Once upon a time... No.<br/>A world existed...Well, not really.<br/>Then you tell them! - ...Tsk, cant you do anything on your own??<br/>then why interrupt! ...Because this is not how this story starts.<br/>***<br/><br/>Going backt to the causality of time and space, some physicists say, that you could calculate the possibility of you 'just disappearing'<br/>from the spot where you are at, and reappearing at a completely different spot. That you indeed<span style="font-style: italic">can</span>exist in two different spots at the same time.<br/><br/>***<br/>If such a world does exist though, it cannot do so at two different spots, so it only exists a half of a whole.<br/>In the multiverse of times and worlds, we could call this a 'half-existing' world.<br/>Why?<br/>Because it is too close to all the others. You could also call it 'a connecting world'<br/>We can't really tell how many of those worlds there are, because they usually appear and collapse suddenly.<br/>But why?<br/>That is, because they cease to exist, when their purpose for connecting two special worlds is gone.<br/>But...<br/><br/>Let's first think how to describe these connections!<br/>Someone once said, the world you and I live in, is not the only one. Instead, it is more like a street, with an infinite amount of lanes next to each other.<br/>Each such lane represents one world. So, while I, for example had a good breakfast today and went out of the house for a healthy walk after it, in another world,<br/>I might be hastily rushing to work, without breakfast and thus inattentive and irritated, finally getting into an accident, and dying.<br/><br/>While this is an extreme example, it could possibly happen, since the amount of worlds is infinite.<br/>Each of our decisions, can influence the world in a major way.<br/>There was this famous philosopher, who one day turned into a Butterfly and just disappeared.<br/>So.. to continue with our example, while there would not be a 'me' in that world, the world itself would still exist.<br/>And while I will probably never meet all the 'I's' and me's of these worlds, innately we are connected.<br/>So, this brings us to the 'connecting' of worlds.<br/>While I do not have the ability to do so, a world that does not have a 'me' in it, has basically an empty space, where 'another me' could settle in, right? But I can't, because my current world would then miss a 'me'.<br/><br/>A connecting world, innately, consists of people that are able to 'switch' and do so.<br/>But what would happen if, suddenly, all of us would suddenly disappear?  The current world 'lane' would probably collapse, unable to support the causality of itself.<br/>A connecting world, instead only exists for the purpose of some day being one of the 'lanes' that merge into another, thus preventing other, more stable worlds to collapse.<br/>So, while neither I nor you have the ability to connect and merge themselves into a world where something is lacking, neither having control over what can happen to our stable world,<br/>this is a story about a world, where people have gained the chance and ability to do so, thus being able to decide their own 'Fate'.<br/><br/>This is a story of both blessed and cursed human beings, who have multiple worlds they - could - belong to.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>A few generations before today..<br/><br/>The Fate Faction was one of the biggest and mightiest entities in this world, before the first Cataclysm of Collapse.<br/>While the Gates were closed, and the world survived, the Faction now split into two different ones, then sprouted even more branches.<br/><br/>Later, the branches were swallowed back into the two main ones, while tension rose and opinions could not differ more.<br/>Those two factions exist even nowadays. While it is not apparent, their conflicts have only eased on the surface, with both being irreconcillable enemies.<br/><br/>The "Closers" Faction, which ironically consists of the enthusiaists of travelling through worlds and times. Those "Closers" are able to close dangerous portals, however, they believe in exploring a challenge instead.<br/>As well as the "Defy Fate" Faction, which consists of opponents of travelling to other worlds. They are mostly able to open a time-space 'rip', and some skilled even a longer lasting portal, however they rather try to protect<br/>people from even entering the naturally formed portals.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The "Earth" has an impossible amount of parallel universes, but only a limited amount of them are accessible to even the travellers. In our limited "strata" , the string, we suspect around 999 worlds to be accessible<br/>From normal and secret records, we have information about around eighty of those worlds.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>Step one, step two, step three - make a turn left, dodge the incoming person and then twenty steps forward. Another three steps and -<br/>"Hey, you are not allowed to be here, kid!" Lycidas scrunched his face, almost rolling his eyes. Kid, huh. If he wasn't forbidden to use his powers ...<br/>Nah, this time he definitely will do it. Better to get out of this crappy place with crappy world and humans. This portal is his best chance!<br/>So instead of listening to the people's warnings, he dodged another grip, and sprinted forward, past the faction guards.<br/>His spiky, bright reddish-yellow hair made him look like a monkey, dodging left and right, when the guardians invoked their binding spells.<br/>"Hey, kid, thats dangerous!" "Since when do the Closers send kids for exploration, dammit?"<br/>Lyc grinned, and made a big jump, to finally land infront of the portal. He felt it vibrating slowly - it could close any moment.<br/>A little girl stood just right next to it, turning around.<br/>"Heh, calling<span style="font-style: italic">me</span>kid when they have another kid here... typical." he murmured, then tried to enter the portal.<br/>Instead, it seemed like they were about to activate the barrier around it in just a moment. The little girl ran infront of him, trying to stop him from entering,<br/>while magic binders were flying all around.<br/>It was too late though!<br/>He grinned and laughed meaningfull towards the female. "Hey Kid, they are talking to you! Outta the WAY!"<br/>Grabbing his magic token, he burst the barrier, before landing a magic high jump over her head into the swirling portaly abyss.<br/>Behind him, a strong suction force emerged, which everyone had to guard against.