A World Apart The Jake Thomas Trilogy - By Steven A. Tolle Page 0,135

feeling pretty confident in his ability to call up his magic. Now when he focused on it, it came almost instantly. He still did not quite believe that he could do this, taking in the blue aura around him, marveling at the energizing feeling it produced. Tomaris did not have him do anything with it, simply hold it and try to draw more.

"As you become more familiar with your power and use it more often, you will find that the amount you can use will increase." Tomaris said as he slowly walked around Jake, looking closely at his aura. "However, you will eventually reach a point where you can use so much and no more."

"Why is that?" Jake asked, somewhat absently, focusing on trying to increase what he was holding.

"Because we are mortal, child." Tomaris replied. His face took on a faraway look. "Man is a being of both the physical and spiritual realms. It is the spiritual component, the part of you that will live on after your body dies, which enables you to use this power. Always remember that it originates in the spiritual realm, not from this world."

"Then why can't I do this on Earth?" Jake asked, perplexed. His aura pulsed as he drew more in. "Men live there as well."

"True, but you don't have to face the demons like the people of this world." Tomaris replied. "The power that the clerics wield is a gift to the people to defend against powerful spiritual beings in the physical world. If the demons invaded your world, it is likely that the Creator would share His Light there as well."

"I see." Jake said, returning to watching his glowing form. As he took in the shimmering blue light, it prompted a question he had been wondering about.

"So how is this magic different from the clerics?" Jake asked. "If it all comes from the same source, shouldn't we do the same things?"

"Come over to the window, Jake." Tomaris replied, stopping to pick up a crystal from a shelf, then headed to the window. When Jake came up next to him, he held the crystal in the sunlight, a rainbow of colors appearing on the window shelf. "The magic you wield comes from the same source as the clerics. You borrow, in a way, your power from the Light. Consider these colors. They come from the same light, yet each is different in its way."

"I understand that." Jake interjected. "I learned in my science classes that what we see as visible light is actually made up of various wavelengths of light. The red,..." he said as he pointed to the red area of the rainbow "...its wavelength is longer, while the blue has a shorter wavelength. Our eyes are simply not designed to differentiate the separate wavelengths."

"Since the source is the Light, they both provide defense against the demons' dark power." Tomaris said, smiling at Jake's explanation. "But the clerics' power is focused on healing. Yours is not of the same...'wavelength' you called it. It does not seem to have healing properties like the clerics'. I will have to give it more thought, but your power seems to be in direct opposition to the demons'. If that is the case, as you grow stronger, it should be more effective against our enemies than a cleric with similar power."

He paused, looking Jake in the eyes. "But always remember that you are also a mortal and physical being. Your body was not originally created to channel this power. Since it comes from the same Creator that made you, it does not do lasting harm, but it is a stressor on the body. The more you use, the more stress on the body. That is why you passed out after your first use in the woods. The sudden use simply overwhelmed your body, which was not prepared for using such might."

Tomaris continued. "Now that you have conscious control of it, if you are simply holding it or using it in short bursts, you will probably not notice. But if you have to use it continuously and in large amounts, you will find that the body will eventually tire and weaken. As the body weakens, your ability to use the power will also weaken." He gave Jake a reassuring smile. "Fortunately, those effects are usually remedied by sleep. According to his letter, our friend Jonas found that out when he was forced to use more power than he had previously, during and after the battle in