....:«:%§&                                          &§%:«:....
.....:«:%§                                          §%:«:.....
......:«:%                                          %:«:......
.......:«:                                          :«:.......
......:«:%                                          %:«:......
.....:«:%§                %§ %§% §%                 §%:«:.....
....:«:%§&           %§%§§««.    .««%§§%§%          &§%:«:....
...:«:%§&£ %§  %§  :::  ..   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.            §%:«:.....
......:«:%                                          %:«:......
.......:«:                                          :«:.......
......:«:%                                          %:«:......
.....:«:%§                                          §%:«:.....
....:«:%§&                                          &§%:«:....
...:«:%§&£                                          £&§%:«:...