  A monistic framework is set up where energy is the only fundamental
substance. Different states of energy are ordered by a set of scalar
qunatum-phase-fields. The dual elements of matter, mass and space, are
described as volume- and gradient-energy contributions of the set of fields,
respectively. Time and space are formulated as background-independent dynamic
variables. The evolution equations of the body of the universe are derived from
first principles of thermodynamics. Gravitational interaction emerges from
quantum fluctuations in finite space. Application to a large number of fields
predicts scale separation in space and repulsive action of masses distant
beyond a marginal distance. The predicted marginal distance is compared to the
size of the voids in the observable universe.
