Genshin Impact begins when twin travelers arrive in Teyvat during the destruction of Khaenri’ah 500 years ago, only to be separated by the mysterious Sustainer of Heavenly Principles who seals one twin away. The playable Traveler awakens centuries later, rescues their companion Paimon, and embarks on a journey across Teyvat’s seven nations to find their lost sibling. Each nation is ruled by an Archon tied to a different element—from Mondstadt’s freedom-loving Barbatos to Liyue’s contract-bound Rex Lapis—and the Traveler gets entangled in regional conflicts while confronting the Fatui Harbingers who are collecting the Archons’ Gnoses for the Cryo Archon Tsaritsa. The journey reveals that the lost twin leads the Abyss Order in opposition to Celestia and the divine system, refusing to reunite until their mission is complete.