Within the At'ama, it functioned much differently than the physical world. It existed as a higher dimension, making three-dimensional beings from the Nie'mada unable to perceive this Spiritual World or even move within its vicinity due to it functioning off of fourth-dimensional space.
No creature from the physical world can move within four-dimensional space, which is often considered to be time—mainly because they can only move forward in time—and not freely navigate through it as they do with the three spatial dimensions of length, width, and height.
One would need certain magic to perceive or even traverse through this realm, such as Merlin.
Four-dimensional space is perpendicular to all existing spatial directions, meaning that the Mortalkind of the Nie'mada are unable to "see" it in the same way they see length, width, and height.
But through Spirit Magic, Merlin could perceive the 4th Dimension with relative ease.
Spirit Magic was comprised of Spirit Particles; an information that existed solely in the At'ama, and unbound by the three-dimensional world, known as the Nie'mada.
It's one of the reasons why Spirits are invulnerable to the magic of the Physical World; mainly due to three-dimensional Magic having no effect on them.
Silohaitus. A spell that bestowed Merlin means of perceiving the At'ama.
Sileoha. Another spell that gifted Merlin means of moving within temporal dimensions.
With it, both Merlin and Lilith navigated throughout the Penumbra of the At'ama, seeking the Great Mage's headquarters.
"I see. So you live within the Penumbra?" Asked Lilith as she walked behind her master.
"Yes, the Penumbra is far safer than Oblivion and Elysium."
The Elufray spirits resided within this part of the At'ama.
The Penumbra was considered to be an exact copy of the Nie'mada in terms of architectural design, and layout, except far more complex due to its metaphysical aspects; trees would appear transparent, the sky was a rainbow color, and the ground had a non-Euclidean Geometry unlike the Nie'mada.
"Elufray spirits are often spending most of their time breaching into the physical world for their own beneficial gains, usually to spread the fear of what they embody." Merlin entered a dark forest as Lilith followed suit. "The Spirit of Halloween would visit the Nie'mada to spread the fear of Halloween, or the Spirit of Fire would enter to spread the fear of Fire. It's how they keep themselves alive, and stronger."
"Hmm. What are you saying?"
Merlin grinned underneath her hood.
"Above all the Elufray Spirits, I've acquired the strongest of them all."
She stopped in the midst of the forest.
"Come forth, Spirit of Darkness, Erebus!"
Thus, the entire forest around them came to life, as if it was breathing.
Nightmarish creatures howled in the distance as the sound of ghoulish entities traversed the darkness, slouching over like the undead.
Bats fluttered through the forest and turned into vampires.
Werewolves ran through the darkness and snarled like the wild beasts they were.
"Oh?"
"These are the creatures feared in the darkness by Mortalkind." Merlin glanced at the Idea of Evil with a bewitching smile. "And for Erebus... well... we are inside their body as we speak."
"Inside their body?"
"Indeed—Erebus is this entire forest—this is their domain, and it's where my headquarters lay." Merlin ambled forward and proceeded through the darkness.
The nightmarish creatures around them remained stagnant.
Lilith followed her master, but her aura was enough to make the creatures bow down before her as if knowing she was the Idea of Evil itself.
"We've arrived."
Merlin was standing in the middle of nowhere with a floating purple orb hovering in front of her.
"Hm?" Lilith raised her brows, a bit confused.
"I've hidden my Headquarters with powerful magic that only I can access." The Great Mage stretched her hand forward, casting a magic circle. "It can only be accessed through my mana and Spirit incantation."
"Spirit Incantation? Do you mean the Ama tongue?"
The Mage nodded.
"Indeed." Spinning her magic circle clockwise, the purple orb rotated in motion.
"Adu Adu, Niel Amora, Gransha Adu, Golga Ham Orez! Niel Amora, Golga At'ama, Merlin Gielfa!"
Speaking in the tongue of spirits, the purple orb continued spinning clockwise until it burst into a ball of fire.
Thus, out came the expansion of space, engulfing Merlin and Lilith within a large alchemy room full of magical devices and experiments taking place.
"Here is where we'll discuss our plans dealing with Grimhild."
Lilith gazed around the room, intrigued by the dozen alchemy tables and magical armaments hung on walls and put in display cases.
"Was all of this compressed within that purple sphere of yours?"
Merlin giggled.
"You're quick to catch on, but yes, my headquarters was kept inside a magical artifact of mine that could compress space and store things inside of it."
Merlin approached a door at the end of her room.
"But we'll talk about this later, follow me."
Opening the door, she walked into a corridor, heading toward the end of the hallway.
Everything was massive, akin to a mansion— in fact, it was a mansion!
They walked through the chambers until they found themselves in a large meeting room.
"So you finally returned, Merlin."
At least three Elufray spirits were shown seated at the table; many of which were self-explanatory given their appearance.
A woman dressed in Greek clothing with flaming hair was the fire spirit, Blaze.
An androgynous boy with blue hair and feminine clothes, surrounded by a frosty air was the ice spirit, Frost.
A woman with a golden halo behind her back, a beautiful face, and clothing fit for a goddess was the Light Spirit, Illumina.
"Greetings Blaze, Frost, and Illumina, sorry to keep you waiting." Merlin approached the end of the table, sitting down as the head of this meeting. "I've brought a guest with us."
"Merlin!!!" Flames erupted from Blaze's head like a volcano as she slammed her fists on the table. "You kept us waiting all this time because you were gathering another spirit?"
Merlin nodded.
"Of course, though this spirit is quite different."
"Oh... is that... so?" Frost, the Ice Spirit, had a monotone voice, and bland expression, gazing upon Lilith.
"My my, she reminds me of Erebus, the Dark Spirit. Just who did you bring here, Merlin?" Asked Illumina with a heartwarming smile.
"I've brought the Idea of Evil into my abode."
Everyone widened their eyes in shock.
Blaze, the hotheaded spirit nearly jumped out of her skin. Frost, the coldhearted spirit could only show surprise in his bland expression. But Illumina, the Light Spirit, chuckled.
"Is that so? Never would I expect to see the Idea of Evil herself before my very eyes. Tell me, how did you get someone like her to help us defeat Grimhild?"
"That doesn't matter." Merlin conjoined her hands together, resting her chin underneath their dorsal side. "What matters is what she can do to help us."
Lilith ambled forward and pulled out a chair, taking a seat at the backend of the table.
"Relay to me the plan, master, I'll help in any way I can."
"M-Master?" Said Blaze in shock.
"Why did she call you master?" Asked Frost.
"Alright then." Merlin stretched her hand forward and cast Projanta. "Within this hologram is the Nie'mada, the physical world. Grimhild lives here alongside her newfound friends."
"Who are her friends?" Asked Lilith.
"They go by the names Elizabeth, Kyto, and Jean. Not to mention, Chroliosa."
A zoom-in of Elizabeth and Kyto took place, showing their whereabouts.
Illumina shot open her eyes.
"Chroliosa? What is she doing with Grimhild?"
"That is not like her…" Said frost, bland as ever.
"That damn Chroliosa!! She always made my blood boil, but this is going too far!" Blaze balled her hands into a fist. "Betraying us over that Witch of Destruction?! Arghh! Damnit!"
"Grimhild defeated Chroliosa with Destruction Magic and then used a powerful Resurrection spell that could even bring back one's nucleus from complete annihilation."
"Bring back ones… nucleus? Is that even possible?" Questioned Illumina.
"It wasn't at first… but Grimhild is on a different level. She defies the arts of the arcane, though I managed to copy her spell."
"Impressive…" Said Frost.
"I've learned from the best, and now I'm aiming to defeat the best. Grimhild will die, I'll make sure of it." Merlin gazed upon her hologram.
"Though there's been a change of plans that you all are unaware of, except for Lilith."
"What is it?" Asked Blaze.
"Chroliosa told Grimhild of our headquarters, which could only mean that she will arrive here soon."
"…What a shame." Said Illumina, disappointed.
"We will move our headquarters into the Ol'trinian."
"…" Frost stared at Merlin, slightly hesitant.
"Why are we moving to such a dangerous place?" Asked Illumina.
"It is the only realm that is safe from Grimhild. My plans to capture Elizabeth and Kyto and use them to my advantage were ruined by underestimating their strength."
"That's what ego does to you." Proclaimed Illumina with a smirk.
"Yes, that is my fault, I can admit that much. But Elizabeth's Martial Arts transcends the boundaries of any normal Kaizamei I've ever seen."
"If I may ask, what exactly is the Ol'trinian?" Questioned Blaze.
Merlin glanced at the Fire Spirit, in contempt.
"I expected nothing less from a hotheaded spirit like yourself…"
"What was that??" Blaze shouted in anger.
"The Ol'trinian is a realm that encompasses a Sphere. In our Sphere, it is known as the Bifrost."
A Sphere is the universe itself. It contains many things that make up the world. Each sphere sits atop the Halvrendor and they vary in mana and lifespan. Yggdrasil itself counted as a Sphere.
Each Sphere across Halvrendor contains multiple timelines throughout the Physical and Spiritual World.
Spheres are known to contain the Nie'mada and At'ama, however, there are realms even above that known as the Afterlife, Hyperuranion, and Ol'trinian.
The Afterlife was an endless realm with infinite realities that were crafted by the cultural beliefs of Mortalkind throughout the Sphere. Each reality contains a different afterlife that is formed from the collective unconscious of Mortalkind. There is a Hell, Heaven, Nirvana, and many other afterlives that are believed by certain cultures across the Sphere, and it is where they'll go when they die.
The Hyperuranion was a realm beyond the confines of the physical and spiritual world and is by far the most important realm throughout the entire Sphere. Asgard was considered the Hyperuranion of Yggdrasil.
Within this realm, the Elohim emanate their laws/authorities across the entire Sphere, reaching every corner of creation. The God of Fire emanates the law of fire throughout the Sphere, and the God of Physics emanates the law of physics throughout the Sphere, etc.
If a God were to die, then so would the law they embody, which would unbalance the world as a byproduct, however, they can resurrect over time but it would take eons for them to do so. The only way to reach this divine realm is through the Ol'trinian.
The Ol'trinian was a massive sea of mana that encompassed everything within the Sphere, treating them as atoms within a Great Ocean.
The Bifrost is known as the Ol'trinian of Yggdrasil.
The purpose of this realm is to separate the Nie'mada, At'ama, Afterlife, and Hyperuranion. When accessing this realm without proper protection, those who wander in this chaotic domain would soon have their body, soul, and nucleus devoured into this infinite sea of mana.
It's the only gateway to Hyperuranion as it has something known as a "Conceptual Axis" that connects all realms of the Sphere, acting as a metaphysical passageway that the Elohim can walk on to reach other worlds, though it was sealed during the Legendary Age by Excalibur.
"Bifrost? Never heard of it, but it's not like I care, as long as I get to kill Grimhild then that's all that matters!" Said Blaze with a smirk.
"Good, I'm glad there's no contentions." Proclaimed Merlin.
"How will we access this realm? The Bifrost is far more incomprehensible than Asgard. We'll lose our minds trying to comprehend it." Said Lilith.
Merlin chuckled. "I'm glad you asked. You see… I've developed a new magic."
"A magic that can resist the Bifrost? Impossible…" Said Illumina.
"Ufufufu~! Nothing is impossible for someone like me…"
+
"There's no Golem in sight." Chroliosa strolled next to Grimhild, walking through Goliath Mansion. "You would expect someone as important as Goliath to have hundreds of Golems inside the mansion protecting him."
"Masa and Mune are more than enough." Said Grimhild, blunt.
"Yet you took them out with relative ease…"
"There will be no one on my level of magic to enter this village, so there's nothing to worry about."
"What about Merlin?" Questioned the time spirit.
"Even she's not on my level, though she will pose a threat to them both."
Chroliosa sighed.
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."
"She has no reason to be here. She doesn't even know its whereabouts." Grimhild said, turning right into a corridor.
"I suppose so."
They both ambled through the corridor, seeing a door at the very end of the hallway. It was metal and had many complex runes inscribed into its exterior.
"This must be it." Proclaimed Chroliosa.
"Yes, this is Goliath's main office, once we enter, be on your best behavior."
The spirit nodded, slightly nervous.
"Understood, master."
Approaching the metal door, Grimhild placed her hand on its surface.
"Ah, it's made of Mythril Ore."
"Mythril Ore? Doesn't that nullify all magic?"
"Yes."
Grimhild cast a magic circle and suddenly blew down the door with Flez Dona.
"Gaaah??! W-Why did you do that?!" Shouted Chroliosa.
"Humph!"
A large man leaped into the air, holding a massive broadsword in his hand.
"Haaaaghh!!"
Swinging the sword downward, Grimhild erected a magical barrier, blocking the blade.
"Elgronte!"
"Grrrghh!"
He applied more pressure to his weapon, attempting to break through the magical barrier, but there was no luck.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Goliath?"
"Hm?"
The large man, wearing a red suit of armor and multiple scars on his face back flipped away, landing on his feet.
"Is that you, Brunhilda?"
"Indeed. How have you been, dear old friend?"
Chroliosa was jaw-dropped, glancing at the witch in awe.
"Brunhilda…? Is that your real name?"
Grimhild ignored the time spirit and removed the magical barrier from her body.
"I've come here to ask for a favor if that isn't obvious enough."
Goliath jabbed his sword into the floor and sat down behind his desk.
"I see. Well, who am I to decline? You saved my people a few years ago during the Dragon Raid."
Grimhild nodded her head and sat in front of the desk while Chroliosa stood in the back, confused about everything.
"I've come here to ask for a Fusion Core."
Goliath lifted his brows.
"A Fusion Core? Why does someone like you need a powerful item like that? They're magical, nuclear batteries, constructed with Midgard technology. They have enough power to wipe out entire countries, and you expect me to hand one over?"
"Of course I do… it's for Obsidia."
"Huh? Wait… do you mean…"
"Yes. The Golem of Providence."