It was truly amazing how arcane knowledge and sorcery worked. It was doubly amazing how all it took was a wish-granting cap perched atop his head. He remembered, all too well, the strange sensation of first becoming a sorcerer. In mere minutes, Vaati had felt his soul fill with much-needed levity; he was happier, intoxicated with power, twice as alive and tenfold more powerful… powerful, indeed. With sheer strength of will, Vaati now had multiple abilities at his disposal… the black arts.
One of those abilities was invisibility – helpful when there was a manhunt out for you. In hindsight, Vaati wasn't quite sure why he decided to return to the garden in which the Picori Festival was held. Perhaps it was a desire to gloat on his victory… no, there was simply no time for that. He had to find an outlet of Light Force – that was the primary goal. Maybe it was nostalgia. Maybe it was to retrieve something he lost.
Or maybe it was to see Princess Zelda again.
The idiotic questing hero – Link, Vaati vaguely recalled – had gone off to have that Picori Blade reforged; it was very likely that Link would be searching for him soon. The guards had been ordered to locate and imprison Vaati; under the request of the King. I should be hiding. I should be finding the Light Force, as I am supposed to. Why am I here?
Looking upon Princess Zelda again was all he needed to answer that question. Strange, how she looked the same, yet different. Being petrified hadn't changed her looks a bit, apart from taking on an entirely gray color. She was perfectly sculpted, her pink dress and jewelry the same as it was last afternoon, and her expression was still the one of shock she had worn earlier; still frozen in the same position. Impeccable detail; still as lovely as before.
Some things never change.
Yet, perhaps things do change. Change is as constant as time… Vaati had known that personally. Examining the darker side of human nature had proven this fact to him. Before he was too subservient and moral… reticent to betray his squabbling, snarky master. Ezlo thought he could have kept Vaati in the dark. But why hide something so fascinating from such a curious man? Evil men were curious, when they submitted to their inner demons. Free to break the rules, free to relieve themselves of all the burdens of being moral, free of scruples. Sorcerer Vaati was far stronger than Minish Vaati ever was… and, deep down, it felt good.
If change is constant, like time, things have to change. Which is why people like Princess Zelda and her stubborn, ignorant father angered Vaati. They were people content to let things remain the way they were; content, even, with things remaining in a never-changing form of stasis. No desire at all to improve their station in life. Vaati saw differently; power could help him realize his dreams and challenge the improbable. Without people to constantly challenge the limits, places such as Hyrule would remain in the same state it always had been. Prosperous, but severely missing something.
To be a God… to venture where nobody has ventured before… yes, I like it.
And yet, Princess Zelda was a curio. An infuriating, happy one, but a curio nonetheless. Vaati ran his hand against the cool stone that was her arm, eyeing her expression.
I wonder if you're awake in there. Are you conscious, Princess? Aware of the changing world surrounding you?
You are Light. You are goodness… a flip side of darkness, the opposite of evil. You are beauty, I am hatred. You are content, I am disappointed in things. You have everything, whilst I strive to have everything. Perfection… not perfection.
Beauty with no parallel… yet you are blind to reality, happy with your perfect world.
Maybe it was jealousy. Jealousy of this perfect girl and her perfect world.
Vaati glanced at the sky; a growing collage of reds and oranges that rose above the purpling mountains. Sunset was coming along, which meant nighttime would approach soon. It was time to return to his quest. Vaati backed away from the statue, keeping his gaze on it the entire time. Her stone form was perfectly aligned with the falling sun.
"So long, Princess. Not much time for a goodbye now," Vaati intoned. "Hyrule awaits me."
The sorcerer turned on his heels, and walked away from Zelda and began to traverse the path that had brought him here, his heart heavy with excitement and anticipation of what awaited him…. and his mind heavy with bitter thoughts.