Invalid

Prologue

As I held the die in my hands in front of the Gehenna gate with my back facing the elders and the rest of the kids born on the same say as me, my grandfather's words echoed in my mind.

"It's simple- just roll the die," my grandfather told me, "and your future is set."

"But mind you," he added, "you better make shit sure that you don't roll a god damned one."

I knew that. How can I not, really, when my grandfather reminds me every other day.

It is a beautiful die, one of a kind. Made of the finest white marble, lined with the most precious of gems, it is the die that would make or break my entire future. It is said that the die relies not merely on luck, but also on the innate power within one's very being.

The future dictated by the die is absolute. President Guai said so.

I shivered. It seems like when one is about to leave his fate to a cube like this, one gets terribly cold.

"Goodluck, Lee!"

"Yeah, don't get a one!"

"Well, here goes nothing," and with a short prayer, I released the die from between my cold, clammy hands.

The die spins as it drops. And when it landed, it was the most peculiar sight.

The die's face- two faces to be exact- reflected my shocked look upon the shiny surface. One golden dot on the left and six golden dots on the right, like glittery eyes that gave me the look that shouted: "You're fucked."

If a person rolled a "one" with the die, he or she is usually bound to common domestic animal guardians like hamsters or weak ones like grasshoppers, beings at the bottom of the foodchain. It sucks, and you would probably become servants or cleaners, but at least you were part of society. At least you have employment is protected under the social welfare scheme of the government.

Yeah, to roll a one sucks donkey balls. But me, I must be sucking the cheesiest most disgusting donkey balls ever.

How could this happen to me? The die balanced, perfectly, by itself on its edge, like a show you would see in a circus. Well, at least you enjoy a circus performance.

Not this one.

My die landed on its fucking edge.

It is the only fate that is worse than rolling a one.

My name is Lee Soon Weng.

I am an Invalid.