§%=~~.....                                          .....~~=%§
#@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@#
£§%%/==~..                                          ..~==/%%§£
££§%//=~..                                          ..~=//%§££
##@£§%/=~.                                          .~=/%§£@##
#@£§$%/=~.                %$ %$% $%                 .~=/%$§£@#
@£$$$%/=~.           %$%$$==.    .==%$$%$%          .~=/%$$$£@
§$$$/~~... %$   %$  ~~~  ..  magic  ..  ~~~  $%  $% ...~~/$$$§
#@£§$%/=~.           %$%$$==.    .==$$%$%           .~=/%$§£@#
§$%=====~.                %$ %$% $%                 .~=====%$§
§§$%=.....                                          .....=%$§§
#@£§$%/=~.    magic is about being unaccountable,   .~=/%$§£@#
#@£§$%/=~. about removing the source  of the action .~=/%$§£@#
#@£§$%/=~. from yourself.  it works by exploiting a .~=/%$§£@#
@£§%=.....       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. ...==/%$$£
##@£§$/=~.                                          .~=/$§£@##
#@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@#
@@£§$%/=~.                    %$%                   .~=/%$§£@@
#@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@#
£$%==~....                                          ....~==%$£
#@£§$%/=~. well. it  is  what  it is. a dying art.. .~=/%$§£@#
#@£§$%/=~.           maybe for the best.            .~=/%$§£@#
#@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@#
@£$/====~.                                          .~====/$£@
£§§$///=~.                                          .~=///$§§£
#@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@#
@@£§$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$§£@@
§$$$$%/=~.                                          .~=/%$$$$§