She did push us away though... She used the very last of her strength to send us back to "the shore of the aetherial sea", I imagine we'd have been trapped there as Minfilia was were it not for that...
It's a very elaborate scheme if this is anything but a last desperate attempt to have us stop the Rejoining... There is more ammunition for us to sign up with the Ascians here, well... There would be if the Ascians weren't so painfully evil all the time... Except Elidibus of course, but he obviously is a schemer... Granted, we only know that through cutscene hacks, so far we have no idea he had the Warriors of Darkness sitting on the sidelines waiting for this, nor any idea he was involved with Thordan, or even than he is whispering sweet nothings in Uriangers ear...
