“ | I would replicate your appearance, study your alchemy, and create miraculous lifeforms to divert your attention. I would wait for the right moment then dispose of you and the Traveler; the sole person to have known your secret. And then... I could finally experience the joy of being brought into the world. | „ |
~ Albedo surmising Subject Two's goal. |
"Subject Two" is a supporting antagonist in the 2020 action role-playing fantasy video game Genshin Impact, appearing as the overarching antagonist of the "Shadows Amidst Snowstorms" limited-time event.
"Subject Two," as he was called by Albedo, was an artificial human created by the Khaenri'ah alchemist Rhinedottir as part of her Primordial Human Project. Deemed a failure by his creator, he was swallowed up by the Shadow Dragon Durin and presumed dead. However, Subject Two survived and, upon learning that his creator had made a second artificial human deemed a success named Albedo, he decided to kill his successor and take his place in society.
Like Albedo, Subject Two is voiced by Mace in Chinese, Khoi Dao in English, and Kenji Nojima in Japanese. Dao has also voiced Geten in My Hero Academia and the Cancer Cell in Cells at Work!.
Appearance[]
Although Subject Two's original physical appearance remains unclear, he eventually used alchemy to make himself nigh-identical to Albedo. As a result, he was a short and slender young man with pale skin and a handsome face. His bright teal eyes had three dots in their irises in a pattern reminiscent of the design of an alchemy table, and his ashy light-blond hair trailed down to his shoulders and was pulled back into a braided half ponytail. Unlike Albedo, Subject Two didn't have a diamond-shaped mark at the center of his neck, as he saw it as an impurity and removed it.
Just like with Albedo's physical appearance, Subject Two also copied his successor's clothing. His outfit, called Newmoon Starlight, was practical for experiments and an example of a uniform worn by Knights of Favonius alchemists. Newmoon Starlight consisted of an indigo dress shirt with black outlining, dark grey stockings, black short shorts, black knee-high boots embellished with silver accents, and long black gloves with gold details and orange undersides. He wore a long, white, sleeveless open coat that was held in place by a black sash and had a black hood, black and gold outlining, and a golden chain fastened to its back.
History[]
Rhinedottir was a genius alchemist from Khaenri'ah, a nation that would eventually be destroyed by the Gods of Celestia for going against the Heavenly Principles. She used an alchemical method called the "Art of Khemia" to create life, examples of which included Rifthounds and the Shadow Dragon Durin. Eventually, she began the Primordial Human Project with the intention of creating human life through alchemy. The boy later referred to as "Subject Two" was the first product of her experiments. Although he perfectly resembled a human being outwardly, the boy was deemed a failure by Rhinedottir and fed to Durin.
After Durin met his demise over the frozen mountain that would later be called "Dragonspine" in the nation of Mondstadt, the boy was resurrected by the Shadow Dragon's residual power and escaped its stomach. Stalking on the mountain for centuries, the boy saw all kinds of people exploring Dragonspine, which gave him a longing to live among regular humans. Eventually he discovered that Rhinedottir had made a second human whom she had deemed a success and named "Albedo." Albedo, who was raised by Rhinedottir like a son and tutored by her, lived happily in the society of Mondstadt.
The boy grew intensely jealous of Albedo and decided to kill him and take his place in society. Before he did so, however, the boy stalked his successor and learned how to perfectly emulate his behaviour so that when the time came for him to take Albedo's place nobody would notice any difference. He also observed the alchemical experiments conducted by Albedo on Dragonspine and stole his notebooks, using them to teach himself advanced alchemy at a startingly quick rate. Using his newfound alchemical gifts, the boy changed his physical appearance to match that of Albedo.
After Albedo and Traveler kill Wallflower. Albedo say he will confront Subject Two himself. 3 days later, Albedo returned and say that Subject Two's plan to replace him has failed, not saying the details on what happened to him.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Longevity: Subject Two, as an artificial human created through the alchemy of the Primordial Human Project, didn't have an aging process like regular humans. As a result, he was unaffected by the flow of time and still maintained the outward appearance of a young man even after living for five centuries.
Abilities[]
- Genius Intellect: Just like his creator and successor, Subject Two had a genius mind capable of processing and reacting to information at incredible speeds. Despite not receiving any kind of formal education, he was able to grasp complicated practices and come up with multifaceted plans that were capable of tricking the likes of Albedo for a time.
- Expert Alchemist: Alchemy was the practice of studying the innate laws of the universe and creating theorems that could be used to manipulate them in various ways. Subject Two became somewhat of an expert in alchemy in an incredibly short time simply by reading Albedo's notes and watching him practice. Using alchemy, he was able to bend the Fellflower to his will and mutate it using the residual power of the Shadow Dragon Durin. Additionally, he could use alchemy to change the physical form of himself and others, as he did when he made himself and the Fellflower resemble Albedo.
Trivia[]
- The final fate of Subject Two was highly debated upon by fans and players of Genshin Impact. As a result, fans has casted theories about it, with among the most popular ones being:
- Albedo killed him, and since it is implied that Subject Two's Vision is fake, the fight is in Albedo flavor.
- Albedo implants Josef's memory and appearance into him so he can act as Joel's father.
- Albedo and Subject 2 agree to share identiy.
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Houkai Anti-Entropy Schicksal World Serpent Sky People Quantum Shadows Imaginary Creatures Others Primordial One Seven Sovereigns Mondstadt Inazuma Sumeru Fontaine Natlan Snezhnaya Khaenri'ah The Abyss Light Realm Others
Aeons Antimatter Legion Denizens of Abundance Disciples of Sanctus Medicus Interastral Peace Corporation Ten Stonehearts The Swarm The Family Stellaron Hunters Annihilation Gangs Genius Society Fragmentum Monsters Other Characters Vision Corporation Red Fang Gang Ethereals Mountain Lion Gang Vanquishers |