Then why don't we wait for the goddess to wake up?" Alex asked. "We can come back together so she can pick a good weapon for herself."
Beatrice stopped walking and turned slowly to him.
"Are you stupid?" she said flatly. "Or do you think your goddess is just some dumb girl?"
Alex blinked, surprised.
Beatrice pointed toward the swirling, sealed portal at the edge of the battlefield. Its dark energy pulsed faintly, reacting to something unseen.
"Did you even look at that portal?" she growled. "If she sets foot here even once her divine power will automatically reactivate the seal. She's the key, idiot. The key to opening that gate."
Alex clenched his jaw. "She didn't tell me that."
"Of course she didn't," Beatrice said. "Did she even tell you why the shadows were chasing you?"
Alex shook his head. "No. We just woke up to the trolls running That's all."
Beatrice narrowed her eyes. "Wait the trolls? Where are the trolls?"
"They're dead," Alex said quietly.
"What happened?"
Alex explained everything how they killed the demonic wolves, how the trolls fed and sheltered them, how they woke up to a surprise attack… and how both trolls sacrificed their lives to throw them off the mountain and buy them time.
Beatrice fell silent.
"They were peace-loving friends," she said softly. "I was going to visit them. That's when I sensed divine chaos trembling in the mountains. And now they're gone"
Alex lowered his head, saying nothing.
Beatrice said no more. She simply turned and led him deeper into the ruins.
Alex wandered through the skeletons, examining weapons, armor, and old relics. Most were rusted or dull. Some were still glowing, but none felt special.
Then he saw something in the grass.
"Hey, look at this," he said, picking up a silver ring. "It's a storage ring. I think, it can hold items up to a kilometer wide inside."
He placed it on his finger. The inside opened instantly in his mind. Dozens of golden weapons were already inside, but none of them seemed good enough.
"I suggest you keep the ring," Beatrice said. "But offload those old weapons. You'll need space for real ones."
Alex emptied the ring and began checking the nearby skeletons again.
But something was bothering him.
"I heard that gods fought here," he said. "Where are their weapons? Where are their remains? Nothing here feels like it could fight an Evil God."
Beatrice stopped walking.
Then, slowly, she lowered her gaze and shifted back into her human form.
"You, human," she said, her voice soft and serious. "You're more observant than I thought."
Alex watched her closely.
Beatrice walked forward and pointed at the ring. "That ring is the only truly valuable item here. The rest, are echoes of a failed war."
She turned around.
"Come. Let's go to my room. I stored something there weapons I've kept hidden for centuries. I'll show you some of my personal recommendations."
They left the battlefield behind.
As they approached the dragon's stronghold, Alex was stunned. The castle towered before him huge, ancient, and elegant. It was far grander than the Demon King's castle, built from black crystal, engraved with glowing runes, and protected by massive dragon statues.
"This is your house?" Alex asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes," Beatrice said. "This is the First Defense. The last wall before the Void."
Inside, the hall stretched like a cathedral. Dozens of massive stone statues lined the walls, all dragons in different poses, their names carved beneath them.
Beatrice gestured toward them. "Each one is, or was a Guardian of the Portal. We dragons are sworn to protect this ruin."
Alex paused in front of a statue with her name: Beatrice The Silent Flame.
He looked across the others. Some were still intact, glowing softly with magical energy. Others were broken.
"Those broken ones" he asked.
"Some are dead," Beatrice said quietly. "Some are sleeping."
She placed a hand on her own statue.
"If I don't return here within two weeks, the system will mark me as a traitor. And another Guardian will awaken to replace me."
Alex stood still, absorbing her words.
"And if I die" she added, "another will take my place whether they're ready or not."
Silence hung in the air between them.
Then Beatrice turned toward the far chamber.