.^«*†#@@##                                          ##@@#†*«^.
......^*§@                                          @§*^......
.^«*†#@@##                                          ##@@#†*«^.
.^*†§#@@##                                          ##@@#§†*^.
.^«*†§#@@#                                          #@@#§†*«^.
..^^^«††§@                 †§ †§† §†                @§††«^^^..
.....«*†#@           †§†§§««.    .««†§§†§†          @#†*«.....
...««*§§§# †§  †§  ^^^  ..  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.           @#†*^.....
.^«*†§#@@#                                          #@@#§†*«^.
....^***§@                                          @§***^....
....«*§#@@                                          @@#§*«....
.^«*†§#@@#                                          #@@#§†*«^.
.^«*†#@@##                                          ##@@#†*«^.
...^«†§###                                          ###§†«^...