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.