A civilization that broke apart only because your goddess decided that it must be so. Had she not committed such a terrible act of violence, then those people would still continue to exist, correct?

[ In the end, Vanitas isn't actually invested in that old civilization. He doesn't really care about that battle of Light and Darkness. Now he's just feeding off of her reactions and will continue to pull them out of her any way he can. ...In this he isn't that much different than the Ascian is he? He does this to alleviate his own suffering in a way. It's a distraction to pass the time. ]

I mean sure, go ahead and protect those that are living now... But who is your goddess really calling you into service to protect? Them or herself? She didn't seem to care about all of the people she killed in sundering your star, so why should she care about you or the people you want to protect? How many times has she called upon heroes in the past?

[ Van sighs, looking off to the side. ]

So, really, you're just doing the bidding of a mass murderer. She is oh so willing to sacrifice you and yours repeatedly until the end of time. If you really cared about your friends and loved ones, you'd find a way to make a compromise to end this stalemate.