@¤***†.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.†***¤@
@¤†~~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~~†¤@
@@¤††~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~††¤@@
@¤**†.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.†**¤@
¤¤¤*†....¨ ¨....†*¤¤¤
@¤¤**†..¨¨ *¤ *¤* ¤* ¨¨..†**¤¤@
##@¤¤*†~.¨ *¤*¤¤~~¨ ¨~~*¤¤*¤* ¨.~†*¤¤@##
##@¤¤*†~.¨ *¤ *¤ ... ¨¨ 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. ¨.~†*¤¤@##
#¤¤*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*¤¤#
#@¤†~~..¨¨ ¨¨..~~†¤@#
##@¤¤*†~.¨ ¨.~†*¤¤@##
@¤¤**††~.¨ ¨.~††**¤¤@
##@¤¤*†~.¨ ¨.~†*¤¤@##
@¤†~~~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~~~†¤@