"That makes sense. It wouldn't be good for the people if you all decided to use your power against them" Todd said while nodding. He wasn't sure what the imbued were actually capable of, but with Jack being so old it was unlikely he was weak.
"For now I think that's enough information for you to understand your position." Liz was trying to get the conversation finished before they got pulled out of it. "Over the next few weeks you will be taught all the introductory information required to operate as one of us. Then when Advir thinks you're ready we will begin the first mission."
Todd got a little excited at that. Missions most likely meant traveling. Although Todd's family was wealthier than many others, he never got to leave the portion of the wall that they lived. It was one of his dreams to see the things he read about.
"Will the mission be outside the city? I've never been outside the 3rd ring." Todd nearly shouted, failing to keep his excitement contained.
"You're already outside the 3rd ring. In fact, you're in the capital city right now. This castle of ours is called The Black Fort. Ever heard of it?" Teddy asked, shocked by Todd's sudden outburst.
"You mean the abandoned cattle next to the royal families castle? They say it's been abandoned for centuries. You're saying you were here the whole time?" Todd was starting to realize the history books weren't entirely accurate.
"This castle was created by Advir, back when he was first gathering all the imbued" Jack explained. "It was meant to be a point of control for us that would allow more freedom than having to rely on someone else for housing."
Todd thought about it for a while. The Black Fort that was covered in the history books was certainly impressive. There wasn't a lot of information about what was on the inside so Todd didn't have much reference. He did remember that the fort was similar in designs to the wall and the general train of thought was they were created together.
"Did Advir also create the wall?" Todd was curious if the two were connected. The Black Fort was made of black stone while the wall was normal grey, but the pattern of the stone was the same.
Jack shook his head slowly before replying. "No, the wall has been there since before anyone can remember. Even the first imbued said it was already standing when he was born."
"When I asked Advir about The Black Fort and the wall, he said he had actually based the stone design on the wall. The reason it's black is due to the spell Advir used to create it. The spell used back then specified black stone as the material and so we got a black fort." Rebecca was remembering the long speech she got about how fantastic the dragons spell was. About seem to love babbling about his spells. She does her best to avoid asking Advir about anything magic now.
"I think it's about time" Teddy interrupted. "Let's go back and stand where you were when you first arrived."
Todd moved back to where he was initially, putting the large wooden doors to his back and the platform with the dragon to his front. He swallowed nervously as he realized this situation was still insane. Forget keeping it a secret Todd was certain nobody would even believe him if he did tell people.
As he watched the dragon and waited for his next instructions, Todd noticed the maids come out and clean the table they were using. Shortly after, a group of butlers came out and removed the table and chairs from the room. It was strange for Todd as dedicated butlers and maids were things of the past. People that could afford it used a maid service that would only clean their house when requested and butlers were replaced by host services during big events. There was no need to have them as full time or even live in workers.
Another few minutes went by while the group stood still waiting. Todd was getting more nervous by the second. He had no idea what they were waiting on as he stared at a dragon hoping he would get to step away soon. That hope wouldn't come as he noticed the dragon begin to move.
A single large golden eye was staring straight at Todd. The eye lids were split lazily as if moving them too fast would cause pain. The massive head was lifted from atop the giant claw and the dragon straightened up. Todd couldn't help but feel admiration toward this being. Regal and elegant were Todd's first thoughts as it began speaking.
"The humans call me Advir and you may as well. My dragon name is impossible to say unless you speak draconic so if you want to know it speak with Liz and she'll teach you. As for your current predicament, I will explain what is required of you. Once you understand you will set off with the four around you immediately."
Todd heard short gasps around him as Advir spoke. He didn't know why but he did remember they said he'd leave in a few weeks so maybe it was abnormal to leave immediately.
Advir continued without pause. "This is not a particularly normal situation as a gold crown butterfly has never imbued a human before. They also asked that the problem they are dealing with be solved as soon as possible.
Did the butterfly that imbued you say anything?"
Todd took a second to gather his thoughts and take a deep breath then replied in a shaky voice. He recounted what he could about the event and the short conversation between him and the butterfly.
"Well, asking about death isn't always a straight forward answer so getting a reply at all was more than I expected. Tomorrow morning your group will set off to the sunny forest to solve the butterfly's problem."