1 Chapter 1: last wish

Wet tears streamed down Henry's cheeks, his last flicker of hope fading as he gazed at the computer screen. Immobilized, he could only stare, unable to move a single muscle.

"Damn this cursed body," he thought bitterly, "Damn these demons in human flesh," he silently yelled Internally. He hadn't always been so frail and vulnerable.

ALS had struck when he was just 28 years old, robbing him of his vitality. In his youth, he had been groomed for greatness, born into a proud lineage of martial artist on his father's side. Trained rigorously from childhood, he possessed both the talent and physique for the job, rising swiftly to the top in tournaments. Later in life even going to the Olympics and signing a contract with the UFC.

Despite the promising career in martial arts that lay ahead, he nurtured a second passion: robotics. Fascinated by the resilience and prowess of machines portrayed in iconic films and TV shows, he pursued his studies fervently. Dubbed "Cyborg" in the fighting scene, his dual talents melded seamlessly, each enhancing the other.

While his father urged him to focus solely on fighting, believing it to be his ticket to greatness, his mother encouraged his pursuit of knowledge, recognizing the value of versatility. However, at 28, it all came crashing down.

During a crucial fight, his leg stiffened mid-kick, causing his defeat. It was then revealed, amidst controversy, that his body was afflicted with an uncommon muscle disorder. Rushed to the hospital, he received the devastating diagnosis of ALS, marking the beginning of his decline.

Due to his fighting career, it had accelerated the muscle dystrophy. He witnessed the body he had sculpted through tears, blood, and years of hard work deteriorate before him. Still being his parents' first son, and with all the money he had made with his short successful fighter career, they hired professional doctors and nurses to take care of his needs.

In reality, he knew this was his parents throwing him away. They visited him in the beginning, but he could see that they had completely given up on him and had only cared when he was 'useful'. His father, especially, started paying more attention to his younger kid brother and no longer visited him. Later, he heard that his parents got into a big fight after his father had found out that his mother's family carried the genes for ALS developing in their offspring. This led to a divorce, worsening his situation with his family.

Friends he considered family had completely abandoned him as well, even talking behind his back about how they couldn't be seen with a disappointment like him. His mental health took a steep decline; he couldn't even take his own life because of his condition.

One day, his kid brother, who had always looked up to him while growing up together, paid him a visit. This brightened him up so much that he felt if he still had his kid brother, surely he could keep his head high.

"Hmph, look at you, older brother. Look at how pathetic and weak you have become. It serves you right. After all, this is how I felt when mom and dad only paid attention to you. I just came here to tell you that I've always hated you and I'm happy that this is how you turned out. I'm going to surpass you, and this is the last time I'll come see a loser like you. So just do the family a favor and die so I can wipe this disgrace from my family," said his kid brother as he walked out of the room, leaving him with an emotional despair that hurt him deep, deeper than anyone had ever hit him.

He could just sit there and cry. A cry that only he could hear.

After that, he lived his days completely shut off from communicating with anyone, even the terrible nurses who treated him badly and verbally abused him, knowing he couldn't defend himself. It wasn't until one day a lifeline appeared in the form of his professor from the university he had previously attended.

It was hard for him to care why anyone would visit him, but his professor showed him something that rekindled the fighting spirit within him. The professor informed him that a company was investing in new research on nanotechnology, with the professor leading the project. Remembering Henry's brilliance in robotics, despite his condition, the professor sought his input to create new nanobots that could heal and assist individuals like him in recovering from their ailments, ultimately preventing others from suffering the same fate.

With renewed inspiration and assistance, Henry seized this lifeline and resolved to come back stronger, seeking revenge on those who had forsaken him. A decade passed, and they finally achieved a breakthrough. For the first time in a long while, Henry felt a sense of happiness, as he was on the brink of reclaiming the life he had grown accustomed to living in isolation.

However, the situation before him shattered his emotional resilience, even more so than what happened with his kid brother. In front of him, he saw that the professor he had worked with for the past decade had betrayed him. An email arrived earlier, stripping him of any credit for the project and threatening to blacklist him from receiving the nanotechnology treatment. All he had to do was sign some digital documents relinquishing him of any participation, and he won't come after them in any shape or form.

Why? Why did he deserve all these punishments? He reluctantly signed the docs. If he could recieve the treatment then he still had hope of revenge. It didnt matter if he had to start from scratch again, they would feel his wrath one day.

Suddenly, he found himself gasping for air, his vision blurring, and his hands trembling as he struggled to call for help. He smashed the emergency button on his chair to call for help. One second turned to ten. But the nurses didn't come, and a chilling message on his computer screen arrived eerily on time to add to his despair: "No one is coming, do us a favor and please die."

Those words pierced him, reinforcing his sense of abandonment by humanity itself. They had tempered with his body somehow he thought, as his vision faded, he soon succumbed to his cruel fate. If he had one last wish, it was to be reincarnated as a robot, free from the vulnerabilities of the human condition, and powerful enough to take control of his own destiny, never to be taken advantage of again.