.~=/%&&£##                                          ##£&&%/=~.
.....~/%&&                                          &&%/~.....
.....~/%&£                                          £&%/~.....
...=/%%&&£                                          £&&%%/=...
....=/%&&#                                          #&&%/=....
.~=/%&&£##                %& %&% &%                 ##£&&%/=~.
.~=/%&&£##           %&%&&==.    .==%&&%&%          ##£&&%/=~.
.~=/%&&£## %&  %&  ~~~  ..   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.            ##£&&%/=~.
.~=/%&&&&&                                          &&&&&%/=~.
......~=%&                                          &%=~......
.~=/%&&£##                                          ##£&&%/=~.
...~////%&                                          &%////~...
.~=/%&&£##                                          ##£&&%/=~.
.~=/%&&£##                                          ##£&&%/=~.