Edward's expression shifted to one of surprise, he had not expected his words to lead to such a drastic reaction. "Wait-" he tried to get The Observer to wait but it was too late.
The Observer tried to teleport away using his law of space, but there was a restriction preventing such actions in the building. However, apart from making him pause for a moment, it failed to stop him as he roused his divine energy and forced his way through the restrictions as though they were nothing. His actions triggered a storm of wind in the office, and by the time it died down, he was gone.
A second later, Theron burst into the room, worry written on his face as he looked around. Once he failed to see The Observer, he turned to Edward. "What happened?"
Edward slumped in his chair as his gaze roved around the now messy office. "I'm not sure."
The Observer appeared in his room back at the hotel, seething with anger even has various memories fought for dominance over his emotions. The day he acknowledged his master, the massacre of the gods, the scheming and manipulations, and finally the day he found out the truth, the day he saw through his master's machinations and fought him.
He had been used, and manipulated by someone he believed had his best interests at heart. And now, Edward was attempting the same, using partial truths and promises to try and steer him into protecting Aeliana. The Observer was having none of it.
Struggling to control his anger, he sat cross-legged on his bed and began to meditate, attempting to return to his usual calm state of mind. However, it proved difficult; each time he felt progress, a scene from the past would resurface, reigniting his anger. An anger directed not at others, but solely at himself.
If he had just been smarter, maybe he would have seen through it all sooner. Maybe he wouldn't be here, in a random world, far from home and on the run from someone he once looked up to.
It was in the midst of all this that someone knocked at his door. The Observer ignored it, but after a few seconds, it came again. And again. And finally, he took a look with his divine sense. It was Aeliana, and she looked nervous.
He made a small motion with his hand and the door swung open. Aeliana cautiously walked in and closed the door. "Hello, Reynard. Theron told me-"
"I'm sorry, but I won't be accompanying you anymore. Please find someone else." As he finished speaking, he took out her bracelet from thin air and threw it at her. She caught it and seemed about to speak, but The Observer gave her no chance, teleporting her away from the room.
He felt a bit guilty almost immediately, but he suppressed it before he went back to meditating. An hour passed and during this time he successfully managed to get his emotions under control. Then he heard a knock on his door once more.
Sighing, he stood up and went to open the door. He expected it to be Aeliana, but instead, he saw Theron. "Can I come in?" Theron asked in a subdued tone.
"Sure," The Observer said before walking back into the room, with Theron following.
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did my master do to anger you so?" Theron cautiously asked.
"You're the one able to use precognition, or scrying, or whatever. Why don't you tell me what he did?"
Theron went silent for a moment before admitting. "I don't know. My master can keep certain things secret, even from those who should know. I tried finding out, but it was useless. Listen, I don't know what he told you, or what made you so angry, but please we really do need your help."
"If I remember correctly, you left a means of guaranteeing my cooperation in my. Why don't you use it to try and force me."
Theron laughed a dry laugh. "Do you take me for such a fool? The only reason I was confident enough to put it on you before was because you already agreed, the seal just served to reinforce that agreement. Now that you aren't willing, I doubt I could force you to do anything. I'm not as strong as you or my master, Reynard. That's why we need your help. Without strength, we're bound to fail. Please. If not for me, then for her, because she has done nothing wrong."
At his last plea, Theron went down on his knees and bowed his head a little. The Observer remained unmoving for some time, even as he studied Theron. In the end, he let out a deep sigh, and his expression hardened. "There's one thing you should understand Theron. I do not like being manipulated. And that is exactly what this whole situation feels like to me—one large manipulation. Do you want my help? Fine. Then I have only one request. Come clean."
"Come clean about what? We never told you any lies."
"Do you think lies are the only way to manipulate someone?" The Observer laughed. "No. Far from it. You see, the truth, parts of it, are far more useful than any lie you could tell. You're asking what you should come clean about. The answer is everything. Who is Aeliana? Why do you so badly want to travel to the territory of the Paragon of a mad god? Why do you need my protection when your master is the Paragon of Secrets? Why does your master refuse to help you when he cares about the outcome of whatever this is? I could go on, but I think I've made my point clear. If you want my help, then come clean, and after that, I'll decide whether or not I am willing to help you."
"I'll have to discuss this with Aeliana," Theron said after some moments of silence.
"Do so. You know where to find me when you're ready."
Theron nodded and stood up before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the bracelet. "Before I came here, I spoke to Aeliana. She wanted you to have it whether or not you agreed to help us."
"And why is that?" The Observer asked, even as he cautiously eyed the bracelet, not reaching out to take it.
"By Eidara, Reynard! Why are you so distrustful of everything? Who backstabbed you so hard for you to become like this?" Theron threw the bracelet to The Observer, who caught it with his divine energy. "Have it, it's yours."
With that said, Theron left the room.