forms will gradually shift toward a certain tendency, ultimately converging into a single pattern.

Basically, Pavlina used the Eitr on Donskoy, which altered his biology and turned him into the Frost Giant. In the Snegovik's lore, there's a legend about him:

>A Snegovik born of love amid the snow and ice.
Male Snegovik are natural-born knights, and most are born able to freely forge weapons from ice and snow.

>Legend tells that during the Belyi Tsar's campaign against the dark tide, a Snegovik serving as his guard unleashed a power that didn't belong to his kind, transforming into a towering giant.

>Though his final fate remains unknown, one who violated such a taboo surely could not have met with a happy end.

Donskoy's story is also told in a book called "Glimpses of Mysterious Inazuma", and the title of the chapter is "The Mysterious Maiden of Genbou". It's more of a retelling of a story through the use of allegory and the ending is purely fictional because again, no one knows what happened to them in the end.

You might be wondering where the "Unfinished Descender" will come up right?

Here are the clues.

• "If a love, a fervor, and an ambition just greater than the world itself were to take shape — they had to be born and kindled in a place unseen by any eye."
• "This must have been the foundation stone for developing a sort of perfect life form."

The way the Eitr was described, and how it is made by using Primal Light and "Primal Venom", my theory is that Anarchasis actually wants to create a Descender that could go against the Heavenly Principles. Specifically, a body and "spirit/will" of a Descender.

Anarchasis created the Shadow Realm for that very purpose.

But why just a "body and spirit" of a Descender? Why not the whole thing?

In Teyvat, we learn that there are three things a human has. Body, soul and spirit/will. In real life, this is called the Tria Prima or Three Primes in Paracelsian Alchemy.

In real life, there's the Salt (Body), Sulfur (Soul) and Mercury (Spirit).

However, Teyvat has its own version with just a slight difference. We learn this throughout the quest with Nastya.

>Nastya: "Cast off the soul of the past, and it shall no longer be bound by the hidden veins of the earth." Then, the thing that replaces the soul of the past is... the um... s—sulfur of the soul?

>Nastya: "Cast off the will of the past, and it shall no longer be watched by the gaze above." And the thing that replaces the will is the silver of the spirit.

>Nastya: The last thing you have to cast off is... "Cast off the body of the past, and it shall no longer be worn away by the toil and turmoil of the mortal world." So at this point, we have to offer up the material that will replace the body. So uh... The salt is... the new body that grows from the old one. Yes, that's it!

These are also the same things that are mentioned in one of the flashbacks in Hvergelmir.

So, in Teyvat, there's Salt (Body), Sulfur (Soul) and Spirit/Will (Silver).

Also a good thing to note. We learn from Ronova that in order to kill a Descender, the body or soul needs to be completely destroyed.

Whatever happens to the "will", I am not sure. But I guess it would be uncovered when we learn more.

Going back, this could be the reason why Anarchasis created the Shadow Realm and Eitr.

The Shadow Realm would the birthplace of the spirit/will and body of a Descender using the Primal Light and Primal Venom. But where's the soul?

She would place her own.

Remember that Anarchasis is just a soul (consciousness) projected inside the body of a star-eyed youth. And her will is not enough to become a Descender. Her existence only pushed the disaster that's supposed to hit Hyperborea by 30 years and that's it.

Anarchasis's plan is to turn herself into a Descender inside the Shadow Realm. However, they didn't have much time. Anarchasis said the following in the "Celestial Gift" artifact:

>"But we have bought too little time... not enough for a miracle to take root in this age."

Thousands of years later, the Eitr will be discovered by the Tsar inside the Shadow Realm. The Eitr will be studied and researched by the Hvermelgir. Soon, by request of Koschei, the Tsar agreed to use his own body for the Eitr, which resulted in the "egg", or Goggles, or the Proto-Man (Prototype Primordial Human), with the help of Aksinya, Pavlina, Koschei and Alvis.

>Pavlina: But Koshchei... He cannot make this request of you himself, for he bears guilt. Yet he believes that if the experiment is to proceed further...

>Pavlina: Perhaps it's necessary for us to obtain... your body.

>Tsar: ...Then take it.

>Tsar: My blood, my flesh. If it is to fulfill the great work our ancestors left unfinished, if it is to carry this world one step further, if, in the end, it will all have been worth it...

>Tsar: Then take them, as much as you need!

Just like Anarchasis's plan, Hvergelmir's plans were pretty much the same, just with minor differences.

The Tsar gives up his flesh (obviously not all of it) which will be processed in the Eitr, which then resulted into the egg, and a few other creations of Koschei. The egg will contain the body, soul and will of a powerful being. The original plan is to supplant the soul and will of the Tsar into the egg, creating the new Primordial Human. That's why the Eye of Graeae was created in order to store the soul (consciousness) and will of the proto-man who was named Goggles by Paimon to make space for the Tsar's soul.

But we all know how it ended.

The Tsar who is potentially weakened after giving up his flesh perished while fighting the abyss. The egg stopped Aksinya's plans by colluding with Koschei, Pavlina and Alvis.

Goggles was split into three. The body fragment went to Koschei for his pursuit of eternity in life. Pavlina took the soul fragment in order to use for a ritual that will end the Snegovik's biological need for a lover to complete their soul. Alvis took the will fragment to acquire more power.

Everything about the "Unfinished Descender" is just a theory. I hope you enjoy reading this!

After ronova reveals that paimon is a creation of celestia

Then I noticed paimons behaviour changed

Because as when she knew her origins and her being the creation of celestia as mentioned and confirmed by piero

Then she asks about seeing the weapon made to killl her own kin?

Whatt? Ever since the start of the game paimon has been a personality that is like a child , "pure" and innocent

If she dosnt know something she will say it and if u ask who she is she will just say paimon is "paimon" a childlike response

But when pierro confirmed that they were successful in creating "misteltiem" (the cool looking weapons) that can kill celestial beings that means it can kill paimon too even though she knew that she was being oddly specific about wanting to see that and was like "it's okay if u don't want too show mee, but I want to see 🙈" wth is that this never happend before

This part was a bit off to me and something didn't feel right about paimons attitude at the end she was uncharacteristically pushy there and if wasn't for this we wouldn't even be able to see what the weapon is and what it looks like

So my theory is that paimon remembered something that she was meant to do

Maybe infiltrate civilisations that are trying to aoppose celestia Or, she was controlled by someone at that particular point who wanted to see what the weapon was

And about what ronova said about her authoriy and all the other shades authorities

"Ronova is death " is wrong it is more like she "wields" death . Like how she was only able to kill everyone for a short amount of time before receiving them herselfbecause she can't make a dent in the cycle of teywat that was made by HP

Or she can't exert her full authority to kill anyone unless the HP allows her to do so

And what she said about paimon being usless -On God she lying

Why would celestia create anything that's usless maybe paimon herself is usless but she wears(the crown) or has a authority that she forgot so she's usless "right now "

Everything just a theory from my part and I think we will get answers in 7.1 or 7.3 as pieroo said they are going to kill ronova

It sure won't be a simple process

If anyone knows something about the shade of reason fell free to tell me

Spoiler for 7.0 Archon Quest Act 1 & 2. Do not read if you have not finished the quest.

This is part 2 of my theory regarding Ronova and the curse of Death. Reading part 1 is not necessary for understanding part 2, but feel free to read if you are interested

In Act 1, Ronova answered some questions from the traveller and Mitya. Some of the answers she said really stood out to me. At first, I thought she was being evasive and giving non responses, like Mitya had pointed out. However, once I thought through it more, Ronova’s answers made sense.

For context: she said people die because it was “their time to die” and if she wanted someone gone, she can do it quite easily. “Death abides no reason” after all, “for it cannot be defied even those who see it coming” (God’s Limits)

Genshin fate runs through compatibalism, that certain canonical events itself is fixed (fontaine’s prophecy.etc) but can be changed through deception (focalors sacrificing herself) or/and through travellers intervention (descender). Thus, knowing the future ahead of time does not stop canon events on happening, but it changes the end result to be either bad(fontainians dissolve from the flood) or good(fontaine’s citizens survive). Regardless, the flood had to happen either way.

so, while death itself, Ronova, cannot be defied, it can be fooled. Ronova has to be present for all curses of death and farrying souls to the afterlife. This is supported in the folklore of Snezhnaya that the grim reaper appears when you die in a familiar form, and how Ronova appeared every time while the curse of death is in effect.

Form the cutscene: the traveller was only able to get a scratch on her because she was distracted and nervous that the researchers + mitya may see her. Hence, If Traveller + others fight her to distract her while the weapon is made and speeding up the recovery of the curse, the weapon would finally be completed for the Tsarista to use against Ronova.

Which brings to my next point.

Ronova only kills who she deems it neccessary to kill. She could have killed the traveller, or mitya, or the researchers. But she didn’t. Instead, she targets Paimon out of all people, even if Paimon has no power or authority of Celestia. Why kill Paimon then if she is not a “supposed threat” compared to Mitya developing the weapon?

Therefore, Paimon is a threat to Ronova . Perhaps not now, but maybe sometime in the future. HP does not seem to like when beings like Paimon are free from Celestia’s governance and have their own agency. Paimon, while weak, is assisting the descender and able to dodge all attacks from all bosses traveller had ever faced (rerir, to name an example). Plus, Since Paimon is such an influential figure to the traveller and tied to the catalysm 500 years ago, no wonder Ronova wants to end Paimon. even if Ronova is not in a rush to claim paimon, its better to get rid of competitors ahead of time. (Related to dark forest theory)

Ronova ends Paimon because it’s “her time to die” but cannot kill Mitya, traveller and researchers because it’s not their time to die yet. While a circular argument, it makes sense since lay lines would record and accept the soul’s death. Since the curse of death is temporary, the lay lines do not fully process the death as pernament since “its not their time to die”. That is her limit as a Shade. This is essentially the reason why the curse of immortality works as well; lay lines refuses to accept khanerian’s souls, hence they live on.

Part 3 will explain more on the ties of The Three Body Problem series and how its more relevant than ever on Genshin’s 7.0 :))

Trying to find who the tsarista is, a Tsarista theory. I believe she's "Yalyane Morevna."

As snezhnaya recently came out just yesterday I'm SEARCHING for lore regarding the tsarista and I think I found it. In a book called general history of of snezhnaya there's a woman called Yalyane Morevna who is apparently so ancient she's from hyperborea days and has EXTREMELY LITTLE authentic history regarding her. Infact it was said she "disappeared one day before kitezhnograd was founded."

However, she was regarded as teacher to the belyi tsar whose real name is Tsar Monomakh (which has some INSANE LORE BEHIND HIM LIKE LITERALLY INSANE YOU SHOULD READ IT) anyways in the book, among all fae who tried to curry favor with the Tsar, all knew they were second to "the Snegruochka of Hesperides" aka the GRANDMOTHER of the first grand duchess of Hesperides, Yalyane Morevna.

The Tsar openly called Yalyane his "teacher" openly. Here's the interesting thing though, Yalyane has a.... REPUTATION among ancient fae as she is often referred to as "knyazhna of bl\\\_ \\\_d" as the book recalls to the book Davograd Chronicles. Basically what this title means is the she was a menace to fae... And not in the good way. According to what the writer of the "General History of Snezhnaya" interprets from the Davograd Chronicles, Yalyane Morevna was known for her "extraordinary savagery" as she "plundered and razed many fae kindreds." Like, to the point that Davograd (I assume this is a person or city) chronicles outright call her a "Soulless wrench, a slave who could only wag her tail before her former masters(aka humans)."

(Also it's worth mentioning here that Yalyane may actually be a alias or something those of that time called her because Morevna from what I found, apparently translates to of death. And I doubt those fae were close enough to go up and ask her for name.)

However this part is interesting BECAUSE we know fae, especially those from the days of hyperborea like herself, are terrified of humans, if you read the "disenchantment in deep shadows" artifact set stories, we learn of a fae noble governor named "Domovoy Alvis" who was tasked to work with the adopted daughter of the Tsar to do some research on hyperborea ruins with her. According to aksinya, Domovoy's first gaze at her held eyes full of "deep disgust and fear for humanity."

In fact, she was said to have "not harmed human clans" and even brought them into "Hesperides" and "gave them her protection against monster incursions." And this aligns VERY WELL with Anastasia's actions so far. As we know the tsarista dreams of a better future for humanity, she actively went to fight against a monster capable of summoning nation wide blizzards in 7.0 archon quest, and both have cold yet affectionate demeanors.

As for this next part this is a little more speculative however when the writer talks about how Yalyane's extraordinary savagery against fae's, it's only a line or two after he describes "Courage" assumingly her's, as a "crime" led by "plunder and greed" before it became a virtue in modern day. AND THIS SOUNDS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WANDERER HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE TSARISTA. Especially the part about how "love is also a type of sin" I don't remember his exact words but it's something like this.

Anyways back on track, later the writer of the history of snezhnaya talks about how Yalyane "permitted Tsar Monomakh to come to her kindred and taught him the art of the spear."

And here's the points I want everyone to focus on, first, "KINDRED" as in.... became a son like figure???👀 Especially with that flower that boy in the transcendence trailer had and how they are RECOMMENDED TO BE FOUND IN THE WHITE BIRCH SNOWGRAVE. also, I think this would also explain the "tsar's final tokens of affection" part in the sudden snow video. (Also we know the Tsar doesn't know his real birth mom or remember her based off of the disenchantment of deep shadows and general history of snezhnaya book(his lore is insane))

And second, "ART OF THE SPEAR." From this we know Yalyane was adept at using the spear, something we see the tsarista wield as she faces ronova in the transcendence trailer and her official artwork, I mean why would she use a weapon she isn't familiar with against a shade. And COINCIDENTALLY the free to play blueprint weapon for snezhnaya happens to be a spear that was supposedly wielded by the Tsar.

So now we have supposedly explained how the tsarista is a teacher/ mother figure to the tsar (hence her relationship with him) who I believe to be a fae (please read the book, seriously I don't want to explain his lore because that will put shadow this theory) which would coincide with the fae boy in the transcendence trailer, and how she lives humanity since the tsarista purposely uprooted fae nobility and trashed it to make humans nobles instead (something Very Yalyane like). Also I would like to point out that in the same book, later on when it describes how the Tsar leaves Yelyane to adventure, he's referred to as "Young" several times.

(Also another lil theory but when the Tsar left Yelyane, he met the other "young" progenitor of the shapeshifters "Filipov Vseslavyevich" who was the first commander of the Druzhna and the Tsar even refers to him as a "my good brother" and other equivalents such as "comrade in arms" in fae language, so perhaps this "connection" could be why the tsarista keeps around the Druzhna so close (Vesna is literally her right hand) despite how she basically stripped all fae nobility away as soon as she became the cryo archon.)

Also, before the cataclysm happened, he received a crafted egg shaped object that resembled his birth from an egg (the egg shaped level up domain material I forgot the name of) and the tsar apparently recognized the artsmanship which makes me think that yalyane had returned as the tsarista BECAUSE she inherited the throne so fast the cataclysm had only affected one place in Snezhnaya and news hadn't even reached her by then.

Now what I think is a somewhat mundane but also somewhat compelling piece of evidence to add to this theory is that Flins an Very old fae, basically fled snezhnaya when the tsarista became the cryo archon, in fact he outright says you won't hear "us" (assuming he meant another faction outside of the light keepers along with himself) call the tsarista their god is another interesting factor. So far we know he's AT LEAST 500 so maybe he knows something about her past deeds that caused him to leave which would make sense if she truly is Yalyane Morevna... She basically terrorized her own kind.(Or not)

What do you guys think??? 😭 I mean....it is Only August 12th the day in writing this...aka release of snezhnaya so this theory could be wrong however it could possibly explain her age, and other factors, as for the ancestor of all KHAENRI'AHNS part

.... I actually I do, because as we know fae at the time the tsarista took the throne absolutely hated the idea of someone who "wasn't a fae" to be on the throne. So perhaps she's like the Tsar, who in short is a way past due (like 1000 years late) attempt from from hyperboreans to utilize the flesh and bones of the cryo dragon (which I think would look exactly like the little boy in the trailer especially since hyperboreans were obsessed with star eyes after the Voyager) and he was the most perfect of them all. So if the other attempts were made of the same materials, they would no doubtly still be alive.

I personally think that yalyane wasn't exactly a snegnovik herself because other history says that snegoviks called her "whole" and that she taught them that their leader must also be whole. And from what we've seen the tsarista can freeze things with just her gaze alone (like at the ends of act 2 and the 7.0 Livestream) and it was only said she was the grandmother of the first snegruochka duchess, and as we know, when the tsar first awoke, the snegnoviks had yet to achieve an physical form.

Anyways back to KHAENRI'AHNS what I think is happening here is that she lead the humans she protected to found KHAENRI'AH. And I think this would make sense because the tsar only awoke 1000 years after hyperborea fell which would definitely give her enough time to impart on humans and influence them to go against celestia. Also, how else would KHAENRI'AHNS become obsessed with projects of descenders, primordial humans and creating beasts unless that person came from hyperborea. This person would have taught them how to make primordial humans, which I believe almost half of the sinners and all cursed with immortality beat a resemblance to Ikhor, who is actually a primordial human. Especially with the blonde hair and blue eyes. And this why they weren't allowed into the LEYLINES, either because they had no soul, or because they were artificially made Primordial humans.

Also we know that the albedo is an attempt at making a primordial human, and he's no different looking than any other human so just because someone was an attempt at an primordial human doesn't mean they have to look exceptionally different to blend in.

(This could also explain the "pure blood" thing because no matter how you look at it, if they were biologically related to the tsarista (which I claim to be is yalyane in this theory) they she would be of teyvat and they couldn't be pure blooded anyway.

Not to mention no KHAENRI'AH has eyes like hers or ears like hers either. And sure "the 3rd descender could just have really dominant Gene's" however, I have 3 points to counteract this.

First no matter how dominant Gene's are, they're still is a vault containing them all and it's COMPLETELY randomized. So the fact that absolutely none resemble her is suspicious.

Secondly, we now know according to Ronova (and it's been implied many times in the past especially by Rene's research about descenders and the existences of other beyonders like skirk and abyss twin) is that DESCENDERS are descenders purely because their WILL rivals the world. And that they can only be killed by either destroying their body or spirit in the short moment it's severed. (Ronova told us DESCENDERS have an extremely strong will attaching their soul to body) And the 3rd descender was never implied to be from beyond.

And finally the 3rd point, it's said the 3rd descender fell in love with the Snegruochka princess (a term that came up later in time) as we know Yalyane is the GRANDMOTHER of the first snegnovik duchess, a title that came AFTER, the tsar took his throne. And Pavlina, is still called the princess of snegruochkas in the current timeline. So she couldn't possibly be the princess especially if she was gone from before kitezhnograd to the cataclysm.)

And with this connection to KHAENRI'AHN it would explain why pierro who actively hates gods, would be willing to side with her since if she was yalyane, the window of her disappearance to KHAENRI'AH would be from before kitezhnograd to just before the cataclysm, which is why the tsar got that "Gift" so conveniently before KHAENRI'AH was destroyed. She was perhaps already working along side them just as they were about to truly achieve something and celestia destroyed them. (I'll further develop this theory sometime later after I complete arrange everything)

The Primordial Sea may give us the clearest example of what the Dragon Sovereigns’ original authority looked like. Its Heart was closely tied to the Hydro Sovereign, and it played a direct role in Neuvillette’s rebirth as the Hydro Dragon Sovereign.

The Primordial Sea is not just an ancient source of Hydro energy. It is described as something fundamental to life itself in Teyvat, a place where life originates and returns. The fact that Neuvillette’s transformation and restoration of his authority is directly linked to it suggests that the Primordial Sea is not merely a resource, but a core system tied to the identity and continuity of the Hydro Sovereign.

This raises the question: what if the other Dragon Sovereigns also ruled over something more fundamental than their respective elements? If the Primordial Sea represents a core system tied directly to the identity, rebirth, and authority of the Hydro Sovereign, then perhaps the other ancient substances, forces, and systems scattered throughout Teyvat are not random remnants, but echoes of the original domains of the Dragon Sovereigns.

Pyro — Phlogiston

Xiuhcoatl is the original Pyro Dragon Sovereign, and we know that he had dominion over Phlogiston. This makes Phlogiston one of the strongest examples of a primordial system being directly tied to a Sovereign.

Xiuhcoatl's connection to the Primal Flame and his ability to control Phlogiston suggest that it wasn't simply an ancient form of Pyro, but something that fell within the Sovereign's original authority.

This could mean that the Pyro Sovereign's domain extended beyond the Pyro element itself, with Phlogiston being the primordial system underlying that authority.

Cryo — Prime Ice

The introduction of Prime Ice gives us an interesting candidate for the Cryo Sovereign.

Its name suggests that it is something more fundamental than ordinary ice, and it can be used to create Prime Ice Constructs.

If Phlogiston represents a primordial form of Pyro, then Prime Ice could potentially be the equivalent for Cryo.

However, unlike Phlogiston, we don't yet have enough information to know exactly how Prime Ice relates to the Cryo Sovereign.

Dendro — World Tree -> Irminsul

Apep is the original Dendro Sovereign, making her especially important to this theory.

The ancient World Tree existed during the age of the dragons, with its roots connected to the world's elemental energy and Ley Lines. After the arrival of the Heavenly Principles, the tree was usurped and refashioned into Irminsul, changing its role into the system that records Teyvat's memories and information.

If the World Tree was part of Apep's original domain, then Irminsul could be the modified form of a primordial Dendro system.

World Tree → Irminsul

This would make Dendro the clearest example of a Sovereign's original domain being repurposed by the Heavenly Principles.

Geo — Dragon Veins -> Ley Lines

TThis is the most speculative part of the theory, but there are some interesting connections.

The Chinese name for Ley Lines is 地脉 (Dìmài), meaning "Earth Veins," which closely resembles the traditional concept of 龍脈 (Lóngmài), or "Dragon Veins." This feels especially fitting for the Geo Dragon Sovereign.

Geo Vishaps can absorb different elemental energies from the Ley Lines, allowing them to adapt to different elements. Azhdaha, who is believed to be the original Geo Sovereign, is also particularly sensitive to the Ley Lines and their elemental energy.

Anemo — Unknown

Anemo is one of the harder elements to place.

The Thousand Winds might initially seem like the obvious choice, but they are strongly associated with Istaroth, rather than the Anemo Sovereign. Because of this, I don't think they should be used as the Sovereign's primordial domain without stronger evidence.

There may still be an ancient wind-related substance or system connected to the Anemo Sovereign that we simply haven't identified yet.

For now, I think it is better to leave Anemo's primordial domain unknown rather than force a connection to the Thousand Winds.

Electro — Unknown

Electro is currently the biggest gap in the theory.

There are plenty of concepts associated with Electro — energy, consciousness, eternity, and artificial life — but none currently stand out as a clear primordial system comparable to Phlogiston or the Primordial Sea.

For now, I think it is better to leave the Electro Sovereign's original domain unknown rather than force a connection that the game hasn't supported yet.

Would Love to hear your guys opinion. And see if this holds up to others

Hello. I would like to present a small theory of mine. I know that it likely has holes, but I still would like to present it.

Okay. Let's go. What do we know about Saarelainen the Third Decender? The most famous story is him wanting to marry a daughter of Pakkaisukko, being told to open "gates of Pohjola" and then being killed by Phanes. For a long time a common theory was that Pakkaisukko was Belyi Tsar and courted daughter - Tsaritsa. But now it seems unlikely as recent World Quest reveals that they are not related and some information even indicates that Tsaritsa is older than Tsar. So its unlikely that they are people from the story about Saarelainen.

Here comes my theory. Its a common theory that Saarelainen is the same hero as Ajax of Sneznaya. And its not withrout reason. After all, a famous story about Ajax is his tragic love with Snegurochka. There is also a story about him slaying dragon and taking some of its treasures - straight from Nibelung Legend of real world. Moreover, according to Rene, one of his legends can be interpret as a descend into the Abys to be reborn as a Primordial Human.

Next, in last World Quest we learnt an interesting thing about Snegovik fey. Their souls are incomplete by nature: only by falling in love with a human and taking that person's soul can they become whole. Marriage is a ritual through which sould of Snegovik becomes complete. Not to mention it being said that they are artificial fey.

Finally, I will not be the first to draw paralels between Phanes and Rebis. Rebis is an end result of alchemical magnum opus, genderless figure with male and female traits and is associated with the primordial state of the world. To quote "hile described methods to create the Rebis vary in their specifics, a common theme is the putrefaction of a starting matter into the chaos of nigredo. This is followed by its separation into its parts, such as masculine or feminine. This phase is also called albedo. Finally, the parts are recombined into a whole, achieving the Rebis." And what is one of the Phanes' titles? Father of All and Mother of the Gods.

So- here is my idea. Saarelainen and his marriage is no story of battle for love. No - its a tale about a ritual meant to ascend Saarelainen to the position of Primordial Human - making him being of the same tier as Phanes. And this seems to invole union of souls with one of Snegurochkas. Maybe there was no marriage at all. Maybe "ask hand of Snegurochka" is a methaphor for "Asking how to become Primordial Human". Or maybe there was a ceremony - like the one in World Quest or similar. Perhaps that ritual needed Abyss power - ergo Saarelainen went to open gates of it. Regardless- aim of "marriage" was ascession.

Now how can be Pakkaisukko? It is not Belyi Tsar and I don't think we know any other men assosiated with winter. But we can look at it from another angel. In original Finnish myth, hero seeks hand of maiden not from father but from mother - Louhi, the Mistress of Phjola. So here is my first Pakkaisukko candidate.

1. Her Majesty, The Tsaritsa. Yes. She is assosiated with winter, lived at the time of Hyperborea and its a common theory that Alchemy was used in creation of Khaenri'ans by Tsaritsa. Otherwise its hard to think that she birthed enough kids to make a nation. Snegoviks are also called artificial fey. But fey are already artificial. Maybe it refers to being made by fey? This will also make Tsaritsa there parent.

2.Rhinedottir. Wild. I know. But I can't just forget that little tibbit about Ajax fighting dragon and claiming part of its cursed gold. This is definitelly Siegfrid vs Fafnir. And Rhinedottir dervies her name from Rhinemaidens who kept Rhinegold that later Fafinr stole and which became cursed. Not to mention her mastery of alchemy and obession with creating life. We also don;t know her age - she may very well lived at that time.

Of course it can be character yet unknown. But I wanted to say this idea of mine. Thanks for the attention.

(No evidence from 7.0 will be used in this post.)

Hello!

A while ago, I made a theory that Paimon is a piece of the Heavenly Principles' heart.

In short, it uses the story of the Archons, Skirk and Ineffa as analogies to make the case that Paimon is the embodiment of Phanes' emotions, severed in order to make the Heavenly Principles more "godly," remove weakness, and make them operate based purely on Reason.

That theory has not only held up tremendously, but I actually think there's more compelling evidence. So let's get into it!

1. Sandrone and the Tsaritsa - Reason versus Emotion

Summer events have always foreshadowed the next region. Idiya and the Oceanids, the Golden Apple Archipelago with Inazuma and Sumeru, and of course, Simulanka, the gift that keeps on giving...

This year, our event focused on Sandrone, and her internal conflict between Reason and Emotion.

From the moment Sandrone was created, she experienced conflicts between her cognitive and emotional modules. This led to an "anomaly" in her systems - a being representing "what happens when emotion contradicts reason."

https://preview.redd.it/nc72w460fujh1.png?width=2028&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e0ec725201151e41c54f17e6b44e8e5bb93c65f

The "anomaly" doesn't have any actual power. It's only a nagging voice inside of Sandrone's subconscious, asking her to do something "illogical" for the sake of her emotions. In other words, her conscience.

https://preview.redd.it/nfft06v7eujh1.png?width=2030&format=png&auto=webp&s=82ac4d3f589c37ac462cc4eca9bb1e065f746000

The anomaly is seen as something worthless, something that only brings pain, and something unnecessary. This anomaly has been locked away for many years, much like Nahida was. Now that she's come face to face with "Reason," she asks whether she's going to remain locked away, or if she's going to be destroyed altogether.

https://preview.redd.it/kybyx145fujh1.png?width=1880&format=png&auto=webp&s=93b7722639e50b8351a364f4cc9bb1536a97e0b8

This is perfect foreshadowing for the conflict between Reason and Emotion within Phanes. The Tsaritsa's theme as the God of Love seems to be centered around balancing Reason with Emotion - She acts coldly out of greater love for the world. While the Tsaritsa's heart may be frozen in ice, ice is a form of preservation. Rather than cutting her emotions out entirely, she hardens them, but that does not mean they will never thaw again.

Only by embracing Paimon can the Heavenly Principles truly find peace.

https://preview.redd.it/s3xsmcwniujh1.png?width=2003&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2a03d666891956b985040949a9e08ab7ab3ca0f

2. Dainsleif and the Five Sinners

The Five Sinners correspond to the authorities of the Four Shades and Heavenly Principles: Time, Space, Life, Death, and Reason.

However, Dainsleif can be considered a sixth "sinner" that does not count as part of their group and stands opposed to them.

Skirk mentions that Surtalogi's power is enough to overturn "A sixth" of the world.

https://preview.redd.it/p00prnxxhujh1.png?width=931&format=png&auto=webp&s=70148dc36d6c463fb8133c97d31bb493511c9a79

Heck, even "The Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies" acknowledges a sixth member of the Sinners. So, what power would Dainsleif wield if not one of the five Authorities? There must be a sixth.

3. Asmoday and Melancholy

Ashikai mentioned my previous theory in her video about Asmoday and the power of Space! I highly recommend giving it a watch, along with the rest of her videos - I've been a longtime fan, and I was absolutely floored to see my theory get a shoutout!

In her video, she makes the case that Paimon is actually a fragment of Asmoday, an "imaginary friend" and embodiment of childhood that helps her deal with her melancholy. I love this theory, but I think that this applies to Phanes and the Shades as a whole, not just Asmoday specifically.

Without going too far into it, I believe that the Four Shades represent the Four Temperaments associated with the alchemical elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. According to this framework, Ronova is Choleric, Istaroth is Sanguine, Naberius is Phlematic, and Asmoday is the "Melancholic" temperament, which would characterize her as depressive and distant (to use a Space pun) from the other Shades.

https://preview.redd.it/sjx01ptrgujh1.png?width=982&format=png&auto=webp&s=11829f5b54d2b8612cbc9b8b0d28c3448aba962f

In my opinion, Paimon is in the perfect position to help Asmoday and all of the other Shades to deal with their emotions, because she represents Emotion itself. It's emotion that makes something "human," and the rejection of emotion is the Heavenly Principles rejecting its own humanity in favor of eternity.

4. Writing changes and "vibes"

I know the concept of changes in writing direction and "retcons" are a touchy subject in the fandom, so I won't go too deeply into it.

However, I will briefly note that Paimon's crown is the one present in the Genshin Impact logo. Not only that, but Paimon herself is visible behind the logo of the webtoon.

https://preview.redd.it/k1wcxuwnjujh1.png?width=671&format=png&auto=webp&s=7adabad3988e6ec3602994cd96ed21a3ac9b34f6

This webtoon, released before the game came out, does not focus on the domain of any of the Shades in particular. Rather, it focuses on the overall themes of the game, the Primordial nature of Celestia, and the relationship between gods and humans. I personally think this decision to feature Paimon in the webtoon -- one where Paimon does not appear, and the Traveler makes an appearance in the background of a single panel-- only makes sense if Paimon is a successor to Phanes in a significant way. Her sharing of the "crown" motif with Phanes only supports a direct connection between them.

The writers clearly knew who Paimon was before establishing anything about the Shades, the Angels, the Traveler's spaceship, or any other plot threads that complicate the story. In my opinion, the only narratively satisfying conclusion is that Paimon's role is front and center, and something that can be intuitively understood by a brand-new player. Paimon's role must be the linchpin of the game's story, and her being the discarded embodiment of Celestia's humanity is the perfect role to encapsulate the game's themes.

https://preview.redd.it/brh05puznujh1.png?width=420&format=png&auto=webp&s=2c7f9bfbdb71ce5a0ab347189f2987154e69dce4

Throughout the entire journey, emotion has been a very important force throughout Teyvat. Emotions run through the Ley Lines. They can be communicated through the Elements across vast distances. They are contained within memories of past moments. Negative emotions, or Resentments, cause problems with souls and the Abyss. Positive emotions and relationships grant power to people to defy fate itself. Et cetera, et cetera.

Thus, Emotion can be said to be something that transcends Life, Death, Time, Space and Reason itself.

It has no authority of its own, but without it, all things lose their meaning. In many ways, "Emotion" IS the "Reason" for everything. Emotion is not a separate power from Reason, but instead, the other side of the same coin.

I believe this is why Paimon shares the imagery of the "Crown of Reason" with Phanes - because Emotion is something that is born directly from, and stands in opposition to Reason -- just like Ineffa, Sandrone and Skirk.

Thus, Paimon's role as a companion cannot be understated. Whereas Phanes is distant, Paimon is present. Phanes is untouchable, mighty and strong, and Paimon is weak, down-to-earth and vulnerable. Phanes is the god of all gods, while Paimon acts much more like a human. Paimon may be seen as a liability by Phanes, but to humanity, she is the most precious of all.

Spoiler for 7.0 Archon Quest Act 2 and Welkin Moon Quests in advance. Do not read if you have not finished the quest.

When Ronova cursed Mitya and the other through the Curse of Death, it made me wonder if there is a radius that the curse can’t reach (It reminds me of the animated trailer “The God’s Limits”). Apparently, the curse only affects the immediate vicinity of people nearby when forbidden of thoughts and experiments are accomplished. Hence, Odette can come to the research room unharmed and finding Mitya “dead”.

The second thing that came to mind is the eye mark that is on Mitya’s hand. It does not seem to be a simple drawing out of blood at all. In fact, I believe Ronova has left it there to monitor Mitya for good (glowing mark). Thus, Mitya seeing it even when he is alive makes it very clear that Ronova is establishing dominance that she is always watching his next moves.

(It might be a stretch, but I partially think that is also the why he completely remembered the entire death sequence, similar to the Traveller who is a descender)

This raises an important question. Why does Dottore, a scientist who has exposed the false sky, willing to emulate the three moon goddesses powers, and corrupted irminsul get away from the Curse of Death scot free, while Mitya has one thought and instantly dies.

At first, I thought that Dottore’s segments protect him from the curse of death, but I eliminated that idea. Dottore is bounded by Irminsul’s lay lines, and had forgotten (probably?) who Wanderer/Scaramouche is until he accessed Irminsul’s data. Therefore, Dottore is not immune to the curse of death, like most other citizens of Teyvat. Even a descender like traveller is not immune either, so why would Dottore be?

Which brings to my next point.

All of Dottore’s experiments are within the bounds of Teyvats rules, stretched to the very limit. Corrupting irminsul is not the biggest concerned of HP because irminsul is isolated in sumeru as a protective measure, so the rest of Tevyat is not affected. In their eyes Sumeru could be destroyed by irminsul as long as Tevyat as a whole stays safe.
the shades are also reluctant to get rid of irminsul because Nahida’s existence was tied to it (until she seperated it to Aeru) and that it’s a treasured artifact by HP. They only granted because Nahida explained clearly that it was corrupted beyond repair and that Nahida was willing to throw “her life achievements” away.
To conclude, the curse of death does not trigger on Dottore because he is still abiding to Tevyats laws even if hes manipulating it. Think of it as granting the user permissions but not hacking to become Admin.

On the other hand, the experiment Mitya and the other researchers are making are visually tied to Tsarista’s weapon from the trailer, due to the dna strand designs. She used the weapon to duel with Ronova to presumably get rid of Ronova for good. This potentially can overthrow HP; basically hacking for admin permissions through a backdoor.

Obviously, this is extremely dangerous for Ronova and she used the curse to delay breakthroughs and completing the weapon. Her curse has a limit to accept increments of knowledge, but not a conclusion. Mitya has established this at the end of the Act. Why that did not trigger the curse of death baffled me until I realize the death curse is only related to the Project specifically.

Part 2 will be relevant to how they would deal with the curse of death by possibly fighting Ronova to keep her distracted while the researchers finish their weapons. It also will explain why Amosday trapped the travellers instead of letting them escape, and why this all connects together with 7.0 (Dark Forest Theory)

stay tuned for more :3

Warning: spoilers for the entire world quest An Ark That Used to Be a Soul follow.

The further we get into the story, the more obvious the importance of the Primordial Humans becomes, to the point where I’m starting to believe that the entire story of Genshin Impact revolves around them.

This is an attempt to gather all the information we have on the subject and identify all the possible Primordial Humans, who all share the same goal: to seize the authority over the entire world.

The story therefore begins with Nibelung, who is the embodiment of the world’s very soul: a being of pure light, where light is also an emanation of hope capable of saving the entire cosmos. On an allegorical level, Nibelung could be the famous Genesis Pearl.

>The Saint had come to Hyperborea in search of that light from the very genesis of the world, a fragment left behind at its inception. It is a light that is undissipated hope itself, a light that holds the potential to illuminate the entire cosmos.
[Notes by a Certain Noble Individual]

It seems that this light also carries with it freedom from any constraint imposed by fate (Heimarmene), which currently afflicts Teyvat under the control of the Heavenly Principles:

>That never-refracted light signified a boundless array of possibilities in its pure whiteness. However, man chose to confine it to a far narrower band of hues in the name of certainty.

Even before Nibelung’s death, there had already been countless attempts to recreate and seize this Genesis Pearl. They all fall under the Primordial Human Project.

Unlike Nibelung’s pure light, the Primordial Human is the result of the fusion between light and darkness.

>By the way... that heretical myth about light and darkness birthing the primordial human... Do you have any idea what it refers to?
[Temple of Space WQ]

So let’s start with the list of candidates.

Phanes

https://preview.redd.it/hbox1tuwerjh1.png?width=768&format=png&auto=webp&s=c16e5d1908b35f290f0ae94e0940266a861bd24c

The heretical myth about light and darkness birthing the primordial human is the following, as told to us by Istoria:

>It tells of the god of light who created a body in its own likeness, only for it to be stolen away by the king of darkness.

If the king of light is Nibelung and the king of darkness is the Heavenly Principles, we can theorize that Nibelung left behind a body in his own image and likeness on Teyvat, together with the moons (we don’t know whether it was “active” or not). The Heavenly Principles took possession of this body, giving rise to the first clash between light and darkness.

After seeing the creation of the Eye of Graeae, the fact that Phanes was born from the hatching of an egg, that they are androgynous in nature, and that they have a crown and wings (coming from the body created in Nibelung’s likeness) doesn’t seem quite so metaphorical anymore.

Let’s also remember that the Belyi Tsar (another Primordial Human) has two forms: a more angelic/draconic one, which is his true essence, and an avatar that takes on a human form. (The Moon Goddesses, created by Nibelung, also have human-shaped avatars.)

This also fits with the theory that the Heavenly Principles were originally an AI, meaning pure consciousness that needed a vessel in order to take on a complete form. And they found that vessel in the body created by Nibelung.

Nibelung

https://preview.redd.it/4nb6sx79frjh1.jpg?width=1210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a02f40af2583c225eaa3514ecba9370beb977040

Here I’d like to open a small parenthesis, because I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

Aksinya explicitly says:

>Ever since his destruction, the place of Primordial Human, or Narayana, has sat vacant.

This sentence seems to imply that Nibelung was a Primordial Human, meaning that he too was born from the union of light and darkness. That seems to clash with what we know about Nibelung, namely that his greatness lies precisely in the fact that he is a being of pure light.

I’ve read that this could be a translation error, and that it should actually be translated as “Primordial Being.”

Regardless, there’s another interesting question to think about: when Nibelung returns to Teyvat and starts the War of Vengeance, he has been completely corrupted by the Abyss.

So was it only later, and deep within the universe, that Nibelung’s uncontaminated light came into conflict with the forces of the Abyss? Is it possible that this clash turned Nibelung into a Primordial Human? Was this new evolution what made him the Second Descender (if he really is the Second Descender)?

Belyi Tsar

https://preview.redd.it/l30n7zlkfrjh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad8d4cd88534929228f7a0dafb9a85fa6884a8a1

Monomakh was Hyperborea’s attempt to recreate Nibelung’s authority and break the chains of fate imposed by the Heavenly Principles.
Since they lacked Nibelung’s primordial light (and didn’t know that he was still alive), they used the remains of the Cryo Sovereign as a vessel, which contained that primordial light in a lesser form.

>The Hyperboreans even attempted to forge his body from the flesh and blood of the Primordial Cryo Dragon, just to give him authority equal to The One.

The experiment got out of control, and the Heavenly Principles destroyed Hyperborea before it could be completed.

Third Descender

https://preview.redd.it/2gior3r0grjh1.jpg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4fb5f6bc4d0c5187ed9f230f07e9fbe485d092d7

This is another interesting parenthesis, because we still know very little about him.

It is nevertheless very likely that he too was a Primordial Human.

We can first infer this from Rene’s notes, who develops his theories about the Primordial Human and the Descenders starting precisely from the legend of Ajax.
There is a reference to the rebirth of a new being after the encounter between light and darkness.

>"Io, Io, Pan! That which lies beneath the great sea!"
The purpose of this line in the ritual scripture is to forsake the self and sink into the abyss, and in the abyss, to welcome rebirth as a holy infant.
The origin of this is a tragedy of unknown provenance that has been passed down by persons unknown to this day. Said play is called "Ajax," or "Aias." He was the second-strongest warrior in his alliance.

>"Lies beneath the great sea" is, itself, an interesting phrase. It comes from ancient Sumeru texts, and should be read as "Narayana," which also means "primordial human."

>This, too, is my goal, for not all that comes from beyond may be as one that “descends”. That title belongs only to wills that can rival an entire world.
That is what I seek, the way to become just such a will, one that can protect the world, sustain the world, destroy the world, and create the world.

Theories have started appearing that the Belyi Tsar himself was the Third Descender, but I find this unlikely, both because the Belyi Tsar was never split into the seven gnoses and survived until the Cataclysm, and because we have clear references that the Belyi Tsar opened the gates to the Shadow Realm (probably Pohjola) together with the Third Descender.

From scattered fragments of Notes by a Certain Noble Individual, we can in fact read:

>When I foolishly opened that passage

>The "passage" stands open at last, though the price paid was heavier than I had ever imagined, and the innocent were ensnared as well

>I shall accept the remains of the innocent.

Most importantly, from the final sentence, which seems to indicate the acceptance of the Cryo Gnosis, we can deduce that the “innocent” was the Third Descender.

This brings to mind the allusion to a twin brother of the Belyi Tsar, who died because of him, as mentioned in Bloodsoaked Ruins.

>A folk tale from the northern lands tells of two brothers: the King of Midsommar Oak, who once brought warmth to the world, and his elder brother, the King of Winter Icelea, who loved him dearly.
But a sudden, tragic quarrel led to the elder accidentally slaying the younger.

[Short note: knowing that the Belyi Tsar was surprisingly born a thousand years after the destruction of Hyperborea, and knowing that he was present when the Third Descender was killed, is it possible that he is actually “The one who came after”?]

Eye of Graeae

https://preview.redd.it/68lmtpnvgrjh1.jpg?width=446&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0921af9979f53dab9c115d455d06eb6fc790069

We now come to Hvergelmir’s attempt to create the Primordial Human in order to make up for Hyperborea’s unfinished experiment in creating the Belyi Tsar.

Here too, there is a clear reference to the encounter between light and darkness, something that has actually been right in front of our eyes all along in the description of the Disenchantment in Deep Shadow Set:

>There was a time when primordial venom and primal light clashed in a corner unseen by the heavens’ gaze.
If a love, a fervor, and an ambition just greater than the world itself were to take shape — they had to be born and kindled in a place unseen by any eye.

Deshret, Remus, Rene

A brief mention is absolutely necessary for these incredible figures, who may have attempted to become Primordial Humans, only to fail.

The Belyi Tsar himself mentions Nabu Malikata and Sybilla respectively as heirs to the missions of Koitar and the Voyager:

>Both the Goddess of Flowers in Sumeru and she who prophesied the rising of the waters in Fontaine sought to build systems that would stand independent of both the Ley Lines and Heimarmene.

Deshret

https://preview.redd.it/ezgqzi08hrjh1.jpg?width=792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=702bc7e1c43e99fbb72aaf4ff660fe84c90a755b

Nabu Malikata offers to help him transcend, in order to challenge the heavens.

>“I will deliver you unto higher knowledge. But as I have warned, you are fated to lose much in this exchange... Nevertheless, hide my lesson in your heart. Remember the punishment that once was inflicted on the fallen envoys of the heaven. Know this: if there is to be hope in this world, it will be found kindling within mortals most ordinary."
Wreathed in darkness, she guided her dearest friend toward the path to understanding all there was to know about the skies and the abyss.
Using her body as a conduit and offering the oasis in trade, she let the dazzling radiance consume her to see his deepest desires be made manifest…
[Secret-Keeper's Magic Bottle]

Just like the Belyi Tsar, Deshret was also offered a Gnosis, which he rejected [Rejecting the gift granted by the divine throne, the red-crowned king sought a new path of his own volition]. And just like the Belyi Tsar, he too dreamed of a paradise:

>An idea that joined the wisdom of thousands, and the great attempt at binding their dreams to power.
What hides here is more than lies, but also the future of humanity, burning like the sparks of hope…
[Wilting Feast]

He then began his search for forbidden knowledge, which would eventually corrupt him along with his land.

The most interesting part is that Deshret, having become a creature of darkness, consciously allowed himself to be devoured by Apep.

>Apep: I swallowed him whole as I agreed and absorbed his elemental power.
[…]
I admit that I fell for his trap. I was like a final fail-safe in his plan.

Just like the Belyi Tsar was born from the union with the light of the Cryo Sovereign, Deshret also merged his darkness with the light of the Dendro Sovereign. Was he hoping to be reborn as a Primordial Human?

Remus

https://preview.redd.it/5k45eikuhrjh1.jpg?width=755&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=779e84718e1e1303e14bc9929f28f2637774be23

He also tried to create his own paradise, combining Primordial Water (the light part) with an immortal stone (the darkness part), creating the Golden Ichor.

>Scylla: You once promised the Usurper of Many Waters that you would use the pure water she granted you to create a world of endless prosperity, one without conflict.

>The arrogant usurper once attempted to mix insoluble Ichor with pure water, to contain wisdom and memories, allowing his subjects and servants to discard their physical bodies, and obtain independent, eternal lives.
But the pain of severing soul and body cannot be endured by any ordinary life, and the usurper's order tore apart and shattered souls...
The Ichor was dyed black by the crying and howling of so many souls, and it lost its harmony and wisdom, leaving only chaos and madness.
[Sublimation of Pure Sacred Dewdrop]

Ironically, the body created by Pavlina containing a part of the Eye of Graeae’s soul is named Ikhor.

Rene

https://preview.redd.it/qeajf506irjh1.jpg?width=360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9dab6e72206bc27917d5af74ebbc03d7c1547b11

Using the research conducted in Sumeru, the remains of Remuria’s civilization, and the legend of Ajax, he carries out his plan of “rebirth” as a holy infant (Primordial Human).

It is likely that he too was trying to become a Primordial Human, with the power to challenge the fate of the world.

He says so himself:

>This, too, is my goal, for not all that comes from beyond may be as one that “descends”. That title belongs only to wills that can rival an entire world.
That is what I seek, the way to become just such a will, one that can protect the world, sustain the world, destroy the world, and create the world

Albedo

https://preview.redd.it/42hw2rwnirjh1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7252ce2511f06df9c8d2d872f70ac3adf380fc1

Albedo is the final result of the Primordial Human Project carried out by Rhinedottir.

Following the recipe for creating a Primordial Human, it is likely that Rhinedottir drew upon both the power of light and the power of darkness to create him.

What Nicole says about Albedo in her Voice-Over is particularly interesting:

>In another converged possibility, Albedo was the "Primordial Human" who traveled through worlds, recording and creating all. However, once that journey reached its end, no one would have been able to guarantee whether he would choose destruction or salvation. Luckily, you're the one who embarked on the journey this time. Hm? How did the alternate Albedo fare? I can no longer observe that possibility. Besides, copying someone else's answer is of little use. This journey is your own.

Traveler

https://preview.redd.it/mk6petuxirjh1.jpg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9557b301aae681f44ee78ab03e9d6773fb7a1a0e

Nicole just said, while talking about Albedo as a "Primordial Human": Luckily, you're the one who embarked on the journey this time.

It seems that we are the "Primordial Human" of this story, destined to find an answer that will either save or destroy the entire world.

Albedo himself also comments on the nature of the Traveler:

>Those born of earth are bound by their imperfections, but those born of chalk are free of impurities. You and I are alike, both composed of a substance that has yet to be fully defined.

The same reference appears when we first talk about the Third Descender with Neuvillette:

>Neuvillette: That means that the Gnoses, which are exceedingly element-compatible and can even enhance elemental abilities, do indeed come from the Third Descender. Hmm, I wonder... Does your body also possess similar properties?
Paimon: ... Uhh, like being able to use elemental powers without a Vision? That does sorta count as special compatibility, right? No, no, let's not think about this stuff right now. It just feels creepy...Comparing Traveler‍ to the dead Third Descender and all…

The figure of the Sibling takes on an interesting new meaning: what if the two of them are actually the two components of the Primordial Human? One part of light (Traveler) and one part of darkness (Sibling), destined to merge and create a single being who will be able to decide the fate of the world.

In the end, this is precisely what makes me believe that, in some way, the Traveler either is or will become a Primordial Human: the story seems to be leading us toward eventually taking on Nibelung’s role and freeing Teyvat from the grip of Heimarmene.

Paimon

https://preview.redd.it/yhbbm20fjrjh1.jpg?width=740&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d3862b43eea229dd384b8eed391dcc2f324708b

Finally, we come to the last figure, who has always fueled some of our wildest theories.

I’m already seeing people suggesting that she could be a vessel created by Celestia to house the consciousness of the Heavenly Principles.

I’d take the theory a little further and imagine that all the Shades were created following the same philosophy as the Primordial Human. It’s strange that the Heavenly Principles simply “split” themselves into four Shades. Since they all share the same aesthetic traits, it is possible that their bodies were artificially created using a single template: the body created in Nibelung’s image and likeness, which was possessed by the Heavenly Principles when their fusion created the first Primordial Human.

Paimon could actually be this body, or a derivative of it, whose authority is inactive, as Ronova says.

It’s worth noting that there is an allusion to this in the latest World Quest:

>Paimon: "Assimilating and being changed into a form of an even higher order..." Eh, are you saying that his body and powers will all go into someone else's body?
Aksinya: That would be right.
Paimon: How is that gonna happen when his body's already gone...?
Traveler: I see now. You're thinking of using Paimon's body.
Paimon: What? No way!!! But... hmm... if it's for Goggles, Paimon supposes she could make a little room for him…
Aksinya: Hahaha! I fear that assimilating him into Paimon's body will only bring about other complications.

But perhaps the most interesting thing of all is that the same symbol on Paimon’s chest also appears on Ikhor’s chest while he is in his “inactive” state:

https://preview.redd.it/azqfnxx9krjh1.jpg?width=256&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6a580c3780e4f0f40205e0c3bb5f23debc6e8a7

Thank you so much for reading this far. The subject is absolutely massive, and I feel like I’ve only covered a fraction of it.
It would be amazing to keep adding information and discussing all of this together in the comments.

The following theory contains spoilers from An Ark That Used To Be A Soul WQ line.

I'll start by saying that this WQ was one of my favorites in Genshin ever. Everything about it was pure cinema.

It was so philosophical and thought provoking, with extremely clever storytelling and writing, and this is exactly why I love Genshin's lore so much.

In the first part, we meet Nastya, who yearns to go "home", and "home" for her is being a part of a tree that is a collective consciousness made by Koshchei, a researcher from Hyperborea/Snezhnaya.

Koshchei is likely inspired from Slavic folklore figure called Koshchei the Deathless, which is said to have achieved immortality by rebirth - and more practically by separating his life force from his physical body to achieve pseudo immortality, a theme echoed throughout the quest.

We see a similar idea with Pavlina and the Snegoviks. Snegoviks are artificial Fae created with incomplete souls, and normally need a human who loves them to share their soul in order to become complete. Pavlina wanted to free them from this dependency, and planned to use the "soul-water" power contained within Ikhor to give complete souls to the existing Snegoviks herself. Another attempt at allowing life to transcend the limits it was created with.

Aksiniya was the Belyi Tsar's adopted daughter, and alongside Koshchei, Pavlina and Alvis, was one of the researchers of the Hvergelmir Institute. They were all pursuing transcendence, but they didn't necessarily agree on what that transcendence should look like.

Koshchei pursued immortality through rebirth and collective consciousness. Pavlina wanted to free the Snegoviks from their dependence on human souls. Alvis had his own ambitions and eventually opposed Aksiniya. Aksiniya's ideal was much more extreme: the Courtyard of Carefree Light, where everyone would be assimilated into a higher existence without change, pain or separation. Individuality would naturally be lost in the process as well.

The difference between their approach/ideal is interesting and is being echoed throughout the quest. It actually reminded me of Rene de Petrichor (who had the collective consciousness approach like Aksiniya - the more extreme view), and the others who were more moderate. 

The quest keeps asking what humanity should actually do with transcendence if it becomes possible, and whether salvation is still salvation when individuality has to disappear for it to work.

Nevertheless it seems that each of their views on this would include the concept of primordial human or the components of it.

Goggles is the Proto-Man, essentially the raw consciousness and soul needed for that project. The Primordial Human is the completed divine state: that consciousness assimilated into a Cosmic Body and combined with Divine Will/Authority.

So the way I understand it, the Proto-Man (Goggles) alone is the soul, missing a body and a will/authority. 

I have to say I didn't understand if that soul is the same one that reincarnates without memories, and if the third descender and the voyager are linked to it somehow. The notes scattered in the palace definitely make me think that they do but I if so, I didn't quite understand, so if anyone did please share your thoughts :) 

---

Anyway it seems that humans have body, soul and will, while gods have body, soul and authority. Descenders are defined by a will capable of rivaling the world.

The Belyi Tsar was himself Hyperborea's earlier attempt at creating a Primordial Human. His body was forged using the flesh and blood of the Cryo Dragon Sovereign, giving him access to its Authority.

But Aksiniya explicitly tells us that the Belyi Tsar was not a Descender, so how does that work?

He had the body and Authority, but his creation was never properly completed. Something may have happened later that allowed him to fulfill the role Hyperborea originally created him for. My guess is that the missing element involved will, specifically a will capable of rivaling the world.

Also, after Nibelung's death, the position of the Primordial Human is said to have remained vacant. The Belyi Tsar later tasked his researchers with finding "the stairway leading to the vacant seat in the court of the stars".

So it sounds like there is in fact a position meant for a being like the Primordial Human, with the entire project ultimately being about creating someone capable of occupying it instead of the HP.

{*Also, it sounds to me like this 'seat' is not actually of the entity that rules the world (HP in that case), but of said entity's 'avatar'}

And I think this could parallel Asmoday and the Abyss Sibling.

The Abyss Sibling came from outside Teyvat, yet they're recorded in Irminsul and aren't considered a Descender. The Belyi Tsar gives us a precedent for a Primordial Human candidate who wasn't initially a Descender either. Maybe whatever process was meant to complete him is similar to what Asmoday wants to do with our sibling.

In that scenario, Asmoday parallels Aksiniya and the Abyss Sibling parallels the Belyi Tsar.

There's also the possibility that Asmoday needs both twins. The Primordial Human myth describes Light and Darkness coexisting within a single body, which fits the twins and where their paths have taken them. Asmoday may eventually intend to merge them into her own Primordial Human.

And then there's the title: An Ark That Used To Be A Soul.

After everything this quest establishes about consciousness, rebirth and assimilation, I think an Ark could be connected to what a Descender actually is.

The literal interpretation would be a collective consciousness, similar to Koshchei and Aksiniya's ideas: one being containing many souls and carrying them through the destruction or rebirth of the world.

But the quest also spends a lot of time showing why that idea is disturbing. Nastya loses her individuality within the collective, while Aksiniya's perfect world eventually removes choice altogether (the part where you see the primordial human and then you see names of users who play the game on the branches - damn that was such a clever and compelling way of conveying this idea).

 Alvis and the other researchers having different ideas about transcendence reinforces the same question: if everyone has to become one, whose idea of paradise actually wins?

So maybe an Ark carries wills rather than literally assimilating souls.

Descenders already have wills capable of rivaling the world. The Traveler has also been described by Melusines as something resembling a monster capable of swallowing the entire world in a single bite.

Maybe "swallowing the world" means being capable of carrying it.

We've seen the Traveler carry other people's wishes, ambitions and hopes, with those collective wills becoming real power at crucial moments. An Ark could work the same way on a much larger scale: one individual retaining their own identity while carrying the wills of countless others.

That could explain why the vacant seat needs a Descender-level being. Whoever occupies it may effectively carry the will of the world and determine its future - whether if it's a bleak Rene/Aksiniya collective consciousness, or something more like a morally and mentally powerful individual that can lead the world and carry the wills of an entire world because the people believe in them.

So Maybe every Descender is ultimately an Ark (Teyvat = Ark in Hebrew) or at least has the capacity to become one - and current Teyvat is Phanes' idea of an ark. But these ideas and approaches of an Ark can be wildly different depending on the Descender.

And maybe that's what Asmoday is trying to create from the Abyss Sibling, or from both twins together: a Primordial Human capable of reaching the vacant seat and shape the world according to her ideal.

When you look past the magic of Genshin Impact and translate the lore into game development and surface level IT knownledge, the biggest mysteries in the game suddenly make perfect sense to me. I hope to share a theory I had for a while and generates some fun discussions.

This "Hard Drive Theory" suggests that Teyvat isn’t a fantasy world at all. It is a live service game running right on your personal PC or console, and the characters are actively trying to keep you from hitting "Uninstall."

Here is how this framework explains the entire game from my opinion, right up to the paradigm-shifting revelations of the Version 7.0 Snezhnaya update.

Teyvat as Local Data

•The Abyss is Just Low Disk Space: The corrupting, chaotic Abyss isn’t an in-game faction. It represents the other games and files on your PC partition. Its expansion into Teyvat is a literal metaphor for low disk space—foreign data encroaching on Genshin’s folder, threatening a system crash.

We Are the Traveler's Immune Memory

•Why can't Irminsul rewrite our memories when characters like Nahida or Wanderer alter the world database? Because the Traveler is us—the real-world human sitting at the desk. The game can rewrite its internal code, but it cannot rewrite the organic brain of the person holding the controller.

Our Sibling is a Deselected NPC

•The moment we chose one twin at the start of the game, the unchosen twin became a local, AI-driven NPC asset to run the "Abyss Prince/Princess" script. Because they are now just local data, they are fully trackable by Irminsul.

The Archons Are System Admins

•The Archons are regional AI server protocols, and their Gnoses are digital admin keys. The tragedies and tests they put their people through aren't cruelty; they are just executing a pre-programmed Story Event to ensure we face enough gameplay challenges to level up.

Paimon is the Failed Tutorial AI/Mascot Patch

•The mystery of Paimon receives a massive structural explanation in the Version 7.0 Snezhnaya update. >!Through Pierro and Renova, we learn she was manufactured by Celestia 500 years ago as an autopilot guide tool.!<

•In our theory, the game originally started development as a single-player, Telltale-style narrative where the Sibling NPC was the scripted main character. When the Sibling AI became self-aware and realized they were in a game, they teamed up with the Khaenri'ah NPCs to delete the world files.

• >!The developers scrambled and deployed Paimon as an emergency Tutorial Mascot !<to calm the AI down and steer the script back on track. When the rogue assets rejected her, the developers scrapped the entire Telltale project, dropped the Heavenly Nails to format the server, and rebuilt the game as an Action-RPG requiring a real human player avatar (the Traveler) to keep the simulation under control.

• Paimon's memory was locked to give you a fresh user experience , while the old Sibling asset slipped into the Abyss partition to continue their war against the developers.

Alice is a Self-Aware Hacker

•Alice knows she is just code. She has hacked the game's firewall to read our PC's outbound data (explaining how she knows about real-world concepts like KFC). She spends her time "God-Moding" the system to create custom fixes and summer island mods to keep us entertained, because she knows if we get bored and hit delete, her entire universe—and her daughter Klee—ceases to exist.

Some counter points and justification

While some lore details might seem to conflict with this framework, I thought of some counters to try to force the theory to work:

1. What about the ancient Dragon War?

• The Skeptic View: History says Teyvat was a real planet ruled by Sovereign Dragons before the Primordial One arrived.

• The Explanation: The Dragon War was the Early Alpha Build. The Sovereigns were the original engine tests and rough concepts. The Primordial One arriving was the Development Directors completely wiping the alpha build to code the current retail game on top of the scrapped assets, leaving behind some old assets, forming the history.

2. Aren't Light and Abyssal energy completely different?

• The Skeptic View: The lore states they are part of the same cosmic spectrum, not different programming languages.

• The Explanation: They are just different data conversion formats. Elemental energy is standard, uncompressed native data. Abyssal energy is heavily encrypted or compressed data (like a .zip file). When they clash, the game engine is just running a data conversion script to unpack the bytes.

3. How do the twins remember traveling through other worlds?

• The Skeptic View: The twins explicitly remember visiting completely different universes before arriving in Teyvat.

• The Explanation: This is a HoYoverse Multiverse Imprint. Because miHoYo reuses core asset libraries and engines across games (like Honkai Impact 3rd and Star Rail), the sibling's NPC code contains residual data strings from those other titles. They aren't remembering past lives; they are carrying leftover code from the developer's broader universe.

4. How can the Loom of Fate create entirely new destinies out of thin air?

• The Skeptic View: A database can only edit text strings; it cannot organically manifest new bloodlines or physical realities.

• The Explanation: Irminsul is actually a Live Developer Console Line built directly into the game. If an advanced asset like the Loom of Fate runs the correct syntax commands, it can execute an in-engine script to instantiate entirely new assets, spawn points, and character files natively into the active server.

5. Why is the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles "dying" and losing her power?

• The Skeptic View: If she is a developer or an omnipotent programmer, she shouldn’t suffer from power decay or system illness.

• The Explanation: The Sustainer isn't a human developer; she is a high-level Game Master (GM) avatar running in Creative Mode. Her fading power is a metaphor for a game engine reaching the end of its lifecycle. The developers are slowly abandoning this engine to focus on newer projects, causing her asset code to experience unpatched bit-rot, memory leaks, and official server power degradation.

6. How do the Ley Lines turn human memories and grief into physical anomalies and ghosts?

• The Skeptic View: A standard software program cannot process human souls or convert abstract emotions into material energy.

• The Explanation: The Ley Lines act as the game’s active RAM and local cache management system. When an NPC dies, the engine compresses their history files into the cache to save hardware performance. When the cache overloads or encounters a memory leak, that compressed data glitches through the world textures, visually manifesting as "ghosts."

The Ultimate Dilemma

If this theory holds true, the final patch of Genshin Impact won't end with a boss fight. It will end with a choice.

To save the characters from being permanently corrupted or overwritten by the data of other games on our drive, we will have to make a choice: keep them trapped as data in an unfree, developer-mandated loop just so we can hang out with them, or save them by permanently deleting our save file and uninstalling the game forever, thus freeing them from the cycle and control.

Personally, I think it would be an agonizing decision to make. I would just sit in the dialog screen forever 🫠.

Just a fun theory and not to be taken seriously. Please add to this theory or counter it, it would be interesting to see. Hope everyone is enjoying 7.0, I love it so far (100% all the regions and completed AQ and world quests).

TL;DR: Teyvat is a live service game running on your device. The Abyss is your hard drive's low disk space (other games encroaching), the Archons are regional AI server admins, and Alice is a self-aware hacker modifying game assets. 500 years ago, the game was a scripted, Telltale-style prototype where the Sibling NPC went rogue and tried to delete the directory; >!the developers deployed Paimon as a cute mascot patch!< to calm the AI, but when that failed, they wiped the server with Heavenly Nails and rebuilt it as an Action-RPG requiring a real human player account (the Traveler). The ultimate endgame choice will force you to either keep the characters trapped in a developer loop or save them by permanently deleting your save file and uninstalling the game.

Ronova dropped the lore that Paimon is a creation of Celestia but without any authority. Minutes later, Pierro affirms what she said, that Paimon is a creation that descended from Celestia but lacked any authority.

Or did she? I've been thinking about what I felt weird about the way Genshin gave that revelation, it's that the middle of a tense cutscene is really the worst point to drop the answer to one of the core lore questions in the entire story, out of nowhere and not even giving us time to react. At the very least, it's not how Genshin usually uses their cutscenes. And more importantly, Ronova's comment wasn't needed at all for the revelation because mere minutes after the cutscene Pierro repeats the revelation with respect to why Paimon fell sick.

There was a reason they specifically made Ronova say it. And I think it might be because Ronova wasn't talking about Paimon at all, but the crown.

>That thing may be a creation of Celestia, but it possesses none of Celestia's power, let alone its authority. Your obsession with it baffles me. It's worthless anyway. I'll reclaim it next time.

https://preview.redd.it/c7q9k5eltjjh1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=158fcaca99cc16ec24531dfd8e0021fab6bb316e

The obvious way to read this quote is to assume that Ronova doesn't see Paimon as a person but a machine and refers to her as "it". And if Paimon, or perhaps P.A.I.M.O.N, is some sort of beep construct beEep, it's not necessarily her being arrogant or anything.

But as she talks about how "that thing" is a creation of Celestia but doesn't have its powers or authority, the camera makes a point to hover on her crown. And yes, there are multiple ways to interpret this, I'm not saying that must mean she's talking about the crown. Still though, it does seem significant to how I felt Ronova dropping the lore here feels awkward.

Furthermore, Ronova shouldn't be perplexed by how Traveler and Pierro try to defend Paimon. She's not some heartless machine who operates on logic alone and doesn't understand the concept of human emotions. She does see humans as insignificant, yes, but she's still very familiar with how humans deal with death, sometimes throwing themselves to protect those they care about. That was pretty much her entire deal with her helping Xbalanque with the Ode of Resurrection. In fact, she saw this happen mere moments ago while posing as Alyosha, when Chugonov hid his realization that "Tonia" was actually dead, even though he knew protecting her could make him the next victim. Ronova isn't someone who doesn't grasp the concept of putting oneself in danger to protect someone else without any logical reward.

But if Ronova doesn't even perceive the presence of Paimon and only sees a crown, her comment makes more sense. It's just literal garbage from Celestia, trying to hold on to it is one thing but why are they this emotionally agitated by her trying to pick it up?

People's perception of Paimon has definitely been something that attracted a lot of scrutiny and speculation thus far. Nobody really questions her nature, people find her curious and some more careful people are suspicious of her intentions and capabilities, but that's about it. It's almost as if people are forbidden to think deeply about what she is. If there really is some sort of memetic shield on Paimon that influences how people perceive her, then it would abide reason to think that even Shades might not be immune to it.

Actually, we recently learned about Project Lunar Veil that affects how others perceive whatever the Veil hides, and one of the main usages of the Lunar Veil is hiding Ungien's Circle and making it look like there's nothing but an empty crater. If Paimon is being protected by a Lunar Veil or similar technology, it could make it possible to make it so that she's specifically hidden from the Shades. Why she would have it, we'll have to wait and see.

While we're at it, if Paimon is being shielded against Shades perceiving her existence, perhaps Asmoday has the same protection and that's why the Shades aren't able to find her.

In the end this is mostly speculation without much concrete backup, but that's mostly the case with x.0 theories. It's a very exciting time with one of the biggest questions in Genshin lore finally being answered.

The conclusion this far that J have come to, is that the Archon War was not just a war for godhood, but who could best serve the curses Heavenly Principles placed upon Teyvat. The archons we're trying to protect humanity in the most blunt way possible, while also having a plan to ursup the heavenly principles eventually they were always working against them. And the answer is simple, truly, in how that works. And two fold.

First, granting visions. Ambition means progress, progress means advancing society and technology. Being a vision wielder is not a gift nor is it being a chosen person meant for ascension. It's a mark, that's why they're gods eyes. Fate is an illusion and a guidstone for the Heavenly Principles to swoop em up before they go too far and break the system he's built.

And SECOND, is how they conducted themselves with their laws. Or as we now know them as, curses. All have used their curses more or less against the heavenly principles in a way that totally abides within reason, which is why the heavens have not awakened yet. As long as everything is happening withjn the parameters of the curse, they are not doing anything wrong. Each and everyone of the archons is just doing what they're told, with their nations doing whatever the want. Whatever intervention exists, except for Fontaine obviously, is to keep things within those parameters. Like think about all the plotlines now like this:

- Venti gave Mondstadt freedom, they chose alcoholism and orgies and a laid back life style and by god do they enjoy it. He ensured they won't be cursed by progressing too far if they're just boozing it up all the time.

- Zhongli gave Liyue contracts, knowing the Adepti would be stern in giving control to the humans as well as ensuring they were never given Adepti technology to go too far in advancing civilization. His contract with the Tsaritsa likely also ensured that once the time comes, he can easily use Adepti technology without Ronova going genocidal on his people.

- Raiden, oh my this one is the real kicker. Gifted with the curse of eternity, she was the one who had to ensure her nation and Teyvat never went too far. Which is ironic, because visions are fueled by ambition and this means they are "gifted" with the curse of going too far for them to stay in Teyvat. Visions are not a divine choice, but a means to pick off anyone who would go too far, and Raiden likely knew this. If humans had no more visions, this means no one would truly know who would be going too far, and this means no one rallying behind someone to advance civilization.

-Nahida meanwhile chose her curse of knowledge, thus knowing the secrets of Teyvat, to let her people do what they must with said knowledge. Never giving them too much, never letting them get too far, but definitely giving them enough to piece things together, and wrestle their fate away from the Heavenly Principles.

- The curse of justice for Fontaine is also obvious, the more life there is the more oceanids are created. The more oceanids, the more the nation floods. The more it floods, the more civilization is hindered in Fontaine, as justice is meted out to the people of Fontaine. And yet this same curse was a judgement for the heavens as well, which means slowly civilization can crawl forward as justice has been served and their fate is free from the heavens, now under the rule of a sovereign.

- The curse of war for Natlan is simple. People keep dying, and keep defending the homeland. They can never truly progress as they are always defending their nation. Mavuika broke the cycle, in the sense that having a human archon meant they will always see a new one ascend, which means they are always progressing towards ascension to the divine, and not progressing to a higher form of civilization. With a war to battle, the focus is always on how to defend against the abyss. With Mavuika being the first archon to exist for so long AND with Natlan experiencing the first life long peace in eons, she used the cursed to break free from the cycle through sheet human determination.

Now that I established the perspective I'm taking all of the events of each storyline under, we can explore the possible final stretch. Basically, the abyss twin found this out. This is why she sided with the abyss. Teyvat cannot functionally progress nor can humanity escape it's prison without the abyss. Teyvat needs it like it also needs Khaenriah, the only nation free from the heavens. To escape the samsara and for a new dawn to happen, she knows damn well what the archons are trying to do, and likely wants to show the Traveler to give him a choice. Does he choose to side with Teyvat free from the HP while risking total annihilation from the abyss, or side with his sister and Khaenriah to bring the abyss into Teyvat to combat it and fuel the nations with a common enemy? That's where I'm thinking it heading. But also, this shows that the archons are actively working towards a solution since the archon war, and as Venti and Zhongli are the eldest, with Raiden close behind, the stuff they've been doing kn the down low ensure the younger ones also know how to move forward.

This involves the "dream" sequences during Act 2. These sequences likely involve visual metaphors based on memories from the ley lines that are being experienced by the Traveler.

I'm currently working this into a larger theory of mine, as it supports a ton of what I've found so far regarding it. You can find the outline for this work in progress theory here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Lore/comments/1utubce/work_in_progress_theoryoutline_the_origins_of/

Keep in mind that this involves extremely esoteric lore, so if you don't understand any of this, that's completely normal, lol. In fact, I would highly recommend reading this comment I made a couple weeks ago, as this post will touch upon things regarding Celestia's points of interest, the surrounding areas, and the structure of Teyvat's microcosm. This will help provide additional context beforehand: https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Lore/comments/1vb7q1n/version_70_everwinter_without_mercy_livestream/p0xhetd/

And now, for the analysis:

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The spiral staircase we are climbing is the "divine staircase/ladder":

The divine spiral staircase

• Spiral Abyss - https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Spiral_Abyss

>Rumor has it that people who've ascended to Celestia have also witnessed the same helix-shaped divine ladder that can be seen within Visions. Venturing out into the universe and down into the abyss are the same in that both are braving the dark unknown.

• Beyond Silver and Fine Gold: The Forgotten Lighthouse - https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/The_Forgotten_Lighthouse

>Nicole: ...And so, when their day of reckoning finally arrived, (‍Traveler‍) and Paimon ascended the seven-tiered steps to find a familiar figure awaiting them.

• Aubade of Morningstar and Moon: Moonlit Offering's Opulent Dream - https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Moonlit_Offering%27s_Opulent_Dream

>Above the night sky, the daughters of dreams and poetry kept vigilant, unceasing watch over the mortal world's every change.
In the deep slumber of the Arianrhod Realm, at the foot of the seventy-tiered staircase, beside the gleaming silver vessels.

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The Black Mist is "Abyssal" energy (more context near the end) that is being pumped upwards through the "divine staircase":

The Black Mist

Athame Artis: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Athame_Artis

>At his invitation, the little witch descended to the deepest level of the castle, where — beyond its fragile boundaries — stretched a sea of pure darkness.
Sustaining this boundary was a massive mechanism that spat out an endless stream of smoke. Countless pipes were continuously drawing thick seawater into its core.

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This "star" is the "lighthouse":

The light at the end of the tunnel...

• Odette is called "Stars' Envoy" in this scene. Angels are frequently referred to as envoys, and recall where I mentioned above that in the Beyond Silver and Fine Gold: The Forgotten Lighthouse quest, we speak to Nicole at the top after ascending the spiral staircase.
• There is also the "lighthouse" in Simulanka, which exists at the "end of the world", and Durin is found behind a waterfall. Before that, we encounter a "fell dragon scale" that can convert anything it touches into "toy blocks".

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This rotating central pillar is the "perpetual motion machine":

Round and round and round it goes...

Athame Artis: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Athame_Artis

>At his invitation, the little witch descended to the deepest level of the castle, where — beyond its fragile boundaries — stretched a sea of pure darkness.
Sustaining this boundary was a massive mechanism that spat out an endless stream of smoke. Countless pipes were continuously drawing thick seawater into its core.
"This is the perpetual motion machine, or you may call it the Holy Grail. By burning the seawater, it generates light and heat."
"Since all tangible things on this planet are merely shadows cast by light, so long as we can create a fire that never goes out..."
"But doing this will only make the planet burn out even faster..." the little witch sighed.
"Once the sea's been drained, this place will be finished. There's nothing 'holy' about this so-called grail..."
"Now I know why the planet's been feeling unwell."

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This is a breach created by the Voyager (as Seutervoinen/The Saint/Anacharsis) during their foray into the "eggshell" of the false sky, in their search for traces of Nibelung:

Voyager did what any sane, morally flexible, body-snatching alien would do... they gathered a party of adventurers, rode a train up the divine staircase, and plowed through the throat of the wormhole in search of their dragon buddy :V

>...The Saint had come to Hyperborea in search of that light from the very genesis of the world, a fragment left behind at its inception. It is a light that is undissipated hope itself, a light that holds the potential to illuminate the entire cosmos. From what I have seen of it projected in that house of ministry, it is also the very same light that brought about my birth...
...He brought down something from the heavens merely to ascertain whether that light was truly extinguished. He then launched that advance which was destined to fail against the "fate" that ruled over the entire world, and was consequently punished...

• This is also foreshadowed in Simulanka, where we ride a train to the "end of the world", and fight Durin behind the waterfall. The same waterfall metaphor is used in The Black Nacre and the All-Devouring Kraken, as "cliffs" are also used as a metaphor for the "eggshell" (e.g. in The Witches' Tea Party teaser): https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/The_Black_Nacre_and_the_All-Devouring_Kraken
• The "Nicole: An Epic Adventure Story" trailer may also be a reference to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8JSKIEGYyo

The above may suggest that Voyager gathered a group of adventurers during their foray, and their party battled Nibelung. According to the Belyi Tsar's note from above - along with the other notes we find from him - the Belyi Tsar was created from a combination of a fragment of Nibelung's soul and the flesh of the Cryo Sovereign. Also, recall the "fell dragon scale" in Simulanka - it has the ability to convert anything it touches into "toy blocks", so it's possible that Voyager also brought back an untainted scale from Nibelung and used it in the creation of the SAMPO, as it essentially functions as a matter-energy converter (Subatomic Assembling Mass-energy Patterning Orb).

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We enter this area after exiting the breach in the side of the staircase. These extremely high, circular cliffs are the mouth of the wormhole (also recall that the Hexenzirkel sometimes meet at "the edges of cliffs"):

The upper mouth of the wormhole, viewed from below

• It is the cyclone that we see Skirk enter and exit in her animated short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxAubNf3EQQ
• It is the cyclone we see whenever we make a wish.

The wormhole

• The only mention of a wormhole in the entire game is this line from Paimon, who associates it with a whirlpool: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/The_Illusion%27s_Finishings

>Paimon: We'll go with you... Wait. Look over there! Is that...
Paimon: A red... whirlpool? Wormhole? What is that?

...which is all the more interesting now that we know she is a creation of Celestia who was summoned by Pierro. Also recall that Paimon was fished up by the traveler after being caught up in a whirlpool: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Soloist%27s_Prologue

>Huh? Me!? Before Paimon ran into you, Paimon never ran into any trouble! At most, when she was super tired, Paimon got caught in some strange whirlpool and sucked out to sea! And even then, you fished Paimon out!

The "lighthouse" and the "rainbow bridge" (wormhole):

The wormhole connects Teyvat to the interior of the \"eggshell\"

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Conclusion

And now, to bring this all together:

During my lore investigations, I have found several things that suggest the possibility that Nibelung never actually "returned" - but was rather captured by Phanes in deep space, imprisoned within their "eggshell" (which we know there is a precedent for, as one of Zibai's deadly selves was imprisoned in the false sky - specifically the Shadowmoon), and used to power a "perpetual motion machine". The idea goes like this:

• Teyvat's system of fate is designed to intentionally create Abyssal energy as a waste byproduct.
  • We learn from Alice that "The essence of the Abyss lies in the hatred carried by all the fates that will not come to pass."
• The ley lines absorb souls when they die, and dumps their "unchosen fates" somewhere deep underground.
  • We learn in 7.0 that ley lines can both guide, but also "devour" souls. Ronova states that if souls linger for too long without entering the ley lines, they become a "bomb". I suspect this may involve the "unchosen fates" of that soul manifesting as Abyssal energy.
• The "perpetual motion machine" pumps these "unchosen fates" upwards through the "divine ladder", and deposits the energy in the bottom of the "eggshell", where it eventually manifests as Abyssal energy. This may be "the Abyss" as a location, such as where we train with Skirk in her story quest.
• This energy is absorbed by Nibelung's scales, which convert the Abyssal energy into light realm energy, which is then further processed into elemental energy by Phanes. This process is what eventually led to his corruption. Recall the "fell dragon scale" in Simulanka mentioned above that converts anything it touches into "toy blocks".
  • We also learn from Athame Artis that this machine is unsustainable, so it's also possible that the energies it produced were sustainable at first, but later began to outpace Nibelung's ability to convert the energy, which led to a runaway effect that may have led to his Abyssal corruption.
• At some point, Voyager decides to search the interior of the "eggshell" for traces of Nibelung. They gather an adventurer party, and create a "train" (which may or may not be a metaphorical train) to ride up the "divine staircase" in order to outpace the energies being pumped through it. Near the top, they break through the wall of the staircase and the throat of the wormhole, and into the eggshell where they eventually find and battle Nibelung. It's possible that the consequences of this battle may have allowed Nibelung to eventually break free in the future, but Nibelung's "return" didn't occur until after Voyager's host died.
  • Also keep in mind that from the perspective of everyone on Teyvat, Nibelung emerging from the interior of the "eggshell" probably would have looked no different from him coming from outside the false sky, as both would involve him rending that part of the shell open. Lacking all of the information may have led to the universal conclusion that he "returned".

This cycle creates an "endless" supply of energy, but as suggested by Athame Artis, it isn't sustainable, and ultimately causes more harm in the long run. This "terrible" process of fate is alluded to in the notes left by the Belyi Tsar:

>...As for the truth about "Heimarmene," I fear that the conclusion I have reached may be far too terrible to put to paper...

Recall that Rene's notes also associate Heimarmene with fate:

>To receive a Vision is to sell oneself to the "fate" of this world — to Heimarmene, and to evermore lose the chance to walk the correct path.

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Other notes:

• The Shadow Realm exists within the "eggshell":

>Eye of Graeae: Correct. We are now inside what is known as the Shadow Realm — the darkest space in the shell, where even the most high is loath to cast its gaze.

• Ungien's circle and the areas above and below bear a striking similarity to these structures:

A \"perpetual motion machine\", a \"false sky\", a \"divine staircase\", and \"Celestia\".

• Teyvat's "eggshell" may lie both "above" and "below" Teyvat's microcosm, meaning that the Abyss and Celestia within the "eggshell" can be accessed by venturing either "upwards" or "downwards". "Ad Astra Abyssosque - to the stars and the Abyss!", as they say. See this image from Nicole: An Epic Adventure Story for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8JSKIEGYyo

Ad Astra Abyssosque!

I created this speculative diagram of Teyvat's microcosm based on this new info. Keep in mind that there is also a dimensional aspect to these layers, so they may cover a larger "area" than what's visually represented here. They are presented as "layers" for the sake of simplicity, as the structure of Teyvat's microcosm is an absolute nightmare to interpret, and me brain hurty after spending several hours making this:

Highly speculative diagram of Teyvat's microcosm

Theory 1 : Paimon’s missing memories may have started long before the Cataclysm

Ok so this has been stuck in my head since the recent Paimon lore and idk if I’m cooking or losing it 😭

The main thing that bothers me is that Paimon’s memory problem seems to go way further back than just the Cataclysm.

Like yeah, if something happened during the Cataclysm and she lost her memories from Khaenri’ah, fair enough.

But why did she already seem to know basically NOTHING about who she was before she even came down from Celestia?

That’s the part that got me thinking.

What if Paimon was already kinda “reset” before she ever reached Khaenri’ah?

We know she has some kind of connection to Celestia, but we still have basically no clue what she actually did there, what her purpose was, or if she used to be way more powerful than she is now.

I’m not gonna say she was definitely one of the Four Shades because that’s a massive reach rn lol.

But I do think it’s possible she used to be some kind of higher Celestian being and something happened that caused her to lose whatever she originally had.

Maybe her power.

Maybe some authority.

Maybe just her memories.

And this is where I start reaching a bit 💀

What if Paimon actually went against Celestia in some way?

Not necessarily some huge dramatic rebellion, but maybe she disagreed with what they were doing, found out something she wasn’t meant to know, or just became a problem for them somehow.

If Celestia didn’t want to straight up kill her, wiping her memories would be a pretty effective way of dealing with her.

Basically:

Paimon knows too much / does something wrong
then
Celestia goes “nah 💀”
then
memory wipe + maybe power removed
then
Khaenri’ah starts messing with technology that can reach the heavens
then
Paimon comes down with basically no clue who she is And Pierro probably wasn’t sitting there like “today I shall summon Paimon specifically” 😭

He might’ve just been trying to reach or pull something from the heavens and Paimon happened to be what came down. That could just be coincidence.

OR, and this is even more questionable, maybe Celestia actually let her come down because they already wanted her gone. Again I got basically no hard proof for that part, that’s just where my brain went.The bit I actually find interesting though is that Paimon doesn’t seem like someone who simply forgot one bad event. It feels more like her whole original identity is missing.

And if she did used to have some power or authority, maybe her memories are tied to it somehow. Like what if remembering who she was isn’t just gonna make her go: “oh wow Paimon remembers Celestia now 😃” What if remembering actually changes her?

Maybe she gets something back, Maybe she realizes why she was sent away,Maybe she remembers something Celestia REALLY doesn’t want getting out.

Obviously the biggest hole in this theory is that we have no actual proof Paimon rebelled against Celestia or disagreed with them at all. That part is pure theory.

But I do think the memory thing itself is sus enough to question, because her missing past seems to start before Khaenri’ah and the Cataclysm.

So instead of only asking:

What made Paimon forget Khaenri’ah?

I feel like the bigger question might be:

**Why did Paimon already have basically no memory of Celestia in the first place?**And if someone did erase those memories on purpose…

what exactly were they trying to make her forget? idk man maybe this came straight out my ass but the more I think about it the more suspicious it gets 😭

Theory 2 : Ronova might know what Paimon originally was

Ok so this kinda connects to my other theory about Paimon maybe having some older Celestian identity that she doesn’t remember anymore.The thing I keep thinking about is Ronova.

Like… Ronova is not some random character. She’s one of the Four Shades, so she’s obviously way higher up in the whole Celestia / Heavenly Principles side of the lore. So if someone like Ronova is specifically interested in Paimon, I feel like that has to mean something.

Because from our point of view, Paimon is basically just this tiny floating girl who has no idea what she was before.

But what if Ronova DOES know? What if she knows exactly what Paimon used to be before all the memory loss? That would make her interest in Paimon way more suspicious. Maybe Ronova just sees Paimon as a Celestian being who belongs back in Celestia.

That’s probably the simplest explanation.

But what if there’s more to it? If Paimon used to have some kind of role, power, or authority before she lost her memories, then maybe Ronova knows about that too. And maybe that’s WHY she cares about getting Paimon back.

Like imagine Paimon remembering her past doesn’t just give her memories back. What if it also brings back something else?

Her power?

Her old role?

Some kind of authority?

Or even just knowledge about Celestia that she was never supposed to remember?

That’s where I start wondering if Ronova’s interest is less:

“Oh, we lost Paimon, let’s bring her home.”

and more:

“We really cannot let Paimon fully remember who she is.”

Now obviously there’s no proof of that rn, I’m just connecting the dots.

But there’s another thing too.

Ronova being one of the Shades doesn’t automatically mean every single thing she does has to be because the Heavenly Principles told her to.

We already know she can make her own choices, so maybe her reason for wanting Paimon is personal.

Maybe she knew Paimon before.

Maybe she knows why Paimon lost her memories.

Maybe she was involved in what happened to her. Or maybe Ronova and Paimon had some kind of connection in Celestia that Paimon just completely forgot.

And tbh that possibility is what interests me the most.

Because if Ronova knows Paimon’s past, then she might be one of the only characters who could actually tell us what Paimon originally was.

I also don’t think Paimon has to secretly be evil or anything for this to work.

Maybe the whole point is the opposite.

Maybe Paimon used to be important to Celestia, something happened, and now Celestia or Ronova doesn’t want her becoming that person again. So maybe Ronova isn’t interested in Paimon because of what Paimon is right now.

Maybe she’s interested in her because of what Paimon could become again. And if my first theory about Paimon’s memories being erased on purpose is even slightly right… then Ronova showing up around her becomes way more interesting.

Basically:

Paimon forgot who she was.

Ronova probably didn’t.

And that difference could end up being VERY important later.

Maybe the real danger isn’t Traveler finding out Paimon’s past.

Maybe it’s Paimon finding out herself.

idk this might be reaching but Ronova knowing Paimon’s original identity would explain a LOT 😭

Last night I had a dream. This dream led me to start theorising where Amoday is/has been

This is my theory:
When Asmoday separated us from our twin. 500 Years before we woke up. Our twin embarked on their journey to defeat Asmoday. Once becoming the Monarch of the Abyss, our twin squared up with Asmoday, since Asmoday was once a Heavenly Principle. Our twin was only able to get Asmoday to submit her Ruling Title and Space Powers to the Abyss. The last ability Asmoday was able to use was the Curse of Immortality on herself. Now Asmoday is an Immortal Adventurer trying to regain everything she lost

OP note: This theory was based on a dream I had. My advice to any reader is: do not give this post much, if any, merit because I have no solid ground to stand on.