Encounter

   Theodore, the son of King Asmodeus, was an exception in the realm of demons. He looked very soft and pretty as an angel. Despite being a demon, having sweet eyes and a comforting smile was his specialty. He always wore light-colored clothes as he pleased. But when it came to completing his mission, he truly was a demon.

   Ten-year-old Theodore was given a mission in the Divine land to collect Moldavites for his spiritual awakening. So, he went to the Divine land to collect the crystal. The Divine land was the border between the demon realm and the angel realm. Since the crystal was green in color, he went near the spring water, hoping to find it. He had a hard time finding it. When he was passing by a big plum tree, he saw the crystal on a leaf of the plum tree. As he reached out his hand to take the crystal, another hand grabbed it.

   Theodore was angry. He looked at the boy who was wearing a black outfit and eyeliner on his eyes. He looked like a demon so, Theodore didn't hesitate and said, "You! Do you even know who I am? How dare you steal the crystal from me?"

   The boy was startled by the deep voice, "How would I know some common angel from my realm? And for the crystal, I took it first so, it is mine. I did not steal it from you." 

   "Are you serious?! You seriously don't know the prince of the demon realm while being a demon yourself?" Theodore was frustrated.

   "Demon?" The boy laughed, "you think I'm a demon? Being an angel, it's you who should know who the prince of the angel realm is."

   "Excuse you! I'm not an angel. I'm a demon," Theodore sighed. There was an awkward silence for some time but, after that, they both burst out laughing.

   After laughing for a minute, Theodore said, "Hi! I'm the prince of the demon realm, Theodore. I am 10 years old. Nice to meet you!" extending his hands towards the boy.

   The boy was a little hesitant at first, but he took Theodore's hand and replied, "Umm…h-hi. I am the prince of the angel realm, Joseph. I am 9 years old." 

   "That means I'm a year older than you. But, still, we can be friends, can't we?" Theodore flashed his boxy smile. Theodore's boxy smile captivated Joseph's eyes at that moment.

   "You know your smile is so pretty? You're too pretty to be a demon," Joseph said what was going on in his mind.

   Theodore laughed, "Says the one who looks like a demon himself. If it weren't for your big and innocent doe eyes, you'd be a perfect demon by your looks."

   "There's no problem with my eyes, and they don't look innocent at all. Look! I'm even wearing eyeliner," Joseph humphed.

   "Just because you wore eyeliner doesn't mean your big doe eyes will look fierce. Also, you've got a voice as sweet as honey. Once you talk to them, no one will think that you're a demon. You're so cute when you're angry," Theodore laughed. Joseph was just shy so, he kept his eyes on the ground.

   "By the way, why are you collecting Moldavite? Do you have a mission to collect these crystals as well?" Theodore was curious.

   Joseph's eyes got wide as he looked at the crystal, "This is Moldavite, not Astrophylliteas? I thought it was Astrophylliteas so, I took it."

   "Thank God! My mission was to collect Moldavite, and it was very hard finding one so, I thought I was going to lose this one," Theodore was thankful. Joseph handed the crystal to Theodore with a frown.

   Taking the crystal, Theodore said, "Don't worry, I'll help you find your crystal. The more, the merrier, right? I'll ask my fairy godmother to help me find your crystal."

   Joseph smiled at him and said, "Talking about fairies makes you look like an angel," Then, both of them began searching Astrophylliteas.

   "Ummm…Theo? Is it okay if I call you that? I want to"- Theodore interrupted him-"Of course it's okay. You can call me with whatever you're comfortable with. Calling me Theo kind of makes me feel like a tiger, though," Joseph laughed at his confession.

   "By the way, what were you saying? I'm sorry I interrupted you," Theodore apologized.

   "Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know what the realm of demons looks like. Is it as pretty as you, or is it dark just like what everyone says?" Joseph asked with curiosity.

   "Dark?" Theodore laughed, "No, silly! Do you believe that? It's not black everywhere. Everything is pretty in our realm. It's not everything black, but there are flowers of a darker shade of red. There's a big plum tree which grows red flowers in winter. Houses are colored in different colors. Everything is colorful, but those colors are of a darker shade. Our castle is big and maroon in color. It looks very alluring." 

   Joseph was confused, "How can plum trees grow flowers in winter? They should be growing in spring, shouldn't they?"

   "You're correct. Flowers grow in spring, but there is a special type of tree that we have in our realm. It is spiritually powerful. Also, it signifies that we demons shine even when we have to go through toughest jobs just like how the flowers can grow even in winter," Theodore explained. 

   Joseph was amazed, "I wish I could see those flowers bloom in winter. I can't imagine how pretty it would look." 

   "One day, I will surely take you to the realm of demons and show you those flowers. My birthday is during winter so, I'll ask my father then you will be able to come to the demon realm, and we'll go to see the flowers together," Theodore assured Joseph.

   "Is this a promise? Will you take me to the realm of demons?" Joseph's eyes shone with excitement as he asked.

   "I don't know on which birthday I'll be able to make you come, but I promise you that I'll surely take you to see those flowers," Theodore promised by showing his pinky along with his signature boxy smile. Joseph gladly intertwined his pinky with Theodore's, and that's how they locked their promise.

   "Oh, Look !" Theodore pointed his finger near a big stone, "It's the crystal that you've been looking for," Joseph was happy that he completed his mission, and he found a good friend as well.

   After finding their respective crystals, they stayed in the Divine land for some more time and got to know each other better. After talking for some time, they decided to go to their respective realms. The sun was setting and they had to submit their crystals to complete their missions. So, they parted their ways with the promise to meet each other again the next day.

   Yuki, God of the Divine land, who had been observing the little interaction between the princes of two realms, smiled at himself, "The sky looks pretty today. It seems like something in the air has shifted today. I'll be looking forward to this new story that has begun."