Star Wars: The Great Awakening (Book I)

Part 2 - Chapter 9 - Trial of Spirit

The rocky surface beneath Jolis' hand seemed to burn more with each passing second. The blood rushing towards his head combined with the weight of his body was enough to make his present circumstance a difficult challenge to overcome. The stony surface beneath him seemed to be both an added and unwanted distraction.

At the center of what was a semicircle made of numerous smaller stones, Jolis could see the dark spot on the surface beneath him made from the sweat now rolling off of his body.

It was day time but even so, Jolis had no idea of his exact location. He had no memory of ever leaving the cave he'd entered while fleeing the attackers. Where he now found himself, however, was on the edge of a large cliff.

It was a barren land with harsh sunlight, rough terrain and numerous jagged edged mountain peaks. Unlike his home planet of Atophis, this place was void of greenery of any sort. The arid and desolate landscape reminded him of the planet shown to him by the Master.

As Jolis continued in his attempt to focus, he was so close to the edge of the cliff that he could see way down into the shadow which awaited kilometers below. With the edge of the cliff on one side, the semicircle of stones surrounded him on the opposite but just outside of the stones, the Master watched.

As another drop of sweat rolled off of his forehead, he felt the small splash upon his left hand as it balanced the weight of his body. His muscles ached from what felt like months of seemingly nonstop physical and mental exertion.

With his right arm out to the side to assist with balance, the one-handed headstand had been going on for some time now and Jolis was close to the limits of exhaustion.

Despite this, the Master continued to push him.

"Break through, Jolis. No longer will you rely on your own physical limitations. The Force will strengthen you."

Doubling down, Jolis closed his eyes and reached out.

"Find your strength in me, young one."

It was faint and difficult to sense at times but there nonetheless; A powerful source of energy that Jolis was learning to tap into.

What had begun as just a small inkling of the power emanating from the Master during deep periods of meditation had slowly grown to the ability of sensing the Force around him during times of continuous physical exertion.

"Concentrate. Feel the Force around you. We will sustain you."

Feeling the Force around him was one thing. Using it, as Jolis was finding out, was entirely different.

As the pain of balancing the weight of his body continued to build, Jolis began to lower his right arm to the ground in an effort to better distribute his weight.

"You are once again relying on your own strength. Continuing to do so will lead to failure."

Frustrated, Jolis opened his eyes and raised his right arm back up to assist with balance.

"How do I concentrate on the Force while in pain, Master?" asked Jolis. "I can't focus."

"You must find balance. This begins with shifting your focus off the pain. You will never find balance in life if you first cannot find it within yourself."

"I'm trying, Master."

"That is the problem. One must not simply try. You will do or you will not. Anything else is wasted effort."

"But how, Master?"

"Close your eyes, Jolis," replied the Master, "and reach out."

Jolis closed his eyes as instructed.