From Hatchling to Empress

She died on a battlefield. She woke up inside an egg. And when Evelyn finally clawed her way out, she discovered four legs, black scales, a tail, and one very important fact: She was a dragon now. Not just any dragon, either. A black dragon. One of the infamous chromatic dragons feared as monsters, hunted by adventurers, and valued almost as highly dead as alive. For most people, becoming one of the strongest races in the world would sound like a blessing. Evelyn knew better. She was still a hatchling. Her mother would rather sleep on a mountain of gold than babysit. Her arrogant little brother was already challenging her for food. And somewhere beyond the swamp were countless adventurers who would happily turn her scales, blood, bones, and horns into a fortune. So Evelyn made herself a promise. Grow stronger. Stay alive. Build a hoard. Maybe claim some territory. Maybe find people who actually know how to cook. And if protecting all of that eventually requires an army, a city, strange forgotten technology, and an empire ruled by a black dragon...