Genshin Impact’s latest story teaser fuels theory on Paimon’s real identity

HoYoverse has once again managed to drop a monumental lore bomb for Genshin Impact on a random Wednesday morning in the form of the latest Teyvat Chapter Interlude Teaser, titled The Gods’ Limits.

In the eight-minute animation, we finally get to meet three of Teyvat’s four Shades in person:

• Ronova, the Ruler of Death
• Istaroth, the Ruler of Time
• Naberius, the Ruler of Life

Naberius’ situation is a little more complicated, as her power has been usurped by Rhinedottir, one of the five Sinners. Though she controls Naberius’ body and abilities, the Shade is able to speak with her, as her consciousness is still intact. Rhinedottir really is all over the place — a Sinner, a member of the Hexenzirkel, and now a Shade.

The trailer confirmed that the fourth Shade is called Asmoday, the Ruler of Space, and that it was Asmoday who confronted the Traveler and their sibling at the start of the game, splitting them from each other. What’s more, Asmoday is now gone and not even her colleagues know where she might be.

The dialog at the Rulers’ meeting is fueling a popular theory about Asmoday and the Traveler’s loyal companion, Paimon — namely that Paimon is, in fact, Asmoday. The three Shades muse whether Asmoday might have “switched sides” and abandoned them.

“It’s unthinkable,” Ronova says. “Unless… she loves her new master more than her own self.”

There have been many instances where Paimon has acted a little suspicious over the years, not to mention her unique appearance and the similarities between her design and that of Asmoday, so the theory that Paimon herself is the Shade has become pretty popular — and the above line is taken as evidence for that.

The second part of the trailer focuses on Pierro, the Director of the Fatui Harbingers, and the upcoming region of Nod-Krai. It reveals that Pierro was a witness to Ronova casting the Curse of Immortality on the surviving Khaenri'ahns. He’s now prepared to pay any price to cast down the gods in accordance with the Cryo Archon’s plans (whose powers the Shades called “paltry” in an off-hand remark).

Pierro appears to be on a visit to Nod-Krai as he does his monologue — and at the end of the trailer, we find out why the Fatui are so active there: Columbina, one of the Harbingers, seems to have vanished in the region and needs to be found. We don’t know if anything happened to her or if she's hiding from her own kind, but the Fatui are out in full force to get her back.

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