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