Furina

To grasp why Xbalanque holds a unique place among The Seven in Genshin Impact, one must examine his ontological status as the first mortal human ever to ascend to Archonhood. In Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine, the seats of The Seven were occupied by long-lived elemental beings or gods who survived the Archon War. In Natlan, however, the ancient dragon civilization of Xiuhcoatl had suppressed human development until Xbalanque proved that mortal courage and willpower could surpass primordial draconic authority.

When Xbalanque struck down the Pyro Dragon Sovereign Xiuhcoatl inside the Heart of the Sacred Mountain, both warrior and dragon were consumed by the searing crucible of Primal Fire. Emerging alive from those flames, Xbalanque inherited the authority of Pyro while retaining a fundamentally human soul. Rather than hoarding eternity for himself, Xbalanque used Ronova's borrowed authority of Death to design a succession system through the Sacred Flame—ensuring that every subsequent Pyro Archon, culminating in Mavuika, would likewise be a mortal champion chosen by combat and valor.

Thousands of years ago, before the six tribes of Natlan existed in their modern form, humanity lived under the tyrannical shadow of the Pyro Dragon Sovereign Xiuhcoatl, whose mind and body had been ravaged by Abyssal corruption and artificial ocular implants. Recognizing that dragonkind's era had ended, the brilliant dragon renegade Waxaklahun Ubah Kan—the Sage of the Stolen Fire—secretly mentored human champions and identified a fearless, charismatic mortal youth named Xbalanque as humanity's greatest hope.

Together with a band of loyal companions—most notably the half-dragon, half-human outcast Och-Kan, whom Xbalanque treated as a trusted brother—Xbalanque marched into the volcanic stronghold of Tollan. In a cataclysmic duel at the core of the volcano, Xbalanque exploited the flaw inside Xiuhcoatl's corrupted eye, slaying the Sovereign at the cost of his own mortal life before rising anew from the Primal Fire as the First Pyro Archon.

To protect Natlan's damaged Ley Lines from the encroaching Abyss, Xbalanque negotiated directly with Ronova, the Ruler of Death. Borrowing her power to create the Ode of Resurrection and the Wayob network via the Lord of the Night, Xbalanque united the fledgling tribes, established the rules of the Stadium of the Sacred Flame, and—when his natural human lifespan reached its end—voluntarily entombed his spirit within the Sacred Flame to serve as the eternal foundation of Natlan's fire.