This is a world where everything is determined by a huge building with genius people in it. We call them Life Core. I don't exactly know whether they're geniuses or not, but only the chosen ones can join the Life Core.

We live in a dome, the only part of Earth where we can breathe. The only part of the Earth where humans can live. It is, however, a restricted area, so there aren't many mortals living here.

Humans are the only ones who survived. I'm not sure what happened, but I've never seen any creatures other than humans. My mother says Grandpa always tells her about animals and plants.

Animals are living creatures but have unique features on their bodies, such as beaks and fur. Plants are also creatures, but they need dirt to live.

The two strange creatures I've never seen sound interesting, yet I can't picture how they look. What is a beak? What is fur? What is a leaf? Grandpa said his father once said there were many books about them out there.

But the books are nowhere to be found. They're gone; nobody has seen what books looked like. But old people tend to say they looked like laptops, but you needed to open the pages one by one gently.

I feel like these "books" they were talking about sounded kind of lame, because the old people said not everyone loves to read them.

As I was saying, it is a restricted area. The number of people living in our dome is limited. There are only 160 people living here; it has never been more throughout the years. It's because of the thing I mentioned about our world: everything is determined by the people in the huge building we call Life Core.

Life Core determines our names, our birth, our sexes, our genders, and even our lifespan. We would be born when they say we'll be born. We would die when they say we'll die.

The thing you need to remember is the way Life Core determines our lifespan. When you turn 17, there will be numbers to show you how many years you have left. Once someone reaches the determined year, they'll die and a new generation will be born.

There are rumors about our lifespan. Some say Life Core gives only 0.1 percent of people in our dome an infinite lifespan. In other words, they're immortal. They'll live for as long as the world exists.

Some people want to be immortal. Yet, nobody has received an infinite lifespan.

So, what about me, you may ask?

I'll turn 17 in the next ten minutes. This means I'll receive my lifespan from Life Core to see if they've determined my fate with the luck everyone would like to have.

No one knows how Life Core observes our lives. All we know is that they know every move we've made, and they're the ones who decide whether we'll have a good life or not.

Maybe they are what you call gods. I've heard there are things called religions and gods before. Like, religion is your belief that holds your life together, and God is the one you cherish in life. Or sort of? I don't get it.

Because we don't have things like those.

We're all born from a hole named The Life Starter. Our parents come to take us away and care for us until we can live on our own.

I knew these things from my parents. I was a pretty curious kid, which they thought was great, because they said I'd grow up to be a smart kid.

"William, dear, are you ready for your birthday party?" asked Mom. I turned around to see my mom standing in the doorway in a beautiful blue dress.

She looked beautiful.

I gave her a wide smile. "I have no idea why you and Dad would want to hold a party for my 17th birthday. It's not like I'm someone special anyway."

She shook her head. "What are you talking about? You are the most special person we've ever met. You're our son!"

I laughed faintly. Being her son is the greatest choice Life Core has ever given me. We walked downstairs to attend my birthday party in the backyard. People were cheering when I arrived with Mom, some of them whistling because---maybe---I looked good.

There were my friends, clapping and congratulating me. My dad was standing behind the cake, which was themed around music; my favorite thing on Earth.

We were counting down when suddenly confetti popped out from a tiny device they'd placed above the bushes. It was weak, so we burst into laughter. I cut the cake and gave the first piece to Mom.

When she extended her hand, I could see the number 13 on her wrist. My mother has 13 more years to enjoy life.

I cut the cake again and gave the second piece to Dad. When he extended his hand, I could see the number 2 on his wrist. My father has 2 more years to breathe.

It's rather sad when I see how many years they have left, but that also means I can give them the joy they always wanted. People were cheering while my mother told me to put my right hand on my left wrist for a couple of minutes.

"You can see it now," said Dad. I did what he told me to, only to find the number eight on my wrist.

How foolish am I?

It was the infinity symbol. "I got the infinity symbol!" I yelled out of surprise. I didn't think Life Core would give the people living in the dome an infinite lifespan. When the rumor first reached my ears, I thought it was just that---a rumor.

My mother cried, while my father clapped along with the others. They seemed pretty envious of the lifespan I received.

Imagine living forever, never getting old, and being able to see how your surroundings change.

It's pretty cool, isn't it? I'm the luckiest person.

***

What a foolish thing to say.

This is my 162nd birthday. As I said 145 years ago, I got the infinity symbol, which means I live forever. There are so many great things about being immortal, such as being able to see the world, doing so many dangerous things without any fear of dying.

Or being able to spend my time with my loved ones until they're gone.

They're gone.

My bell rang. I got up to answer the door. It was a mailman delivering a letter. As soon as he left, I opened the letter only to find out that one of my family members had passed away.

Another death.

Another funeral.

I chuckled.

It's not a happy one.

"I hate being immortal."

I'm the unluckiest person.

***

1.142 words.

What in the TikTok PoV is this??