A week after his conversation with his father, Boren sat in his plain walled room. Legs crossed in the lotus position, sat on his bed, trying to remember the conversation he had subsequently had with Fenwin. Furrowing his brow in concentration, lines etched in his young, thin forehead, tight dark lips pursed and focused on the exact words that the old codger had spoken. They were each punctuated by raps with his gnarled cane on the dull creaky wood of those dusty rooms he called home. That old coot doesn’t need the cane he keeps waving about. I have never seen him without it but I am sure he uses it to hit people more than for walking or support.

As soon Boren left his father’s presence he had rushed straight to Fenwin. He needed some answers and with bright eyes and a big smile, he had run as fast as his little frail legs could carry him to get those highly sought answers. Something in what his father had said had triggered the understanding that Boren now enjoyed.

Boren ran down the hallways of the palace and through the archway that separated the main building from the academy where Fenwin had his rooms. I need to ask Master Fenwin what he knows about this. Boren thought as flew through the intervening space on his spindly legs and started to climb the staircase leading to the highest tower. Why does this golden oldie have to live in a place with so many stairs! Boren knew that Fenwin never actually climbed the stairs he had some type of Air Magic that basically let him float all the way up with minimal effort, costing a little Mana but nothing else. For mere mortals like Boren, the trudge was disheartening at best.

After an hour of panting and frequent breaks where Boren fragile body showed its limits several times, Boren arrived at the oaken double doors of Fenwins study. Even in Boren’s fatigued state, he found himself marvelling at the intricate woodwork and depiction on the door.

The door was split into four quadrants two to a door, dividing each exactly across the middle. On the top half of the left door was Fenrir the legendary She-wolf. On the other side mirroring it was Phoinix another huge bird with flames that wreathed His powerful body and seemed alive in the depiction that was lovingly carved on the door. There even seemed to be some subtle scorch marks on it as well, as though just the carving of Phoinix was enough to burn the door. On the bottom half of the doors were two more carvings of animals. Under Roc in counterpoint was Ukupanipo a shark, His black eyes shone with an aggressive light, white skin contrasted sharply and His gleaming white teeth were prominently displayed. In the fourth and final quadrant was the majestic Ursa standing upright on Her hind legs, wisdom in Her blind eyes and a serious expression on Her face. All of these domineering creatures seemed to stare down at Boren, silently judging him as he fought to catch his breath, and not just from the climb.

Taking another steadying breath in the vain hope that it would settle his nerves Boren knocked exactly in the middle of the shark and bear, not daring to touch any of those hallowed etchings. The sound echoed into the inside of the room beyond, the hollow sound simultaneously foreboding and reverent. The Prince held his breath in awe and fear, not daring to make any further sound. He had heard a rumour that this door judged people that it did not deem worthy and he was not about to tempt fate. The last time had been the same and the time before that as well. This door was just one of those things that were hard to get used to.

“ENTER!” a deep and heavy voice echoed from inside and the doors slid open in opposite directions disappearing into the walls to either side, a niche was made to swallow them seamlessly and utterly silent. Beyond the large door stood a powerfully built man, his dark skin glistened with sweat and his brow was furrowed a little as he squinted out at who had entered his domain.

“I am here for Master Fenwin?” Boren's voice shrank to a whisper at that last and he looked down at the big man’s feet. “I had a question….” Boren trailed off before remembering that he was a Prince. He needed to start acting like it. Steeling his nerves he strode purposefully forward hiding the tremor in his legs from the climb. Not from this man in front of me, why does Fenwin insist on having Rion here? Scary guy, I know he won’t hurt me but it is a lot to take in.

“Hell…oo…Rion. How are you doing today?”

“Well, well yo’ Princeliness! How’re you doin’? Been busy I see! Haha!” Rion Calder, a towering man and Alchemist no less bellowed across the intervening space. “Earth...eh? Never would’ve guessed it, usually a natural element for the larger and stockier women and men of the realm.” Calder looked the Prince up and down for a moment before motioning him forward. “Come on, I’ll take you to see Master Fenwin, your looking better than when you saw you last though!”

“Yes…I am doing much better after getting out of bed. Master Haemish gave me the medicine I needed to take for the poison.” Boren’s energy was back, after such an epiphany this small setback was not enough to ruin his mood. “Also, I discovered something when I was testing out my new magic skill! I wanted to speak to Master about it!” Boren couldn’t hold it in any longer, the words just burst from his mouth before he was able to school his words. Not very Princely…

“First Plateau?” Rion’s deep voice reverberated in the large and empty hallway they walked through, the ceiling arched passing overhead every few metres. Their columns coming down to either side with stonework in the form of vines placed on the columns and finished to look real and like they were still growing.

Maybe they are? “Huh?” Boren asked, confused.

“First Plateau?” Rion repeated without further explanation. As if that explained everything.

“Yes, you mentioned that…I don’t know what it means…”

“Hmmm…look we’re almost there.”

They approached another large door; this one was single and made with gold panelling. There were vines and leaves depicted on this door and hills and in the centre in the most prominent position stood the majestic Ursa again, a perfect replica of the carving on the main double doors through which Boren had entered a few minutes ago. It seemed to be a training room of some sort. Calder pulled open the door that swung outward with an audible whistle of wind while Calder seemed to expend some effort and then stepped aside for Boren to enter.

Inside Boren could see Master Fenwin sitting quietly in the lotus position and meditating. He was also sitting in what looked like a bed of vines instead of a bed or floor. Boren thought this curious and so edged forward and into the room. As soon as Boren had stepped fully into the room Rion quickly closed the door behind him and sealed Boren into the room with the Master. Boren shuddered as he was trapped in the room with no way to escape but felt secure in the knowledge that the Master was here and so nothing bad would happen. Aside from that feeling though Boren felt very at home in this room. A sense of belonging had settled over him as he had stepped into the room. It was odd but not unpleasant.

Ten minutes passed in silence and then twenty. Time seemed to move sluggishly here and Boren couldn’t make sense of it all. At the thirty-minute mark, Boren had had enough. He was starting to become drowsy with the relaxation. So, to break the stupor he began making subtle coughing noises. When Master did not react he coughed harder…still nothing.

“Master Fenwin.” Boren’s voice echoed off the walls of the empty room other than the soil on the floor there was nothing and the room was vast. “Hello, Master Fenwin….MASTER FENWIN!” The last was a shout made several times louder due to the acoustics of the room.

The old man finally moved, jerking but in slow motion like moving through water or sand instead of air. Gradually his speed ramped up to normal levels and then he opened his eyes. “Ahh! Boren…Prince Boren, you startled me!” Fenwin did indeed look startled but the young boy was still unsure as the man had not looked startled, all his movements had seemed slow if not deliberate. That wasn’t how people that were startled reacted, even Boren knew that much.

“Master Fenwin, hope you are well, sorry about that but I had some urgent questions that I wanted to discuss with you.” Boren bowed in humility and apology to the most esteemed professor of the magical academy.

“Of course, I understand.” Fenwin was nodding his head in acquiescence. He did indeed understand, it would be about the time that Boren discovered what happened after level ten. “So, you have discovered the first plateau it seems. Hmmm, yes indeed it is faster than it usually happens, but with your affinity and resources…hmmm, yes…” Fenwin trailed off in a world of his own again.

“First Plateau? Calder also said something similar…actually…not similar…he used the exact same words. What is it? Also, speaking of Calder, why is he here? I thought he was training his Alchemy with Master Haemish?” Boren asked.

“Firstly, Calder is my bodyguard foremost so I need him here while I am conducting isolation elemental training. Secondly, he does work with Haemish from time to time as required. After all, he has several Alchemists working with him already and does not need all four at the same time!” Fenwin pause to stand and stretch his hunched back and cramping legs and arms. It was hard to maintain the lotus position while not in his meditative trance. Also his joints and bone were not as young as they used to be, though Fenwin would surprise anyone that thought him frail.

“As to your other question, what is the First Plateau? Why don’t we start with what brought you to me in the first place, hmm?”

“Well, I was speaking with father…The King, and he asked me if I noticed something with my magical spell and its progress. When I took a closer look I realised that I was not gaining the same amount of experience as before. I was already level twelve by the time I checked so I am not sure when it started but I have noticed that I am gaining less experience than before. I wanted to ask you why that was.”

“That is it, my boy! You have discovered now the thing that I have spent many years researching and experimenting with. If you haven’t even heard of the Plateaus then I will need to start from the beginning. With all skills and spells, anything that can level there are points when they…change, that is the easiest way to explain.”

“Master I still don’t understand though, my spell still does the same thing as it did before it just became stronger and it costs more Mana and it still gains experience, just slower.”

“Patience, Boren, I am explaining it step by step so that it is clear. I have spent much of my life trying to understand this.” Fenwin gave Boren a look that silenced him and continued with a sterner tone. “With magical spells, you will gain experience as normal until the First Plateau this occurs at level ten. After that, the spell relies on your affinity with the element to have continued progress. What I have been able to discern is that the reason this occurs is to do with the amount of energy it takes to strengthen the spell. When it is still weak the ambient elemental energy is enough to sustain the spells growth but after the First Plateau, it requires an individual’s internal affinity to continue to strengthen the spell. Does that make sense?”

“I am sorry Master, I don’t understand what you mean…” Boren was helpless to the explanation Fenwin was giving.

Fenwin sighed and tried again. “Do you remember I told you about affinity?” Boren nodded. “I told you that you had an affinity for Earth Magic and that is why you have an earth spell.” Boren nodded again. “Okay, your affinity affects how good you are with a particular type of magic, with me so far?” Boren nodded once more. “Before you get to level ten with the spell you gain experience as if you had one hundred per cent affinity. After level ten it shifts and the experience you gain is reduced to your affinity with that particular element.” Boren looked confused again, he had followed everything until the last sentence.

“Master, I…uhh….understand?” Boren tried, Fenwin sigh and grabbed up his cane and hobbled over to Boren, tapping the cane on the floor to punctuate his next sentences. “What is your Earth affinity?”

Boren checked his interface. “Sixty-two per cent.”

“Right, so that means that up to level ten you were getting one hundred per cent the experience and then after level ten, which is the First Plateau you were getting only sixty-two per cent. Does that make sense now?” Fenwin frowned and set his cane point down between them, leaning on it slightly.

Boren grinned; it was much easier to understand with examples. Fenwin shared his smile then knuckled him on the top of the head fondly. “Oww! So does that mean that the amount of experience I gain will always be limited? Is there a way to improve my affinity?” At this question, Fenwin’s eyes shone. “Master?” Boren was a little hesitant in the face of his Master’s zeal.

“Ahh, my young apprentice, now we are getting to the heart of the matter and this is the perfect place for me to explain it to you! How do you feel in this room by the way?” Fenwin prompted, compared to his reaction Boren’s should be significantly stronger. After all, his affinity to Earth Magic was higher.

Boren once again assessed himself, feeling how the room made him feel comfortable, since he had entered the room the feeling of belonging and contentment had only grown. Now Boren felt like he was in a warm bath, not wanting to leave, the conversation with Fenwin had distracted him from the feeling but now he sank back into it. It felt like nothing bad could happen in this space. He had not felt like this for a long time. A safe place had been had to find for him since his Luck had turned so bad. It was hard to believe that such a place existed for him.

“It feels…like…home…” Boren tried to sum up his feelings in a few words and at the end that was what he came up with. Less than coherent but Fenwin nodded as if it was the answer he had expected.

“Hard to explain, isn’t it? The feeling you are talking about is exactly the way I feel as well. It is an easy feeling to get used to and staying in this room too long will make the effect more pronounced as will a higher affinity. This is why likely feeling the sensation more strongly than I am. Your affinity is higher after all.” Fenwin waggled his long eyebrows at the young student.

“Wait…I have a higher affinity…” Borne trailed off processing the implications of this new information. If Fenwin’s affinity was lower than his could he still learn from the old man? “But…if your affinity is lower...” Boren felt himself grasping at straws, his mind sliding a little towards panic before Fenwin pulled him back.

“Calm yourself, lad! Relax, affinity can be changed, it can be trained higher, in this very room. This is what we call the Earth Room. Here we can train our affinity for Earth higher. Did you recognise the image on the door when you entered? You know the four elementals on the door to the academy, right?” Fenwin asked, Boren simply nodded in response.

“Good, but do you know what the significance of the elementals is?” Fenwin had built up some momentum now and his excitement starting to come through in his words. “Do you know what those elementals can do?” Boren shook his head this time, not sure where this was going but slowly creating a gap between them waiting for the wild gesturing to begin.

“Right!” Fenwin gesticulated at the door. “That is Ursa, the Earth Elemental. It is from Ursa that you get your power of Earth magic and your affinity to that element.” Boren nodded in recognition of the name, and also his understanding of what Fenwin was saying.

“I understand now, it makes sense when you explain it like that. Ursa is the source of all Earth Magic. That is mentioned in all the fairytales about her. And the fact that she was wise and blind…” Boren recalled.

“Correct! Correct! Indeed you are right about that. So since She is the source of your power, She is also able to improve your affinity to the element. That is what this room does. With a spark of Her power, we can increase our affinity to the Earth element. That is why we treat all the elementals with such humility and respect. The Elemental factions might have disputes between them but they ultimately respect all the Gods.” Fenwin concluded.

“That’s incredible Master, so does that mean that the other three doors I saw outside….” Boren started.

“Indeed my boy! You catch on quick! I knew you were a smart boy! Well done! Come with me and let's go and have a look!” Fenwin called Boren over to move towards the door of the Earth training room. A large part of the boy did not want to leave the soft comfort of the room. It was so relaxing and the vines in the room were all too welcoming, urging him to curl up in their embrace, close his eyes and sleep.

A snap of Fenwin’s fingers brought him back. “You will have your chance in this room, for now, I want you to experience all of them and tell me how you feel.” A moment later, “Come on! Come on! No time to waste! Remind me to tell you about the other Gods later as well, not now though, not now, too much to do!” Then without further ado, when Fenwin reached the door just simply pulled it open like it weighed no more than paper.

Boren recalled the rooms he had visited after that pronouncement and shuddered. He never wanted to visit those rooms again. The Water Element training room with Ukupanipo on the door had made him feel like he was drowning while dry. The Fire Element room with Phionix on the door had made him want to claw his burning skin off even though it was just the feeling and his skin was not even singed when he came out. And Fenrir’s room had felt like it was trying to scour his skin off. Another shudder and Boren resumed his meditation. He would need to improve his Earth affinity if he wanted to progress. And then meant spending some time in the Earth Meditation Training Chamber, Master Fenwin had promised.