¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†#@###                                          ###@#†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@@#                 †@ †@† @†                #@@#@†=«^¨
¨¨^«««†###           †@†@@««¨    ¨««†@@†@†          ###†«««^¨¨
¨^«=†@#@## †@  †@  ^^^  ¨¨   magic  ¨¨  ^^^  @†  @† ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@@@#@           †@†@@««¨    ¨««@@†@†           @#@@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                †@ †@† @†                 ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@@@@#                                          #@@@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##    magic is about being unaccountable,   ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨¨^«††### about removing the source  of the action ###††«^¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@## from yourself. it works by  exploiting a ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=@#@###       kind of gravity, called the        ###@#@=«^¨
¨^«=†@####              arrow of time.              ####@†=«^¨
¨^«===††##                                          ##††===«^¨
¨¨¨¨«=†@@@ things in this universe always seek  the @@@†=«¨¨¨¨
¨^«=††††## least energetic  state. all potential is ##††††=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=@@# gradually lost into  lesser forms  (such #@@=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=†##                 as heat).                ##†=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«====†@@     magic then, is creating tunnels,     @@†====«^¨
¨¨¨^=†††## specific and intricate canals,  for this ##†††=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^=@@## to happen in a controlled manner.  think ##@@=^¨¨¨¨
¨^«=@#@### of it as setting an elaborate  trap  for ###@#@=«^¨
¨^^^««=@##                 entropy.                 ##@=««^^^¨
¨¨^««««†##                                          ##†««««^¨¨
¨^«=†@#@## and  then, when the  circuit closes, the ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨¨¨^«†#@@ arrow  is  forced  to do  your  bidding! @@#†«^¨¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^««==@@#@   of course, you're also irreversably    @#@@==««^¨
¨^«=†@#@## draining  time  from  the universe,  but ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=††@#@#                  yeah.                   #@#@††=«^¨
¨^^««==@#@                                          @#@==««^^¨
¨¨^««««†@@                                          @@†««««^¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##               †@@ † † @@†                ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨¨««=†##@                                          @##†=««¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«=†@# the danger is a  runaway spell - if  the #@†=«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#### filament  of your canal is  too weak, or ####@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@@@ the potential is high  enough to  escape @@@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@## any  self-closing mechanisms - a breach. ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@@###                                          ###@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##     these are usually catastrophic.      ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@## although  many  are  local,   they  stay ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@## active  until   closed  off  by  counter ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@## spells (hard to pull off) or  there's no ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##       more energy to fall through.       ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@@@@# in that  case the outcome depends on the #@@@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@##  spell. small-scale breaches might not   ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨¨¨^=†### even be  noticeable by  the uninitiated; ###†=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«††#@@ but  a spell might  also very well bring @@#††«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^=††@@# about  the heat  death of  the universe. #@@††=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨^===†##                                          ##†===^¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^««««†@##                    †@†                   ##@†««««^¨
¨¨¨¨^=@#@#                                          #@#@=^¨¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@#@## well. it  is what  it is. a dying  art.. ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨¨«««††##            maybe for the best.           ##††«««¨¨¨
¨^«=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=«^¨
¨¨^^==@@@#                                          #@@@==^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨««†##@                                          @##†««¨¨¨¨
¨^«=†@@@##                                          ##@@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@@#@@                                          @@#@@†=«^¨
¨^«=†@####                                          ####@†=«^¨