fleets: wow, this turned out longer than I expected. This chapter's really important though, so I guess I should've expected it :)

Chapter 16: Tainted

One year later…

"What happened to you, Vaati?!" Ezlo squawked when he saw his apprentice come home from school looking disheveled with soot all over his face. The ten-year-old boy stared blankly at his master for several seconds before he wiped his face with his sleeves and gave a thin smile.

"Didn't you know? The school had a science fair today. I tried to make red potion but it exploded."

"You didn't tell me about any science fair, boy. I could have helped you with the potion, too, if you had told me about it. It's fairly simple if you do it right but explosive if you're not careful. Was everyone all right?" Ezlo turned to see Vaati retreating to his room. These days he couldn't tell if Vaati was in a hurry to go to his room because he liked his privacy or because he didn't like him…

"Yeah it wasn't a big deal. No one's hurt. I'm ok. Don't worry about it master."

No big deal? Vaati hadn't let Ezlo get a good look at him but the boy's face had appeared singed and it seemed parts of his robe had caught on fire. "Vaati, did the nurse take a look at yo-"

"Yes, yes, she did. There's nothing to worry about. Everything was taken care of."

"You seem to have burns –"

Vaati's eye peeked out from behind the door. "Please, Master Ezlo, I hate it when you fuss over me like a little kid. I can handle myself."

Ezlo hesitated. He didn't want Vaati to hate him. "All right m'boy."

The sage sighed when he heard Vaati's door click shut. He supposed he should pay a visit to Ms. Tutari to hear how the science fair had gone and to apologize for any trouble Vaati's project may have caused anyone.

What was he doing wrong? Was he just incapable of being a parental figure? Vaati had become increasingly quiet as time passed, and whenever Ezlo asked him about school he always changed the subject. Occasionally, Vaati would mention something like the science fair but if Ezlo asked questions the boy would shrug it off like it wasn't important. The only thing that could actually get the apprentice to become enthusiastic was the subject of books. There was a rare day when he and Vaati had talked for several hours on ancient books that spoke of legendary arts that were long since lost in time. Ezlo had been surprised that Vaati had been so interested in the subject and it was a time when both of them had genuinely enjoyed speaking to each other. The apprentice had sat attentively and asked many questions, some of which Ezlo couldn't even answer. He had actually looked like a boy his age then, hugging his knees together and perched on a chair, greedily absorbing every word that came out of Ezlo's mouth.

Ezlo chuckled. Well, the subject they had been speaking of wasn't anything usual at all, however. What was it? The Golden Power? The boy had wanted to know everything about its history and had been fascinated by its connection to the big people. Vaati had been surprised that it had actually existed – he had first read about it in the Swiftblade novels. The boy had rambled on and on about his favorite adventures of the hero Swiftblade before he clammed up and stopped talking, perhaps from embarrassment. For the rest of that day Vaati resumed his usual antic of shutting himself up in his room and going about the house as though Ezlo didn't exist. Ezlo had wanted to tell Vaati it was ok to be more open, but the closer he tried to get the more his apprentice retreated.

Like the time Ezlo had decided to teach Vaati how to make a healing salve. That had gone horribly wrong. It had gone well at first, and Vaati had seemed somewhat pleased that his master had finally begun to teach him the things he had read about. Once Ezlo had begun teaching, however, Vaati had suddenly become annoyed by something but wouldn't tell Ezlo what was wrong. It was as though he had suddenly remembered something unpleasant, and Vaati fell into a fit of controlled rage saying something about how he should be beyond the level of salves. It was 'controlled' because Vaati hadn't yelled or shouted or anything of the sort. It had been a disconcerting quiet that was heavy with contained frustration. Ezlo hadn't handled the situation well either; resorting to grounding Vaati in his room after the apprentice had made several rude remarks asking if his master knew anything beyond basics at all. By the time it occurred to Ezlo to ask Vaati what was bothering him it was too late and it was better off pretending it hadn't happened. Ezlo retreated to his study to work on the hat and Vaati shut himself in his room once again.

He's just at a rebellious age. Ezlo thought, trying to convince himself that his problem with Vaati was a stage all parents had to deal with. It'll pass with time…

Still, somewhere in the back of his head he knew he was just running from the problem from fear of making his relationship with Vaati even worse.

He loved that boy like his son.

It would break his heart to lose him.

XXXXXXXXXX

In a dimly lit corner of Vaati's room, a pale minish boy sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His hands hung limply across his lap and his back rested against the wall. It had become Vaati's habit to meditate after he came back from his self-studies at the secret base, but today he needed it more than ever. Sweat rolled down the tip of his nose, and he was still a little shaken from what had happened today when he had attempted his first elemental spell.

In the past year he had spent long hours studying everything about the concepts of mastering elemental magic and until today he had been too afraid to attempt it. In all his readings, elemental magic - the flashiest and most powerful type of magic known – was described as the most difficult to master.

And with good reason: the books claimed that to control elemental magic one had to know the nature of the true self and that was a feat that was harder than it seemed. Without understanding what he truly was the attempted spell would most likely control and destroy him like an untamed beast turning against its foolishly incompetent master.

Vaati hadn't really understood what it meant to understand himself, and after reading all the consequences he hadn't been in any rush to try elemental magic at all. He had been content to simply read all the materials about it and speculate in awe, imagining how it would feel if he came home one day and showed Ezlo how he had learned how to control water with his will all by himself. He had just enjoyed thinking about the shocked look on his master's face when he demonstrated his ability in performing one of the most advanced magic known.

Vaati grit his teeth as he recounted what had happened earlier that day:

"Erakih ikuuk!" Vaati repeated after the words written on one of Ezlo's books. Nothing happened, but he hadn't expected anything to happen. Right now, he was just trying to get a feel for the words he would need to know for a blinding spell.

"Hmmm." He scratched his chin and then held out his hand cautiously, following the directions from the book. It was difficult to follow since there were no diagrams and its author's descriptions were obscure at best. "I wonder if it means I hold out my hand after I say the words? Or before? Or right during the middle? Do I twist my wrists to the left? How many degrees? And what does it mean, 'pretend your thumb and forefinger are suns?' I don't understand…"

His ears pricked up when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and Vaati closed his book shut hurriedly when he realized the footsteps were approaching the entrance of the secret base. Vaati growled defensively. "Who's there?"

The footsteps stopped abruptly and the sounds in the air were reduced to tense breathing from two nervous boys. After a while, a certain redheaded minish dropped into the secret base and the two former friends held their breaths.

"…Vaati?"

"What are you doing here?" Vaati spat, making a move of putting his books away before Delta could see them. Delta stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing. You haven't been to school in two years."

"School is useless. I have no need to be with people like you."

Delta remained silent, taking his time to observe the friend he once thought he knew so well. To a casual observer, the most drastic change in Vaati's appearance within the last two years was his hair. His pale lavender hair had grown long past his shoulders and his bangs had washed over his face so that they covered his right eye before it tapered into a sharp point below his chin. However, as a former friend and a person who had known Vaati well, the greatest change Delta noticed was Vaati's eyes. Those ruby red eyes had once held a curious enthusiasm and a welcoming light to the world. Now there were slight hints of cynicism and the compassionate warmth was beginning to be replaced by a stinging cold. It was a subtle change, but it was enough to make Delta wonder if he knew this Vaati at all.

"Leave, Delta. I want nothing to do with you. Why did you even come here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be with Kari now?"

Delta bit his lip and tried his best not to be provoked. "I didn't think you'd be here." He broke. Vaati's comments had riled him. "This was my place to begin with. I found this place first. Go play magic with your master Ezlo why don't you and go away?"

At this, Vaati trembled in anger though Delta didn't really understand why. His comments were provoking, but he hadn't thought they would be so anger inducing. Then, something dawned on the redhead.

"…You don't know a thing about sorcery yet, do you?" Further silence from Vaati confirmed his suspicions. Suddenly, Delta felt his own rage boil over as well. "What have you been doing all this time Vaati?! Skipping school and not even learning a thing about magic, what kind of a failure are you?! All this time you've been saying you were busy and you were willing to throw away our friendship for it, and now I find out you've gone nowhere in your so-called apprenticeship! Are you that messed up Vaati?! Get a gri –"

"Silence."

Delta was interrupted by a thin, whispered voice that cut through the air like a knife. The air between them could have crackled from the tension between them.

"What do you know, Delta? You didn't even try to listen to me when I told you the one thing I had been trying to do was to go back to how things had once been. You didn't even TRY to believe me when I told you my friendship with you mattered more than dumb Kari and –"

"Don't call her that."

"I can. And I will. If it weren't for her you would have trusted me. But that's not the point because I've given up on trying to make things the way they had been. That's why I left school, Delta. I'm done with all of you, and now I'm going to work on magic by myself away from "friends" like you."

"You never apologized for anything, Vaati. You think everything is everyone else's fault. Have you even thought of thinking you were the one who was wrong all this time?"

"You were deaf when I apologized. You never heard me, and after a few times I couldn't even bother anymore. I gave you a chance to hear my sorries, but you never turned your ear so I gave up. If you had listened –"

"There you go again. Blaming me when you're also to blame."

"I can say the same to you."

The two boys glared at each other for some time. Then, Delta turned and began to pick up the things that had once been his such as the fliers he had smuggled from the big people's village. Vaati regarded him coolly and watched him walk away.

"Don't come back here. Your place is the school, not here. I don't ever want to see your face again."

Delta stopped suddenly and turned around with a terrible rage. A part of him was saddened by how far their friendship had drifted apart, but another part of him was engulfed with anger at Vaati's unreasonable and uncompromising attitude. He let his boiling fury take over and lashed out at the purple robed apprentice.

"You're right. I won't. I don't want to have anything to do with someone who can't admit it when they've made mistakes and choose to hide away from their problems in a place like this. I don't want to waste time on someone who can't even be grateful for an once-in-a-lifetime apprenticeship with the greatest sage in the land." He regarded Vaati for several minutes before he huffed and began to walk away. Delta was stopped by a voice laced with bitterness.

"Take that back."

Delta ignored Vaati and hitched his belongings over his shoulders. Recess was ending, and he needed to get back to school.

"I said take that back."

The words were uttered in a low, chilling hiss. Delta continued to ignore Vaati.

Meanwhile, Vaati could hardly contain his anger and his fists were white to the knuckles. He could feel heat building up in his palms as violent emotion fueled through him. How dare he say that to him. He knew nothing about what he had been working on – HOW DARE HE. Vaati yelled at the top of his lungs. "DIN'S FIRE DEL –"

Vaati never had the chance to finish that sentence, for as soon as the first two words were uttered flames erupted fiercely around him and licked his skin with scorching heat. He heard a muffled yelp of shock from Delta but he wasn't paying attention to his friend as he was in a panic from the tongue of fire summoned from his palms.

Goddesses, I didn't mean to…I didn't mean to! Vaati thought in horror. He desperately tried to control the flames but the more he tried to calm the searing heat the more it seemed to double in ferocity. An angry wall of fire flickering and twisting like a raging serpent shrouded his entire vision. Finally, when he was on the verge of giving up he let a new feeling overtake him: wincing from the smoldering heat, Vaati sat calmly and watched the fire with wonder and respect. If he was going to die, then he was going to die basking in the sheer awesomeness of the knowledge that he had performed elemental sorcery.

As soon as he calmed down and his anger and panic was replaced by quiet acceptance, the flames began to die as well. Vaati sighed in relief as the last of the flames shimmered and dimmed, retreating swiftly as his heartbeats slowed. He slumped to his knees and closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself.

"Vaati…"

Vaati's eyes snapped open and they narrowed when they focused on the redheaded boy who had taken a step forward in concern.

"Are you…are you ok?"

Vaati's anger began to resurface, but he managed to keep it in check when he noticed tiny sparks of fire dance across his fingertips in warning.

"Look, Vaati, I –"

"Leave, Delta."

Delta took a step back and his eyes sunk to the ground, although they darted in worry towards Vaati several times. "But I…"

"NOW." Vaati stood up and kept his flickering hands away from his sides. "Don't make me hurt you."

Delta's eyes widened in shock. "Was that a threat?"

Vaati's face was unreadable.

When no answer came, Delta shook his head expressionlessly and walked away out of sight. A chilling wind wrapped itself around Vaati and tugged at his robes, and it was then that he felt his heart sink to unfathomable depths of sadness. He had never felt lonelier in his life.

Shivering, Vaati's breath came out in weak puffs and he steadied himself against the root of a tree. The skin on his face was still warm from the burning fire earlier, but he felt chilled from the core. The wind tugged at his sleeves again and he held out his hand gratefully, letting it glide gently against his scorched hand soothingly.

Thank you…

In that moment where he felt everything had abandoned him, Vaati felt strangely comforted by the moving air that was still willing to hold and protect him.

Back in his room, Vaati broke out of meditation and ran his fingers over the edges of his robes where soot had gathered. He still couldn't believe he had summoned fire in his fit of rage and the words "din's fire," and it made him think twice about attempting elemental magic. It had been a learning experience, however – he had never expected elemental magic to be so sensitive to his emotions.

No wonder he needed to get a grip on himself first.

His wandering thoughts led him back to Delta, and he wondered what his friend had been doing there. Nostalgia perhaps? Well, that was foolish of him. He should know that they would never be the same again. Vaati had given up on that course of action, and Delta should as well. The moment that Vaati had threatened him out of rage he had brought their friendship down to a point of no return. They weren't friends, and if they were they were not the friends they used to be…

But…

What was that feeling he had felt when he had threatened Delta with the fire in his hands? It had been a tiny flicker in his soul that had sparked to life with a hungry grin. It had told Vaati it felt good, no, great. Even now, though he felt horrified and slightly appalled at what he was thinking of he couldn't deny that he had enjoyed seeing Delta shrink away in uncertain fear.

No. Vaati shook his head vehemently. That's horrible, I wouldn't…

That feeling was there again and silenced his guilty conscience. The voice growled smugly.

Ah, but who doesn't like the feeling of being in control? Of being respected? Of being…recognized for greatness.

No matter how hard he tried to believe the voice wasn't his own, he was forced to admit that the feeling he had when he had threatened Delta with fire was one of enjoyment. Disgusted at himself, Vaati involuntarily rubbed his hands together as though trying to brush away the grime of guilt.

The smug voice retreated, but the boy could hear its cruel laughter echo after it left.

Hide from your true feelings all you want, but it's only a matter of time for the era of the Great Sorcerer Vaati to begin.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Why, what a surprise to see you Sage Ezlo," Ms. Tutari said in surprise the next day when she answered her door to find the renowned sage standing in the doorway. "How go Vaati's studies?"

"Very well," Ezlo lied, thinking of all the conflicts he had in trying to get the boy to listen to him. "He's constantly wanting to learn material that is way over his head and he's never satisfied with the things I have to teach him." That much is true at least. "He'll surpass me easily for certain."

Ms. Tutari bade Ezlo inside and she offered him a seat in her living room. She disappeared for some time and then came back with an armful of papers. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I hope you don't mind if I grade papers while you speak."

"Oh, it's no problem. I only came here to apologize for any inconveniences Vaati may have caused in school yesterday."

Ms. Tutari was in the middle of straightening out the pile of papers in her hands when she stopped and looked at the sage curiously. "Why, what did he do?"

This time, Ezlo blanked. "Erhm, well, I was under the impression that he had caused an accidental explosion during the science fair."

"We did have a few mishaps but we didn't have anything explode."

"Or light on fire. The boy could have been over-exaggerating when he said his project exploded."

"I don't recall seeing Vaati at the science fair or that he did his own project for that matter."

"If you didn't see him, then how were you able to grade him for his project?"

"…Vaati is no longer enrolled in school."

"What?!"

Ezlo stood up in surprise before he sunk back down in his seat again. He raised his brow quizzically and wondered if he had heard her right. "Why was I not aware of this?"

"My good sage, you were the one who requested that he be homeschooled." Ms. Tutari went through her folders and produced an envelope that she handed to the sage. "Did you not write this letter?"

"No…no I…my goddesses this is a very good forgery." He read the letter that excused his apprentice from school and traced his fingers over the signature that very much resembled his own. "When did you get this?"

Ms. Tutari had pushed aside the papers she had been grading to give Ezlo her full attention. "Vaati hasn't been to school in the last two years."

"That long?"

Ms. Tutari nodded.

"…That boy is going to answer some questions when I return."

"So I take it he hasn't had an education in the last two years?"

"As far as I know, no he hasn't! That boy better have a good reason for all of this or he won't get away with it lightly." Ezlo clutched his cane angrily. How could his apprentice deceive him like this for so long? If he hadn't wanted to go to school he should have mentioned it, not go about the sneaky way of using forgery! Of course Ezlo would most likely have kept him in school regardless, but the least the boy could have done was to say something about it.

"Sage Ezlo, I know this news is startling but, did you mention something about explosions and burns? If he was not at school and you had no knowledge of what he had been doing…" she let the question hang.

In an instant, the sage grew wizened and frail in fear. All his previous anger towards Vaati vanished and was replaced by the worry of a parent. "Farore, you're right. Those burns…I didn't get a good look at them because he had insisted he was all right but…what had he been doing? His face had been burned and even his robes were singed. I…I need to speak with that boy. He could have been placing himself in danger…" Ezlo had gotten up and was pacing the floor furiously. He made for the door and was stopped by Ms. Tutari.

"Before you speak with him, remember to listen. Most people forget that part."

Ezlo looked at her helplessly and he kept squeezing his cane in agitation. "But what if he doesn't give me anything to listen to?"

Ms. Tutari smiled sadly. "Everyone has something to speak about. Whether or not they will tell you anything depends on if they feel your voice is going to drown them out."

"…I suppose you're right." The sage had a hopeless look on his face. He wasn't good at things like this, and from all the previous conversations with Vaati he knew there was a high probability that it was going to end with Vaati shutting himself up in his room and Ezlo losing his temper. It was because that boy had no respect for adults or anyone! Ezlo would try his best to be kind but all he ever got in return was a snide comment or a roll of the eyes. Or was it because Ezlo was a bad listener? "I'm beginning to feel I'm not cut out to have an apprentice."

"Nonsense! Why, have you been having problems?"

Ezlo told her the friction between him and his apprentice that had risen recently and how he didn't know how to handle the situation. "He wasn't always like this," he told her.

Ms. Tutari crossed her arms and stood thoughtfully for a few minutes. After a while, she rested her face on her hand. "Maybe you aren't spending enough time with him? I can't really say, only that Vaati is a boy who requires an exceptionally long time to gain trust." She shook her head. "You might want to consider actual homeschooling. He must have had an enormous reason to go so far as to forge letters to avoid school. Just remember, listen to him," she added.

Ezlo nodded and heaved a heavy sigh as he walked out the door. Just before he left, Ms. Tutari called again.

"I was just curious but, didn't you ever think it was strange that you didn't hear anything from the school during these last two years Vaati hadn't been attending?"

Ezlo laughed when he remembered something. "Oh ho, but I did get letters from the school. In fact, I received report cards for Vaati signed by you."

"Did you?"

"Yes. They were very cleverly done, too, now that I think of it."

"And what were his grades?"

"I believe they were almost always straight As."

The corner of Ms. Tutari's mouth twitched into a smirk and she plucked a pencil behind her ear. "Hmph. Tell him he should be a little more modest next time. Straight As indeed."

fleets: gotta go now i have to run off somewhere NOW but before I do, let me just say that the next few chapters (also including this one) is going to be important.

Shadow Blues: Actually, no, that was definitely not a filler chapter. I rarely write filler chapters :)
The last chapter was an important setup for the coming chapters. Without it, I wouldn't be able to write the next chapter :D

Reily96: Thanks! Those words make me feel all happy and nice :D. It's horrible what Vaati has to go through, but then again I like Vaati dark so good thing Ezlo sucked at being a parent. XD

Bishieluver01: By all means, no, Delta is definitely not just a throwaway character - he did disappear for some time because I wanted to focus on Vaati's ailing relationship with Ezlo, but Delta is still crucial. You'll definitely see more of him. As for the wishing cap, I'm still considering whether or not I can tell you...I'll answer the question if I decide I can. :D

marium: Thanks! We still haven't got to Vaati's ultimate theft - the stealing of the wishing cap. :)

DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: He's not so innocent anymore, is he...Ah well, there's still a smidgen of it left. He's not completely converted. Yet. Oh, and thank you~ I'm glad you liked it :D

Peka The Corsair: Yay thanks! :D

Victoria-BlackHeart: It's all downhill from here. I can't really think of anything good that's going to come. Hmmm.