Hurried steps, shuffling feet, quiet murmurs and deep chants all contributed to the cacophony filling a workshop deep underground as many steps were in motion to achieve one thing, divinity. This wasn't some far fetched goal that others would scoff at, rather most of the world was likely desperately making their final touches for the same thing.

The earth was dying, a process set in motion long ago by the whims of humanity leaving none shocked by its fate, but the current generation was set to perish with it rather than hand this dumpster fire of a situation off to their descendants as had happened so far.

But a silver lining came in the form of the game 'Salvation', possibly alien or divine in origin but the earth's inhabitants were simply too desperate to care. Salvation was a recreation of the earth but with all manner of fiction, mythos, mythology, legends, stories, tales, ideas and creations included. Some people even created new stories and found them fleshed out and brought to life in the game. But the one purpose of the game was ascension, divinity, godhood, call it what you will, but players needed to rise above the rest to escape the earth's terrible fate, and so they did. Thousands, millions, perhaps billions of people found a way to ascend, with all the stories of luck, power and blessings it truly wasn't hard to do, but once one person had ascended their method would be closed off, redundant, impossible to be used again, leaving one less option of salvation for the masses.

Ambrosia, Golden Apples, Flat Peaches, Inheritance, Bestowals, Mutations, Prayers, Divinity, Contracts, Bonding, Breaking Space, Witnessing Infinity, Cosmic Horrors, Cultivation, Super Powers, Theft, Romance; There were billions of possibilities to ascend but also billions of contenders all just hoping to survive. Competition was fierce creating infighting, subterfuge, betrayal and more as the clock ticked down but with such a wide variety of content, Salvation was equally huge, allowing those that wanted to avoid competition to squirrel themselves away.

That's how we find ourselves in a busy lab, deep underground in a seperate space, warded against intruders as earth was gasping it's final breathe and everyone present knew it. The lab was crowded with various figures yet funnily enough, you could say it was only occupied by one being. This was 'Ari's' Lab, he'd forgotten his original name after so many experiments affecting his cognition leaving his identity as his username 'Varied' although his actual tag had several characters around it as finding an original username was rarer than ascension at this point. Back to the lab it was filled with Ari's clones, puppets, robots and more as he was rushing the final steps for his last chance at either salvation or annihilation. He'd spent years trying for Godhood, Cultivation, mutation and several other ways, reaching the pinnacle but finding they were already blocked off no matter how fanciful the method he took to acheive it, so now he was left with something that he didn't quite view as ascension. He'd happened to see someone become a city entirely made of themselves, clones and doppelgangers as the population, mimic houses from their hivemind, flesh and bones forming the walls and pavement with mutated hair forming the Flora and summoned beasts being the fauna. Later he heard they formed a planet entirely made of themself and their abilities to achieve ascension and it gave Ari an idea. Not to form a planet or even a multiple of beings, but one being, stacked so many times together to create a singularity or a new being and hope Salvation viewed it as him ascending the games known species or the concept of an individual of just... something and allowing him to ascend. He really was on his last hope, with no time left to change directions.... it must work.

Among the many different aspects of Salvation, your charachter could change their race and power system relatively freely so Ari had changed his and his clones to multiple races that could possess or inhabit one another like matryoshka dolls. Parasites, Skinwalkers, Mimics, Clones, Ghosts, Sentient Viruses, Symbiotes, Cordyceps Fungus, Demons, Devils, Gods, Cultivators, Spirits, Hive Minds, Future Selves, Mirror Beings, Magicians, Warlocks, Aliens, and the list goes on. As long as the creature existed in myth, legend, fantasy or fiction and it could inhabit another body in some way he had found it, or at least he tried. With each new layer added to his being, they were strengthened through rituals, prayers, spells, elixirs, serums, sci-fi machines and more to help balance the strain of so much mass in one place, the clones were constantly running from place to place, preforming their duties or lining up for their turn to merge as others cleaned the copious amount of blood from the floor from the more violent mergers such as parasites or magic sacrifices.

This wasn't a quick procedure, it had been going on for years as both the number of beings was truly terrifying as well as the steps needed to stabilize the body's foundations so Ari wouldn't, implode, explode, self immolate or any number of nasty things, but as the numbers of clones in the lab dwindled to scarcely more than the supporting staff, the very air began to strain. Ari's multiple faces filled with both worry and determination as multiple treasures were laid on the lab floor, storage spaces filled with legendary items that were to keep someone alive no matter what, were enough to completely cover the tiles around the body as hundred of clones bearing divine and demonic might stepped up for the final moment.

Cracks in space filled the lab as earth likely finally collapsed in the real world but Ari's clones were unshaken, decades had led up to this moment and they couldn't fail now. An ephemeral figure made of all manner of Ghosts, Spirits, Wraiths, Wisps, Phantoms, Souls, Specters, Phantasms and clones capable of possession, floated towards and finally merged with the body in the center. The storage spaces popped like popcorn on the floor as Ari's body went well past it's breaking point and the treasures within exploded trying to keep him alive, but they were ignored as the clones surrounding Ari took on various poses of worship and damnation as godly and demonic bestowals flooded his body as the clones dried up, collapsed, faded away or bled out.

Thousands of races, enough elixirs and serums to drown cities, enough magic and divine power to create suns, all contained into one being, held together by relics and treasures of kingdoms and treasures for a single moment as the real mother earth perished. All for Salvation