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.