Chapter 1: The garden

The scent of jasmine wafts through Ozzy's nose as he struggled to regain consciousness. It reminded him of his jasmine plant, seated on his nightstand adjacent to the window to soak in the sunlight. Those pure white blooms, whose petals were pillowy to the touch, emitted a pleasant scent that he loved. The flower was the only one Ozzy could stand to smell, the others being too heady or weak. Don't even get him started on lavender; he gagged the moment he took a whiff and nearly knocked it to the floor in a haste to get as far away from it as possible.

It was a miracle Ozzy even found a flower that he liked. Simplistic as it was, it held a certain charm that drew him towards it. It was the first thing he saw in the morning, and the last thing before retiring to sleep.

His body lay now on something soft, the earthy sweet scent of dirt and grass confirming it to be a field of sorts. There was a tingle in his fingers when they felt the ground, soft grass giving way to their weight.

Smooth fingers brushed against Ozzy's cheek, startling him to flinch at the sudden contact. At his reaction, there was an amused chuckle.

"Come now, my darling Ink Cap. It's time to wake up." A voice softly crooned from above Ozzy, the hand now fully cupping his cheek in a gentle hold.

With those words, his heavy eyelids suddenly felt light, and he could finally lift them open. When Ozzy's vision cleared from the dark spots, he froze. For a moment, Ozzy was breathless as his eyes took in the sight before me.

Swathes of green flooded his vision as plants bloomed and sprouted in any spot available that wasn't occupied by another. Groups of butterflies passed by, easily fluttering around a bush of milkweeds; all of them varying in size and colour. Chirping on a tree a couple of meters away, were nestlings being fed by their mother. On Ozzy's right ran a stream; its water—lazy and splashing against the bed it lay in—was so clear that it looked crystalline in his eyes.

Ozzy looked up and felt even more amazed.

From his apartment window, all you could see was gray, the sky darkened by the city's pollution and other waste. It was never something you would stop to look at.

Now, it feels like he would never look away from something previously thought to be so trivial.

Blue was all he could see; its intensity made his eyes hurt from staring. Fluffy white clouds drifted by; they looked so sweet, Ozzy was tempted to reach out to grab one and have a small bite.

Just a nibble, he wished. Just a little one.

A chuckle interrupted Ozzy's train of thought, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.

Next to him sat a lady clothed in large white robes. It felt like a sin to see such clean and bright clothes touch the ground. Her skin was an interesting color; her fingertips looked like they were dipped in white paint, turning into a near void-like black shade. The only reason Ozzy could make out her facial features was due to the white accents she had around her lips and nose. Her billowing hood concealed the rest of her face from the eyes up. Cascading down her shoulders were locks of white hair, long enough to spread out on the grass she sat on.

"Had your fill?"

With a mirthful smile, she stroked his head. The action was so unfamiliar to Ozzy—he couldn't help but be struck at how pleasant it felt; without realizing it, he had immediately pivoted towards her touch. Of course, the second Ozzy registered what his body was doing, he stiffly jerked himself away.

What was I thinking?

Despite feeling a bit disturbed, he saw the disappointed tilt on the woman's lips. The sight confused him.

As if she didn't feel down in the first place, the stranger widened her mouth into a large smile. "Well then, now that you're up, we'd better get started, hmm?" She gracefully stood up and offered him a hand, beckoning Ozzy to take it. "I'm sure you have questions, but I think we should move to a better place to talk things out."

Curious, Ozzy took her large, warm hand and got up. He was a bit surprised at the height difference between them; his head was only able to reach the top of her knees. At that observation, Ozzy looked at his hands and marveled at the small, soft-looking glove-covered appendages that replaced his rough and calloused hands.

Now that he realizes it, he doesn't feel like himself at all. Ozzy's body felt significantly smaller and his head felt heavier. The boy(?) looked down and took in the clothes he wore: A cream-colored blouse with large sleeves, tucked into brown suspender shorts with wide leg openings that brushed the top of his knees. A small peek between the top of the glove and the end of his sleeve revealed that his previously dark skin had been replaced by a stark white color similar to the white on the stranger's arms and hands. Adorning Ozzy's socked feet, which reached the middle of his thighs, were a sturdy pair of brown, heeled boots that added at least two inches to his already abysmal height.

Even the glasses on his nose had an upgrade. Gone were the family dollar discount glasses; in its place were round pristine lenses, framed by simple silver frames. Ozzy could feel the weight of the glass beads that hung from the chain glasses holder.

There was a brief flash of white in the corner of Ozzy's vision, but he didn't dare check; he didn't want to see any more evidence of the sudden changes to his physical appearance that he definitely didn't consent to. Already, he could feel his breath quicken, his heartbeat roaring in his ears, drowning out any surrounding noises.

There was an itchy feeling under Ozzy's skin; the feeling started from the tips of his fingers, slowly spreading up his arms. It was taking everything he had to keep himself from ripping off those damned pristine gloves, throwing them to the ground, and scratching the hell out of his skin.

"Oh dear," A mournful sigh drew my attention back to the woman. She had a sorrowful smile on her face as she knelt down on one knee to tuck some behind Ozzy's ear. "Believe me, I'm truly sorry for all the pain you feel right now. But rest assured it's for your own good, you'll understand once everything is explained. So, without further ado."

Without any warning, she lifted him high up in the air, eliciting a surprised gasp from his lips as he was suddenly thrust into the air, a pair of hands being his only anchor as Ozzy's hands flailed around, struggling to balance his body. As quick as he was lifted, his body was deposited on a pair of larger shoulders; the moment his legs made contact, his arms immediately wrapped around a head with a death grip, too scared to let go in fear of falling from the colossal height he was suddenly seated at. Ozzy's actions made the culprit of his distress laugh heartily with mirth despite his obvious distress.

"Are you alright up there?"

Thankfully, the woman gave him time to adjust to his new position; so when his vision stopped swirling, he cautiously nodded his head.

"Y-yes?"

"That's good, I was worried there for a moment. Tell me if you feel uncomfortable, okay?" She asked, with a grin.

"Um, okay?"

The moment the woman ran, however, Ozzy started screaming.

Ozzy, unfortunately, couldn't make good on her word due to being preoccupied with screaming. Thus, by the time they reached the brick wall, he had long forgotten about her offer and just sat silently on her shoulders in shock.

He almost didn't register being set on the ground before his weak knees gave out below him, dropping him down on his butt with his legs akimbo and his glasses askew on his face.

"Ahaha," The woman nervously chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. "Was that too sudden?"

Ozzy just stared at her, making the woman sweat.

"Oh, well," she muttered, helping him stand up by lifting Ozzy up by the armpits. "I guess frolicking in the fields is on the back burner for the time being."

What?

Once Ozzy regained his strength and could stand unassisted, she turned back to the wall. Seeing his curious gaze, she smiled with amusement and beckoned him to come closer.

"Here, look at this."

The woman traced her finger along the wall, leaving a glowing residue behind; the pattern she had traced into the wall was now a triangle that emitted a golden glow, baffling Ozzy as to what he was witnessing.

With a snap of her fingers, the brink wall suddenly distorted; its red and rough exterior swirled and morphed into a door. The woman placed her hand on the handle and offered her other hand to me.

"Come along now, my sister should be done cooking."

Holding back his questions, Ozzy nodded and took the offered hand. He'd be lying if he said the scent of cooked meat and vegetables didn't make his mouth salivate. A growl rumbled from his stomach at the thought of eating a home-cooked meal.

He hadn't eaten a hot meal in...in...

(When was the last time he had eaten?)

The creaking of the door distracted Ozzy from his thoughts as the woman gave a greeting to what he assumed was her sister.

"Hey, El, we've arrived!"

Turning around with a knowing smile, the other turned off the stove flame and put down the ladle to hug her sister.

"Dee-dee! Happy to see you back!"

El, as named by the woman—Dee, if he's correct—looked exactly like her sister, so they couldn't be anything other than twins. The only difference between the two extremely tall women would be the reverse color scheme El had. Where there was white, there was black; and where there was black, there was white.

"And where is our cute mushroom?"

Dee pointed behind herself at me. "Over here."

Uncomfortable with the sudden attention, Ozzy's gaze swerved down to the floor to avoid eye contact; however, a gentle hand tilted his chin upwards until he was looking at a smiling El.

"Well, hello there, my Ink Cap."

Out of all the weird situations he's been through in his depressing life: from pretending to beat up an imaginary demon for some elderly homeless guy with dementia, to performing an impromptu exorcism on some kid's gerbil with a bottle of purified water and some table salt for fifty cents, this was by far the weirdest.

"Say ah for Aunty El now~"

"Let Mama Dee know if you want to eat something, okay?"

Sat in Dee's-sorry, Mama Dee's lap, Ozzy could only open his mouth as asked by his new Aunt, and accept the rice being spoon-fed to him. While it was delicious, it didn't stop him from feeling shocked by the new information given to him.

He'd always known his parents were into the occult; he'd grown up under their teachings, after all. They couldn't get enough of it, always carving sigils into the floor and performing rituals of varying bloody degrees for power. At some point, his parents had joined a cult named The Society of True Life. Any sign of differing values and ideas was dealt with a harsh punishment by the family, and by extension, the members of the cult.

His parents were eager to take any positions of power and usually resorted to sucking up and performing disgusting deeds. Ozzy had five older siblings, none of whom he remembers, and all of whom had escaped the moment they could, leaving him in the hands of his parents.

As the years progressed, the cult began to build up power and influence; the leader, Kasper Zadroga, soon rose to a height where he was rubbing shoulders with famous politicians and influential people. However, his rise to fame was thanks to the contributions of illegal trades and coordinated murders carefully planned out to benefit his side.

And of course, what kind of hitman would make most targets drop their guard?

A child.

Lucky for Kasper Zadroga, he knew a couple who would happily offer up their child for the job.

Years upon years of training and killing were forced onto the young Ozzy, slowly numbing the child to the notion of death. His only goal was to quickly survive to reach his twentieth birthday; the date on which his so-called "contract" would end, and he would be free to do as he pleased.

Unfortunately for him, his parents had other ideas.

Long story short, Ozzy's parents poisoned and kidnapped him, sneaking rat poison into his drink when the four were "celebrating" his release. Dragging him to a hideout, the two proceeded to murder him, using his slowly dying body to perform a ritual they found in an archaic book they had stolen from Zadroga's office. Dee explained that the two scum bastards had thought that the ritual was supposed to give them a life of good luck in exchange for their youngest offspring's life. There of course were other specifics, but that's not important.

The ritual was for summoning something; that something just happened to be Death.

As in, the actual entity.

The said entity was in the middle of sending her paperwork off and getting ready to meet up with her sister, Life, for dinner. However, she suddenly felt a pulling sensation and was transported to wherever it was she was being summoned to.

Already late for dinner, she was in a foul mood; so when she was forcefully transported to a random location and realized there was a dying teen at her feet who had multiple summoning sigils carved into his bleeding body and two middle-aged humans kneeling before her, she was understandably incensed. There, of course, was some confusion, but the moment Death saw what was going on in the two's heads, things clicked.

Safe to say, she did not like what she saw.

Things happened, parents were cursed, and bada bing-badda boom, Ozzy's now the adopted son of Death.

(He will not lie; eating Aunt El's food was way better than the instant ramen.)

Peering out at the sandy wasteland past the front yard, Ozzy stared in amazement.

"Desolate, isn't it?" Aunt El commented, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms. Mama Dee was stuck doing the dishes as punishment for the impromptu "joyride" she had given him. Even from the doorway, he could still hear her lamenting how cruel Aunt El was being.

"It's perfect," Ozzy murmured dreamily, stepping out on the porch before pausing to look back at her. "Can I look?"

At his obvious interest, she laughed, "Of course, Ozzy! Look all you want since this place is your home too!"

With her go-ahead, Ozzy stepped outside and breathed in the scent of the desert that mingled with the fresh scent of plants coming from the yard. It was a miracle that plants were growing, although he does suppose entities can make the impossible possible. On a personal sidenote: Two suns? Really? No wonder why the land was so dang dry. Was he even on Earth anymore?

The front yard consisted of vibrant grassy land, occupied by a huge, towering tree bearing apples. On one of its thick branches hung a wooden swing swaying gently in the slight breeze. Curiously, the rope holding the cushioned plank of wood up seemed to be made up of twisted vines, its leaves growing out from the corners of the twists. At the base of the trunk, sat a simple picnic table perfectly positioned under the shade.

Making his way to the back, he was even more stunned. There were even more trees in the back, bearing various fruits, as well as a well with a red roof. But what really made an impact were the fresh dirt patches in the middle of the backyard. They were perfectly tilled and looked ready to plant seeds in.

"We figured you'd want a garden of your own, seeing as you couldn't have one before." Mama Dee explained as she walked up to me, holding a basket.

"There's even more space inside Eden," Aunty El added, walking closer to her twin. "But we figured you'd want to start off small."

"Eden?"

"The field you woke up in." Mama Dee pointed back at the house with her thumb. "So, what do you think?"

"It's..." Ozzy struggled to find words. "It's beautiful."

"I bet it'll look even more gorgeous with plants." The entity lowered the basket she held in her hand to Ozzy, swaying it enticingly at him. In it were multiple pouches, all labeled with tags written with the names of fruits and vegetables of varying types. "How about it, Ink Cap; want to start a garden of your own today?"

She didn't have to ask twice before Ozzy took the offered basket and started sifting through the pouches; already, there were piles on the ground sorted out according to their characteristics.

Death and Life exchanged a happy look before chuckling. After observing their precious Ink Cap's history, they figured he would enjoy the gift and were right. An unexpected hug stopped their chuckles.

Shy, Ozzy buried his head in their robes as he attempted to hug them from where he could. The boy's voice was muffled as he spoke. "Thank you, Mama Dee, Aunty El."

At the adorable sight of her newly acquired son stiffly thanking her, Death's imaginary heart stopped from the cuteness overload. She gripped the area on her chest where a real heart would be and struggled to breathe, her face contorting with emotional pain. Looking over at her twin, Death saw Life in a similar position, her hand held over her heart.

He's too cute, Life mouthed to her, a blush on her cheeks.

Of course, he is! He's my son! Death proudly mouthed back despite the heart palpitations she was feeling from her son's cuteness.

Curious at the lack of response, and scared of possible rejection, Ozzy looked up at his new family and tilted his head, not knowing that that would be the final kicker to taking down the two.

Blood spurted out from both entities' noses as they proceeded to collapse backward on the ground, an enlightened smile on their faces as they laid their hands on their chest, similar to how corpses are laid out in a coffin at funerals.

This, of course, alarmed a panicked Ozzy, having no idea of the power he held over them with his cuteness. Even now, his obvious panic and worry were slowly ebbing away at their consciousness.

"Eh! Mama Dee? Aunty? Are you guys okay!?"

Before they passed out, Death turned her head to Life, a grim look on her face. Life, in turn, gazed at her with a matching grim face, already catching on to her twin's thoughts.

"El, we're going to have to bat off so many people."

"I know, Dee. I know."

"Ozzy."

"Yes, Mama Dee?"

"No dating until you're at least one hundred eighty years old!"

Confused, Ozzy struggled to figure out how that would work. "Um, not sure how that'll work-"

"Promise us!"

"...okay?"

"Good boy." The two ancient entities nodded their heads with a satisfied look on their faces, only to then pass out with a smile on their faces.

"Oh, come on!"