The battered Toyota rattles to a stop in front of a sprawling mansion in Obawole, Oremeji. The compound hums—literally. A low, electric buzz vibrates in the air, and the iron gates swing open on their own. David, still clutching his orphanage bag, stares wide-eyed. The mansion is old colonial architecture, but the walls shimmer with faint star-glyphs that pulse like breathing constellations. Palm trees sway, their leaves edged with Golden light.
"Wow," David breathes. "So I go dey live here with you, right?"
Chika steps out, staff tapping the ground. "Yeah, my son. Welcome home."
David's brow furrows. "But Oga… why you adopt me? Because of this?" He lifts the carved scorpion pendant. "E no mean I special. Am just a ordinary boy."
Chika leads him inside. The foyer is massive—marble floors etched with the Zodiac Wheel, ceiling painted like a night sky swirling with real constellations. Candles float mid-air, flickering violet. David spins, mouth open. "This place… e dey breathe!"
Chika stops beneath a glowing scorpion glyph. "This pendant makes you special, David. It was given to you by your parents."
David freezes. "My… parents?"
"Yes. And I chose you because you are a Zodiac Warrior."
David groans. "Ugh, you keep saying that! Wetin be Zodiac Warrior sef?"
Chika raises his staff. The room darkens, and a holographic vision unfolds—cosmic, vivid, like a Nollywood epic in the stars.
"Long ago," Chika narrates, "Makasa's the Zodiac King, mastered the twelve celestial elements—Aries' blaze, Libra's gales, Pisces' tides—to hold the universe in balance. But Kahos, a monstrous alien born of dark matter, hungered to devour all existence. Their battle shook the cosmos. Zoryn banished Kahos to the edge of reality… but he fell. His crown shattered."
The vision shifts: a cracked sky over Nigeria, Lagos warping, stars bleeding. "Now Kahos returns. Reality frays. Only those marked by the constellations—Zodiac Warriors—can stop it. You, David Adebiyi, are Scorpio. Your power is shadow, venom, unbreakable will. Master it, wield the elements, defeat Kahos… and claim the crown of the Zodiac King."
David stares, the scorpion pendant glowing hot against his chest. "So… I no be ordinary?"
Chika smiles. "Never were."