"Riviera." Melphie smiled, looking at the soul light playing in the water of the stream. "I think I'll call her Riviera."

"Wha—She?" I turned in the void as the scene faded, leaving me standing in the purple void alongside the hazy figure of the Goddess.

"Do you understand who my sister really is now? Do you understand what you were trying to sign up for when you asked if she could become your master? To bow your head to one of us, is to bow your head to all of us as we are one in the same."

I stood there for a long moment in silence, trying to comprehend and process everything that the Goddess had shown me. "Why? Why are you showing me all of this? You seem to have gone so far to keep your nature secret, why show me the truth?"

"Because we wish for your help." The Goddess said honestly. "A war is brewing in the Continent of the Gods and the Summoned are at the center of it. Without you we may have little say in the nature of the contest, or what kind of force emerges from it at the end."

"What? The war with the Demon King? Is it really that important? I thought you said you didn't care about that."

"The war with the Demon King is only a small piece in this puzzle," The Goddess shook her head. "But to say more, I'd have to have your loyalty. Already I have risked a great deal telling you what I have."

"But I still don't understand why. Why do you need me? Aren't I dead to the other summoned? What could I possibly help with?" My head was starting to spin. Wasn't I supposed to be insignificant and unimportant to all the gods, Melphinoe included? Why did she suddenly change her mind?

"Precisely because they think you are dead, child. You are a knife in the dark, an unforeseen wrinkle, a loose thread that may just be the key to unravelling the games the gods are playing for power and entertainment."

"Isn't that just a nice way of saying you have no idea how I'll be useful? I'm not a warrior." I said bitterly. "I don't have the training or the skill that even the other Summoned do. They're the ones the gods picked out, I'm just the dregs." My voice dripped with fury and self-hatred, because I couldn't contradict their opinion. What had I done since coming to the Goddess' dungeon other than being hand-held through challenges both by her guardians as well as my own overpowered system, only to break down crying at simple conversations and shopping trip? I was a mess, and I couldn't see how I could help anyone like that.

"Silvie…" For the first time the Goddess' voice softened, and I heard the tones of her old self, of Melphie in her words. "I want you to see something." The Goddess waved her hand and the void rippled and began playing another scene.

"MAKE HER GIVE HER BACK GODDAMMIT!!" A huge black creature with giant scaled wings, a dragon-like head, and eight spider-like legs lunged at two humanoid figures in front of it.

One was covered in black spiked plate armor wielding a giant sword as if it were a toothpick, while the other flashed in and out of being around the giant creature conjuring vines that constantly wrapped up around the creature's legs attempting to lash it to the ground.

"It's been ages since you've agreed to a duel with me Rivi." The figure in the black armour laughed, battering the creature's legs with the flat side of her sword. "We should do this more often!"

"Arian, stop messing around, we're supposed to calm her down, not beat her to death." Moira was dangling behind the creature bound up in webbing.

"And how did that go, little ice princess?" The black armoured figure mocked, grabbing the creature's head in a vice grip.

"LET GO YOU FRIGGIN MONSTER!" The creature roared, trying to break free from Arian's grip, but failing.

"Come on, Rivi. Have you really not gotten used to that Spider Dragon form of yours yet? You've had centuries at least!"

"Is that…Rivi?" I touched the floor, which was the only tangible portion of the void. "What's she—when is this?" I turned to the figure with me in the void.

"Right now," The goddess said simply. "She found out I had taken you and she rushed to fight her sisters to get you back."

I looked back at the scene. Fencer, who I finally recognized as the third figure despite all their flashing around, had finished binding Rivi down with vines, while Arian was now leaning against Rivi's snout, berating her for her mistakes in their fight.

"Why…Why would she do that?" I frowned. "We've barely just met, and she—"

"And she cares about you. That's why. I can't tell you why the most unique member of our sisterhood has taken a liking to you, but she has. Rivi doesn't want you involved in all of our drama, she'd rather you made your own choices, found your own reason for living.

"Normally I prefer not to interfere with the lives of my sisters, because as the original it's all too easy for me to overrule them, but the war that is brewing is beyond just us. Its consequences could ripple through all of Andar. And even if I will not force you, I had to make my plea."

"But didn't you say that I was here just for your entertainment? What happened? Did something change your mind or are you just playing with me even now?"

The Goddess sighed. "I underestimated the nature of the game the gods are playing. I thought the Summoned were just a whim they cooked up to alleviate their own boredom. I thought the best thing that I could do for you was to give you a taste for what the other gods are like—manipulative, uncaring, arbitrary.

"Of course, I was wrong, and I only ended up f*cking up your first impression of me and throwing you into a whirlpool of change without proper guidance. For that, I'm sorry, Silvie. You deserved better, and I know it must taint your image of me now that I'm asking you for help. You needn't decide right away. For now, go back to Rivi. She needs to calm down and you need to think. We'll speak of this another time."

And with a wave of her hand I found myself in front of the bound Spider Dragon.

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