[2.7] Time in Teyvat EXPLAINED - A Genshin Impact Theory

I had so much to cover for the 2.7 Perilous Trial Archon Quest that I had to split it into two parts. This part will be on the mechanics and world building elements, while the next part will cover the Yaksha.

**TIMESTAMPS**
0:00 Introduction
1:20 Quest Recap and Context
9:43 The Actual Theory Part

**RELATED VIDEOS**
Celestial Nail

Enkanomiya Timeline Debacle

Teyvat World Structure

**NOTES AND FURTHER READING**

Ether Anchors (HI3)

Perilous Trial Archon Quest

Artifact Lore

Ley Lines

Inazuma

[AnimeGeniuss]

You’ve used Yanfei for visuals so much that during the quest I felt like you were explaining it to me when Yanfei was talking. Like when Yanfei would explain something I would think “thanks Ashikai”

[BohemianRPSDY]

Childe does mention that he has "fought in the fissures that lie between *great tree roots* ..." and that *"Only those that wish for an end will find one"*

[LightxShadowx]

The hex-witchy ladies could also be adding to Teyvat’s stability. Not sure if you read wing lore but the KFC wings is basically Alice telling the story of the PO and the og dragons but in a more “fun kid storybook” way but it ends with "Teyvat's borders have grown fragile these past two years — looks like Mommy's going to have to get busy” specifically calling out the fact that Teyvat not only has some kind of border but that it is slowly eroding away.

[grotimus]

Ashikai, in Ei's quest it was Very thoroughly explained that traveller *wanted* to *find* Ei, but they also wanted to *see her succeed*, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARRIVED AT THE END OF HER BATTLE. (going back would be if not a walked path then merely just as easy)

[alvi]

we did it guys we fixed the timeline. it honestly feels like all the mishaps we had with the chronological order of events now makes sense.

[MuddyAxolotl]

Time when you wait for a new Ashikai video has no meaning

[DiogoPires]

I used to have this theory a really long time ago that if time functioned normally in Teyvat, there wouldn't be a need for archons to control things like the weather. Perhaps if natural phenomena is left without supervision by the Archons, things can get very messy because of the chaotic nature of time.
Another aspect of the theory is that people in Teyvat might not age because of time, because time itself is unimportant in this "sheltered eternity", but rather seem to "age" due to their exposure to raw elements (think about what delusions do), and it's only because most of it is filtered that they "age" at a normal rate, unlike with delusions which might be unfiltered elemental energy and causes accelerated "aging".
Also good to remember that one of the definitions of eternity is a state to whicj time has no application.

[A_Modern_Tragedy]

After watching everything, I was thinking about past domains and I couldn’t help but think of the ever changing domain—The event with Tartaglia, Xinyan, and our Shiktaishou (our little paper buddy). If the time within domains is meaningless, could it be possible that within that domain, it was pulling in memories of monsters directly from the lay lines? In addition, it could also be a chaotic space. Everything within it was random. And it would randomly decided to kick out everyone but Tartaglia and Shiktaishou. Shiktaishou makes sense considering he’s part of that domain. But Tartaglia? Think about it. He’s been to the abyss and may still have some of that energy within him, and so the effects of the domain can’t affect him because it just sees him as lay line energy.

Then what about the parkcore event? It was specifically stated to be a domain many times. And it responded to the adventures and the Traveler’s thoughts and desires for what that place should be. Not to mention how you could set a time for the completion of the domain.

All things to consider, all things to consider.

Edit: Changed lil paper buddy’s name to Shiktaishou (thank you comment)

[reaperofthings]

Hi, I’m watching currently with Enviosity and just wanted to say that you might want to revisit the Enkanomiya Three Realms event again, the Thing Calling Itself Enjou mentions that there are three realms, the Light/Pure Realm, the Abyss/Void and the Human World/Teyvat. Enkanomiya is actually part of the Light Realm, the Three Realms Gateway Offering was an attempt from the Abyss to corrupt the Light Realm and assimilate it into the Abyss. So Teyvat and Enkanomiya aren’t really a part of the Abyss, but they all overlap. The Abyss has its own perception of time, The Pure Realm has its own perception of time and Teyvat has its own perception of time. The Abyss is canonically toxic to the pure realm and it corrupts the Human realm, but the Pure Realm is at the same time the antithesis of the Abyss. The light in Enkanomiya overpowers the taint of the Abyss and forces it out while also weakening the Abyss the light doesn’t touch. However that doesn’t mean you’re wrong necessarily, the Three Realms could very easily be Domains themselves. Perilous Trail shows that Domains intersect all the time but don’t share the same properties, from time and space to composition, and with enough force you can make a portal through to a different domain. Sound familiar? I’d hope it does, because that’s what the Abyss Heralds do to travel between realms. Trying to access pocket dimensions without an active entry point forces you to travel through a chaotic space and hoping to all the gods that you reach the correct realm according to Yae Miko in Ei’s second quest. In short without an Anchor, if you leave the main domain you are sent flying until you eventually land. But with one, you immediately show up without worrying about being stranded in a random dimension by accident. So if each realm is surrounded by a chaotic space, I think that supports your bubble realm theory, and if you can poke holes in the realms to hop between them in a domain and you can do that in Teyvat proper, I think that just about confirms it. Although what we can’t tell is just how many pocket realities deep Teyvat is, but considering it is an alternate timeline to Honkai with many of the same people in different situations and the devs are talking about an entire Honkai universe, it’s safe to say we are at least 2 pocket realities deep.

[Ikcatcher]

This new Archon Quest really gave me a sense of existential dread and terror, imagine being stuck in a completely enclosed space that’s completely seperated from time and space. And said enclosed space just constantly torments you with domains conjured up by your own imaginations

[zafkielvondegurechaff]

If the Teyvat domain is slowly but surely falling apart, could this be the "Borders of the world" that Alice said have become fragile lately?

[Foxfire-chan]

I’m wondering if maybe this area in the chasm could be related to the god of dreams that kept Xiao under his control. Everyone got really and were shown memories of things specific to them and were slowly starting to feel sleepy and. Even Xiao who I don’t think really has to sleep a lot as well as Xiao’s comments about the space trying to devour them whole while also trying to whittle down their resolve being mentioned numerous times by those involved in the quest. Xiao was also originally forced to eat people’s dreams.

[celaninari]

I definitely agree that the pillars are likely part of the structure of Teyvat. I'm still torn between the pillars falling being intentional or accidental. One idea I have right now is that when the catastrophe that killed the moon sisters happened, the wreckage caused some of the structure of Teyvat to fracture and fall, thus the falling nails. Sometimes the nails just caused wide spread destruction (Dragonspine), but I think the nail in the chasm maybe fell so hard it pierced reality, but also plugged it. Like a nail sticking through a tire, but the tire self-seals around the nail. I think that allows the abyss to slip through, causing the creation of the chaotic space. Like... let's say Teyvat is a bubble supported by pillars. In the event, some of the pillar became damaged and fell, one of them piercing another part of the bubble. That bubble kept its structure, but some of the liquid (abyss) got in. At the same time, some of the air in the bubble slipped out, thus creating a bunch of smaller bubbles of air (the chaotic domains).

[gimbo]

this actually makes so much sense. oh my god. for so long, kaeya being khanriahn had confused me, because khaenriah fell, and kaeya is in his twenties but the cataclysm happened 500 years ago so what gives?

for the anchor part, comparing the the tp waypoints and statues reminds me of the little respawn gates inside of domains. super interesting stuff!

[sabre]

you can always have enough time if there is no linear time - the abyss twin, probably
also this would definitely reframe all the times venti or especially the traveler were unconscious/asleep for very long periods of time. It would explain how the traveler could have been asleep for 500 years after getting cubed without ever being noticed or whatever happened when the twins first showed up on Teyvat.

[defiantmars]

I think the function of the Serenitea Pot does further reinforce this theory. If I recall the explanation for furniture creation correctly, we are actually willing the objects into being based on our desires and memories. The sub-space anchors also remind me of this chaotic space. Those anchors say that too many of them throws the adeptal energy into *disarray*, giving Tubby insomnia and causing terrain to displace.

And “disarray” can be synonymous with “chaotic”. I would assume the adeptal energy is helping stabilize the domains of adepti, including our Teapot. The lack of someone to manage the domain like the Adepti themselves or a custodian like Tubby, these domain sub-spaces would either become more chaotic or collapse.
I could totally see Teyvat becoming less stable as the power Phanes used wanes and the amount of information (memories) to manage increases.
I was trying to understand a post by theorist for a completely different fandom which was talking about real world quantum physics and they were talking about false vacuum theory and bubble nucleation… I barely understand it, but those concepts reminded me of the ideas out forth here and in the world structure series.

[CupcakeKitty]

When you said Teyvat may be a domain the upsidedown bubble world suddenly became a plasma lamp in my head.

[Henrink]

Something that I find most curious is how Paimon says that it "feels like traveling through space or time". I wonder, how would she know how that feels?

[mirufiyu]

After watching your theory, it suddenly reminds me of the anime Magi: the labyrinth of magic. In this anime, people also have different culture and countries, theres also domains like in genshin, and if you finish the manga (spoiler alert), the protagonists literally threw off and defy the "heaven", until they break the false world they live in and stop the cycle of life that the "God" made them to be. (I'm not sure if you guys can understand, its really hard to explain, but i'm sure Magi fans will understand) 😅

[nevembra]

During your part at 17:10 and onwards I had a realization that if the sky is fake and everything is connected to a giant ley line tree that just repeats memories then could it be that if time is also meaningless because like a winding clock once it hits the end it has to be rewinded back to the start causing everything to happen again, is that why our abyss twin says "when you've come to the end" because they witnessed it and are trying to get Khaenr'ia back in order to use their ancient technology and science to counter and destroy the clock to stop time from being stuck in a loop? Is that why Venti says that he knows every song past, present and future because he's heard them all and seen the rewinds? Does the Tsaritsa know too and is that why she's getting the gnosis or has that happened before as well? And if everything that we experience rn is a product of ley lines then can we be sure that everyone we meet are actually alive? Is that why Mona can read the future of everyone except the traveller because they aren't part of the ley lines?