I am Ella

A magnificent and incredible white palace, with soaring walls and towers that reached the cavern's ceiling, presented itself in front of the pair of dumbfounded dragons.

'Where the hell did this palace come from?' Both of their minds yelled at the same time.

Strangely, Old Dragon could catch the scent of the baby dragon emanating from its interior, as if the Dragonson Clan's little girl had grown tired of being in the forest and decided to live in a palace.

'Living in a palace is more fitting for someone in her position, but that is not the point. How did she even get here in the first place?' The Old Dragon could not make sense of it, no matter how hard he tried.

For a brief moment, the Old Dragon's train of thoughts came to a halt, as he had made a decision about his next course of action. "Little One, your sister's scent is coming from the palace. Please, leave my hand and come with me."

Had it been a different situation, the Old Dragon would have made the little white dragon stay behind, but there was no safe area in the Abyss. Little One would be safe as long as he stayed close to him.

Jacob preferred to remain in his hand. At the very least, he was less likely to be attacked by the unexpected enemy which the System had warned him about. Nonetheless, he still did as he was told and left the safety of the enormous silver hand.

As they approached the palace, they came across a long row of stairs made of gleaming white marble. The material reflected the light emitted by the large crystals suspended from the cavern's walls, creating a majestic and ethereal atmosphere.

The Old Dragon steeled himself and stepped onto the beautifully white stairs, his heart racing, but after standing in the first step, he felt nothing. The palace did not exert any sudden pressure. He tried taking a few more steps, but nothing changed.

Jacob, on the other hand, felt a sinister and horrific aura emanating from the stairs, which grew stronger with each step he took. It was as if an ancient godly being had previously used these stairs, and he could still feel the traces of his aura.

Considering all the previous System's Alerts, he had a bad feeling about this place. To make matters worse, he immediately realized that the aura was only affecting him, as Old Dragon had already arrived at the top of the stairs and was waiting for him.

'Maybe Old Dragon also felt the aura but was unaffected by it… it is not impossible.' Jacob spoke quietly to himself as he climbed the row of stairs, eventually reaching the top. From his claws to his scaled face, he was drenched in sweat, the whites of his eyes tinted with a faint red.

In front of him, a massive gate stood, made of some sort of light purple material. The purple color of the material added an elegant touch to the double doors, while the gold-trimmed runic designs highlighted the individual's high status and wealth.

To own such a grandiose and luxurious palace, the person who lived here had to be important. Although it did not answer the question that both dragons had been pondering all along: 'Who had built a palace here?'

"Screak." The gates screeched as Old Dragon pressed his claws against them, forcing them to open. The elder dragon had to use the majority of his strength to open the gate, which made him wonder what kind of monster might have lived here.

What if the monster is still alive and well here? Even though he was regarded as powerful in the dragon's society, the mere thought caused his silver scales to tremble and his heart beat faster than it had ever before.

However, his fear and uneasiness were irrelevant. He had a mission from his clan, which he needed to complete, and the baby dragon's scent had led him here. If the monster who owned the palace was still alive, he would find out the answer to his question in a moment.

The gates opened to reveal a large, lavishly decorated interior. The wall was covered in paintings of various feats, some of which depicted war and blood, while others depicted titanic golden beings razing cities to the ground and devouring every human they could find.

The ceiling was covered in large spears, forming a large circle with a mysterious and ancient magic rune in its interior which not even Old Dragon, let alone our little white dragon, could understand its effects.

The floor was made from white marble, with a long purple carpet which extended from the entrance toward a throne made of the same crystals which adorned the cavern's surface. On the throne, a small figure of a white dragon was sleeping.

After confirming her scent and seeing her figure, the Old Dragon dashed toward her, embracing the little female dragon with only one of his hands. He was present in the main house when the pair of golden eggs were being nurtured.

He could remember the scent of both little members of the clan. This was the reason he found them so quickly after being missing for a year.

"WAAAAAAAGH" The throne's chamber echoed with a loud growl, indicating that the female baby dragon had awakened, finding two strangers in the room. What was even worse, one of the strangers had taken her in his hands, which were much larger than her entire body.

"What exactly is going on here?" A loud, terrifying voice made the entire palace shudder. if one stood outside, they could see the whole cavern was trembling. In reality, even the entire Abyss was shaking in response to the mighty and monstrous presence.

"Who goes there?!" For the first time in ages, Old Dragon released a cry, using a portion of his power to bolster his words. His enormous scaled face was filled with panic and fear, but his eyes had a hint of violence.

"Me? I own the land on which you are standing, old fart. I am both the beginning and the end of an Era. Even if my name became a forbidden word and they destroyed everything I built, my name shall not get forgotten for the rest of eternity.

"My name is Ella. I am The Temple's most favored disciple, the Empress of the most powerful Empire, and the Impaler of Gods."