Near the Temple of a Thousand Winds, there was a remote village.
Though impoverished, the villagers here lived each day with active optimism.
They did not aspire to great wealth or fame; as long as they didn't starve or freeze, their lives were complete.
Logically, no one would pay attention to such an inconspicuous village.
Yet, a group of bandits was stirring, arriving silently at the village entrance under the cover of night, their weapons gleaming with a chilling light under the moonlight.
However, before the bandits could make their next move, the village dogs began barking in succession, as if warning the villagers of impending danger.
The villagers living at the entrance were the first to notice the anomaly, and lights flickered on in their rooms.
Upon seeing the bandits gathered at the village entrance, the villagers were first stunned, then shouted loudly towards the village: "Bandits! Bandits are here! Everyone, quick, run!"
At these words, lights flickered on in many more homes.
Many villagers didn't even bother to pack their belongings, hastily putting on clothes and fleeing for their lives.
The reason was simple: bandits not only plundered money but also regarded human lives as worthless weeds.
It was common to hear of villages encountering bandits and losing both their property and their lives.
No one wanted to confront these desperadoes head-on, so fleeing was their only option.
No one knew why the bandits were interested in a poor village, but at that moment, no one was considering that question.
More and more villagers learned of the bandits' arrival; they fell into panic and began to flee.
This scene was naturally taken in by the bandits.
Watching the villagers flee, the bandits remained indifferent, showing no intention of pursuing them.
"The night is long, perfect for some fun to pass the time."
"Let the prey run for a bit; I like to see their terrified faces."
The reason the bandits didn't pursue was because they wanted to play a game of cat and mouse.
This village was too remote, impossibly far from Mondstadt.
Therefore, there was no need to worry about the Knights of Favonius sending reinforcements.
In other words, this night was entirely under the bandits' control.
The lives of these villagers were at the mercy of the bandits.
...
"Bandits are here! Let's run!"
"What time is it now? You're still thinking about your belongings? It's good enough if we can save our lives now!"
"Before the bandits enter the village, everyone evacuate quickly! If we don't leave now, we won't be able to!"
Amidst the villagers' discussions, the girl groggily opened her eyes from her sleep.
She sat up from the bed, staring blankly out the window.
It wasn't even dawn yet, so why were everyone out on the streets?
They looked panicked, as if they were fleeing?
Had something happened?
Before the girl could think, her mother pushed open the door and rushed in.
"Rosaria, are you awake?"
"Get up quickly and get dressed, as fast as possible."
"We need to leave the village and escape to the mountain opposite."
At this moment, Rosaria's mother's face was solemn, her voice trembling.
She had no time to explain much to her daughter now, only frantically helping her get dressed.
Young Rosaria didn't know what was happening, but he still obediently cooperated with his mother in dressing.
It was clear that his mother was truly flustered, as he didn't even notice when he put Rosaria's clothes on backward.
Although Rosaria felt a bit uncomfortable from being constricted, he still didn't say a word.
He thought to himself that he shouldn't cause any more trouble for his family at this time.
After all this was done, the two hurried downstairs, where Rosaria's father had been waiting in the hall for a long time.
He was a tall, middle-aged man; due to often doing farm work, the man's palms had calluses of various sizes.
He would silently observe his surroundings, his mouth moving as if wanting to speak but holding back.
The characteristic of such men was their taciturnity; most of the time, they would smoke in silence without a word.
Seeing his wife and daughter come down, Rosaria's father immediately extinguished his cigarette butt and led the two out of the village.
Since there was nothing valuable at home, there was no need to pack luggage.
What they needed to do now was escape into the deep mountains and make plans after the bandits left.
Although the village would be plundered clean, and might even turn into ruins, at least there would be no casualties.
Just as the villagers were comforting themselves in this way, the bandits suddenly appeared from the side, blocking the path into the mountains.
The villagers were greatly alarmed; it turned out the bandits had long seen through their plan and were waiting for them to fall into the trap.
Not only that, but their retreat path behind them was also blocked by the bandits.
Now the villagers were caught between the bandits from front and back, with nowhere to go.
Although the villagers had a numerical advantage, most of them were women and children with little fighting ability.
While there were also many men who came from farm work, they were clearly outmatched in front of the bloodthirsty bandits.
Rosaria's father gripped the iron shovel in his hand, his eyes vigilantly watching the bandits in front of him.
Since there was no way to escape, he had to find a way to protect his wife and daughter.
The man let out a roar and led the other villagers in an assault.
They swung their self-defense weapons, trying to carve a bloody path with their bodies.
However, in front of the bandits, the villagers' so-called desperate struggle was utterly futile.
The self-defense weapon in the man's hand was knocked away, and he himself was knocked to the ground.
Rosaria's mother instinctively called out her husband's name and rushed forward to check his injuries.
Her attention was entirely on his husband, completely unaware that a masked bandit was slowly approaching, gripping an iron shovel.
These bandits were more ruthless than the last; regardless of gender or age, they could strike with deadly force.
Tap, tap, tap...
Little Rosaria ran to the bandit, spreading his arms to block the bandit's path.
He protected his family in this way.
Looking at the vicious bandit in front of him, little Rosaria showed no fear on his face, only tears silently falling.
He was not afraid, but sad.
Everyone had been living carefree lives before, everyone was very happy.
It was the bandits who destroyed everyone's happiness.
How dare they deprive others of their happiness and even enjoy it...
Is there anyone...
Is there anyone who can make these bad guys get the punishment they deserve...
The next second, Rosaria felt an unusually strong gust of wind, making his clothes rustle loudly, as if he would lose his footing if he wasn't careful.
Immediately after, the clouds in the sky flickered with blue light.
Because it was night, the light was particularly striking.
Rosaria instinctively looked up; he saw a giant dragon piercing through the clouds, soaring freely in the sky.
The roars of the dragon broke the peaceful night, instinctively inspiring awe.
At this moment, someone noticed a young man standing on the dragon's head.
The young man's eyes flowed with golden light, like a god looking down from above, his pressure far stronger than the dragon's roar.
He opened his mouth, as if saying something.
Although separated by the sky and the fierce wind, everyone clearly heard the youth's voice.
He was saying: "Heavenly Movement of All Phenomena."
As the words fell, a huge golden meteorite appeared behind the young man, plummeting straight towards the bandits.
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