Talk:Flame of Chaos/@comment-173.67.161.6-20180629174814

If you really think about it, the Flame of Chaos IS a successful replacement for the First Flame--it operates under the same mechanics, fueled by the Humanity absorbed by the Chaos Demons, similarly to how Fire Keepers imprison darkness within themselves to presrve the bonfire, and how the Chaos Flame preserves its denizens so long as it continues to burn. The only reason we fight it is because Gwyn knows this flame easily outshines his own fading flame, and the entire series is based around sustaining Gwyn's archaic rule.

The Chaos Demons weren't necessarily "absorbed" against their will, but rather these individuals became aware of the Chaos Flame's potential and rallied against the gods, even if this was not necessarily the initial will of the Witch of Izalith. Quelana of Izalith recounts that one must always "fear the fire," lest they be absorbed by its power (a message seemingly reciprocated in Bloodborne--"Fear the Old Blood"); her devotion to Lord Gwyn and the gods is what preserved her from the Flame of Chaos and allowed her to escape to the Great Swamp. When the tides seemed to be turning in the Bed of Chaos's favor, Gwyn finally sacrificed himself to link the First Flame, spawning the Undead that would eventually produce his spiritual heir--or his downfall, if this Undead happens to embrace the Dark and douse the First Flame, or even claim it for their own.

One might think of the Chaos Flame as a "parody" to life itself, when in actuality it exists to dissolve falsity, revealing the nature of Gwyn's own desires and the fetters that bind the Undead to his violent will. It's also important to note that the Chaos Demons feel somehow threatened by the Dark (and are noticibly weak to Dark attacks in DS3), and while they must devour Humanity to fuel the Chaos Flame, they are aware that it may eventually consume them in turn, which seems to be coming true in DS2 when the shards of Manus's soul (what a Zelda-esque plot) help to destroy the Old Chaos in DS2, and finally does come true in DS3 when the Ashen One defeats the Demon Prince in the Dreg Heap before travelling to find the Blood of the Dark Soul.

...I mean, uh, said Kaathe.