Free Gemworld by Jeremy Bullard

would simply be use his gnawing curiosity about the world as an excuse to get everyone talking again, and maybe gain a little personal understanding to boot. “So what’s up with this magic thing?” Sal whispered cautiously, drawing withering glares from his companions. “What?” he asked defensively.
    Reit looked back toward Jaren and made a few obscure gestures. Whatever the signals meant, Jaren seemed to understand. The mage faced Sal, his green gemstone eyes flaring briefly. All of a sudden, the woods came alive with sound.
    No. The sound had always been there. It was just louder now, more distinct. Neat little trick , Sal thought in admiration.
    “Don’t be alarmed,” he heard Jaren breathe, though the mage barely moved his lips. “I’ve temporarily enhanced your hearing so that we may talk—silently—as we go.”
    “Thanks. Sorry for getting loud.” Loud? Funny that he should consider a whisper in the middle of the forest as being loud. But whatever Jaren had done to his ears, it made a believer out of him. “And I’m sorry if I offended you back there.”
    Jaren’s face shadowed at the mention of the slight, but it quickly faded. “No apologies are necessary. I suppose I should have explained a few things to you when I saw your reaction to healing. I wrote the reaction off to disorientation, you just being awakened from sleep and all. The fault was mine.”
    “So magic ain’t spiritual, huh?” It took Sal a moment to even get his mind around that one, let alone believe it. “Where I come from, magic is all like love potions, channeling the dead, demons and stuff. It’s considered unnatural by some, a sin. Or an abomination, I guess you call it.”
    Jaren nodded. “Your ‘magic’ indeed sounds very similar to mysticism. The Way of el also declares mysticism to be an abomination. But mysticism and gemstone magic are two very different things.”
    “How so?”
    Jaren frowned, his brows furrowing in thought. It was obvious to Sal that the mage had never before needed to explain the difference between the two. Here in this world, it was just a given.
    “Imagine two men, exactly alike in every way, except that one has been blind since birth. Is it mystical that one is blind and the other can see? Not at all. The Crafter granted that one man’s eyes would work, while the eyes of the other would not. Simple as that.
    “Magic is much the same way. Some are able to wield the flows of mana—the pure forces of creation—and some are not. Simple. It’s like walking, or picking up a hammer, or lighting a fire, except we do it by manipulating the mana flows rather than by using our arms and legs. It’s not an ability you can gain unless the Crafter gives it to you.
    “Mysticism, on the other hand, comes from the Abyss. It does not use mana, but rather bends the world by the power of the spirit realm. Not miracles, mind you. Miracles are spiritual as well, but they are granted by the Crafter Himself. They are His intentional, direct interactions in our physical world, and when granted, they are specifically for His purpose and glory. Mysticism is for the user ’ s glory and personal gain. Palm reading, divining the stars, speaking mind to mind, communing with the dead—these are a few of the ‘gifts’ of the Evil One. And to the Evil One they lead in the end. True magic is just a tool, shaping and reshaping our world according to the physical laws that the Crafter Himself had already set into place. Mysticism steps outside those laws at will.”
    Sal nodded, starting to catch Jaren’s meaning. “And these Earthen Rank dudes… are they magic users too?”
    “Yes,” Jaren nodded. “But they are sworn to the Highest, and as such, do not hold to the same principles as we do. They are trained early on to use their magic as a weapon, and are often recruited so young that they know no other use for it. Sal, how is it that you have no knowledge of this? I mean, even in the Outer Reaches, magic