The devastation around them made departure rational. Zendikar seemed close to death, the known plan had failed and Ob Nixilis had demonstrated how easily individual strengths could be isolated. None of the four could claim that another person’s mistake had created the crisis while their own choices remained clean.
They took an oath to keep watch over the Multiverse and defend those facing threats larger than one world. Gideon supplied the language of service, but each planeswalker made the promise for a different reason. Jace needed a structure for responsibility, Nissa refused to abandon Zendikar and Chandra chose commitment without surrendering independence.
The oath did not create instant harmony. Their methods and priorities still conflicted, and later events would expose serious failures. Its importance lay in making return an obligation. Planeswalking had always made escape possible; the Gatewatch defined heroism as choosing not to use that freedom when others had nowhere to go.