What exactly is the Promised Land, and what is the Will of the Sacred Flame?
Ancient mythology says the Promised Land lies at the center of the world. At the dawn of history, in an age beyond recall, a group of people built a tower here—the Tower of Babel—hoping to ascend to the heavens and stand among the gods.
In religious stories, these people succeeded, reaching the gods' threshold via the Tower of Babel. But their ambition angered the gods, who cast divine punishment upon them. Their souls were destroyed, the Tower demolished, and the once fertile land became a barren desert.
The myth ends here, but history continues. The Tower of Babel was not completely destroyed, for it was not just a tower, but an idea—a path of exploration reaching beyond the sky. Later generations gave it a new name: the Kabbalistic Tree of Life—a road from humanity to divinity.
The site of the old Tower of Babel became known as the Promised Land, inscribed with humanity's ambition to break its own limits and explore the boundless unknown.
This is the root of the Sacred Flame faith, and why the Tree of Life is carved atop Shipwreck Mountain.
The origin of the Will of the Sacred Flame is more complex. Persia sits at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa, a melting pot of races and ideas, rife with war and chaos, fertile yet barren, civilized yet wild—a place where new thoughts are easily born. The origins of the Manichaean Sect are hard to trace, with two main theories.
The first is the Moses exodus theory. In ancient Egypt, Jews suffered brutal oppression. According to legend, Moses heard God's will, received divine protection, led his people across the Red Sea, and founded a new homeland.
This new homeland was the Promised Land. The united Jews became the precursor to the Manichaean Sect.
The second is the Shadow Order theory. After Eden toppled Olympus, the Cross Cult dominated the West. Dictatorship meant bloody rule and violent suppression, factional strife, and the destruction of anything outside their rules. In those dark days, dissenters formed the Shadow Order.
These dissenters were a complex bunch—petty thieves and ordinary criminals weren't qualified to join. Only the truly notorious, those who threatened the Cross Cult's rule with their ideas and power, were accepted. The Shadow Order faced brutal purges, but with their talent, they escaped eastward and finally reached the Promised Land. Thus, the Shadow Order became the second origin of the Manichaean Sect.
There are many other theories, woven together like a legendary tale—even King Solomon and the seventy-two demon gods are involved. No matter the origin or the people, the spirit of rebellion in their hearts was the same. And so, the Manichaean Sect was born.
This is the root of the Will of the Sacred Flame.
Ambition to break limits, a thirst for adventure, and rebellion against oppression and pain—these are the three core elements of the Will of the Sacred Flame. Similar in principle to Master Ruin's Nether Ghost Qi, yet fundamentally opposed, making them natural enemies.
Within the Promised Land, the Sacred Flame Core and Sacred Flame Token are united. No one knows their true origin, but they can indeed gather the will of all living beings. Through time's upheaval and countless wars, the Manichaean Sect has never fallen, with generations of followers adding to the ever-growing strength of their collective will.
The Manichaean Sect isn't a religion of wise men like Buddhism, nor of hermits like Daoism. The Will of the Sacred Flame isn't calm, detached, or carefree—in fact, it's a bit radical and extreme, but also passionate and powerful. It's the roar of countless ordinary people facing despair, forged by the Sacred Flame Core and the baptism of the Promised Land into the world's fire.
This is what it means to gather faith into divinity—the Will of the Sacred Flame, worshipped by countless followers over the ages, is the Manichaean Sect's man-made god. Each Saintess Ceremony selects a new vessel for the Will. Whoever resonates most deeply, whose spirit is strongest, is favored by the Will and receives its blessings.
Take Faye Bright, for example. Her early breakthrough was surely aided by long-term contact with the Sacred Flame Token. Even with the decline of the Manichaean Sect in the Central Plains, a single Sacred Flame Token can achieve much. If she could receive the full blessing of the Will of the Sacred Flame, the benefits would be unimaginable.
Generation after generation, the Promised Land, the Will of the Sacred Flame, and the Saintess Ceremony have continued in this way.
Until today, everything has been utterly broken.