You all had a fun romp in the snow, yes? Good. Because now it is time to talk about the final exam. The exam is very simple. You walk from here to the South Pole. Five hundred miles, give or take. There is a catch - you get no food, no map, no clothing, nothing. You protect and sustain yourself with magic only!
—Professor Mayakovsky, The Magicians: Alice's Story
Among apprentices of the Circle, nothing is regarded with more fear than the Harrowing. Little is known about this rite of passage, and that alone would be cause for dread. But it is well understood that only those apprentices who pass this trial are ever seen again. They return as full members of the Circle of Magi. Of those who fail, nothing is known
—Brother Genitivi, Dragon Age: Origins
Aeryn Sun: In Peacekeeper training, there's no room for mistakes. You screw up on the last day of simulation flying, you die.
John Crichton: Right. The simulator kills you. Now why does that not surprise me?
—Farscape, "The Flax"
