A/N: Lots of new readers! Welcome to all of you~~
LotusWriter786: Believe it or not, my update speed has slowed. I updated J.O.S. daily. Then again, that was before I got a job.
Teenaged Author: It's tough, but with some ghostly energy to trigger obsession…
The Howling Behemoth: It's writing the stories, specifically. Glad you agree with his obsession. :D
I've noticed a lot of you like my in-depth approach to obsession theory and the like. I'm not one of those authors who can typically shrug things off with "MAGIC" as the explanation and leave it there. I mean, yes, magic can be the answer, but HOW is magic the answer? …anyway, I feel like explaining it to you gives you a better sense of the world and makes it feel more concrete.
Chapter #9: Observants
Danny sucks a steadying breath into his lungs, staring up at the large double-doors. A stained-glass eye glares down from the upper portion of the doors, the rest of the door glowing softly with ectoplasmic runes.
"Just keep your temper in check and let me do all of the talking," Clockwork suggests.
"I'll try," he sighs, clenching his white-gloved fists.
"So you shall," his mentor drolls, waving his staff. The doors begin to creak open, and Danny follows him inside.
A common misconception about The Observants – one he had been victim to at one point – is that they all look the same, as though the same species, or perhaps duplicates of the same ghost. It's neither, as he's learned. They're all different ghosts in a uniform of sorts. The clothing they wear allows for what Sam calls 'Glamour'. An illusion created by manipulating the miasma of the Infinite Realms. This allows members of the council to retain their anonymity.
Regardless of that knowledge, he still finds it unsettling when the entire room falls silent, locking their giant eyes on the two ghosts at the doorway.
"Ah, Clockwork," Observant One greets, standing before the giant screens that show the faces of the seven 'jurors' chosen for this particular meeting, "I see you've taken it upon yourself to be The Halfa's defense once again? I believe you intervene too much."
"I'm not bound by the same rule as yourselves," Clockwork dismisses with a wave of his hand, "I have one interest, and one interest only. That is the best outcome for us all, in both realms. I will interfere if I feel it's necessary to keep us on the correct track. You know that."
Observant One hums disapprovingly, "You know of the danger your…pupil…poses. Potentially speaking."
"Oh, I am quite aware," Clockwork snorts, "Of the danger he poses to you. You'd have him thrown in prison, and then when Pariah Dark or some other vile cretin starts making trouble, you'd go crawling back, apologizing and begging him to save us. You only want a powerful hero around when it suits you."
"Pariah is safely sealed away–"
"Because of him," Clockwork motions towards Danny, who is obediently – for once – keeping his mouth shut, "The other ghosts were being forced from their homes, your precious Council Building was in ruins…and you did nothing. You just sat back and waited for someone else to solve the problem. Now you want to lock him away because he was strong enough to do so?"
"We knew he would save them all, just as he did," Observant Two defends, "And just as he was destined to become him."
Worried whispers flood the auditorium.
"How many times must I tell you that the future is not set in stone?!" Clockwork's staff sparks against the floor, "This is nonsense. Give us a good reason for being here, or I take Phantom and you can observe us walking back out of your little courtroom."
"…The Crown of Fire," Observant Two begins.
"What about it?"
"We can no longer see its location," he explains, "It just…vanished."
"I don't follow things," Clockwork snorts, "I wouldn't be able to locate it either. Didn't Plasmius last have possession of it? Back when he made a pact with the Fright Knight."
"This is true, but it was kept under the Fright Knight's watch in Pariah's Keep. It has just vanished, and we cannot see where it is kept."
Clockwork taps his foot, "Then it must be kept outside both the Mortal and Infinite Boundaries, much like the…what did your side call it, Danny? The asteroid that nearly destroyed us all?"
"The Disasteroid," Danny replies simply, "Wait…so because it existed outside of both realms, you couldn't see it coming?"
"No," Clockwork confesses, "They couldn't. It wasn't part of the path they saw – it was on one of my branches."
"…And you didn't say anything?"
"I knew that you would best figure it out without my prompting," the Ghost of Time shrugs.
Danny chuckles and shakes his head, "…the 'best' method being the one that teaches me something."
"Of course," he smiles back.
"And perhaps you feel the same way about The Crown?" Danny whispers quietly, unheard by the council.
Clockwork smiles mysteriously.
"What about the Ring of Rage?" Danny inquires, "Is it still with Pariah?"
"We cannot tell. That which is within the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep exists beyond our vision," Observant One admits grudgingly.
"If you can't see it, then it must still be within, right? You'd see if someone managed to remove it. That means the Crown and Ring are separated, at least. That's a consolation. What I still don't understand is why I'm here."
The room falls silent once again.
"That would be my doing."
Danny groans, recognizing the voice. He turns to another doorway to face Walker, who stands with his hands behind his back.
"I'd like to contest the destruction of my prison."
"Walker, that was almost three years ago," Danny sighs, "Are you bringing this up again? I have a wedding to plan!"
"We find it disturbing that you did not even consider diplomatic channels," Observant One sniffs.
"Yeah, because Walker is so reasonable," he snorts, "For all I knew, he was the one who caused the accident to begin with. He was unlawfully holding humans within his prison."
"And this differs from the pirates you placed in Pandora's care?" Observant Two retorts.
"Yeah, because they aren't chained up and beaten. They're more like…guests who can't leave. Besides, they're guilty of murder, theft, blackmailing, and a who knows what else! What were Valerie and the others guilty of? Being humans who were unwillingly stranded in the Infinite Realms? If someone was kidnapped and left on property with a 'No Trespassing' sign, would they be guilty? Would they be prosecuted for trespassing?"
"They were considering escape," Walker answers.
"That's entrapment," Danny snorts, "And flimsy. Is 'considering' escape a crime? If so, anyone who's ever been a prisoner is guilty."
"They went through with it."
"No, I went through with it. They simply allowed themselves to be rescued. Not only that, but we've already established that you had no right to keep them there."
"Is that a confession?"
"The council already established that I was responsible for the jailbreak and declared it a form of justified defense of others."
Walker's smile fades.
"Now, Walker, as for you," Danny growls, "You've been causing trouble in the Mortal Realm again. Ghosts are a hot issue in my country, and you're not helping."
Clockwork watches the exchange with a small smile.
"You know…" he looks up at the Observants, "You need to make a decision. Are you the governors of the Infinite Realms or not? Are you the peacekeepers, or will you just observe no matter the situation? If you are peacekeepers, then you'll keep better control of your own subjects as well, including their conduct in the Mortal Realm. You interfere here and there; they'll never take you seriously if you keep it up. They know that they can just ignore you!"
"Daniel Phantom–"
Danny cuts the Observant off, "Intervene or not!" he shouts, "Pick one and stick to it! No wonder the Infinite Realms have stayed in a state of decay since the reign of Pariah Dark. I've seen the past," he finishes more quietly, "The past of these realms, when they were vibrant and filled with imaginative lands. When they were more than the occasional door or rock. Pariah reduced it to a wasteland and in his absence, you stepped in, wielding a weak hand. Outlaws do whatever they want, knowing that no one is going to stop them. You've let the Infinite Realms become a lawless mess!"
"We will not remove the freedom of the Infinite Realms," Observant Two hisses.
"There's a difference between freedom and anarchy," Danny holds his gaze until the Observant looks away.
Clockwork grins, surveying the shocked expressions of the council. He then turns his eyes on his student. He stands proudly in the center of the room, his green eyes glowing with determination as he continues his debate with the councilman.
All hail King Phantom!
A/N: So, about the Observants and the fact that they're different and just disguised: When I double-checked in Torrent of Terror, Vlad is disguised as one of the Observant guards. I wondered how he did that, changing the color and shape of his tail…but when he took off his helmet, he was Vlad beneath. I decided that the Observants' Council is a group of clairvoyant ghosts who wear a uniform that manipulates the miasma of the Ghost Zone to hide their identities. This is so that when seven are randomly chosen to act as jury members, they cannot be tracked or hunted down. No one can even tell which one is which.