Is Ronova Friend or Foe? Version 7.1 Ronova Plot Speculations

Although the entire preview PV seems to be portraying Ronova as a "villain," and we will inevitably have a fierce battle with this Ruler of Death in the new version's story, considering that the production team especially loves to use editing that separates audio and visuals in the PV to maintain suspense and avoid spoilers, there is reason to suspect that Ronova is actually not the real enemy, and in the end, she might even use her own power to help out the protagonist group and Snezhnaya.

The story progression logic that the PV intends to present through deliberately arranged visuals and dialogue—that Ronova uses the power of the Celestial Nail to free herself from restrictions, thus bringing death wantonly and dropping the Celestial Nail upon Snezhnaya, which has rebelled against the Heavenly Principles—might actually be nothing more than a "smoke bomb" used to mislead us. It is possible that Ronova did not arrive at the Celestial Nail before her battle with the Traveler, Dainsleif, Pierro, and others; in fact, it may very well be a scene after the great battle.

A closer look at the visuals makes it easy to see that Ronova, who is injecting some kind of "power" into the Celestial Nail, is not activating the Nail. On the contrary, the Celestial Nail begins to shatter. What Ronova truly intends to do may not be "punishment" but "protection." She is desperately trying to destroy the Nail of Judgment, stopping at nothing to prevent it from falling and destroying the nation on the ground.

Perhaps after experiencing the battle with the Traveler, and witnessing and feeling firsthand the shining will and unyielding resistance of the people of Snezhnaya, this Shadow, the one who executes orders most loyally, has finally made up her mind to defy the will of the high heavens here.

If you observe carefully, you will notice that after Ronova injects some kind of power into the Celestial Nail, the Celestial Nail begins to crack and split, with small fragments constantly falling off. 

This does not look like activating the Celestial Nail; instead, it seems more like Ronova is "defusing a bomb," stopping the Celestial Nail, this super weapon, from functioning.

Just like the remark she made about the "Ruler of Space" Asmoday, who might rebel against the Heavenly Principles, in The Gods' Limits, Ronova has also found something that can make her "love more than herself"—that is, humanity's will and possibilities. She is also clearly aware of what price she will pay for choosing to betray and resist the "Rules"; this will lead her toward her own destruction.

But from those meaningful storyboard shots of Ronova in front of the Celestial Nail, from her melancholy eyes, her gradually scattering feathers, and her hand reaching toward the light of the setting sun, we can also easily feel that Ronova does not regret it. She has already prepared herself to welcome her own "death."

This scene of Ronova reaching out toward the light in front of the cracking Celestial Nail might be her sorrowful final moment...

Nor is it the first time that Ronova has shown herself to be "saying one thing while meaning another." As early as in Natlan, we already learned about how Ronova once defied the will of the Heavenly Principles, assisted the angels in establishing the Night Kingdom, and made a contract with Xbalanque to provide important power, just as the Lord of the Night told us, "This is her love, and also her compensation." And this act of "going beyond the rules" also caused Ronova to receive severe punishment from the Heavenly Principles.

At first, it was actually difficult to understand why Ronova's assistance in repairing Natlan's Ley Lines and providing humanity with power helpful for fighting against the Abyss instead incurred such great displeasure from the Heavenly Principle. Now, with the appearance of the Belyi Tsar's notes, the answer has finally been revealed.

It turns out that Ronova's actions actually indirectly opposed the tyranny that the Heavenly Principle imposed upon the world—a system governing the fates of all living beings and controlling the course of history, the heavy fate system known as the "Divine Plan" (Heimarmene). This was equivalent to helping humanity carve "holes" in it, surpassing the plans already set by Celestia.

In the Heavenly Principle's original plan, the "Night Kingdom," independent of the land's Ley Lines, should not have been established, and the inheritance of the god of the Natlan people would not have continued; the "Sacred Lord" Och-Kan would ultimately hold all authority and continue his rule as the true Pyro Archon; the nation of Pyro, which upholds the ideology of "human supremacy," would completely exterminate the dragon descendants on this land; and the great alliance of Natlan would not have dissolved and returned to a tribal system, but would have continued to this day as a unified polity.

However, the real history was that the red-eyed youth from the Flower-Feather Clan received enlightenment from the Night Kingdom, embarked on the journey of becoming a hero, and finally defeated the Sacred Lord. He then stepped onto the stage of history as the new king of Natlan and the second Pyro Archon. All fates changed drastically because of the changes brought about by Ronova's initial intervention. The heavy web of fate that Celestia had woven for the mortal world unexpectedly showed signs of loosening.

Even the survivors of Hyperborea, the "Golden City" that was destroyed after its failed revolution and struck by the Heavenly Principles, also, unusually, gave the highest praise among the Four Great Rulers to this one who should have been fearsome, in the Hymns of the Far North:

The people fear you, for you see all, hear all, and judge all.

We revere you for your boundless grace and all-embracing nature.

The fate of all living beings rests solely in your hands, and you remain unmoved no matter how fervent the plea.

Yet noble and majestic goddess, we know that gentleness and mercy are your first nature.

—— Prayer Song III: Tuonetar, Mother of the Underworld

Mention of that, although Ronova appeared quite "arrogant and overbearing" in the Version 7.0 story, and gave us a rather terrifying and unforgettable "werewolf in the theater" in the style of a closed-circle mystery, a closer look will reveal that she actually did not kill a single person. Her only "achievement" was putting to rest two wandering souls in the theater who had been lingering for hundreds of years.

The mass death incident in the theater was essentially caused by a flash of inspiration that struck Mitya while he was watching the performance, giving him an idea that could lead to a key technological breakthrough for Snezhnaya. As a result, the "Curse of Death" was automatically triggered, and it swept the fellow audience members and actors present into the event as well. This is the same in nature as the events that repeatedly occurred in the Armory Palace. Once the threat of a technological breakthrough is removed, everyone will be revived, and no one will truly die.

The main thing is that Ronova's move against Paimon touched the Traveler's reverse scale, and on the path of Snezhnaya's resistance against the Heavenly Principles, the Ruler of Death, who plays the role of the "sophon," is also an obstacle that must be overcome. However, Ronova's actually relatively gentle way of handling things, which did not cause an irreversible tragedy, can also be seen as preparation for her subsequent shift in stance and the resolution of hostility between both sides.

Compared with Istaroth, the Ruler of Time, who appears obedient on the surface but is actually deeply scheming, and who developed the intention to rebel against the Heavenly Principle very early on and began to lay out secret plans, and Asmoday, the Ruler of Space, who acts decisively and directly and has openly rebelled, Ronova, as the one among the four shadow sisters who seems the most "foolishly loyal," has long held her own questions and thoughts deep in her heart, and she is about to face the moment to confirm her true feelings.

As the Tsaritsa said in the "Sudden Snow" PV, "Death is not the enemy of love." Although the above is still only a prediction of the story, in fact, the game's text has long contained hints about Ronova's inner thoughts. The Lunar Arcana "XIII: Death" text reads as follows:

「There will come a day, when she too will grow weary,

Of singing with the angels on high.

When she would prefer to embrace,

The rotting bones of the mortal world.」

—— In Teyvat, such a sentiment is not a faithless criticism

Nor is it hunger for earthly desires.

It is merely one from the heavens,

Desiring to witness firsthand,

The creatures of the world,

Their lives,

Their deaths

—— It is simply a comment on this, and nothing more.

If Ronova truly chooses to defy the "Rules," then this story will probably be the moment when she, as the Ruler of Death, makes her exit. But I do not think Ronova will completely die just like that. After all, for her, who has grown tired of the comfort of the heavens and would rather embrace the mortal bones of the human world, for her, who, as a heavenly being, yet wants to witness with her own eyes the living beings on the earth, why could it not be that after doing the last thing as a Shadow, she sheds the old coat of "god" and steps into this mortal world with the new identity of "human"?

Then, let us quietly wait for the upcoming Version 7.1 Archon Quest story! Let us look forward to it together. Remember to keep following our site's merchandise and articles. See you next time!