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Long ago, long before anything with Multiverse ripping happened, many towns had shrines to the same two gods. It often had a statue or mural depicting two people, twins. The depictions and names people gave them changed many times throughout the ages, but the names probably most well known are Ao and Ai.
Together, people knew them as the Travellers, because, well, that's what they were. The people had a strong belief in other worlds existing, where everything could change, from very small things, to completely different rules and Systems, all collected together in what many nowadays probably know as the Multiverse.
Ai was typically the one people would pray to if they wanted to see small changes. "What if I chose that instead?" "What if this person was still here?" "What if I moved here?" "What if I left that behind?" Those were things Ai could let people see.
Ao would typically be the one bringing you to completely different worlds. Had a fantastical dream? Read an great book? There was probably a world out there that matched those, one that Ao could bring you to.
But even though that sounds like some great thing, people started liking it less and less. People who travelled to different Worlds with Ao's blessing were turning into monsters, demons, just like evil creatures from this world, or would come back with injuries and illnesses that were untreatable in their home world. And while the worlds Ai let people see weren't hurting people physically, they were hurting people emotionally, them being devastated and heartbroken by consequences alternate paths brought. So, eventually, people started staying more in their own Universe, praying to Ai and Ao for travel less and less, until they eventually were forgotten.
But, some of their power had been caught in the shrines, so when time passed, corrosion breaking pieces off, now pieces of their power were found by random people.
Those people, to put it kindly, weren't the most careful, just using the power to jump between worlds on a whim, and just leaving rips and tears behind. Ao and Ai did their best to stop them, which honestly wasn't too hard. These people were, as already mentioned, careless, with the Multiverse, but also with themselves, the world they were visiting harmless to the inhabitants who were used to it and knew what to do, but very dangerous to people who had never been there before. So both with the dangerous Universes these people visized, along with Ao and Ai themselves, it isn't a suprise there was a short, seemingly random spike in missing persons cases there. So, eventually, Ao and Ai managed to be the only ones left who could travel between Universes. Something they felt to be a good thing, because at least they knew how to travel without causing damage.
Well, in come the Recreyo Crew. A group of friends who recently had been in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, after accidentally destroying some old looking trinket at a Flea Market. They paid for it, but the old Lady was saying something about a curse, and them never being able to truly perish no matter how much pain they felt, they honestly hadn't really tried to make sense of it, not believing in curses and stuff, so they just chalked it up to old fairy tales.
Well, that was until Ivan tripped over some weird rock. They'd normally just tease him a bit and then move on, but the rock starting to glow and some portal opening up wasn't exactly something you could put under the "normal" category. After a bit of confusion, discussion and arguing, they pick the rock up, and somehow manage to close the portal. They decide to take the rock with them (unaware of the fury of two old gods that'd soon be on them). After all, what's the worst that could happen?