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.