...~~/^¤¤@ @¤¤^/~~...
....~~/^¤¤ ¤¤^/~~....
.....~~/^¤ ¤^/~~.....
......~~/^ ^/~~......
.......~~/ /~~.......
........~~ ^¤ ^¤^ ¤^ ~~........
.......~~/ ^¤^¤¤~~. .~~^¤¤^¤^ /~~.......
......~~/^ ^¤ ^¤ ~~~ .. 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. ~~........
.......~~/ /~~.......
......~~/^ ^/~~......
.....~~/^¤ ¤^/~~.....
....~~/^¤¤ ¤¤^/~~....
...~~/^¤¤@ @¤¤^/~~...
..~~/^¤¤@# #@¤¤^/~~..