Won't say "Rerir redeemed himself", but it was nice seeing him accept his actions, and.... can't help but feel sad for their current situation
Commentaires
allmistake22026-01-16 17:12
Yeah. Rerir was a fantastic tragic villain. And his story gave me a new appreciation for how terrifying the abyss is. Before I thought it was more like a force of nature, but it displayed a degree of intelligence and forward planning with how it manipulated him that was genuinely horrifying.
Cognitive_Miser-1432026-01-16 17:19
we genuinely don't know much about the abyss compared to how other secrets are being revealed,
maybe, dottore will return with abyss now, and lore dump...
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:41
My headcanon from someone else that suggested this.
Dottore is dead now. Where do dead people go? Inside the leyline. What the leylines if not the root of Irminsul? Dottore can now burn Irminsul from the inside out.
And with Irminsul being the data hub of everything in Teyvat, it's possible that Dottore has already started tampering with it, as we can see the glicthed out end card of the latest AQ.
Physical-Command21302026-01-16 17:39
abyss is quite sentient energy, we can see it in natlan's AQ
allmistake22026-01-16 17:53
But even in Natlan it never felt quite as tactical. It just attacked wherever it senses the highest concentration of people. And with the Gosoythoth fight, it felt like it was just mimicking Xiocotl and the other Pyro archons. It clearly had a will for destruction, but it didn't seem as cunning, or perhaps as subtle as it did with Rerir. Not saying it was objectively portrayed this way. This was just the vibe I'd gotten from it.
TetraNeuron2026-01-16 18:05
You know, I still dont think Rerir's story is over
There's some glaring open plot threads like:
* Why does Rerir have Tholindis' memories? In Luna IV we see her complete soul intact further into the past than Rerir
* Tholindis hasn't even exited the Moon's Reflection prison yet, but people report seeing a woman in the earliest Wild Hunts. That means in the future Tholindis will escape the Prison
* Why was there Abyss already present when Rerir entered the prison ? Who was causing the voices in his head? It's unlikely to be Nibelung as there is no Abyss near the Moon Sisters, where it should be greatest if it was him.
* Why does Columbina have Tholindis' eyes? Despite being moon themed, neither Canon/Sonnet/Aria have eyes nearly as similar as Columbina & Tholindis' eyes
* Why was Columbina born 500 years ago? Columbina merely dispersed her body /Kuuvahki over Nod-Krai, but we don't know why it suddenly congealed into her reborn body 500 years ago
 
IMO in future patches we're going to see more Rerir plot, such as how they will finally break free from the Moon's Reflection
allmistake22026-01-16 18:08
Fair points. I'd be done for that. We do know that more Nod Kria in store since we haven't maxed the statues yet.
alvenestthol2026-01-16 20:40
>Why does Columbina have Tholindis' eyes
My insane theory is that Columbina is Tholindis, which is based on *absolutely nothing* except for the unreasonable parallels between Nod Krai's cast and the cast of [Hugtto Precure](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/HUGtto!_Pretty_Cure) of all things
The [robot girl](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Ruru_Amour) and her [child friend](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Aisaki_Emiru). The 2 adult women with the [bobhead ](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Gelos)and the [longer hair](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Papple). Nod Krai and Criasu corp. The villain doing all this because their wife died. Columbina has bangs, so she's the main character in the present, and the alleged wife in the other time.
And then the Doctor showed up. There is a [Doctor](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Doctor_Traum). They start *time-travelling. In reverse.*
guylovesleep2026-01-16 22:15
I can see why you think it is insane
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:33
It actually makes a lot of sense to have Tholindis somehow becoming Bina or caused Bina to be born. Because right now, Bina's birth is literally a floating paradox with no clear beginning. She born of Kuuvahki, but Kuuvahki did not exist without Bina. So who gave rise to Bina that gave rise to the first Kuuvahki?
Cool-Feedback92992026-01-17 00:52
Would be hella funny bcs it would mean traveler stole Reris girl
banjo2E2026-01-17 01:01
we also need a source for the lullaby, since currently it seems that bina learned it from an imprint of herself singing it to all of nodkrai when sending the kuuvahki there
Izanagi322026-01-17 07:24
Didn’t Bina give birth to herself originally in a way? when she sent her body back in time she also made herself at that moment.
allmistake22026-01-17 07:41
It's unclear she was birthed by her own kuuvaki, or by the primordial sea. (The latter is potentially implied by her character storiea.) The fact that she had a inherent connection to the frost moon makes me think that her birth was a natural occurrence. That is to say, it is normal for a new moongoddess to be born if the moon remains intact while it's goddess perished. Unlike with Cyrene, they never explicitly stated Columbina created herself. She's just the reason Nod Krai has Kuuvaki, which is something it has had since way before Bina's birth 500 years ago.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-17 08:00
>That is to say, it is normal for a new moongoddess to be born if the moon remains intact while it's goddess perished.
However, reviving after dying is not normal. The Moon Goddesses even asked, what do you mean by reviving after death. So apparently, once dead, the Moon won't reincarnate another Goddess. Columbina's birth is a weird time loop, but I'm convinced that there has to be an external factor to the one that started this originally.
An example of what I mean is The Sacred Sakura Tree in Inazuma. It was never there in the first place. Makoto made a deal with Istaroth to bring Ei back in time 500 years to plant the seed for the Tree.
There has to be someone that triggered the birth of the first Columbina in the timeline, before it becomes a time loop. Like how a closed racetrack *has* to have an entryway for a car to actually enter first.
KendiArtista12026-01-16 22:12
I really hope these get answered, at least the first 3. What really nagged at me throughout the AQ is how similar Tholindis's design is to the three moon sisters (the headpiece, the back clasps, the dress/robe like straps) and idk if theres supposed to be a connection there.
In addition, Vedrfolnir's prophecy for him (the one he told him while he was imprisoned) still has yet to be seen if it will hold up, and Surtalogi has stated that Ved's prophecies are never wrong, hence why he picked up Skirk in the first place. We'll see if Rerir ends up following that prophecy and challenging fate properly.
MrsMel_of_Vina2026-01-16 22:49
I mean Tholindis is part of the crimson moon clan, so that is a connection that we know about?
KendiArtista12026-01-17 20:00
While she is a distant related member, it doesn't explain why her eyes are so unique. The only other Crimson Moon people we see in Khaenri'ah besides her are Orlog and Frithr - Orlog has the same eyes as Arlecchino, but Frithr has normal looking eyes (same as a majority of NPCs that aren't Khaenri'ahn). Tholindis is the only one that has crescent moons in her eyes along with two different shades (purple and yellow).
Ze_AwEsOmE_Hobo2026-01-16 22:26
>Why was Columbina born 500 years ago?
My understanding was that Columbina's body and her Kuuvahki were separate and just existed at the same time due to the paradox, similar to Luonnotar and her full soul existing at the same time.
The Frost Moon wasn't destroyed, just hidden behind the false sky, so it's possible that a Frost Moon Goddess was just reborn to be an avatar/vessel for that Moon. The Kuuvahki from her post-Rerir body was just seen as a resonant force across Nod Krai, it didn't seem to create Columbina. I'd imagine the reason she had vague memories from the Kuuvahki was because of her connection to it; it's her body and power after all.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:35
But it feels like a stretch to just have a dead moon reincarnating a new avatar using Kuuvahki, from a power it never had before.
EstimateDizzy68592026-01-17 06:40
* Why was there Abyss already present when Rerir entered the prison ? Who was causing the voices in his head? It's unlikely to be Nibelung as there is no Abyss near the Moon Sisters, where it should be greatest if it was him.
> The voices in his head was the Abyss before he jumped into the portal after Tholindis back in Khaenri'ah. When Rerir entered the space first, it was untainted. In his rage and desperation to get out of there, he released Abyssal energy. That's why when he enters the prison the second time after Nod-Krai squad yeets him into it, the Abyss is already there back from the first time.
> It is the Abyss (in possibly Vedrfolnir's and/or Crimson Moon descendants' voice) in his head always. Rerir was always blinded by rage and the idea of revenge to reject the Abyss' power. After he entered the prison the second time, and saw his long-lost friend Dain (who possibly knows his backstory the best) be instrumental to this, Rerir had a moment of reflection for his actions. The Abyss tried to approach him again, and this time, he rejected it sternly, which is why the voices in his head stopped.
* Why does Rerir have Tholindis' memories? In Luna IV we see her complete soul intact further into the past than Rerir
> Speculation (might have loopholes): When Tholindis jumped into the Moon Gate, she was torn to shreds. It's possible that while the majority of her soul is intact and preserved, some tiny portions did chip away; this might be why Tholindis is not present as a complete unharmed soul entity but has fractured patterns close to her edges, notably her head.
> Rerir jumped in after her, and he was torn to shreds too, but the Abyss did its best to keep him together and preserve his will and consciousness, in turn absorbing some of these stray fragments from Tholindis, which got embedded in Rerir.
* Tholindis hasn't even exited the Moon's Reflection prison yet, but people report seeing a woman in the earliest Wild Hunts. That means in the future Tholindis will escape the Prison
> Going off above speculation, since Wild Hunt is a part of Rerir, it is possible that the fragments of Tholindis he absorbed manifested in places, which were seen by people as the shadow of a woman being present. Since it is in the earliest Wild Hunts, it indicates that Tholindis' presence was stronger then compared to now, since she is mortal and hence, her soul might not have that much power for sustenance for a long time.
> Another possible theory is that the shadows might have been fragments of Columbina herself; kuuvahki energy possibly trying to repel the Wild Hunt's Abyssal energy and protect Nod Krai to the best of its abilities, which is what Bina aimed to do until she reunited back with her body.
The other two questions I am unsure about. I finished the AQ yesterday and these were the ideas I could make... Maybe there is still content to be explored or Genshin will cover those two questions in the further patches.
Zesty_Crouton2026-01-17 09:34
I actually have a theory about that last one.
Columbina being reborn 500 years ago seems a bit odd at first as there doesn't appear to be any catalyst for it, but if you think about the events that took place in Nod Krai during that time, I think you can come up with an explanation.
Obviously, the Cataclysm was going down around that time - but more importantly, as we learn at the end of the AQ, the Heavenly Principles apparently took the Traveler's space ship and yeeted it up to the moon.
We know this had to have happened during or very shortly after the Cataclysm, as the Abyss Sibling came and woke the Traveler up there, and together they flew up into the sky to try to escape only to be stopped by Asmoday, which would have been right around when Columbina was reborn. It's easy to assume, then, that the HP had to open up a window through the false sky to put the ship on the moon, which would have then allowed the Frostmoon to be visible in Nod Krai for the first time since the War of Funerary Flame.
My theory is that that was the key that allowed Columbina to be born - direct light from the Frostmoon shining down on Nod Krai again. Columbina's Khuvakhi reacted with the light of the moon where her Trilunar Authority was waiting for her and was born.
EstimateDizzy68592026-01-17 11:30
Oh, that's an interesting theory!! Also, since her "soul" was not present in the equation, it would also explain her "memory loss": she was born incomplete. That would also explain her detachedness with the world then, and how she longed to go back to the moon.
Also, thinking about it, it is a very lucky coincidence that the spaceship crashed in NodKrai... Following which, Phanes possibly just hurled it up from that position to the moon. Had it crashed in some other nation, the FrostMoon's temporary moonlight might not have reached Nod Krai, and Columbina might not have been born at all.
Physical-Command21302026-01-16 18:09
no like Abyss targeted night kingdom and specially the reviving flame, abyss knows how to attack country or teyvat.
ngkrinkels2026-01-16 19:52
Yeah, I also specifically remember in Varesa's quest that the Abyss attacked the Collective of Plenty because it **knows** they're the strongest and blocked them being reinforcements, preventing them to save the other tribes.
allmistake22026-01-16 20:32
I guess I just wasn't as perceptive about it then. Rerir's story just felt different. More personal and manipulative.
XaeiIsareth2026-01-16 21:00
It didn’t just attack based on maximum casualty though.
During the invasion arc, it did the exact opposite and attacked locations all over the outskirts of Natlan to spread out Natlan’s forces and isolate them, and then targeted Scions of the Canopy to break the line of communications and intel.
After taking down isolated squads of Natlan’s forces, it then attacked to funnel what’s left of it to the centre where it launched that huge wave of meteors and monsters to finish them off.
Mavuika’s forces got absolutely outplayed and would have lost if she didnt essentially luck out and manage to awaken all 6 heroes at the last moment and win with the power of Ronova.
Hidingo_Kojimba2026-01-16 22:53
In the case of Rerir, the Abyss seemed to be borrowing the intellect and voice of Vedrfolnir in order to carry out its goals. Which is odd since Vedrfolnir hadn't become a sinner at that point, but I suppose if the Abyss transcends time it can use sinner-Vedrfolnir in the future to plot against pre-sinner Vedrfolnir in the past.
allmistake22026-01-16 22:58
The thing that freaked me out is that the abyss was prepping rerir to be a sinner long before the night of the betrayal. It was constantly trying to drill the idea into his head that he was too weak. If only he had more power, only to present him with a way once Tholindis left. Tholindis also hints that she may have been influenced by the abyss to leap into the moongate too. It just feels like the whole event was orchestrated by the abyss itself. Infact Irmin blinding Ved might have been at it's prompting, since that's what kicked it all off.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:39
>Infact Irmin blinding Ved might have been at it's prompting, since that's what kicked it all off.
Could very well be this. The Abyss twin isn't as good as us at absorbing The Abyss. So there might be leftover influences of The Abyss after every experimentation. And unlike the Crimson Moon Dynasty, there's was not middleman(middlemoon) filter of the Crimson Moon shielding them from direct contact with The Abyss. Like Arle said, The Abyss would start to influence her thoughts if the black parts reached her head. But as we see with Rerir, being in the general vicinity of pure abyssal energy really just allows The Abyss to get inside your head.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:30
Probably Genshin's Abyss is similar to Hollow Knight's Void. It's a pool of darkness with many many consciousness with the same objectives but cannot be united. Unless there's one singular will that has enough power to rule over the Void, like in the case of >!Lord of Shades!<
Cloudbyte_Pony2026-01-17 05:33
The Abyss is *evolving*.
One of the latent subplots of the game is "the power of evolution" which belonged to the Dragons first, but by notes we know Khaenr'ia scientist and the Narzisenkrew Ordo were looking for. There are DNA motifs everywhere too.
First it was the Avatar of Marana, a force of nature with some malignance.
Then it was Gosoytoth, which behaves way more sentient/intelligent.
The Abyss is adapting. I expect the next Abyssal "god" we fight to be fully sentient, intelligent and cunning
Darkanglesmyname2026-01-16 20:34
We also see it in the bunker world quest in nod krai
Physical-Command21302026-01-16 20:38
I mean the comment said about Renrir and I tried to say abyss is showed terrifying before nod-krai.
Express-Bag-39352026-01-17 03:59
Yeah, the abyss is shown to be cleverly deceptive, not only mimicking elemental powers, body parts, and actual people, but also straight up mimicking voices.
The abyss really do be skinwalkers that also copy the voice of whoever they are imitating as. Like Rerir and his power with the abyss allowed him to cosplay as the abyss sibling, even down to the voice, or make some abyss clone of the abyss sibling.
How it even manipulated Vedrolnir is also scary. He can see the future, but can't see himself being twisted by thr abyss in such future.
Probably a mirror version of Satan.
DaSpood2026-01-16 17:17
I'm very happy their story got closure, it was done well imo, and I hope Hoyo won't ruin that by bringing them back out of the blue. It would be such a waste.
VPR2472026-01-16 17:22
Man what about those who wanted Rerir as a playable character!
Aggravating-Yak21652026-01-16 17:29
sucks for them ig
SecurityOdd48612026-01-16 17:43
What about those who wanted Signora as a playable character
VPR2472026-01-16 18:14
She deserves to stay dead for sucker punching Venti...but Rerir....was....fucking awesome!
SecurityOdd48612026-01-16 18:16
Ah yeah, give her the death penalty for beating a trash talking bard, but the guy who killed thousands? Bring him back, he feels bad about his actions now!
VPR2472026-01-16 18:17
sigh....aite, fair point....
Cognitive_Miser-1432026-01-16 18:58
moreover, her past story wasn't given much light, otherwise, her kick makes sense... for a certain extent
Ze_AwEsOmE_Hobo2026-01-16 22:38
Her Fatui Harbinger Stomach Kick^TM was a lot more justified than Capitano's; that's for sure. But it looks like you can only get away with punting other Harbingers and not Archons since Arlecchino is the only one who's playable after doing a FHSK^TM /s
TrashySheep2026-01-16 17:23
Actually, New Khaenria'ah could potentially bring them back, but they would be different versions of them.
The Loom of Fate copied memories from Dains and Dains certainly know about them.
Cognitive_Miser-1432026-01-16 17:36
It's a potential scenario, but the drip marketing was abyssal Rerir, so ... maybe?
TailorUnlikely99802026-01-16 17:49
RerirMains are placing all their hopes in the Abyss Order rn.
TrashySheep2026-01-16 17:53
I don't believe he will be playable, but as we get more and more characters that can use Abyssal powers, it could serve as a cushion for whenever (if) they actually introduce abyssal reaction. Instead of Light-aligned reaction, we would get Dark-aligned reaction.
Now, that's real copium, but they've already teased post-Teyvat content and we know that outside of Teyvat, the Abyss is very present. We also know that the MC is compatible with the Abyss, to a great extend. It's not unthinkable that we'll have MC able to wield both alignments.
Izanagi322026-01-17 07:33
Their story ending here is too abrupt honestly, like are they really gonna treat all the sinners this way? he was only a villain for 2 patches
Katicflis12026-01-16 17:22
I mean its a LONG aq and its been threeish days without any weekend time.
But it was a poignant scene for sure.
(Prayage for rerir release HE GOT A DAMN DRIP MARKET)
Cognitive_Miser-1432026-01-16 17:27
yeah, makes sense, most of my game friends haven't completed the quest themselves, guess I am the only unemployed one
and, about the Rerir release,
yeah, i too have a hunch he'll return somehow, he's one of the better written characters, and the drip marketing....
but i hope not, otherwise, his story closure won't make much sense, at least, with her lover's soul stuck there
Ze_AwEsOmE_Hobo2026-01-16 22:31
Between the random ass Drip Marketing and his "I'm sowwy, but not really 👉👈🥺" scene, I think there's a fair chance that he gets out again and is actually chill this time.
Agile-Egg-56812026-01-17 02:03
Moon goddess: I destroy my body and stop living to be reborn.
Rerir: oh shit a secret exit hatch
Gentlemanor2026-01-17 23:58
Considering that the place they are trapped in was created by Nibelung, maybe Dainsleif's ring of Nibelung might be a key to open that space
iguanacatgirl2026-01-16 23:02
> HE GOT A DAMN DRIP MARKET
I have a theory, that the reason Rerir got drip marketed so early is because he's a sinner. So he + Dain(yes I know he isn't a sinner, he was still there with all the others when khaenriah fell, so I think he qualifies as related to them) + whatever other sinners will show up in the near future get drip marketed when they show up, then become playable in the khaenriah/Celestia arc or sth.
Katicflis12026-01-16 23:20
Ooo love it
dadofwar932026-01-17 05:00
Yeah. They can easily give him any of the 7 elements like Skirk and call it the abyssal version of the element.
EstimateDizzy68592026-01-17 06:23
Thinking about it, Rerir would prolly have the Abyssal Pyro element
dadofwar932026-01-17 06:28
What about Dain? Electro maybe?
EstimateDizzy68592026-01-17 11:23
I envision him kinda as Hydro... Might be bcuz of the colorscheme lol
Izanagi322026-01-17 07:20
I wonder if this is gonna be the end for him, personally I feel like he should come back
Aggravating-Yak21652026-01-16 17:31
I'm glad that Rerir didn't have a fullblow redemption arc in the way people were wishing him to become (being a playable character) I think they both pay for what they've done and yeah, I liked. There is really nothing to talk about tbh, just a little bit here and there
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:42
Same. He's just a villain that realised the error of his ways. It doesn't redeem him, but does make us less hate him(as a good villain should imo).
Visual_Ice95052026-01-16 17:55
Hoyo i beg you.. Rerir playable please.. Take my whole bank account...
kokko6932026-01-16 18:02
I can't believe that what helped him get back to his sense is seeing Dain
Bro loved his friend
Substantial_Gold_2702026-01-16 18:06
I think Rerir has weak moral sense and tends to rely on others to navigate, and as he saw Dain something started to make sense for him.
kokko6932026-01-16 18:13
Yeah just like he stopped assassinating lunar descendants when he learned Tholindis was one of them
NarutoRoll2026-01-16 22:19
This train of thought is honestly too real. Just look at real history and current politics
Burntoastedbutter2026-01-17 00:03
Yeah I always said how his situation went down was quite on the realistic side. It was slow and gradual. He felt stuck. Imo even if he decided to stop, would one think the king would really just let him live a normal life? He'd probably order him to be sentenced to death or life in prison because he knows too much haha.
Anyway, unfortunately some of those people irl will only double down and go "my person is different than the rest"
NarutoRoll2026-01-17 00:21
That last sentence is the problem with reality. The doubling down instead of using your brain is ruining the world at record pace.
Burntoastedbutter2026-01-17 00:50
Yeah I don't want this to get too political, but for example, the amount of people against abortions but allowing abortions for themselves or people they know is DISGUSTING.
"My circumstances are DiFfEReNt" sort of bullshit.
I really hate these type of people.
NarutoRoll2026-01-17 01:04
You can sum it up two ways:
They think they are superior or "one of the good ones"
Or, it's not a problem until it happens to me.
This has been bait for centuries. It's sad that people have not gotten smarter.
Burntoastedbutter2026-01-17 05:45
It's ironic. Thought the point of learning history was to not repeat it, haha..
NarutoRoll2026-01-17 05:50
Apparently, most people don't understand that part. They must think it's like math and they need to get the same answer.
Express-Bag-39352026-01-17 03:54
Rerir's situation literally felt like that phrase,
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." And rerir did live long enough for thay, in fact, way too long cuz he is immortal. So Rerir could have died a hero as maybe a martyr standing grounds against King Irmin's elimination of the crimson moon bloodline, but because he wants to save his skin, he ended up going deeper into the dark side.
NarutoRoll2026-01-17 04:58
Except, he was never a hero. He thought he was doing good by being on the king's side but it was a parallel to Hitler eliminating the Jews. He only stopped when he realized he was dating a Jewish girl.
BrokenAstraea2026-01-18 10:03
Who didn't have a Jewish nose, so he couldn't tell
bob_is_best2026-01-17 04:18
Conservatives seeing their daughter needs an abortion or their kids turns out gay be like:
Tbf not all of them change their views tho, so good on rerir
Express-Bag-39352026-01-17 03:51
Basically, Rerir is the type that gets pushed around and ordered around easily. He has to be anchored to someone to know what to do. He gets pushed around by King Irmin, and is pretty easily influenced by others, whether it is Tholindis, Dain, or especially Vedrfolnir.
Drakengard2026-01-17 00:55
Also, Dottore probably didn't do him any favors. Being brought by piece by piece by that psychopath means there was probably more mental games going on than just his own troubles.
Technical-Log96612026-01-16 18:17
Not just that, once he entered the space the voices in his head were gone which helped him calm down and think of all the things he has done up to this point. The icing in the cake was him seeing Tholindis or feeling her nearby but out of reach. He was never a villain with a grand motive but he still has done terrible things which he knew he was doing. I think the ending for them fits, together in the same plane but out of reach of eachother because of the lies and deceit their relationship was made up of for eternity.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:28
The wack thing about the Reflection is that Rerir and Tholindis are in the same place, just in different sections of time. Tholindis was literally 500 years apart in time compared to Tholindis. And both of them were at the same location as the Moon Goddesses.
Superbgamer52252026-01-17 05:42
Tholindis can speak to Rerir because she is in the past, but Rerir cannot speak to Tholindis because he's in the future. It's quite sad...
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-17 05:55
Neither can speak to each other. It's just Tholindis talking to herself, assuming that Rerir can hear her.
They're at the same location, just ages apart.
Healthy_Call_30732026-01-16 18:46
I think it's more so the fact that going into the space helped him calm down, and seeing someone familiar helped him at that moment
survivorr123_2026-01-16 21:22
i am pretty sure he got "purified" from abyssal corruption after entering this space, he mentioned it
lolfisautrus2026-01-16 23:07
He is still made of abyssal energy, but now there are no voices to torment him anymore. Its more like skirk just using the abyss as a source of power
Eldervine2026-01-17 13:55
Yep and Columbina later said something along the lines of "there's a mortal in here who's entire soul survived while the filth infecting his body faded away"
Because that space traps souls but dissolves physical bodies that aren't infused with divinity
hikarinaraba2026-01-17 00:34
Bro saw Dain and realizing that hunting for the moon is *moondain*
Martian_on_the_Moon2026-01-17 01:37
Makes you wonder how this would go if Dain appeared sooner.
Gregamonster2026-01-17 07:44
It wouldn't have helped. Rerir was high on Abyss and not doing a whole lot of thinking at the time.
He needed to lose the bulk of his abyssal power in order to process Dain's appearance clearly.
paradox_valestein2026-01-17 08:15
I think once he entered that prison space, the abyss within him get wxpelled, so he regained his sanity. He said it himself, the voices arw gone, so he is chill now.
TakeyoThissssssssss2026-01-16 18:42
Of all the Sinner, Rerir ending up like this make a lot of sense. He the least ambitious, no grand plan or desire, he just want his fiancee back.
Gentlemanor2026-01-18 00:07
And let's not forget that he was pulled into becoming a Sinner last minute. If Tholindis didn't jump into the Moon Gate or Rerir didn't listen to the voice talking in his head, we would only have 4 Sinners instead of 5. All the other ones were planning that ritual of Abyssal Ascension for a while, Rerir was just living his terrible life and joined them as an extra person not knowing what's happening exactly
Tschmelz2026-01-16 18:49
It was a pretty good scene. He isn’t redeemed or anything, just…calmed down and able to think. It’s a start for him, maybe we’ll get more for them in the future.
Gentlemanor2026-01-18 00:13
Him showing his calm, more reasonable side felt like the right thing for him. He knows it's pointless to keep doing things like he did until now and showed us that at the end of the day, he really is a human with human desires, which is in this case, Tholindis. He never wanted to be a world conquerer, a ruler or a warrior. He just wanted to get Tholindis back. Sure, he used terrible ways to do it, but his goal is the simplest yet most impossible one
When columbina said she was gonna bring herself out of the prison all I could think of was what about rerir and tholindis? They're just stuck there forever unable to reunite....
shingster082026-01-16 20:34
Im Just glad that the devs managed to conclude their story nicely.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-17 00:00
Imo, not done yet
chuuey2026-01-17 04:26
> conclude
Yea, sure. Nothing now stops columbina from returning there again and make something. And I rember that hoyo already kinda hinted that he's gonna be playable...
RabitztheWhite2026-01-16 20:35
I don’t understand all the negativity regarding his “redemption arc.” There really wasn’t one, in the end he still didn’t win anything and ended up in an eternity where he perpetually will sense his beloved while betting so close yet so far away. There’s no good ending for him nor Tholindis.
I do like that it ended with him ultimately suffering the consequences of his choices, and in his “afterlife” he realized the errors of his ways. So much so that he even changes his stance at the end by helping us regardless of whether we helped him or not.
Part of me deep down wants to see him show up again down the line as a purified character getting a proper redemption after spending an undetermined amount of time in the mirror of time.
KazakiriKaoru2026-01-16 23:58
This.
He wasn't redeemed at all. Redeeming would mean doing something to absolve them of their sins. Rerir merely realised his wrongdoings and became tired of it all.
Him not being able to meet Tholindis despite being in the same place as her is his punishment.
I love it. He's a villain, despite one from circumstances. But, he's a villain that's realised the error of his way.
thunder714x2026-01-16 20:59
"why's no one talking about them?" Meanwhile this is the 4th time that I saw the post about them already
HiroshiTakeshi2026-01-17 07:58
That's really the Tumblr kid equivalent of "Why don't pictures like this ever trend :(((" Facebook engagement farm bot post.
Count_de_Mits2026-01-16 21:01
I was a bit let down by the conclusion (?) of Tholindis's arc, I mean, yeah, its a tragedy and all but... damn I had hoped she'd manage to achieve something more instead of immediately getting torn to shreds. I know it makes no sense lorewise but still.
All in all quite tragic but I cant help but hope we will somehow revisit them
ttott1002026-01-17 01:46
She was never meant to achieve more than dying by entering that space - the abyss used her and convinced her that she could do something by doing so but really it just needed her to go inside the portal in order to give Rerir enough incentive to become a sinner himself.
She was mislead and used and ultimately her and Rerir's lack of trust and communication led to both their downfalls in the end. That's the tragedy of it.
The-Seraphim-of-Hell2026-01-16 21:28
Because I have yet to emotionally recover. I was gagged at this scene. My heart was not ok
Hunter_Crona2026-01-16 21:43
I really liked this scene. I like that it isn't some full redemption shit, he's just finally able to have the clarity of what he's done and feels awful about it. Which makes me sad cause if bro somehow manages to leave, he's going to go back to being crazy most likely.
Blackmore5432026-01-16 21:47
It's because they're straight.
chi_pa_pa2026-01-16 21:53
Plenty people talking about Nicole/Varka.
Key-Poem97342026-01-16 21:57
Honestly? They deserve what they got, though it is quite sad
Praxics2026-01-16 22:18
Sorry didn't pay attention much, I'm barely conscious atr this point... they have been babbeling for 5 hours at this point... how can they be going for 5 hours? And no end in sight. I did the laundry, cooked and did the dishes and they still yapping about none stop. Story pacing, gameplay? Where is it? Apparently GI don't need those things.
Anyway... something something alone but this time no rage but reflecting because dat pussy in mirror or something, boring, whatever, don't care. I hope this is the last we see of it.
Chemical-airport-uwu2026-01-16 22:33
Why couldn't they at least be by each other's sides if they were going to be stuck in an empty prison with either an abyssal body or no body at all for the rest of time? Yeah Rerir fucked up but couldn't he at least be with his love in exile after spending centuries looking for her?😭
Icee3032026-01-16 22:36
"Cuz we all suck, but love can make us suck less"
This scene made me horribly sad. There's no denying he deserved punishment, but that was truly tragic for both of them.
KageYume2026-01-17 10:35
I think Rerir deserved his punishment but what did Tholindis ever do to deserve this?
She did lie about herself to live with Rerir and ignore the Crimson Moon people’s pleading but I think she had the right to do both in her situation (and what could she even have done anyway? Kill Reri?)
Kind_Worldliness_4152026-01-16 22:51
Just like his motives for becoming evil were like Anakin’s, his “redemption” was like Vader’s. It didn’t undo the years of terrible things, but he did one last good action as Rerir, and not the Racher of Solnari
GGG1002026-01-16 23:10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8dKVbP1Nzo
Played in my head when I saw this scene.
mephivision2026-01-16 23:17
I had actual tears streaming down my face, alright.
ao_zame2026-01-16 23:31
I'm just too sad because what happened to Sandrone
Main_Delivery43832026-01-16 23:42
This proves canon romances in hoyo is doomed romance , rosalynn as well
gnusica2026-01-16 23:51
Pretty sure we'll get playable Rerir at some point (but maybe I'm coping, idk, I just think he's the upside down silhouette from the new characters). I hope they find some way to bring Tholindis' soul back but he did say she's dead so idk if that's happening.
dranke19172026-01-17 00:21
I don't get the hate on Twitter against Tholindis, maybe I'm just illiterate and don't remember the story but I don't recall her doing anything crazy. Saw a post calling her Mrs. Hitler and cursing her bloodline which is pretty funny.
Cognitive_Miser-1432026-01-17 01:28
cursing her bloodline? by giving fragment of the crimson moon?
considering how only they were being slaughtered, it was their last chance of survival I'd day
Twitter really hates anything
Quiet_Race2026-01-17 04:59
Genshintwt can’t handle anything that isn’t black and white, and some of them can't just separate reality from fiction hence the comparisons to real people.
From what I’ve seen lurking there:
1.They hate her because she didn't leave Rerir after finding out was killing her own clan because she didn't want to lose him. And that she didn't do enough to save the kids that came to her aid.
2.Because >!she wanted to kill the Traveler’s sibling since she blames him/her for the kings madness that's forcing Rerir to kill kids.!<
3. Part of it is ship wars because she’s Rerir’s gf and his main motivation, and there are no playable characters in a relationship, so shippers hate her like how Orihime/Sakura gets hated.
Tholindis' (and Rerir's) writing is great bc of how realistic it is. It's just weird that they act like she's evil incarnate and is hated more than Rerir, who gets excused for his actions because he's hot and ppl want him to be playable.
San-Kyu2026-01-17 00:33
It's a fitting karmic ending.
Both kept key details from each other in the vain intent of protecting their relationship - so in the end they get to be with one other, but with a caveat that makes the reunion functionally meaningless.
They got exactly what they wanted.
goodmqn_222026-01-17 00:55
he was a reasonable person. it's a shame Dottore broke someone's relationship ☹️💔
Ghurty12026-01-17 00:56
rerirs story is completely believable. Happened countless times in human history im sure.
kolleden2026-01-17 01:22
Im so sad Rerir and Tholindis are gonna be the only 2 individuals in the entirety of teyvat stuck inside moon hell death prison, alone for the rest of time, whilst being like 100 feet far apart never being able to see each other again.
Also did Vedrfolnir just fucking lie than?
pika_master_jose2026-01-17 06:06
Elaborate on the lying part
nntnot2026-01-17 08:51
Iirc, ved told rerir that if he joined them he would one day be able to reunite with tholindis, I guess technically they're "reunited" because they're in the same place but that is such a stretch
Zaazuka2026-01-17 10:23
IIRC Ved never told Rerir he would actually get to reunite with her, just that as long as he lived the possibility remained
CantaloupeParking2392026-01-17 02:04
These two are the only reason I cried while doing Nod Krai AQ 😭
Chance-Range28552026-01-17 04:53
He needs to stay in his little corner and think about his actions
Commentaires
maybe, dottore will return with abyss now, and lore dump...
Dottore is dead now. Where do dead people go? Inside the leyline. What the leylines if not the root of Irminsul? Dottore can now burn Irminsul from the inside out.
And with Irminsul being the data hub of everything in Teyvat, it's possible that Dottore has already started tampering with it, as we can see the glicthed out end card of the latest AQ.
There's some glaring open plot threads like:
* Why does Rerir have Tholindis' memories? In Luna IV we see her complete soul intact further into the past than Rerir
* Tholindis hasn't even exited the Moon's Reflection prison yet, but people report seeing a woman in the earliest Wild Hunts. That means in the future Tholindis will escape the Prison
* Why was there Abyss already present when Rerir entered the prison ? Who was causing the voices in his head? It's unlikely to be Nibelung as there is no Abyss near the Moon Sisters, where it should be greatest if it was him.
* Why does Columbina have Tholindis' eyes? Despite being moon themed, neither Canon/Sonnet/Aria have eyes nearly as similar as Columbina & Tholindis' eyes
* Why was Columbina born 500 years ago? Columbina merely dispersed her body /Kuuvahki over Nod-Krai, but we don't know why it suddenly congealed into her reborn body 500 years ago
&nbsp;
IMO in future patches we're going to see more Rerir plot, such as how they will finally break free from the Moon's Reflection
My insane theory is that Columbina is Tholindis, which is based on *absolutely nothing* except for the unreasonable parallels between Nod Krai's cast and the cast of [Hugtto Precure](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/HUGtto!_Pretty_Cure) of all things
The [robot girl](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Ruru_Amour) and her [child friend](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Aisaki_Emiru). The 2 adult women with the [bobhead ](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Gelos)and the [longer hair](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Papple). Nod Krai and Criasu corp. The villain doing all this because their wife died. Columbina has bangs, so she's the main character in the present, and the alleged wife in the other time.
And then the Doctor showed up. There is a [Doctor](https://prettycure.fandom.com/wiki/Doctor_Traum). They start *time-travelling. In reverse.*
However, reviving after dying is not normal. The Moon Goddesses even asked, what do you mean by reviving after death. So apparently, once dead, the Moon won't reincarnate another Goddess. Columbina's birth is a weird time loop, but I'm convinced that there has to be an external factor to the one that started this originally.
An example of what I mean is The Sacred Sakura Tree in Inazuma. It was never there in the first place. Makoto made a deal with Istaroth to bring Ei back in time 500 years to plant the seed for the Tree.
There has to be someone that triggered the birth of the first Columbina in the timeline, before it becomes a time loop. Like how a closed racetrack *has* to have an entryway for a car to actually enter first.
In addition, Vedrfolnir's prophecy for him (the one he told him while he was imprisoned) still has yet to be seen if it will hold up, and Surtalogi has stated that Ved's prophecies are never wrong, hence why he picked up Skirk in the first place. We'll see if Rerir ends up following that prophecy and challenging fate properly.
My understanding was that Columbina's body and her Kuuvahki were separate and just existed at the same time due to the paradox, similar to Luonnotar and her full soul existing at the same time.
The Frost Moon wasn't destroyed, just hidden behind the false sky, so it's possible that a Frost Moon Goddess was just reborn to be an avatar/vessel for that Moon. The Kuuvahki from her post-Rerir body was just seen as a resonant force across Nod Krai, it didn't seem to create Columbina. I'd imagine the reason she had vague memories from the Kuuvahki was because of her connection to it; it's her body and power after all.
> The voices in his head was the Abyss before he jumped into the portal after Tholindis back in Khaenri'ah. When Rerir entered the space first, it was untainted. In his rage and desperation to get out of there, he released Abyssal energy. That's why when he enters the prison the second time after Nod-Krai squad yeets him into it, the Abyss is already there back from the first time.
> It is the Abyss (in possibly Vedrfolnir's and/or Crimson Moon descendants' voice) in his head always. Rerir was always blinded by rage and the idea of revenge to reject the Abyss' power. After he entered the prison the second time, and saw his long-lost friend Dain (who possibly knows his backstory the best) be instrumental to this, Rerir had a moment of reflection for his actions. The Abyss tried to approach him again, and this time, he rejected it sternly, which is why the voices in his head stopped.
* Why does Rerir have Tholindis' memories? In Luna IV we see her complete soul intact further into the past than Rerir
> Speculation (might have loopholes): When Tholindis jumped into the Moon Gate, she was torn to shreds. It's possible that while the majority of her soul is intact and preserved, some tiny portions did chip away; this might be why Tholindis is not present as a complete unharmed soul entity but has fractured patterns close to her edges, notably her head.
> Rerir jumped in after her, and he was torn to shreds too, but the Abyss did its best to keep him together and preserve his will and consciousness, in turn absorbing some of these stray fragments from Tholindis, which got embedded in Rerir.
* Tholindis hasn't even exited the Moon's Reflection prison yet, but people report seeing a woman in the earliest Wild Hunts. That means in the future Tholindis will escape the Prison
> Going off above speculation, since Wild Hunt is a part of Rerir, it is possible that the fragments of Tholindis he absorbed manifested in places, which were seen by people as the shadow of a woman being present. Since it is in the earliest Wild Hunts, it indicates that Tholindis' presence was stronger then compared to now, since she is mortal and hence, her soul might not have that much power for sustenance for a long time.
> Another possible theory is that the shadows might have been fragments of Columbina herself; kuuvahki energy possibly trying to repel the Wild Hunt's Abyssal energy and protect Nod Krai to the best of its abilities, which is what Bina aimed to do until she reunited back with her body.
The other two questions I am unsure about. I finished the AQ yesterday and these were the ideas I could make... Maybe there is still content to be explored or Genshin will cover those two questions in the further patches.
Columbina being reborn 500 years ago seems a bit odd at first as there doesn't appear to be any catalyst for it, but if you think about the events that took place in Nod Krai during that time, I think you can come up with an explanation.
Obviously, the Cataclysm was going down around that time - but more importantly, as we learn at the end of the AQ, the Heavenly Principles apparently took the Traveler's space ship and yeeted it up to the moon.
We know this had to have happened during or very shortly after the Cataclysm, as the Abyss Sibling came and woke the Traveler up there, and together they flew up into the sky to try to escape only to be stopped by Asmoday, which would have been right around when Columbina was reborn. It's easy to assume, then, that the HP had to open up a window through the false sky to put the ship on the moon, which would have then allowed the Frostmoon to be visible in Nod Krai for the first time since the War of Funerary Flame.
My theory is that that was the key that allowed Columbina to be born - direct light from the Frostmoon shining down on Nod Krai again. Columbina's Khuvakhi reacted with the light of the moon where her Trilunar Authority was waiting for her and was born.
Also, thinking about it, it is a very lucky coincidence that the spaceship crashed in NodKrai... Following which, Phanes possibly just hurled it up from that position to the moon. Had it crashed in some other nation, the FrostMoon's temporary moonlight might not have reached Nod Krai, and Columbina might not have been born at all.
During the invasion arc, it did the exact opposite and attacked locations all over the outskirts of Natlan to spread out Natlan’s forces and isolate them, and then targeted Scions of the Canopy to break the line of communications and intel.
After taking down isolated squads of Natlan’s forces, it then attacked to funnel what’s left of it to the centre where it launched that huge wave of meteors and monsters to finish them off.
Mavuika’s forces got absolutely outplayed and would have lost if she didnt essentially luck out and manage to awaken all 6 heroes at the last moment and win with the power of Ronova.
Could very well be this. The Abyss twin isn't as good as us at absorbing The Abyss. So there might be leftover influences of The Abyss after every experimentation. And unlike the Crimson Moon Dynasty, there's was not middleman(middlemoon) filter of the Crimson Moon shielding them from direct contact with The Abyss. Like Arle said, The Abyss would start to influence her thoughts if the black parts reached her head. But as we see with Rerir, being in the general vicinity of pure abyssal energy really just allows The Abyss to get inside your head.
One of the latent subplots of the game is "the power of evolution" which belonged to the Dragons first, but by notes we know Khaenr'ia scientist and the Narzisenkrew Ordo were looking for. There are DNA motifs everywhere too.
First it was the Avatar of Marana, a force of nature with some malignance.
Then it was Gosoytoth, which behaves way more sentient/intelligent.
The Abyss is adapting. I expect the next Abyssal "god" we fight to be fully sentient, intelligent and cunning
The abyss really do be skinwalkers that also copy the voice of whoever they are imitating as. Like Rerir and his power with the abyss allowed him to cosplay as the abyss sibling, even down to the voice, or make some abyss clone of the abyss sibling.
How it even manipulated Vedrolnir is also scary. He can see the future, but can't see himself being twisted by thr abyss in such future.
Probably a mirror version of Satan.
The Loom of Fate copied memories from Dains and Dains certainly know about them.
Now, that's real copium, but they've already teased post-Teyvat content and we know that outside of Teyvat, the Abyss is very present. We also know that the MC is compatible with the Abyss, to a great extend. It's not unthinkable that we'll have MC able to wield both alignments.
But it was a poignant scene for sure.
(Prayage for rerir release HE GOT A DAMN DRIP MARKET)
and, about the Rerir release,
yeah, i too have a hunch he'll return somehow, he's one of the better written characters, and the drip marketing....
but i hope not, otherwise, his story closure won't make much sense, at least, with her lover's soul stuck there
Rerir: oh shit a secret exit hatch
I have a theory, that the reason Rerir got drip marketed so early is because he's a sinner. So he + Dain(yes I know he isn't a sinner, he was still there with all the others when khaenriah fell, so I think he qualifies as related to them) + whatever other sinners will show up in the near future get drip marketed when they show up, then become playable in the khaenriah/Celestia arc or sth.
Bro loved his friend
Anyway, unfortunately some of those people irl will only double down and go "my person is different than the rest"
"My circumstances are DiFfEReNt" sort of bullshit.
I really hate these type of people.
They think they are superior or "one of the good ones"
Or, it's not a problem until it happens to me.
This has been bait for centuries. It's sad that people have not gotten smarter.
"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain." And rerir did live long enough for thay, in fact, way too long cuz he is immortal. So Rerir could have died a hero as maybe a martyr standing grounds against King Irmin's elimination of the crimson moon bloodline, but because he wants to save his skin, he ended up going deeper into the dark side.
Tbf not all of them change their views tho, so good on rerir
They're at the same location, just ages apart.
Because that space traps souls but dissolves physical bodies that aren't infused with divinity
He needed to lose the bulk of his abyssal power in order to process Dain's appearance clearly.
funny, but just a coincidence
Before finding OP post lol...
Yea, sure. Nothing now stops columbina from returning there again and make something. And I rember that hoyo already kinda hinted that he's gonna be playable...
I do like that it ended with him ultimately suffering the consequences of his choices, and in his “afterlife” he realized the errors of his ways. So much so that he even changes his stance at the end by helping us regardless of whether we helped him or not.
Part of me deep down wants to see him show up again down the line as a purified character getting a proper redemption after spending an undetermined amount of time in the mirror of time.
He wasn't redeemed at all. Redeeming would mean doing something to absolve them of their sins. Rerir merely realised his wrongdoings and became tired of it all.
Him not being able to meet Tholindis despite being in the same place as her is his punishment.
I love it. He's a villain, despite one from circumstances. But, he's a villain that's realised the error of his way.
All in all quite tragic but I cant help but hope we will somehow revisit them
She was mislead and used and ultimately her and Rerir's lack of trust and communication led to both their downfalls in the end. That's the tragedy of it.
Anyway... something something alone but this time no rage but reflecting because dat pussy in mirror or something, boring, whatever, don't care. I hope this is the last we see of it.
This scene made me horribly sad. There's no denying he deserved punishment, but that was truly tragic for both of them.
She did lie about herself to live with Rerir and ignore the Crimson Moon people’s pleading but I think she had the right to do both in her situation (and what could she even have done anyway? Kill Reri?)
Played in my head when I saw this scene.
considering how only they were being slaughtered, it was their last chance of survival I'd day
Twitter really hates anything
From what I’ve seen lurking there:
1.They hate her because she didn't leave Rerir after finding out was killing her own clan because she didn't want to lose him. And that she didn't do enough to save the kids that came to her aid.
2.Because >!she wanted to kill the Traveler’s sibling since she blames him/her for the kings madness that's forcing Rerir to kill kids.!<
3. Part of it is ship wars because she’s Rerir’s gf and his main motivation, and there are no playable characters in a relationship, so shippers hate her like how Orihime/Sakura gets hated.
Tholindis' (and Rerir's) writing is great bc of how realistic it is. It's just weird that they act like she's evil incarnate and is hated more than Rerir, who gets excused for his actions because he's hot and ppl want him to be playable.
Both kept key details from each other in the vain intent of protecting their relationship - so in the end they get to be with one other, but with a caveat that makes the reunion functionally meaningless.
They got exactly what they wanted.
Also did Vedrfolnir just fucking lie than?