I need your opinion on something. So the first quarter of this chapter is a mix between two perspectives. I want to know if you think that is okay or would you prefer it if I just put it in Omega's viewpoint. I honestly wouldn't mind keeping it or changing it. I'll leave it to my fellow readers to decide. The section I'm talking about ends at 'Omega let that sink in.' Anyway, hope you like the chapter!

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Omega once again found himself before his map which was starting to fade along the edges. This of course made him reminisce about when he first started his journey. All the memories and experiences he gained throughout his adventures made him smile. Coming out of his revere and spinning himself to death, he stumbled his way over to the map and saw that the dart landed next to the planet, Jython. Once again Omega had never heard of the planet so he shrugged and gathered the needed supplies. This included money, weapons, first aid kit (knowing Omega), and other small supplies. After packing everything in his bag, he started mist traveling his way over to Jython.

Jython was luckily only a two day trip so he got there quicker than usual giving him almost an exact year on the planet. However, Omega pretty much counted 363 days as a year. Who wouldn't! Well ... maybe children of Athena but Omega didn't care much for them since one of them tore his heart in half. He quickly shook himself out of that thought before his peace of mind left him.

He finally finished the seemingly long two day journey and looked upon a forest where he landed. The trees reminded him of a mix between a pine tree and an oak tree. The trunk itself had bark like a pine tree and was extremely tall. However, the branches on the tree were like an oak's with many branches shooting off each other. The tree had a mixture of leaves from both the trees with a cluster of oak leaves and two pine needles sticking out.

It was early morning judging by the sun and Omega was amazed at the beauty of the forest. The sun's light rays shown through the leaves making the air shimmer in the morning weather. Early morning chirps could be heard throughout the forest along with scuffling on the ground caused by animals hidden in the underbrush. Wind rustling the leaves made a whistling sound flow through the forests which mixed well with the birds' chirps. Omega could feel a creek flowing through the woods off to the right giving him a calming effect of being near a water source.

Omega decided to start his journey after the peaceful moment went away, so he quietly crouched down into a meditating position and sat quietly in a restful state. He sat there for a couple hours in a trance like state finding peace within himself. However, he was knocked out of his thoughts when he heard silent footsteps about 100 yards away. He focused his senses on the area and could tell it was coming his way but not directly at him, probably just walking through the forest.

Omega hardened some vapor around the area and could tell it was a young girl frolicking through the forest with a basket filled, Omega guessed, with flowers judging by the outlines. Omega could tell with the way she moved that she had no clear destination in mind so he decided to let fate decide if they would meet.

Omega watched her come closer and closer stopping to pick some flowers then jumping back up to walk to the next patch. She was only ten feet away from Omega picking yellow and red flowers completely oblivious to him. Now in sight, she had silky blond hair flowing slightly over her shoulders and looked like a 10 year old girl. She had a flawless face with sharp features and a slightly pale complexion. Her slightly extended ears had a point and her voice filled all ears with the most pleasant sound Omega had ever heard. She was singing a song in a tongue Omega didn't know and he watched at how the nature around her responded to her voice. The grass grew greener and healthier swaying in joy, moving in rhythm with her voice. The trees responded and sang their own song with their limbs and leaves. The flowers bloomed to their fullest potential and glowed with an ethereal beauty.

Omega still sat there as still as a stone just watching this elfish girl now only seven feet away with all her focus on picking flowers. Now six feet making her way closer. Five feet ... four ... three. She paused noticing something was in her way, slowly raising her head to meet Omega's eyes.

Omega watched her as she slowly raised her head fearfully taking in Omega. When she made contact with his eyes she let loose a gasp. The sea green eyes with orange specks drew her in, captivating her, making her unable to move. She stared for about three seconds then quickly realized that this cloaked stranger was armed and could easily kill her if she wasn't prepared.

She quickly jumped up and pulled out a dagger strapped to her side and got into a ready position. Now a farther distance away with no response from the man, she looked over the mysterious stranger with a critical eye. She couldn't see him breathing because of the cloak around him so wondered if he was even alive. However, she quickly dismissed that remembering the life that she saw in his eyes.

Omega watched as she slowly took stock of the situation. He could tell he was making her nervous by not moving and inwardly chuckled.

She loosened her fighting stance and stared confused at him. He still hadn't moved to defend himself which could mean a many things. He could have enough skill to take her down without trying, could actually want death, or was just plain old sitting there without a care in the world.

She tentatively asked in her own language, "Wh ... Who are you?" She cursed herself for showing her fear in her voice. She was always taught to act brave even if you're not because enemies will capitalize on your fear making it a much easier battle for them.

Seeing no response from him, she assumed that he didn't speak her language since only the elves on this planet spoke it. Using the galactic language, English, she re-asked her question with a little less fear in her voice.

Omega closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out. "This forest is a very peaceful place when there is nothing to break the calmness. You can keep singing if you want. It added to the serenity to the forest and I also liked listening to such a beautiful voice. Don't worry, you have nothing to fear from me." Omega didn't really expect her to believe him but he still wanted to listen to the nature around him some more before setting out.

The girl lowered her weapon but still kept it out in case he suddenly made a move. She felt like he was telling the truth about enjoying the peacefulness of the forest and like her too, she didn't like disturbing the peace. She watched him still sitting there as still as a stone quite impressed that someone can sit so still and wondered how sharp his senses were. She couldn't tell what race he was with his cloak and mask on but he could possibly be an elf like her.

She didn't know what overcame her, which she put down as her young, daring side, but she walked up next to the mysterious figure and plopped down next to him. She did her best to copy his position making a few corrections until it was near perfect. After fixing herself, she took a deep breath and let it out closing her eyes. She stretched out her senses letting the forest go back to its peaceful state.

Slowly but surely, she could start to hear animals scurry from hiding place to hiding place, wind creating a tune blowing through the leaves, and a gurgling stream some distance off with a few splashes from the fish within. She let a small smile appear on her face at the serenity of the forest. She started humming to the tune of the forest and the tune grew louder encouraging her to also go louder. She started to quietly continue her song and grew louder as time passed.

In just a minute, the forest was back to its peaceful nature before her surprised outburst. She couldn't hear the mysterious person but she could slightly smell him even though she could tell that cloak blocked off most of his scent. Luckily, elves had pretty good senses. She could smell a mix between an ocean breeze and nice fire smell that reminded her of the family fires in her home.

Just his smell was enough to take away most of her wariness but not quite all. She still didn't know anything about him or what his intentions were. Jython had very few visitors from outside the planet since they shunned pretty much everyone and attacked outright with the slightest reason. The elves on this planet were known for their skills in all attributes. They were the best craftsmen, blacksmith, weavers, and especially fighters. They denied any trade request since they could make the item better than they could buy it which didn't give others many reasons to visit. So, she wondered who this mysterious person was.

Omega was surprised to sense the young girl walk over and copy his meditating position. He cracked open an eye to see her sitting there copying him and had a content face. He closed his eye with a small smile and waited for the forest to regain its beauty. He was pleased when she started singing again and a content smile found its way on Omega's face too. After thirty minutes, she quit singing but still sat there.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she could just leave or would he do something to prevent her. Yes, he hadn't hurt her yet but she still didn't know his intentions. She turned her head to study this person closer but the only thing she could tell was that he hadn't moved ever since she saw him.

She asked again, "Who are you?" This time, she asked with more curiosity than fear. Omega smiled at her now calm voice and pleased to hear that she wasn't afraid of him anymore. Omega responded saying, "And what is your name, young one?"

She was shocked to hear a young voice that couldn't belong to someone in adulthood and sat there in silence until his question registered with her. She frowned and responded, "I asked you first."

Omega smiled and said, "I will tell you my name if you agree to tell me yours and sing me a song."

She was yet again caught off guard but this time at the strange request. She wasn't the best of singers in her village, mainly because she was still a child and her voice hadn't matured yet. However, she really wanted to know his name so she said, "Sure, but you go first." She was going to make sure he said his name before he got what he wanted.

Omega chuckled a little bit and said, "Omega." He watched her mull over his name and she said, "What are you doing here, Omega?" Omega turned his head to look at her making her jump a little with his sudden activity compared to his inactivity. He chuckled before he said, "Our first deal has not been completed yet."

She totally forgot about her part of the deal with all the questions buzzing threw her head. She smiled sheepishly and said, "My name is Layla." Omega smiled at the name and said, "That is a beautiful name." This, of course, made her blush a little at the complement.

She continued, "Umm, I know you asked me to sing but the others at the village can sing a lot better than me and you can listen to them at the campfire coming up. It would be a lot more enjoyable." She smiled sadly that she couldn't sing as good as the others since elves were known to have the most beautiful voices.

Omega just shook his head and said, "I want to hear you sing." Layla looked at Omega with at first shock then confusion. How could someone want to listen to someone who couldn't sing as beautiful as others?

Omega could tell Layla was having an inner battle so he said, "I want to hear you sing. You may not be able to sing as well as others but that does not matter to me. I want you to sing because I like listening to your voice. I already know I will prefer your voice over the others because it is you singing it." Omega chuckled at her still confused expression and just sat, waiting for her decision.

Layla couldn't understand how he would chose to listen to a voice not as good as others. Even though she couldn't understand it, she smiled that someone would like to listen to her voice when they were told they could listen to better somewhere else. It stirred something inside her that she hadn't felt in a while. However, she couldn't place it.

She could tell he wasn't going to speak until she sang so she got back into her meditating state and let the calm of the forest wash back over her. After a few minutes of getting in tune with nature, she started to lightly sing. Once again, as the forest's tune grew louder, so did Layla.

Omega listened to her sing with a smile on his face. One thing he did notice was that her voice changed. While Layla was picking flowers, she had a sweet, calm voice that was softly sung with nature. However, this time was different. This time, her voice had pure joy mixed with the calmness of the forest that enhanced her voice. Omega knew he could listen to her voice all day and made it his goal to make her have as much joy as she could contain during his stay on the planet.

He was surprised to see that the forest actually started to not only grow greener and healthier, but also grow in general. Omega saw a small tree sapling grow a couple of inches and some of the flowers gain extra blooms.

The song lasted for about 7 minutes with Omega enjoying every second of it. He was a little disappointed when it ended but he guessed you couldn't sing forever. They sat there quietly listening as the forest calmed down again after her voice left.

She was the first to break the silence with her childish curiosity. "So, what are you doing here Omega?" She was semi-expecting him to make her do a deal, however, he just answered the question. "I visit different planets every year and stay on them for the entire year. It has become a hobby of mine and has taught me many things. So, this year, Jython was the planet my random dart throw landed on. I actually just got here a few hours before you found me." Omega was still in a dreamlike state because of her song so he didn't even think about making a deal.

Omega let that sink in and was about to ask his question before she shot up. If Omega had never had his many years of training and surprises under his belt, then he probably would have been startled with the sudden movement. However, that was nothing compared to even the smallest of surprises.

She said something in her own tongue that sounded like a curse before she turned to Omega, "Sorry but I have to go! I was supposed to be home an hour ago. See you later Omega!" She quickly ran off through the forest back to her village. She stopped before she disappeared and yelled back, "Please be careful! The other elves in the forest and village don't take kindly to visitors trespassing on their land!" With that, she disappeared into the forest.

Omega hardened the vapor to watch her running away and decided to follow her to her village. He wasn't necessarily going to stalk her but he did need to find a village if he was going to figure out what to do on this planet. Also, he was curious as to what the other people of the race could do.

He quickly got up and stealthily followed her through the forest. He hardened the vapor around the area to make sure there were no traps or guards that would give him away but didn't find any. They both ran through the woods at about 17 miles an hour for 10 minutes which even slightly tired Omega. Omega now knew not to challenge an elf in a race.

Once Omega sensed the village approaching, he started traveling through the trees as to not be seen. Once he got to the edge, he looked upon the village and gasped in surprise. The houses were literally trees with houses in them. The trees were about 50 feet from end to end and grew to different heights ranging from 20 feet to 50 feet.

Omega watched as she ran to one of the 3 story tree houses and ran inside. Omega was curious as to what kind of punishment she'd get for being late. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad or Omega might have to trap himself so he wouldn't barge on in there and teach them a lesson. However, he wanted to make a good first impression which might be extremely important looking back at what Layla said.

After she closed the door, Omega hardened water vapor inside the tree and saw Layla, about 10 other kids, and two women. He would bet the women inside would be beautiful judging by their body structure. The children's body ages looked to be around 10-15 but who knows how old they really were.

He watched as she walked in while the other kids were eating lunch and they all stopped when she walked in. She quickly walked over to the end of the table and tried to sit down. However, one of the women jumped in front of her and blocked her path. Layla lowered her head and it looked like she was getting scolded by the woman. Omega was perfectly fine with this punishment.

However, as quick as lighting, the woman raised her hand and slapped Layla across the face knocking her over. Omega, for a second, was so surprised that he stood there in silence. Next, all he saw was red, he could feel his body slowly start to turn into mist but quickly controlled himself. He could tolerate a slap and could talk to her about it later if need be. As long as they don't really injure her.

Layla slowly got up and sat on the table and the rest of the kids started talking like it was a regular occurrence for someone to get slapped which did not make Omega feel any better. Corporal punishment must have been still in session with these elves. After lunch, he watched as Layla got another stern talking to by the other woman but luckily, for Omega, Layla, or the woman, Omega didn't know, Layla was able to leave without physical punishment.

He watched Layla walk out and go over to a small little area that no one was at. As she walked through the village, nobody waved to her and some looked even looked at her in disgust. Omega was curious as to what such a sweet little child could have done to deserve such a treatment. She quietly walked her way over to a small seating area and just sat there gloomily.

Omega was curious as to why she was by herself when the other kids in that building were playing a game of tag with plants. It was pretty cool to watch how the person 'it' would have to stand still and sing to make the plant tag someone. The young elves were very nimble and quick but the vines were even nimbler and quicker meaning many people were it.

But he would always look over to Layla and see her not participating in the game. He guessed it had something to do with the way the adults shunned her. He really didn't like the way she was treated and he promised himself that he would do everything he could to make her feel joy when she was spending time with him.

He was getting hungry so he decided to go back to where she met him and wait for her to show up tomorrow or whenever she wanted to talk to him. He made his way back much slower than 17 miles an hour and set up camp. He summoned his own meal and did his own thing until nighttime.

The night was just as peaceful as the morning just with different animals making noise. He fell asleep listening to the sound of the forest and woke up at first light. He changed his tent back into his backpack and ate some home cooked blue eggs and ham which was delicious. He went back to the same spot before and got into his meditating position stretching out his senses.

Several hours later, he heard some running footsteps and hardened some vapor around the area. He smiled to himself when he recognized Layla. Just a couple seconds later, Layla burst through the edge of the forest and smiled broadly when she saw Omega.

Layla was hoping beyond hope that Omega would still be there to talk to her. He was the only one who had ever talked nicely to her ever since her parents died so his presence was a welcome change. She ran over to him and gave him a big hug.

Omega was surprised at first that she would trust him enough to give him a hug but didn't question it. He hugged her back and said, "Good morning, Layla." She pulled back and smiled at him with so much happiness and relief shining in her eyes. Omega was smiling a pretty big smile too but of course she couldn't see it because of his mask.

She said still overjoyed, "I'm glad you stayed. I was a little worried you would leave when I said there was danger in the forest but you stayed and I'm happy." Omega smiled at her and said, "Of course I stayed. I told you I will be here a whole year before I go. And who knows, I may stay longer if I have a good enough reason."

They both hugged again and she said, "You want to play with me?" Omega, remembering how she was all alone while the other children played, said, "Of course I'll play with you." Omega watched that already big smile grow even bigger and she said, "Let's play tag!" She quickly tagged Omega running off saying, "You're it!"

She quickly darted through the forest and Omega slowly got up and stretched. However, he remembered how yesterday she ran extremely fast and how he was barely able to keep up. He cursed silently and darted after her. He may or may not have cheated and hardened some vapor to find her speeding through the forest and he changed directions to intercept her.

It took about 3 minutes for Omega to finally catch Layla and say, "You're it" before darting off already winded. It only took Layla about a minute to catch him and dart off. He cursed elf speed and thought of a solution he practiced on his island. He quickly went to the stream a little ways away and stepped into the water.

After getting his energy back, he willed the water to wrap around his ankles and go all the way over his body. After he was done, his body basically had an ice, robotic skeleton. He smirked and willed the ice to move in a running motion increasing his speed to that of an elf. He, again, cheated to find her and chased after her.

He was able to catch her much easier and keep away from her longer until they were both tired and laying on the ground next to each other laughing. Omega was breathing semi-hard since most of the work was just manipulating the water while Layla was breathing hard, not used to the exercise.

They looked at each other and stared into each other's eyes. Sea green with orange flecks looked into velvety purple each containing joy. She smiled and said, "Thank you for playing with me. I've never had so much fun before." Omega smiled sadly at her once again remembering her sitting alone.

He said, "I will always be here waiting for you whenever you need me. If you're ever in trouble, just call my name and I will come. I had fun today too so don't worry about me not wanting to spend time with you. I will always enjoy spending time with you." Layla smile brightened and she got up and hugged Omega. Omega gave her a hug back before they separated.

She looked up at the sun and sighed. "I guess I have to go now. Lunch will be in 30 minutes and I don't want to be late again." Omega almost trembled in anger that she got slapped just for being a little late but controlled himself and said, "Alright then, come back whenever you want to play or talk. I will wait for you."

With a last smile, she jogged off into the forest back to her village. Omega followed her again to make sure she wouldn't get punished just to get punished. Based on how she was treated by the villagers, he wouldn't put it past them.

He watched her the rest of the day and was relieved that there was no physical punishment even though she was still being shunned. However, this time in her little quiet place, he could now see a small smile across her face which made Omega happy knowing she was thinking about her time with him.

Over the next month, the system was the same. In the morning, she would come and play with Omega. In the afternoon, he would stay in the village being bored but happy with the memories she had with Omega.

However, one day, he could tell the other kids were planning something with their hushed conversations and their occasional glances to Layla. So, he watched her all day making sure nothing happened to her. He even watched her during the night while she was asleep and he was glad he did.

Around the middle of the night, he felt movement inside Layla's room as the other kids got out of their beds. He now had his full attention on the room and watched as they gathered around Layla's bed. Omega's blood started to boil as they got near her bed and surrounded it.

Now Omega did not like to use some of his powers but he would definitely use it to prevent them from dishonorably hurting Layla. As one of the kids reached to grab Layla, Omega slightly moved the water in his hand causing a sharp and quick pain making him jerk his hand back.

The group paused for a second looking at the kid who was looking at his hand rubbing it. After a few seconds, the kid tried it again but got the same, quick pain. Another kid tried to touch her but, yet again, reeled her hand back in pain. The kids looked at Layla warily and started conversing with each other.

One of the kids broke off from the group towards the door to probably get one of the women. However, Omega didn't want anybody to get out and decided to scare them a little bit. As the kid reached for the door, Omega did the small pain again and the child jumped back. The group of kids started to panic and questioned how well they thought out their plan. They decided to try to wake up Layla verbally so they started to say 'Layla' but couldn't seem to form the words.

Omega smirked to himself as he sucked the moisture from their mouths to prevent them from speaking. The children were now huddled together in the middle of the room clinging to each other afraid. One of the brave kids decided to break off from the group and test to see if he could go back to bed.

Omega allowed him to get into bed and even allowed his mouth to gather moisture again. He watched as the kid sighed in relief and whisper to the other kids to get back into bed. The children slowly and warily made their back to their bed. After they all were tucked under the covers and nothing was happening to them, they tried to go back to sleep and slowly fell asleep in thankful relief.

In the morning, they all woke up but no one got out of bed like they usually would and just looked at each other waiting for Layla to wake up. They didn't dare try to wake her up in fear of the pain they felt last night. They watched Layla warily as she woke up and stretched. Omega smirked as he saw Layla look at the others confused as they looked at her warily. She slowly got out of bed still looking at the other kids who were still in bed.

The brave kid who went to his bed first slowly got out of bed with all the other kids watching. Once he made it out of bed without pain, others soon followed. However, all they did was stand at the side of their bed. Layla still gave confused looks as she got dressed and walked to the door. She saw the other kids tense up as she reached towards the door and gave them a questioning look.

However, she didn't see anticipation in their eyes like they usually had with a prank. She saw pure fear that something would happen if she tried to open the door. She looked back at the door with a little worry and reached out. She touched the door handle and slowly turned it until it opened. She slowly swung it open and looked at the other kids who still haven't moved. She just shrugged and decided they were trying to mess with her and walked out the door.

Omega watched the children start to get prepared for the day and decided that they wouldn't mess with her again in fear of repercussion. He smirked at their fear but then quickly realized what he was doing. He could start to see what the Dark Sword saw in him, so he quickly left and headed back to their meeting spot.

Another three more months passed of Layla and Omega hanging out. The kids never tried to mess with Layla again and they wisely kept their mouths shut about it. Of course, the people still shunned Layla but she didn't care anymore. She had Omega who would love her for who she was and not about what she could do.

Omega decided to change it up this time and walk with her to their spot so he waited at the tree line for her. For the four months, he had never been revealed to any other races on the planet even though he had had a few close calls with how silent they stalk through the forest. 

Omega was brought back to reality when he saw Layla jump through the door and start to skip over to the forest. However, three adult male elves blocked her path a couple of feet outside the forest edge. Omega didn't know what was going on but he didn't like it. He watched the happy expression on Layla's face turn into one of confusion then horror as one of the elves planted a sapling.

He watched as the entire elf clan start to gather. Now, Omega definitely didn't like how this was turning out. He was itching to make her happy again but knew he shouldn't interfere so he decided to watch to see what would happen.

They started speaking in their own tongue which Omega only knew bits and pieces like ... make ... grow ... else. The words he did catch didn't sound very good to him. He could tell Layla was trying to make a point but the elves wouldn't have any of it and just snapped at her, telling her to do something.

She looked at the plant and took a deep breath. Omega wondered if she was going to control it like the other kids did while playing tag so he waited to see what she would do. She started singing but it didn't sound like the voice she usually sang with. It lacked the joy it had before when she sang for him.

When the song ended five minutes later, the sapling hadn't moved or grown at all. She stared at it horror struck leaving a confused Omega wondering why not being able to move it would scare her so much. He looked around to the other villagers and saw either somber or indifferent expressions. Even the kids had looks of pity on their faces which Omega still didn't understand.

One of the male elves walked forward to the silent Layla and spoke something in their tongue. She started crying and fell to her knees. The elf said a few more things then drew a sword. Omega was panicking just as much as Layla now. He didn't know what that elf planned to do with that sword and he really didn't want to find out.

The elf said one last thing before raising his sword. Right before bringing it down, Layla lifted her crying face and yelled, "Omega!" That was all he needed to move into action. Omega didn't know exactly how he got from the top of the trees all the way down to her before the sword ran her through, but he did and he wasn't complaining.

He jumped down and drew his sword on his hip and blocked the oncoming blow to the surprise of the elf. Omega used this distraction to push the elf away and he stumbled back a few steps. The audience was struck speechless with the sudden intruder.

Layla looked up after hearing swords collide and saw Omega. She didn't know where he came from but was happy he was here. She instantly got off her feet and grabbed onto him after he pushed the adult off.

Omega surveyed the situation and saw there were at least 20 male guards with weapons drawn and 10 women with weapons. Behind them was the rest of the village who moved behind their defense after Omega showed up.

The male elf spoke up in his own tongue but Omega just said, "I don't speak elvish." The male elf was visibly shocked with the non-elvish voice that came from behind the mask and how young it sounded. However, the force that this boy pushed against his sword didn't match the voice.

The elf said, "You speak English. Who are you and why have you come and interrupted us?!" Omega just rolled his eyes and said, "I don't tell people my name unless given a good reason and your own name. However if you thought for a second you might figure it out." Omega scolded himself for being his usual sarcastic self at the moment but he couldn't help it. That elf was about to kill a little girl just because she didn't make a little plant grow! "Second, I came because Layla called me." Omega watched as the attention switched to the small child clinging to Omega.

Omega looked down at Layla and said softly, "Layla, please let go and get behind me." She obediently obeyed and stepped behind him. He turned back towards the other elves and said, "Why were you trying to kill Layla?" He said this calmly with no accusation or emotion at all. He still had barely restrained rage flowing through him but he wanted answers first.

The elf simply said matter of factly, "She is unable to make a sapling move or grow so it is in our tradition to kill her. We cannot exile her because she knows too much and other clans will use that information to attack us. She can't stay among us because all our people have to have the ability to sing to the plants and the balance will be broken if she stayed." Now Omega was confused. Just because she didn't make that specific plant grow didn't mean she couldn't do it.

Omega said questionably, "But she does have the ability to make plants grow?" He remembered watching the plants grow healthier and taller when she sang to him and he's pretty sure that means she could make plants grow unless ... elves had a different definition of grow. He had much to learn if that was the case.

One of the elf warriors spat, "Then how come she was unable to make this plant grow, outsider." Omega didn't like how aggressive these people were and the clear insult with the outside comment. Omega said, "She had no joy in her voice like she does with me which I believe is why this plant didn't grow. Now, I don't know much about your ways or abilities so I can't say for sure. However, if anybody is unable to make things grow, how is killing them the right choice?"

Omega looked through the crowd and spotted many thoughtful faces contemplating his words. Whether it was the joy comment or the killing comment he didn't know. However, the guards with the weapons still had them pointing towards the two and didn't even look like they were contemplating it at all.

One of the bigger guards stepped up and said, "It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. You have trespassed on our territory and attacked one of the guards. Trespass alone is a death sentence and attacking a guard just leaves no doubt that you need to be killed. Any last words?" Omega really didn't like how the guard spoke to him matter of factly so Omega guessed he would have to knock him down a peg or two.

Omega, of course, stepped up to the challenge. Layla tried to stop him but he just told her to watch and that there was nothing to worry about. When Omega got 10 feet from his opponent, he did a slight bow and got into a ready stance. The guard scoffed and charged.

Omega wasn't too surprised that this man didn't bow back with honor but oh well. He calmly waited for his opponent to sprint up to him then quickly jumped to the left when he brought his sword down. The sword kept its momentum and immediately changed direction. Omega held the sword against his side and let the blow slide off him before he charged the elf.

The sudden charge into the elf's personal space shocked him and it made it easy for Omega to stick his leg through the elf's legs and slightly moving it the side. He immediately stuck out his free hand and pushed the guard on the chest. When the elf tried to step back as to not lose balance, Omega pulled his foot back to him and trip the guard.

When the guard recovered, Omega already had his sword on his neck. The elf growled and yelled something in his native tongue which caused a gasp from Layla. Omega stole a peek at Layla to see what happened but the many footsteps approaching him drew his attention away from her. He saw all the warriors charging at him so he quickly knocked out the guard and jumped back into a ready position with his other sword now in his free hand.

The warriors collided and Omega had his work cut out for him. He was mainly on defense but occasionally went on offense resulting in a knocked out warrior. After about five minutes of fighting, 11 male warriors and 7 female warriors were left. They stared at each other debating what would be there next move.

Apparently, the elves had a new tactic when one the warriors yelled out to the people in the back. This elicited another gasp from Layla but Omega knew to keep his attention on the other elvish people. The group behind the warriors started to sing and Omega knew what was coming next.

Vines quickly shot at Omega trying to wrap him up or stab him. He dodged most of them and cut the rest severing them from their roots. He did this for about 2 minutes until the singing stopped. Before the villagers could make a move, Omega warned, "I would highly recommend you not use magic again. Or else, I may play by the same rules and this battle will be over really quick."

The people looked warily at Omega and his unknown magic capability. The soldiers assessed the situation and apparently thought he was bluffing. The soldiers barked out some more orders and the people started singing again while the guards charged. The vines were the first to reach Omega but stopped short of reaching him.

The guards stopped their advance about 10 feet away in surprise and confusion on why the vines stopped when the people were still singing. Omega smirked under his mask and willed the water in the plants to wrap around the surprised guards quickly subduing them.

The people also were shocked to see their magic not working and their surprise quickly turned into fear when the vines turned against their own warriors. They stopped trying to control the vines and thought of another solution.

Omega waited to see what the villagers had in store and prepared for anything. Once the singing commenced, Omega felt the grass start to grow at his feet and he smirked. He remembered his practice on the grasslands and quickly froze a clear coat of water over the grass to prevent it from growing.

Once again, the villagers were surprised that their magic wasn't working and now started to back up in fear. Omega sighed a little because he didn't really want them to fear him. He only wanted them to know that they can't just abuse a child because she didn't make something grow that one time under the pressure of the entire village breathing down her neck.

Omega sighed and released the guards from the vine grip. The guards and villagers stood there in silence waiting to see what would happen. Omega spoke up and said, "I do not wish to fight you and I didn't mean to intrude on your land. I knew nothing about this planet when I first got here and I met Layla my first day. She has visited me for the past four months and I have given her joy unlike you. Now, I let a few physical punishments slide and I also prevented some. But let me make something clear, you will not harm her again. I have seen her unknowingly use her voice to grow plants. She was always happy to spend time with me and it showed in her voice thus giving it enough power to grow plants. At least, that is my theory."

Omega scanned the still silent crowd and waited for a response. One of the older villagers stepped up and said, "You are a mighty warrior to be able to stand against all these warriors and have impressive magic if you are able to steal control over the vines and stop the grass from growing. I am the leader of this village and you have my word no harm will ever come to her again ... I have one request though." Omega narrowed his eyes at why he would need to fulfill a request to get them from messing with Layla when he subdued all the fighters without much effort.

Omega nodded his head to see what the request was and listened to the elder. "For the past 40 years, there has been a monster prowling around our borders striking fear into the hearts of the villagers. He steals our livestock and one time even burned down part of the forest. He poses a major threat to this village and, in turn, everyone in it." Omega could tell he was referring to Layla on the last part which would give him more reason to kill the monster.

Omega let the information sink in. The monster they were talking about didn't seem to want to hurt them since it hadn't attacked them all this time when it clearly could. However, there was no telling what it could be planning.

Omega asked, "Alright, I'll see what I can do. What does it look like?" Inside, though, Omega was shaking his head in resignation. Once Omega left Earth, he really hoped he wouldn't have had to deal with monsters anymore. But, of course, Omega could never get a lifelong break.

The villagers got out of their fighting stance and the guards put away their weapons. The old elf smiled and said, "Splendid. He has a slender build with blue markings across his whole body and four arms. He is at least 7 1/2 feet tall made of pure muscle. He has grey, rock like skin that is extremely tough. We were barely able to scratch him and that was with all of us working together."

"He shows himself around once every month and leaves with about 5 of our livestock. We've tried fighting before but he is just too skilled. He quad-wields swords and is like a whirlwind of blades. He slices up the plants we try to use and could easily kill any soldiers that get too close." The villager ended and waited to see if he scared this cloaked figure. However, he was surprised to see that he just nodded.

Omega thought about it for a second and it sounded like a monster he could take. However, something was bugging him about the actions of the monster. He brushed it aside for now and decided he would find out later.

Omega nodded and said "Okay, you want to take me to it?"

The villagers were a little surprised of his eagerness but were filled with hope that they wouldn't have to worry about the monster anymore. The old elf smiled and said, "When the time comes we can show you the way. It should be another week until he shows up so we will send out scouts to warn us when he is here. Until then, we will provide anything that you need and feel free to stay anywhere you want."

Omega smiled under his mask even if they couldn't see it and said, "Thanks but I'll stay in the forest during the night and come back in the day to do whatever. I provide my own meals and other supplies so just permission to enter your village is fine." Omega didn't want to leave the peacefulness of the forest and he could also have his own home cooked meals which he would prefer them not knowing he could just summon food.

The elf nodded even though he didn't understand why someone would want to sleep in the forest but he just put it down as something his kind did, whatever his kind was. "Thank you, ... uh what's your name?" Then he remembered him saying he needs to know his name before he says his name. "Oh, and mine is Hysolph."

Omega chuckled and said, "Mine is Omega. Now, I am going back to the forest with Layla. If you need me, just yell out my name into the forest and I should come. And, if I am not here in the village but Layla is, she knows where to find me." With that, Omega walked back into the forest leaving no evidence he was there in the first place.

The elvish people stood there in silence before Layla smiled brightly and ran into the forest breaking them out of their stupor. Layla caught up to Omega and tackled him from behind in a hug. They wrestled on the ground for bit until Omega came out on top and they stared into each other's eyes.

She smiled and said, "Thank you Omega. You saved my life." Omega just smiled and said, "All in a day's work." They got back up and walked quietly through the forest back to their spot. They walked in silence as they enjoyed the quietness of the forest and being in each other's company.

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HEYO!!! Another chapter up for your pleasure of reading. So, what did you think about the beginning? Yes, No? Anyway, hope you liked it and for those impatient readers out there, it's only one more chapter until Omega meets Chaos. ;)

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