...--;**§£                                          £§**;--...
....--;**§                                          §**;--....
.....--;**                                          **;--.....
....--;**§                                          §**;--....
...--;**§£                                          £§**;--...
..--;**§£#                 ** *** **                #£§**;--..
.--;**§£##           *****--.    .--******          ##£§**;--.
..--;**§£# **  **  ---  ..  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.            #£§**;--..
.--;**§£##                                          ##£§**;--.
..--;**§£#                                          #£§**;--..
...--;**§£                                          £§**;--...
....--;**§                                          §**;--....
.....--;**                                          **;--.....
....--;**§                                          §**;--....