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.