&&........ .....&&&&&
.&.......& ....&.....
&&......&& ...&&.....
.&.....&.. ..&.&....&
&&....&&.. .&&&&...&&
.&...&.&.. ^& ^&^ &^ &...&..&..
&&..&&&&.. ^&^&&~~. .~~^&&^&^ &..&&.&&..
.&.&...&.. ^& ^& ~~~ .. 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. &.&.&.....
..&&&&&&&& &&&&&.....
.&.......& ....&.....
&&......&& ...&&.....
.&.....&.. ..&.&....&
&&....&&.. .&&&&...&&
.&...&.&.. &...&..&..