User blog comment:Zathronas/Analysis by an author: What did I miss? part 1/@comment-15108745-20140121002912

I was thinking that there was something inside that big black ball of energy. And that it was coming out in that scene in the opening.

As for Ozpin's speech, I'm pretty sure that they're there for gaining some experience. I think he was saying that they lacked purpose, so I guess that means that they don't have some big goal that they're striving for at the moment other than "graduate Beacon."

I'm not sure if anyone died, either. I remember reading a discussion somewhere on the wiki about whether or not Ozpin's warning was real or not. On the one hand, these students aren't exactly helpless but on the other hand, Beacon is still just a school so something that dangerous might not actually be there.