$:-....... .......-:$
$$:-...... ......-:$$
§$$:-..... .....-:$$§
@§$$:-.... ....-:$$§@
@@§$$:-... ...-:$$§@@
#@@§$$:-.. $$ $$$ $$ ..-:$$§@@#
@@§$$:-... $$$$$--. .--$$$$$$ ...-:$$§@@
@§$$:-.... $$ $$ ... .. MAGIC .. ... $$ $$ ....-:$$§@
§$$:-..... $$$$$--. .--$$$$$ .....-:$$§
$$:-...... $$ $$$ $$ ......-:$$
$:-....... .......-:$
:-........ MAGIC IS ABOUT BEING UNACCOUNTABLE, ........-:
-......... ABOUT REMOVING THE SOURCE OF THE ACTION .........-
.......... FROM YOURSELF. IT WORKS BY EXPLOITING A ..........
.......... KIND OF GRAVITY, CALLED THE ..........
.......... ARROW OF TIME. ..........
-......... .........-
:-........ THINGS IN THIS UNIVERSE ALWAYS SEEK THE ........-:
$:-....... LEAST ENERGETIC STATE. ALL POTENTIAL IS .......-:$
$$:-...... 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 ......-:$$
$:-....... ACTIVE UNTIL CLOSED OFF BY COUNTER .......-:$
:-........ SPELLS (HARD TO PULL OFF) OR THERE'S NO ........-:
-......... MORE ENERGY TO FALL THROUGH. .........-
.......... ..........
.......... IN THAT CASE THE OUTCOME DEPENDS ON THE ..........
.......... SPELL. SMALL-SCALE BREACHES MIGHT NOT ..........
-......... EVEN BE NOTICEABLE BY THE UNINITIATED; .........-
:-........ BUT A SPELL MIGHT ALSO VERY WELL BRING ........-:
$:-....... ABOUT THE HEAT DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE. .......-:$
$$:-...... ......-:$$
§$$:-..... .....-:$$§
@§$$:-.... $$$ ....-:$$§@
@@§$$:-... ...-:$$§@@
#@@§$$:-.. ..-:$$§@@#
@@§$$:-... WELL. IT IS WHAT IT IS. A DYING ART.. ...-:$$§@@
@§$$:-.... MAYBE FOR THE BEST. ....-:$$§@
§$$:-..... .....-:$$§
$$:-...... ......-:$$
$:-....... .......-:$
:-........ ........-:
-......... .........-
.......... ..........