Why oh why did he agree to this? Timothy groaned as a mass of little devils frolicked and played with desperate abandon. It shouldn’t be a problem, that's what little devils did. The problem was how to get them to do something else.

Something fundamentally boring and occasionally painful. Something that he could not force them to do. They had to WANT it. Want it more than anything else in their life. Many of their current crop of guardians had attempted to be pathfinders.

They spent months, solidly practicing. They weren’t lazy nor were they lacking in some undefinable talent. They just couldn’t bear to keep trying without seeing at least some results.

Those were adults with the help of a golem. How could he help children whose task was even harder.

With a sigh he stepped forward, shooing the concerned parents from the room. He was not the best person to deal with children, but he was determined to be the best at teaching magic.

They needed new pathfinders. They needed little witches and wizards. And perhaps, just perhaps, beyond need and concerns for class he could help a few bright young minds to see the world like he did. To open their minds eye to the indescribable beauty of the magic field.

He would have to start like he meant to continue. With a wide pointless gesture to attract the eyes he activated rune in his hand and snapped the flint and steel between his fingers.

The finely shredded oil vine from a box in his tower went off like a string of firecrackers. Loud and tastelessly colorful. Another sweep of his arm and he picked up a chunk of wood. Activating two enchantments in succession he turned the wood into a finely shaped eagle with wide spread wings. Activating a hidden motion wand he guided the eagle in a flying circle over the childrens heads.

Another sweep and screen behind him showed the depths of the river where a giant sturgeon half slithered half swam through the sun dappled depths.

He looked out over the room full of suddenly silent and big eyed children, spaced out in ages from as young as six to as old as fourteen. He carefully did not smile as he started to speak, “Do you want to do magic? Do you want to BE magical?” He paused for a few moments, but continued before they thought to respond. “I want all of you to say yes. Your parents want you to say yes. The town as a whole needs you to say yes.”

“But none of that matters. No one can force you to do this. No one can do it for you. You must WANT this. Want it more than you have ever wanted anything in your life. If you do then you just might be able to reach beyond your wildest imaginations.”

“I can’t, won’t lie to you. This will be extremely hard for all of you. It will be boring at times, it might hurt at others. Just remember one thing. It IS worth it!”

“Now we are going to start with a simple run around the gardens.” It wasn’t about their leg muscles, he needed to get some of the over abundance of energy out of them or they would never be able to listen. He carefully pulled an hourglass up from the floor beside him, “When you finish the lap you can ask me for your time then I'll help you mark it into the wall.” he couldn’t dump too much on them at once. He had to take it slow. Start with activities to build up their willpower. Each day trying to beat their own times. Showering them with praise and possibly presents when they did, guilt trips and disappointment when they didn't.

In time they would graduate to the next level. Where they could tell no one how much better or worse they had done that day. Making the step from doing things for praise to doing it because they wanted to. He expected to lose more than a few of them at that point, yet he had no choice.

True magic, like creativity, had to come from within. Only a guardian slot could be forced from without.