Valhalla

Valhalla (ヴァルハラ [valhalla] in Japanese) is another dimension related to Gran Pulse in the Final Fantasy XIII series. It is located beyond the Void Beyond, which is also known as Shadow of Valhalla, and is governed by the goddess Etro until her death. It is also the realm where the souls of the dead go, and is normally accessed through the Gate of Etro. Time does not exist in Valhalla, any event in Valhalla is both forever coming, forever present, and forever past.

Valhalla is visited in the game, but only in cutscenes. It is known, however, that a Temple of Etro rises in the middle of Valhalla, and that at its edges is the Sea of Chaos that is the closest place in Valhalla to the physical world.

Birthplace of Humanity

When the goddess Etro originally came to Valhalla, it was at a time when no humans yet existed. However, in the physical world the god Lindzei created humans from Etro's blood. The first humans had no hearts, although they did have a soul. Upon the first dead soul's arrival to Valhalla, Etro took a liking to her and added a kernel of Chaos to her soul, creating a heart, and sent her out to be reborn into the real world. Thereafter she has done the same to all human souls that arrive in her realm, although the first soul is the only one she doesn't erase the previous heart of before sending them to their rebirth.

Dwelling of Chaos

When Etro arrived to Valhalla, the only thing awaiting her there was the Unseen Chaos that threatens to engulf everything. It is interesting to note that in this regard the Chaos is very much like the traditional Final Fantasy series Void, and 'Unseen Chaos' may in fact be another name for the same thing. Whatever the case, due to the nature of Chaos the goddess Etro decided to stay in Valhalla and keep the Chaos in check so it may never threaten the physical world.

When Etro died, the Gate of Etro was thrown wide and the Unseen Chaos was released from Valhalla. Valhalla fused into the physical world, and the Chaos engulfed most of the rest of it. Time ceased to pass in the physical world, as is the basic trait of Valhalla. It is unclear what happened to other dimensions that used to exist between the physical world and Valhalla, namely the Void Beyond. It may be that they ceased to exist entirely in the fusion.