¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨¨¨¨«*$$$@                                          @$$$*«¨¨¨¨
¨^«*%$#@##                 %$ %$% $%                ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@##          %$%$$««¨    ¨««%$$%$%           ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@## %$  %$  ^^^  ¨¨  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.            ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$####                                          ####$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$@###                                          ###@$%*«^¨
¨¨¨¨«%$$$#                                          #$$$%«¨¨¨¨
¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨^«*%$#@##                                          ##@#$%*«^¨
¨¨¨«««%$@@                                          @@$%«««¨¨¨