Flame

“	It is in the depths of the Flame. Life is war; peace is death... these are the laws carved into existence by the Incarnations of Flame.	”
― Puppeteer to Sunny, Chapter 2397 To a Flame

The Incarnations of Flame, understood to be the gods, are said to have carved the laws of existence around the Flame. According to the Puppeteer, these laws dictate that "life is war; peace is death" establishing a reality where constant struggle and suffering are necessary. In this world, solace is denied to all beings, and the pursuit of peace or fulfillment becomes futile. Solace itself is described as a sin, or worse—a lie.^[1]

“	...The Flame is Desire, and Desire is the Flame. But flame... needs fuel to burn, Liberator. It needs to be fed. It needs to devour something in order to sustain itself. Our longing, our yearning, our desire, our hope — they fan the Flame. You and I are different, but in the end, we are both the same. Our lives are fuel, and we only exist to be devoured by the Flame.	”
― Puppeteer to Sunny, Chapter 2398 Fuel of Desire

The Flame is described as being synonymous with Desire. It is portrayed as something that requires fuel to continue burning. In order to sustain itself, the Flame must be fed, and what feeds it are emotions and drives such as longing, yearning, desire, and hope.^[2]

The world shaped by the Flame, as created by the Incarnations of Flame, is built on this foundation. It is a world of endless conflict, where peace is denied and life is defined by war, desperation, and unfulfilled desire. This condition is not accidental—it is an intentional design meant to keep the Flame alive. Solace is absent by design because if beings were ever truly satisfied, there would be no more desire, and therefore no more fuel for the Flame.^[2]

The Flame was a primordial force known as the Flame of Desire, from which the gods themselves had been born. It had required fuel to burn—something to sustain its existence. Nephis reflected that, in the era before time existed, the only possible fuel for the Flame would have been the Void, an everlasting and infinite source. However, there had been a fundamental conflict between the ever-changing nature of the Void and the constant essence of Desire. This opposition led the gods to wage war against the Void and eventually imprison it, severing the Flame from its original source of fuel. As a result, the Flame burned in a vacuum, gradually waning, and sustaining itself by consuming itself.^[3]

Despite being separated from the Void, the Flame became a closed, self-sufficient cycle. Cassie explained that the desires of all living beings fueled it, making everyone a part of the Flame. This ongoing cycle of human longing and striving had allowed the Flame to continue burning, which she considered beautiful. Sunny agreed in his own way, recalling that although life had been cruel and filled with hardship, it had also been full of joy, meaning, and fulfillment—experiences that were expressions of the Flame. To him, the Flame represented the bittersweet essence of life, and he saw it as something precious that needed to be protected from the Void and from Corruption.^[3]

The seven gods were born from the Flame of Desire, while the seven daemons were born from the Forgotten God. Humans are described as being born from stray sparks, distinguishing them from the higher beings. All creatures ultimately derive their existence from the Flame of Desire.^[4]

Contrary to popular belief, no being can truly create life, not even the gods. The act commonly referred to as creation is instead a process of reshaping existing sparks of flame. Gods and daemons breathe life into new beings by tearing pieces of their own flame and using them to animate their creations. For example, the Forgotten God used this method to give life to the daemons, and Nether, the Demon of Destiny, applied it to create the Stone Saints by placing sparks of his own flame into them.^[4]

Daemons are fundamentally different from mortal life. They are described as never having been truly alive, existing as manifestations of a greater flame. As such, they cannot be destroyed by death or confined by the Shadow Realm. When a daemon is destroyed, the sparks that sustain it return to the Forgotten God, completing the cycle of their existence. This unique nature enables daemons to perform feats beyond the capabilities of mortal or divine beings.^[4]

The gods' power is finite and diminishes with use. Over time, the gods have grown small and feeble due to repeatedly expending parts of their flame to populate the realms with life. This expenditure of the Flame of Desire is a key factor in the balance, explaining why certain beings, such as Hope, cannot be killed without significant repercussions.^[4]

Main article: Paradox of Order