The Price of a Bad Roll
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1. The Dice Are Cast (Tom's POV – A Gamble Beyond His Control)
The tavern fell silent as Tom's dice clattered across the table.
Golden light flickered along their surface, the numbers shifting unnaturally.
Then—they stopped.
Snake Eyes.
A pair of ones.
The worst possible outcome.
A murmur swept through the crowd. Even Azarek arched an eyebrow. "That," he said, voice low, "is a roll that should not have been possible for you."
Tom clenched his jaw. Something felt wrong.
From the moment he picked up the dice, there had been a presence—something pulling his fate in an unnatural direction.
Like someone was reaching across reality to rig the game against him.
Azarek studied him for a long moment, then leaned back in his chair. "You understand the stakes, don't you?"
Tom didn't hesitate. "What do I lose?"
Azarek's grin was sharp. "You."
The tavern erupted in hushed murmurs.
A failed gamble in the Dice Realms meant a debt must be paid. And Tom had just lost himself.
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2. The Consequence of Failure (Tom Becomes a Wager Himself)
Azarek tapped the table, and the dice he had rolled dissolved into smoke, reforming into golden chains. They slithered through the air before clamping around Tom's wrist.
The moment they touched him, a cold shiver ran through his body.
Something shifted inside him.
His luck, his connection to fate itself, felt like it had just been severed.
"Until you earn your way out," Azarek said smoothly, "your fate is no longer yours to control."
Tom frowned, flexing his fingers. The weight of probability was gone.
For the first time since waking in this world, he felt... mortal.
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
Azarek smirked. "You relied on luck, Gambler. Now, let's see what you are without it."
The training had begun.
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3. The Road to the Dice Lords (Tom's Training Begins Without Luck)
Over the next few weeks, Tom learned what it truly meant to live in the Dice Realms without luck.
🔹 Every dice roll was raw, unforgiving chance. He could no longer subtly influence the outcome.
🔹 Combat was brutal. The warriors of this world weren't just fighters—they were probability tacticians, adjusting their moves based on their rolls.
🔹 Gambling became a risk. Without his gift, he lost over and over again, forcing him to rely on skill rather than divine luck.
And for the first time, the world started to feel real.
Not just a game. Not just a gamble.
A world where people lived, fought, and died based on their choices.
The arrogance of relying on fate began to crack inside him.
And in the quiet moments—flashes of something familiar flickered in his mind.
A voice.
A memory.
But every time he reached for it, it slipped through his fingers.
Something was keeping him from remembering.
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4. The Council's Hand in Fate (Council POV – They Rig the Game Further)
Far beyond the Dice Realms, in the Celestial Council's war chamber, Vael observed the shifting fate threads.
A golden projection of Tom hovered above the table, surrounded by a lattice of probabilities, all bending unnaturally.
Saelari, the Indigo-Robed Woman, stepped forward. "He's adapting."
Vael's fingers curled. "We took his luck. That should have left him crippled."
Malrik chuckled darkly. "Perhaps we miscalculated. He's learning to survive without it."
Saelari's gaze was unreadable. "Should we intervene again?"
Vael exhaled slowly, then reached forward, touching the fate threads.
"Not yet."
The threads shifted, twisting into a new shape.
"If he refuses to break," Vael murmured, "then we raise the stakes."
And with a wave of his hand, Tom's first true nightmare in the Dice Realms began.
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5. The First True Death Roll (Tom's POV – A Game He Can't Afford to Lose)
Tom stood in a wide stone arena, facing a hooded figure holding a massive, gilded die in one hand.
The crowd around them roared.
This was a Death Roll.
A gamble where both parties roll—and the loser forfeits something more than just money.
Azarek's voice rang out from the stands. "Survive this, Gambler, and maybe I'll tell you what you truly lost."
Tom rolled his shoulders, his heartbeat steady despite the odds.
He was about to bet his life on pure chance.
And for the first time, there was no hidden advantage. No luck manipulation.
It was just him…
And the dice.
The hooded figure lifted the golden die, its surface engraved with ever-changing symbols of fate.
And then—
They rolled.
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