"Hello," Lily said as she slowly opened her eyes. It seemed like she was back in the same room she met Dahlia in the first place. The goddess was sitting across from her, looking as beautiful as ever. Lily avoided looking at her directly, not wanting to get lost in her eyes like she did during the first meeting.

Remember, you are not here to admire her beauty, Lily thought, and shook herself. You have work to do.

"Uhm, it took longer than expected to conduct the ritual to contact you," Lily explained and the goddess nodded.

"I figured as much. Such a ritual hasn't been conducted on Teras in a millennia, after all," she said, her voice echoing all around the room. "Anyways, before we discuss any other topics, I want to hear about your experience in the new world so far."

She leaned back on the comfortable looking sofa, inviting Lily to speak. Lily suspected she would be asked to do something of the sort, and she decided to be completely honest with the goddess. Despite her reassurances to Mia, she was a little worried about how Dahlia might react when she found out about the whole Soul Link situation, but lying about the situation was out of the question, especially when Dahlia could access her memories if she decided to. It seemed like she refrained from doing so out of respect, instead allowing Lily to tell her own story, but that could change.

In any case, the goddess gave no reaction when Lily recounted the story of Mia's rescue, so she pressed on, telling her about her arrival and training at the temple. In fact, Dahlia gave no reaction at all until Lily started talking about her relationship with Mia. As she told the story of their first date, the goddess smiled, but she waited until Lily finished before giving any comment.

"Thrown into a whole new world, you seduced the first girl you met. You really were an excellent choice to be my champion," she said, clapping her hands together.

Lily's face turned red, and she was about to protest how the circumstances were not ordinary, but before any words left her mouth, Dahlia raised a hand to stop her.

"Oh, I am just messing with you. Adjusting to a whole new world can be hard, and from what you've told me, you have been extraordinarily lucky to meet someone like Mia, a person you can trust and share your journey with," she said. "Not every Outworld Avatar in history has been so fortunate."

I am not sure if it was fortune, or you setting me on a path to meet with Mia, Lily thought to herself, but decided not to ask.

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"Anyway, now that you've told me what you've been up to, I am sure you want to know what your mission on Teras actually is," Dahlia said, her expression turning serious. As it did, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees, and Lily felt a chill down her spine.

"Part of the reason I asked you about your life so far is that I wanted to get an idea of how much you knew about the world. Have you heard about the Deluge and the Sundering?" Dahlia asked, and Lily nodded.

"Mia told me about the history of Teras, so I know those were big events some thousand years ago. It's when the whole system changed and levels got capped," Lily answered, trying to recall all the details Mia told her. "I remember that the last Avatar of Dahlia before me died during them."

"Indeed. And while most people on Teras know about the effects of the Sundering, they are not fully aware of why the Five Avatars attempted the ritual in the first place. It wasn't just to stop the outpour of monsters in the Deluge," she said. Then she leaned forward, her expression grave, and Lily focused like she'd never before in either of her lives. Whatever she was about to hear was crucial information, both to her and to the world at large.

"At this point you know I am not the only deity around. The truth is, not all cosmic entities are benevolent, and the Deluge was caused by one such entity. What the Five were attempting to do was create a barrier of sorts, to prevent further outside interference to Teras by non-benevolent deities. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and the very core of the world exploded before the barrier was complete," she explained, and for the first time ever, Lily noticed sorrow in her eyes.

"Their efforts were not in vain, however. The work they did on the barrier was enough not just to stop the outpour of monsters in the Deluge, but to serve as a warning system in case of any further outside influence on Teras. A short while ago, that system set off an alarm. Some outside force has exerted its influence, and that is why I felt the need to send a champion of my own."

Lily took a deep breath as she considered what she learned. So, some other god was messing with the world, and she was supposed to stop them?

"Do you know what this outside force is trying to accomplish? Where is it located?" Lily asked the goddess, hoping for more information.

"All in due time. I am pretty sure I know what they are after, but you are not ready yet. You need to get stronger, and form your own party. Luckily, if I am right, there is more than enough time. They will need to gather strength, much as you do, while also waiting for the right moment to enact their plan," Dahlia said, her mood finally turning more jovial. "I know all that sounds very cryptic, but I don't want to give you any specifics until I feel you are ready. When I say that we have time, I mean it. So I don't want you to go off risking your life on some harebrained scheme because you feel pressured to save the world. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lily answered, and she meant it. "What do you want me to do then?"

"As I said, form a party and get stronger. I don't need to tell you that you must be careful about who you trust and share this information with, but from what you've told me, you already have a member in Mia. That's good. Contact me again once you have a full party and you get a level or two," the goddess said, finally standing up. Lily took it as a signal that their little meeting was coming to an end, and she shifted in her seat as the goddess walked over.

"I know you must be feeling a lot of pressure with the whole save the world thing, but do try and enjoy life too. I didn't reincarnate you just so you would spend all your time training. Have some fun once in a while too."

"Oh, trust me, Mia is making sure of that," Lily said with a smile, and the goddess giggled in response. It was a strange sound, especially when it seemed to come from all around the room and it took Lily by surprise.

"She seems like a smart woman. I would love to meet here, but until then give her my thanks," Dahlia said, and leaned in, giving Lily a kiss on the forehead.

The world turned white, and after a moment Lily found herself sitting on the cold floor of the temple.