.,~/^$$$§#                                          #§$$$^/~,.
.,~/^$§¶##                                          ##¶§$^/~,.
....~~/^§#                                          #§^/~~....
.,~/^$$$$§                                          §$$$$^/~,.
...,,/^^§#                                          #§^^/,,...
.~/^$§¶###                ^$ ^$^ $^                 ###¶§$^/~.
..,,//$$$§           ^$^$$~~.    .~~^$$^$^          §$$$//,,..
...~~^^$$§ ^$  ^$  ,,,  ..  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.           ¶§$$^~,,,.
.,~//^$§§§                                          §§§$^//~,.
.....,/$$¶                                          ¶$$/,.....
.,~//^$$§¶                                          ¶§$$^//~,.
.,~/^$§¶##                                          ##¶§$^/~,.
.....,~^$¶                                          ¶$^~,.....
......~^$§                                          §$^~......