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.~«:§££@##                                          ##@££§:«~.
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....«§§§££                §£ §£§ £§                 ££§§§«....
.~«:§££@##           §£§££««.    .««§££§£§          ##@££§:«~.
.~«:§££@## §£  §£  ~~~   ..  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.            ##@££§:«~.
..~«:§£££#                                          #£££§:«~..
.~«:§££@##                                          ##@££§:«~.
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