[ WP ] The egg is very important .

`` Alright class, please take care to not harm the egg. This is n't a market egg- remember that. There is a small creature in it. A small creature you are to care for. As we all know with magic, death is irreversible by any spell. This egg represents your success. If it breaks, so do you.'' 
 
 Fifteen heads bobbed simultaneously. They had all gone over warming spells before this lecture had begun, so they quickly got to work on making a hex to protect the tiny chick that would appear soon. 
 
 The woman who had given the lecture turned to me. `` And there you have it. This is the graduating class, the ones who pass this exam will be declared full witches or wizards and shall be free to pursue as they please.'' 
 
 `` And you really have the best students coming out of here. Melrose, Figham the Dragonslayer, Rosaya the Wise... even our current Prime Minister was a student here.'' the reporter said as he scribbled down notes on what the teacher had said. 
 
 `` Yes, we enjoy a fine crop of students. Each are carefully selected.'' 
 
 `` What determines a good canidate?'' 
 
 The teacher thought for a minute. `` Danger. Brilliance. Patience.'' 
 
 `` What?'' 
 
 `` We look for students with at least one of those qualities.'' 
 
 `` Care to explain?'' 
 
 `` Well, brilliance is obvious.'' the teacher started. `` Of course our school wants the brightest students. Take Nikolaj Lluven. He's the greatest lightning mage of our time. We found him redirecting a storm into an energy siphon to power his house when he was four. Most children do n't display such abilities until at least 7 or 8.'' 
 
 `` I see. And patience?'' 
 
 `` This is the interesting one. Patient students make patient teachers. They may not be the best at magic, but they can train the best. A lot of the time, our teachers here are n't even magically gifted, myself included.'' 
 
 `` What? Why?!'' 
 
 `` Life becomes too easy with magic. It makes us lazy. Wanting a simple solution. I'm sure you remember at least one moment where your own teacher zapped you or made the class rush through a hex lecture?'' 
 
 `` Yes, but...'' 
 
 `` Ours never do that. We do n't use magic with the children. They find out themselves what to do. The reason we have the best students is because our teachers made them repeat everything over and over again. They can do the basics even under hypnosis.'' 
 
 `` And the dangerous?'' 
 
 `` That one is easy, but also controversial. Dangerous mages are often extremely powerful. They let anger get the best of them. We attempt to teach them how to control their rage. To channel it. Did you know that Vice-Minister Egan Armads was an arsonisy when he was young? Blew up half a town. Normally that would get him stripped of his power, but we took him in.'' 
 
 `` The Vice-Minister has spoken about that. He's one of your largest donors.'' 
 
 `` Yes. We saw leadership potential in him. He learned how to control his power. He still managed to kill a third of the dark army when they invaded four years ago with one fell strike. To think, we would probably be dead if we had n't taken in that pyromaniac child.'' 
 
 `` This is fascinating. Just one more question.'' 
 
 `` Oh?'' 
 
 `` Why the egg? That seems like an almost human sort of science project, not a test of fitness to use magic freely.'' 
 
 `` See,'' the teacher gestured back toward the busy students. `` all of these children have the skills to destroy or save anything by now. They all have unlocked their true potential. But magic is always dangerous, even to masters like them. So we give them an egg.'' 
 
 `` And?'' 
 
 `` The egg represents another person. They need to learn how to control their power enough so it can be used fully, but not harm even the closest bystander. These students are just starting. They'll work their way up from the smallest to the biggest spells. The Vice-Minister killed all of those enemy soldiers... but not even a single village crop was harmed in the process.'' 
 
 `` Really?!'' 
 
 `` I was his teacher. It took him several tries to pass this test, but he still did it. I reccomended he continue to practice the same technique for as long as he lives, to remind him of the fragility of life. All of these students have that egg to learn the very same lesson: great power comes woth great responsibility.'' 
 
 The reporter finished writing that down. `` Thank you so much for talking to me today. Be sure to check out the Daily Lark for the article next week on the academy.'' 
 
 `` I will.'' the woman smiled. `` I'll make sure the students get a copy each. They can use it as bedding after they read it for all the baby chicks we'll be welcoming to our school soon.''
