The Witch of Izalith tried to recreate the Flame. She failed. She became the , birthing demons that overran her city.
– The final collapse. The royal family bred heirs specifically to link the fire. Prince Lothric, raised as a Lord of Cinder, rejected his duty. "The fire linking curse is a lie." In response, the bell tolls. The unkindled rise—not true undead, but failed ash from previous linkings. Their purpose: force Lothric to his throne. dark souls franchise codex
Three kingdoms rise on the bones of the last. The Witch of Izalith tried to recreate the Flame