Chapter 22: The Flame Domain Splits into Three Factions

Ideological War

The Flame Domain did not fracture because someone raised a weapon first.

It fractured because someone—
spoke words that were different.

Three days after the Flame Domain’s first public collapse,

Order still existed.

But it had begun to make choices.

And choices themselves—
are the origin of division.

1. The Preservationists

“Flame must remain intact, or the world will collapse.”

Most of them came from the ranks of Flame Lords, inspection sequences, and core flame practitioners.

In their eyes:

The Flame Sequence was not a tool.
It was the skeleton of the world.

Errors in the Flame Sequence were not the fault of flame itself.
They were caused by tolerating anomalies for too long.

Their slogan was simple:

Repair the sequence.
Eliminate anomalies.
Everything will return to its original state.

The mass production of Hunters-Of-Flame was their initiative.

To them, it was not cruelty.
It was necessary.

2. The Reformists

“Flame needs to evolve, but it cannot collapse.”

The largest faction.

Included many mid- to high-level flame practitioners, technical analysts, and regional administrators.

They had already seen that the Flame Sequence was not perfect,
but they still feared total collapse.

They advocated:

Limiting the deployment of Hunters-Of-Flame

Rebuilding the Flame Prison’s interpretation layer

Establishing isolation and research zones for “flameless anomalies”

They did not reject flame.
They only hoped that flame could learn tolerance.

3. The Splintered Flame

“Flame is not the only answer.”

The smallest faction.
Yet the most dangerous.

Among them were:

Those who had been imprisoned in the Flame Prison

Flame practitioners who had lost their families

Ordinary people who discovered, for the first time, they could stand without flame

They did not necessarily worship the flameless,
but they had realized one thing:

The order of the Flame Domain is selective.

The Splintered Flame had no unified organization.
No banners.
No leader.

Their “declarations” circulated only underground:

“If flame truly is the world,
then the world should not fear being questioned.”

The boundaries between the three factions were not clear-cut.

Many people stood in the middle.
Wavering.
Afraid.

For the first time, the Flame Lords’ council could not reach a unified decision.

The Preservationists demanded—
immediate expansion of Hunter deployments.

The Reformists demanded—
suspension of all extreme measures.

The Splintered Flame’s voice, though weak,
already existed like a crack spreading quietly.

Conflict erupted in a border town of the Flame Domain.

It was not a battle.
It was the physical manifestation of an ideological clash.

A team of Hunters-Of-Flame was sent to clear a “gathering of flameless.”

Town administrators refused to cooperate.

The reason was simple:

“They haven’t done anything wrong yet.”

The Hunters responded with nothing.
They only executed orders.

At the moment of deadlock,

A single ordinary resident stepped forward in the town square.

He had no flame.
No weapon.

He only spoke:

“If the Flame Domain wants to kill me,
please first tell me—
what crime have I committed?”

His words carried no power.
Yet they struck the surface of the Flame Domain like a stone thrown into a lake.

The Hunters’ identification protocols wavered for a brief moment.

The Preservationists were enraged.
The Reformists were silent.
The Splintered Flame—
for the first time—was heard by more than a few.

From that moment, the Flame Domain ceased to be a single voice.

It had become three directions.

And in the distant shadows,

The Nameless One observed it all.

He did not intervene.
He did not guide.

Yet he knew clearly:

When order begins to be discussed,
it has already lost.