Chapter 1: The end of the world
In a musty old apartment, a man in his mid twenties lays asleep. A frown plagues his face as he writhes in discomfort. Unbeknownst to him, electric blue energy snakes through his veins and causes his body to change. Bones grow thicker, and muscles bulge with untamed power, as the man sleeps all the while.
"...ck...rick...HENRICK!!"
Henrick awakens with a start, gasping for air as he looks around his room. He notices the peeling walls and the boxes of unopened items. He places a hand on his forehead as he takes a deep breath and lays back down.
"Another nightmare."
His deep voice rumbles in his chest and startles his dog, Toots, awake. The canine’s ears perk up at the sound of Henrick getting out from the bed, and stretches languidly as she prepares to greet him. Henrick smiles and ruffles her head as he stands, but almost falls as his limbs somehow feel foreign. He tries to support himself on the bedside table and pierces through the wood as if it was wet paper. Toots rushes forward and gently nudges Henrick’s side as she does her best to support him.
"What the hell? Am I sick? Did they sell me rotting wood??"
With a grunt, Henrick picks himself up from the floor and pets his loyal friend. As he shakily makes his way to the washroom, he passes by a full length mirror and does a double take at what he sees. His once athletic 6 foot 6 inch frame, has somehow become incredibly muscular with broad shoulders. His boxers keep him decent, but he can’t help but admire himself. His face is now more clearly defined, with a proud nose, and a strong jaw. He takes a closer look and realises that his once brown coloured eyes now faintly glow with an electric blue colour.
"...am I still in a dream? Maybe I should workout more, I don’t look half bad with all this muscle."
As the words leave his mouth, the entire building lurches to one side. "Toots!!" Henrick screams as he sees his canine companion slam into the wall next to the window. His eyes widen in fear as he sees the ground coming up to meet them. The last thing he sees is the blood coming out of Toots’ mouth, then the building becomes one with the ground.
With a deafening BOOM, the building crumbles into debris and rubble. The impact is jarring and shakes Hendrick’s brain, but does little more than disorient him. Tons of concrete and rebar bury him and the world goes dark. Yet, somehow, Henrick feels only a slight discomfort.