The Dunes of Dying Light (Ancient Ghana, 1023 AD)**
The Scorpio King's blood pooled black under the Saharan moon. His golden armor—shattered by betrayal—weighed more than death itself.
**The Goddess of Reincarnation** materialized in seven forms at once:
- A **crone** with hyena teeth
- A **child** with hollow eye sockets
- A **serpent** coiled around an hourglass
*"You fight the inevitable, Adjo,"* she mused, licking his wounds with a forked tongue. *"But even scorpions drown in time."*
His remaining hand clutched sand. *"What... do you want?"*
The sky split open, revealing a **contract written in dying stars**.
---
### **II. The Terms of Second Life**
She knelt, pressing a bone needle to his forehead. **Seven points of light flared—his chakras.**
*"You will be reborn through a mother's hatred,"* she hissed. *"These are my conditions:"*
1. **The Seal of 75%**
- Her needle strikes **seven times**, each plunge dimming his aura:
- **Root Chakra (Tail Loss)**: His scorpion stinger vanishes
- **Sacral Chakra (Venom Drain)**: Poison now requires emotional triggers
- **Solar Plexus (Strength Cap)**: Limits his lifts to **2,000 lbs**
- **Heart Chakra (Empathy Surge)**: He'll *feel* every kill's memories
- **Throat Chakra (Silence Curse)**: Can't speak his true name
- **Third Eye (Astral Blindness)**: Sees other dimensions only during eclipses
- **Crown Chakra (Goddess's Leash)**: She can paralyze him for **7 minutes/year**
2. **The Bloodline Hunt**
- Must kill **7 descendants of General Kwame** (the betrayer):
- *"Their souls will rebuild my throne."*
- First six are strangers. The seventh? **His mortal father.**
3. **The Cosmic Interest**
- Every time he uses unsealed power, **his lifespan shortens**:
- 1 minute of godhood = **1 day off his 120-year limit**
Adjo snarled. *"You'd make me a debt collector for my own murder?"*
The Goddess laughed—then **rammed the final needle through his crown**.
---
(1976 – Reincarnation Sequence)**
**Akosua's Abortion Attempt**
The bitter tea should have ended the pregnancy. Instead:
- Her womb **burned gold**
- The fetus's heartbeat **stopped for 37 seconds** (the exact time Adjo's chakras were sealed)
- A **spectral scorpion tail** burst from her navel, stabbing the ceiling
**The Goddess's Intervention**
She appeared as a **midwife**, whispering to the dead fetus:
*"You'll wake when blood calls—your father's first."*
Then **she shoved Adjo's spirit into the corpse-flesh**, stitching it alive with:
- **Golden veins** (power conduits)
- **Cleft lip** (seal's physical flaw)
- **Blackened umbilical cord** (the contract's tether)
**First Breath**
The newborn **inhaled**—and the delivery room's oxygen tanks **imploded**.
---
**The Bullet That Bent**
A Latin King shot at Adjo. His **Solar Plexus chakra flared**—the bullet **curved around him**, but:
- **Cost**: His nose bled (1 second of power = **24 hours of life lost**)
- **Side Effect**: The shooter **aged 7 years instantly** (Goddess's "interest")
He snaps his fingers and Latin King turns to ashes
**Grandma Ama's Warning**
She caught him levitating over Mercy's corpse:
*"The needles in your soul aren't just limits, boy. They're *landmines*."*
She peeled back his shirt—**seven glowing scars** formed the Scorpio constellation.
---
**Final Reveal**
The contract had **one unreadable clause**—faded by Adjo's blood:
*"Should the vessel break seven seals before collecting seven souls... the debtor becomes the owner."*
**Last Line**
Adjo grinned at his reflection, **gold cracks spreading from his eyes**:
*"Time to go bankrupt."*