The knight's warhorse reared and bucked, then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
"What's happening?"
"Old man, what did you mean by 'poison dragon'? Where is it?"
The knights were thrown into confusion. But when they turned back to question the old farmer, they found him already dead—his body turned black, no longer breathing.
Even Rostam, the Deputy Grand Master, was shaken. He muttered, "Poison dragon... poison... it's poisonous. Everyone, stand back! Don't touch the body!"
But it was too late. The knight who had touched the old man had already been infected, the black poison spreading from his hand. Within minutes, he too collapsed, lifeless.
The knights panicked. They had lost a comrade without even seeing their enemy.
Then, from the forest on both sides of the road, voices cried out.
"Run—the poison dragon!"
"Help—send word to Mondstadt—call for reinforcements!"
"Tell the Knights of Favonius!"
"Don't touch the dripping blood—it's poison!"
More shouts came from deep within the woods. Wild beasts roared, and flocks of birds flew over the knights' heads in a frenzy, as if fleeing for their lives.
Before the knights could react, over a hundred villagers burst out of the forest. When they saw the knights, hope lit up their faces, and they ran toward them, crying for help. But seeing the black blood on their bodies—and remembering their comrade's fate—the knights reined back their horses.
Just as they were frozen in shock and confusion, a colossal shadow blotted out half the sky. It loomed above them.
All the knights looked up.
A black dragon.
A black skeletal frame.
Black poison raining down.
The black dragon, after soaring for a time, suddenly dove straight toward the fleeing villagers and the knights.
In that terrifying moment, the knights instinctively spurred their horses, desperately trying to outrun the dragon. Before its horror, even they were reduced to ordinary men fearing death.
But then a voice called out, halting them.
"Knights of Favonius! Rally to me!"
It was Rostam. As the Deputy Grand Master, he reined in his panicked soldiers. Looking at the villagers fleeing toward Mondstadt, and at the black dragon heading in the same direction, Rostam understood.
If the dragon continued unchecked, it would reach Mondstadt within hours and destroy the entire city.
"All knights—protect the people! Protect Mondstadt! Stall the black dragon—do not let it reach the city!"
He knew their small squad could not hope to defeat the dragon. Their only chance was to hold it off until reinforcements arrived—until Arundolyn and the main force, or even Barbatos himself, could come to their aid.
So Rostam did what he could: he organized the knights, ordered them to engage the dragon at range, and sent two riders—one to alert Arundolyn, the other to warn Mondstadt and prepare the citizens for evacuation.
Then, drawing his sword, he charged toward the dragon alone, using himself as bait to lure it away from the city.
Arrows flew up at the dragon, but they were no more than irritants to its immense body. Still, they drew its attention. Rostam had succeeded.
The dragon let out a deafening roar. Its black wings beat, scattering more poison, consuming everything it touched—plants, animals, fleeing villagers—turning all to ruin.
It swooped toward Rostam.
He saw it coming and spurred his horse forward, unleashing elemental attacks at the dragon, taunting it.
"Damn you—don't go toward Mondstadt! Follow me!"
When the dragon turned toward him, Rostam knew his gambit had worked. He was baiting it away from the city, toward Dragonspine.
As he rode for his life, faces flashed through his mind: Arundolyn, his sworn brother. Rosalyne, his beloved. And Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, whom he had never seen but always believed was watching over Mondstadt.
He believed that if he could hold out, help would come. Victory would belong to Mondstadt.
But against the sheer power of that black dragon, Rostam was too weak. Even with his Vision and his mastery of the elements, he could not match its speed or strength. Once the dragon set its sights on him, there was only one outcome.
Death.