“The Demon Lord thought he’d picked up a gardener. Little did he know he’d brought home his own ancestor.”
Elf Prince Andela wandered into the Demon Realm. At the sight of a barren wasteland, his eyes lit up. “This land was made for me to plant trees!”
He set his sights on the true form of Ming Ye, the Demon Lord: a sacred tree ten thousand years old.
“I want that tree.”
Ming Ye grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the trunk. “Who gave you the nerve to set your sights on me?”
Andela struggled to breathe, but his eyes shone. “Your tree… is responding to me.”
“He wants the land, I want him. Let’s see who gives in first.”
“Plant ten acres of forest, and I’ll grant you passage through the Demon Realm.”
“What if I plant a forest stretching a hundred miles?”
“I’ll grant you a city.”
“What if I turn the entire Demon Realm into an oasis?”
Ming Ye’s gaze darkened. “I’ll let you be its other ruler.”
Andela leaned in close. “I only want you.”
“Make a pact with me, and I’ll bring this land back to life.”
“And if I refuse?”
Andela lightly tapped his chest. “Then I’ll make a forest grow here first.”
“Your clan’s sacred tree has borne fruit. Why don’t you leave with it?”
“The fruit isn’t ripe yet.”
“When will it be?”
Andela looked up at him. “When you admit, with your own lips, that you want it too.”
Ming Ye was gravely wounded and on the brink of death. Andela cut his wrist and channeled his elven power into him.
“Why did you save me?”
“Because…” Andela smiled. “My tree can’t be left a widower.”
“The Demon Lord acts domineering, but really he’s exhausted himself worrying about his hometown’s GDP.”
When the elf’s magic brought life back to the Demon Realm, Ming Ye looked at the rare spirit plants covering the land. “Stay. I’ll let you plant all of the Demon Realm.”
Andela raised a brow. “And what about you?”
“As for me,” he said, taking Andela’s hand, “you can plant me.”
When a precious plant was stolen, Andela used his magic to track it to the human world.
Ming Ye went to retrieve it himself, but let the powerful enemy escape out of concern for Andela’s safety.
“Why did you stop?”
“I can’t risk that one-in-a-million chance.”
In the final battle, Ming Ye was trapped in a deadly formation.
Sensing their pact, Andela led a group to his aid, resolutely sacrificing the sacred tree’s fruit.
“The tree can be planted again. You can’t come back from the dead.”
For the first time, Ming Ye’s eyes reddened. “Who gave you permission to sacrifice yourself for me?”
“From enemies to lovers, from barren land to blooming flowers.”
He taught him how to put down roots and grow in this land.
He showed him that strength comes in more than one form.
As the Demon Realm became an endless oasis and newborn elves played among the trees, Ming Ye took his hand. “Now it’s time to fulfill your promise.”
“What promise?”
“To have me,” he said with a smile. “And you.”
Purpose: Create another spring for you.
