......-^§#                                          #§^-......
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
...---^^§#                                          #§^^---...
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
.-~^†§&###                 †§ †§† §†                ###&§†^~-.
.-~^†§&###           †§†§§~~.    .~~†§§†§†          ###&§†^~-.
...~~~†§&# †§  †§  ---  ..  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.           #§††††^~-.
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
....-~~†&#                                          #&†~~-....
.-~^†§&###                                          ###&§†^~-.
.-~^^^^§&#                                          #&§^^^^~-.
.-~^†††&&&                                          &&&†††^~-.