The Spirit Garden was nothing like Alex imagined.
He expected something holy. Bright. Peaceful.
Instead—
It was loud, chaotic, and full of floating, glowing things screaming at each other.
Alex stepped inside quietly.
Every spirit stopped.
Every. Single. One.
Dozens of tiny flame spirits, mist spirits, rock spirits, leaf spirits… all turned toward him like he was a cockroach that entered a royal banquet.
A flame spirit pinched its nose.
"EW! What is that stench!?"
A mist spirit floated back.
"That aura… so unbalanced! I think I'm going to faint!"
A pebble spirit actually rolled AWAY.
"Hide the babies! A human with rotten energy came inside!"
Alex twitched.
"Hey—! I can hear all of you, you know!?"
The spirits screamed in unison,
"HE TALKED! IT TALKS!!"
"WHY DOES IT TALK LIKE A HUMAN!?"
Alex clenched his fists. "WHY SHOULDN'T I TALK LIKE A HUMAN!? I am a human!"
A flame spirit gagged loudly.
"Impossible. Humans don't smell this weird."
Alex fumed. "I don't smell weird!"
"Yes you do!"
All spirits shouted back.
Alex wanted to scream.
---
➤ Meanwhile outside the Spirit Garden…
Old man John Lumius looked toward the door and sighed.
John: "Poor boy… Spirits are cruel to outsiders."
A rustling noise came from the bushes.
John narrowed his eyes. "…Regis. Come out."
Regis crawled out of the bushes like a guilty raccoon.
Regis: "Tch. You sensed me. Old man, your nose is too sharp."
John: "I taught you for three years in the academy. Of course I can smell your spirit energy."
Regis scoffed.
"Whatever."
John crossed his arms.
John: "So… explain. Since when did Jessica have a child?"
Regis smirked.
"Surprise, old man. I can make children too, you know."
John bonked him on the head with his staff.
"IDIOT. You think I'd believe you and Jessica had a baby!? The two of you couldn't even sit together without breaking half my classroom!"
Regis rubbed his head.
"Ow! I was joking! Joking!"
John sighed deeply.
"Then whose child is he?"
Regis looked away. "…Does it matter? He's ours now."
John raised a brow.
"Ours?"
Regis: "He's Ironheart blood now. Mother's boy. That's enough."
John stared, then slowly smiled.
"…I see. You both finally grew up."
Regis turned red.
"Tch. Shut up, old man."
---
➤ Inside the Spirit Garden…
Alex stomped through the garden, ignoring the spirits making gagging noises.
Then—
He heard voices.
"…You're impure. You don't belong here."
"Dark spirits like you shouldn't exist."
"Even the Spirit Mother rejected you!"
Alex froze.
He saw a small dark spirit, trembling while three larger spirits surrounded him.
The dark spirit's voice cracked.
"I… I didn't choose to be born like this…"
Alex instantly stepped forward.
"HEY! Leave him ALONE!"
Every spirit turned.
The bully— a glowing red Rank 3 flame spirit— sniffed in disgust.
Rava (Rank 3 Spirit):
"What is this… this weak-smelling trash?"
Alex: "Pardon?"
Rava gagged.
"My eyes burn! My spirit core is screaming! You smell WORSE than that impure thing!"
Alex clenched his jaw. "Say that again—"
Rava: "You. Smell. NASTY."
Alex snapped.
"I DON'T SMELL NASTY!"
Rava: "PUKE."
The flame spirit hurled a fireball at Alex.
Alex grabbed a nearby wooden branch and swatted it away like a baseball.
Rava blinked.
"…Huh?"
Alex spun the stick like a sword— muscle memory awakened.
Regis' voice echoed in his head:
"Hold your stance properly, brat! Or I'll beat you with this stick!"
Alex charged forward.
Rava snarled.
"You dare attack me!?"
Alex: "Why not!? You're bullying someone!"
The dark spirit gasped behind him.
"W-Why are you protecting me…?"
Alex kept his stance.
Alex: "Because bullying is disgusting. And I'm disgusting too—see? We're matching now."
The dark spirit blinked.
"…You are strange."
Alex said seriously:
"Same to you. So that makes us even."
The dark spirit slowly smiled.
"I am Soma. Dark-type Spirit. Low rank… and hated."
Alex: "I'm Alex. Human… and apparently smelly."
Soma giggled.
Rava roared.
"STOP CHATTING AND DIE!"
Alex whispered, "Soma, how do we beat him?"
Soma hesitated.
"My dark energy is low… but you have spirit energy too. If we combine— we can equal him."
Alex nodded.
"Let's do it."
Soma glowed dark purple.
Alex tightened grip on the wooden stick.
Rava screamed.
"I'll burn you BOTH!!"
Alex charged.
Soma wrapped around him like dark mist.
Together, their energies merged— wild, unstable, but powerful.
A shockwave burst out.
Rava stumbled.
Alex leaped forward, swinging the wooden stick like a sword—
SLAM!!
Rava went flying into a pond.
The garden went silent.
Spirits stared.
The dark spirit stared.
Alex breathed heavily.
"…Did we win?"
Soma whispered,
"Yes. We won."
Then Soma turned, eyes curious.
"A human using dark energy… I have never seen that. Tell me, human—"
Soma floated closer.
"Which family do you belong to?"
Alex smiled proudly.
"Ironheart family."
Soma's eyes widened.
"Iron… heart…? That Ironheart!? Then your mother is—"
Alex grinned.
"Yep. Jessica Ironheart. My mother."
Every spirit fainted on the spot.