This fanfiction is rated T for violence. The rating may go up if it gets too intense. There may be some slight romance between Link and Vaati in later chapters.

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Honestly, I never really thought things would work out. I mean, I had sort of done everything rashly. Almost any plan needs to be well-thought out, so maybe I was just lucky. Or skilled inherently, but that was less likely. Let's be honest - how much chance would I have to develop inherent skill with the nuances of evil when I was nothing but a mere apprentice to a sage who, if need be described, fell rather well into the "good" alignment category. Come to think of it, I'm still not entirely sure what was so alluring about the powers of evil, just that I knew it was what I wanted. And I wasn't the type of person who wanted things often, so I knew I really had to have it.

But I stand here with the Minish Cap on my head, as though my master had never come in in the first place. He's flopping right there on the floor, probably screaming obscenities at me, in the way an old coot usually does. Not that I heard a word of it; I was still entranced with the sensation of the powers I had, what I had done. It had taken no more than a mere thought and a few arcane words to cast something so powerful. I could barely cast a spell without this hat; I had to use it. There was no choice in the matter, if I wanted to come out successful. That was the thing that immediately occurred to me - I had to use this power, the power residing within this hat, power that I had been blessed with, to get just what I needed.

For now, I knew that the darkness comforted me, and that was all I wanted - for that comforting darkness to envelop me and cradle me, as it was there protecting me and watching over me, like a mother, and I was its child. I had my wish; I wanted to be a powerful sorcerer, and that was what this cap had granted me. I couldn't be much happier than I was now. It wasn't that I wanted to do this to Ezlo; I just wanted to do what I ...felt I had to do. Be it the evil that had driven me or the loneliness I didn't want to admit to, I knew that this way I would be noticed at last for my potential. I wouldn't be shunned; I would have what I wanted. Right now I had to have as much power as my body - however frail - could handle.

Now, some things occurred to me as I stood there still, the old geezer's rambling not reaching my ears. I felt my eyes widening as I searched the corners of my mind and found some useful information, rather to my surprise. More power was what I needed, and I remembered reading something about a Light Force hidden somewhere in this world... something that would create and expand upon even greater power within me. I knew then that I needed this Light Force, and I would not rest until I found it.

But how would I find it? A few more moments' thoughts had brought me to the conclusion that it just might be in that blessed chest; the one where the Picori Sword... Eugh... why did it have to be named after the cursed race I was born a part of...? And it wasn't even the right name. ...No matter. The Picori Sword within that chest was where it must be sealed! There would be no other reason for it to be guarded so well! Now, how to get to that chest...

I realized at that moment that I did not want to attract attention, but getting to that chest was my priority. I had to find some way to reach it without creating a complete ruckus. ...At least, I preferred to work in subtle ways now, but when the moment came nothing would be subtle; that I was sure of. This would be the moment my name would be known throughout the world. What better than to possess more power than any living being, and... yes! Ruling the world had a splendid sound to it, but I couldn't do that without the power of the Light Force. I was strong now, I could feel it, but not so strong that no force could stand up to me. There was no need to be hasty. It wasn't like the unsuspecting people of this world knew about my plans... yet.

Now... how ought I go about obtaining that chest? The chest in which the blade of the Minish was sealed... it was brought out once a year, at the Picori Festival... That was right! There was a tournament, and the winner was allowed to touch the exalted blade! That was all the exposure I was going to need to make my plan work. When I won that tournament, I would break the seal on that chest, release the Light Force waiting inside!

There were still things I did not yet know, but at least I had a plan now; one that I hadn't had minutes ago. I was already ahead of anyone else who might make plans to interfere. And with luck, I would remain one step ahead. It wasn't like I was a seasoned veteran when it came to taking over the world, after all. I knew that sort of thing might take some skill to do properly, not to mention there was plenty of room for fatal mistakes. (All too much for that matter, but I had to wonder how one gained experience in this sort of thing without complete and utter failure. Well, one could be very successful from the start, but then they wouldn't know what errors could be very significant...) ...I really ought to do something about my mind wandering; this inattention is getting out of hand. Anyway. For now I had a goal to work towards. That would give me time to come up with a better plan of action.

That old bird still wouldn't shut his mouth- er, beak; that much was evident by the way Ezlo still lay on the floor screaming and squealing. I could have passed on that tirade, but it wasn't like I had a choice, and I had done a much better job of tuning his rant out than I had my own wandering mind. Now was time to leave... though first, I would consult Ezlo's mirror to see what changes had been made in my transformation. I had felt a change from the moment I put the hat on and knew that I had taken the form that I needed, And indeed, the face that stared back at me was Hylian, not Minish. And it wasn't like I wasn't going to notice a change that big. Pressing my hand lightly against my face, I thought I even kind of liked it. It was a fitting form for a sorcerer, and I knew that I would have to influence the Hylian world more than the Minish world; that was just going to be necessary. In all seriousness, I didn't mind becoming a Hylian. At the very least, I wouldn't have to worry about being smashed with pebbles, drowning in raindrops, and being gored by various insects - at least not on a daily basis. Hah.

I didn't linger to talk with my old master; I had things to do, and besides, he wasn't worth listening to anyway. I simply passed him up, ignoring his shouts and curses, as I left the house, leaving the door wide open. Not that I cared what happened here, at least not now. I had a lot of work to do, and Ezlo wasn't going to be a part of it.

The warmth of my hat on my temples was comforting. The darkness was always there, reassuring me... Always there. It wasn't a fair-weather friend, like the other Minish and even my Master were to me. Ezlo wasn't as bad as the others, but he wasn't giving me the attention I needed, even as his apprentice. I had no idea what had made him decide that he could ignore me half the time or mostly give me duties that didn't involve studying in his apprenticeship. He didn't even hesitate to cut me down when I really needed to be comforted or cared for. I had actually begun to wonder whether or not I was going to continue learning under him. He had grown to ignore me more and more, and now... well!

Now was time for a change. A change that would shake the foundations of this world.