Chapter 1: Afterlife

In a distant galaxy, in the vast expanse of the universe known as Uar, magic and advanced technology coexist in a way that would seem impossible to those from less advanced worlds. The floating city of Valrium, a metropolis of golden spires and glittering towers, is a hub of commerce and trade, attracting merchants, bounty hunters, and all manner of beings from across the stars. But Valrium is more than just a center of commerce and trade; it is a place of darkness and danger, where the shadows hide secrets and the streets are filled with all manner of threats. Despite its beauty and prosperity, Valrium is a city on the edge, constantly threatened by those who would seek to use its power and influence for their own ends. It is a place where one must always be vigilant, for even in the light of day, danger lurks around every corner.

The streets of Valrium are alive with activity at all hours of the day and night. By day, the city is a bustling metropolis, filled with merchants hawking their wares and street performers putting on shows for the crowds. The air is thick with the smell of spices and cooking food, and the sound of music and laughter fills the air. But as the sun begins to set and the shadows grow longer, the city takes on a different character. The streets become more dangerous, as thieves and pickpockets emerge from the shadows to prey on the unwary. The neon lights of the bars and clubs flicker to life, inviting all manner of beings to come and lose themselves in the pleasures of the night. And in the darkest alleys and corners of the city, darker forces gather, conspiring to use Valrium's power and influence for their own twisted ends. But even in the midst of this danger, the people of Valrium carry on, drawn by the city's promise of opportunity and prosperity. For in this city of gold, anything is possible for those brave enough to pursue it.

Dex was just a boy when his world was torn apart by violence and loss. He grew up in the slums of Valrium, where life was hard and danger lurked around every corner. His family was poor, but they were happy, and Dex dreamed of one day making a better life for himself and those he loved. But those dreams were shattered one night when a violent gang stormed into his home, killing his parents and siblings in a brutal attack. The night the gang broke into Dex's home was a night that would haunt him forever. He had been fast asleep, lost in the peaceful dreams of childhood, when he was suddenly awoken by the sound of shattering glass. He sat up in bed, his heart racing, as he realized that his home was under attack.

He could hear the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs, the sound of laughter and shouting. He could see the flickering light of flames from the living room, and the smell of smoke filled his nostrils. He knew he had to get out of there, but he was frozen with fear, unable to move.

It was then that he heard the sound of his mother's voice, shouting his name.

"Dex! Dex, get up! We have to go, now!"

She burst into his room, her face contorted with fear, and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of bed. He stumbled after her, his legs barely able to hold him up, as she dragged him towards the window.

"We have to jump!" she shouted, wrenching the window open.

Dex looked out at the drop below and shook his head. "We'll never make it!"

"We have to try!" his mother replied, desperation in her voice.

She boosted him up onto the windowsill, and Dex hesitated for just a moment before leaping out into the darkness. He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath out of him, but he barely had time to recover before his mother was jumping out after him.

They hit the ground together, and his mother grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"We have to run!" she shouted, tugging him towards the alleyway.

But it was too late. The gang was already upon them, a group of brutal thugs armed with knives and guns. They surrounded Dex and his mother, leering at them with cold, cruel eyes.

"Where do you think you're going, little boy?" one of them sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Please, let us go!" Dex's mother begged, tears streaming down her face.

But the gang just laughed and moved in closer, their knives glinting in the dim light.

And then, in a blur of motion, they were upon them. Dex felt the sharp pain of a blade slicing into his skin, and then everything went black.

Hours passed as the boy and his family's corpses lay still on those cold, hard streets. The darkness seemed to press in all around them, a suffocating cloak that seemed to mock their lifeless forms.

But then, as the night wore on, the sound of slow footsteps began to approach. Jhin, the legendary body modifier, emerged from the shadows, his cybernetic eyes flickering with a cold, calculating light as he examined the bodies that lay before him.

"What do we have here?" he muttered to himself, his voice cold and robotic. "What a waste. What a shame."

He stood there for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to decide what to do. And then, with a sudden burst of inspiration, he snapped his fingers.

"Up-up, I guess," he said, a sly grin spreading across his face. "That's what people say."

"My, oh my, you are a heavy lifeless corpse, aren't ya?" Jhin said, lifting Dex's lifeless body and carrying him back to his secret laboratory.

As Jhin returned to his laboratory with the boy's lifeless body in tow, he was greeted by a chaotic scene. The rooms were stained with blood and a variety of other strange substances, the floors slick and treacherous beneath his feet. Knives and medical tools were scattered haphazardly across his workstation, the air thick with the smell of chemicals and the hum of machinery.

Jhin barely noticed the mess, his mind focused solely on the task at hand. He was used to the chaos of his laboratory, and he thrived in it. This was his domain, a place where he could push the boundaries of what was possible and create things that no one had ever seen before. He laid the boy's body down on the surgical table and began preparing for the long hours of surgery that lay ahead. He was a master of his craft, and he knew that he had the skills and knowledge to bring the boy back to life.

Jhin stood over Dex's lifeless body, a look of disgust on his heavily augmented face. With a sigh, he reached for a pair of surgical gloves, his mechanical hands clicking and whirring as he pulled them on. Each finger of the gloves was equipped with a different tool, from tiny blades to lasers that could burn and seal his patients' wounds. Jhin himself was barely human anymore, his body a patchwork of cybernetic implants and prosthetics. But he was fine with that. In his mind, the limitations of flesh and bone were things to be overcome, and he saw each of his patients as an opportunity to push the boundaries of what was possible.

As he leaned over Dex's body, Jhin couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. The boy was nothing more than a lifeless husk, a victim of the brutal violence that plagued the streets of Valrium. But Jhin saw something more in Dex, a spark of potential that he was determined to unlock. With a flick of a switch, he activated the machines that would keep Dex alive during the long hours of surgery that lay ahead.

"Tisk tisk, what a shame," Jhin muttered as he began his work, his mechanical hands moving with precise, practiced movements. "But don't worry, my boy. I'll make you something special. Something that will make those who wronged you pay."

Jhin was a master of his craft, and as he worked on the lifeless body of the boy who lay before him, he knew that he was creating something truly special. His precision and technique were unmatched, and he spared no expense in outfitting the boy with the most advanced cybernetic implants available, even those that were illegal in the city of Valrium.

The boy's arms were replaced with cybernetic limbs that granted him superhuman strength and speed. His legs were replaced with cybernetic prosthetics that allowed him to glide through the air and jump to incredible heights. And his right eye was fitted with a cybernetic implant that gave him the ability to heat scan his surroundings.

But even with all these enhancements, the boy remained lifeless, just a shell on a surgical table. Jhin knew that he needed to do something more to bring him back to life. And so, with a graceful motion, he placed his hands together and began to chant, summoning forth the ancient magic that flowed through his veins.

A glowing green aura surrounded his hands as he focused his power, and with a wave of his hands, he channeled the energy into the boy's chest. For a moment, nothing happened, and Jhin feared that he had failed. But then, with a sudden gasp, the boy sat up, his cybernetic eye flickering to life.

"Where am I?" Dex asked, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. He was confused and disoriented, his mind still foggy from the strange experience of being brought back to life.

Jhin chuckled, a giant grin spreading across his heavily augmented face. "You are where you are, boy," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "And let me tell you, it's not the afterlife."

Dex looked around, his vision still blurry and his mind struggling to grasp what was happening. He couldn't be sure if he was dreaming or if this was all really happening. "Is this the afterlife?" he asked, his voice filled with hope.

Jhin let out a harsh laugh. "Don't be silly, boy. If this was the afterlife, then I guess we're both in Hell. But no, you're very much alive. Do you remember anything?"

Dex closed his eyes, trying to gather his scattered thoughts and memories. And then, with a sudden rush of clarity, he remembered. "Mom..." he whispered, the word sending shivers down his spine and a fiery rage filling his heart.

The memories came flooding back then, the violence and terror of the night his family was taken from him. He remembered the sound of shattering glass, the smell of smoke and the feel of cold steel slicing into his flesh. And he remembered the gang, the brutal thugs who had murdered his family and left him for dead.

As the memories came crashing down, Dex felt a burning desire for revenge. He wanted to find those who had wronged him and make them pay.