“Be careful, now, Vaati! It’s important you don’t drop that!” Ezlo reminded him as Vaati reached into the furnace with tongs, grabbing a cup of what looked like boiling gold paint.
“I understand, Master, I’ve done this many times,” Vaati assured him as he walked steadily to a table, pouring the molten solid into a mold.
“Perfect!” Ezlo nodded in approval as Vaati set the tongs down.
Vaati wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was really nervous about it, even though he didn’t admit it. He tended to like to keep an outer shell of calm and confidence.
Lately, they had been practicing with the more dangerous, magic elements in preparation for the upcoming project. Ezlo seemed especially worried about it, and Vaati had vowed to do all he could to help.
“Vaati,” Elzo asked him, making his way over to a shelf. “Are you going with Penn today?”
“No he has to work late, why?”
“Because, I figured since you’re a bit closer to adulthood now, and more than capable of self-control…” Vaati held his breath. “I thought I might begin your lessons in sorcery.”
“Really?” Vaati gasped.
“Yes, I will need your assistance soon, after all! And it would be very helpful if you knew a little.”
“Thank you, Master!” Vaati exclaimed with excitement as he hugged Ezlo.
Since that day, Vaati would spend extra hours with Ezlo learning magic.
“The first thing I must tell you about sorcery is this: the power comes straight from your heart,” Ezlo explained. “Therefore, it is strongly influenced by emotion. You must be very stable in order to control the power properly. Watch, this is being cool and controlled.”
Ezlo began to focus on a vase. Vaati watched intently as Ezlo raised his hand. The vase copied his motion, rising off the ground steadily.
“Now, see what happens when I- purposely- become angry.” A crack spread across the vase, then it violently shattered, the shards flying across the room everywhere. “That is why you must learn to control your emotions.”
“Whatever you thought about, it must have made you really mad,” Vaati mused.
“Actually, no,” Ezlo chuckled. “I was only thinking about how I forgot to purchase bread yesterday at the market.”
After a little instruction on how to perform the trick, Ezlo set another vase on the ground in front of them.
Vaati took a breath, staring at the vase nervously. After calming down, he raised his hand. The vase shook, but didn’t go anywhere. Vaati stopped, fearing it might crack and shatter.
“It’s alright, it may take a while. Just think about something that makes you happy, something peaceful,” Ezlo soothed him.
With ease, Vaati made the vase rise off the ground. It levitated perfectly in the air without shaking at all. He sat it back down on the ground softly, then turned to smile in achievement at his master.
“What did you think about?” Ezlo asked, still amazed at his performance.
“Wind.”
~*~
Days passed. Vaati hadn’t had a chance to see his friend. He spent every moment of free time with his master practicing sorcery. In that short period, he had learned much more than just levitation tricks- Ezlo taught him teleportation, how to produce fire, even wind manipulation! Out of all the things he learned, controlling the wind was his favorite. And even though his power wasn’t near as strong as his master, he was still very skilled.
“Vaati,” Ezlo told his apprentice one day after practice. “If one day, you remember nothing else of what I tell you, please remember this,” he said, placing a hand on his shoulder and kneeling down to look at him. Vaati focused all his attention on his master, knowing that he only does this when he’s very serious.
“As I told you, magic comes from the heart. If your heart is pure, then your magic will be, also. It will be easily controlled, and bring happiness to others. If your heart is impure, and your intentions malicious, then you will produce a dark magic. It will be uncontrollable, and harm everyone in its wake- including yourself. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Master!” Vaati nodded smiling.
“That’s good! I have faith that you’ll keep these words in the back of your mind forever, Vaati.”
YOU ARE READING
Ezlo's Apprentice
FanfictionBefore the great Wind Mage, before the curse upon the land of Hyrule, before the dark intentions of an apprentice... there was but an innocent Minish child. Something had to make him into the villain he became. Something had to drive him into his m...
