There's a saying about magic which states that for those who believe no explanation is needed and for those who don't believe no explanation will suffice. I consider this additude to be deplorable. It not only reflects the intellectual laziness of the superstitious, but also the borderline irrational refusal of skeptics to consider magic to be a genuine phenomenon rather than an elaborate scam. The latter in particular is an additude unworthy of a scientific mind, though hardly atypical. Consider the fact that most scientific communities initially greeted the concept of Hyperspace with scorn, while nowadays we accept it as an everyday reality. It is my hope that this study will dispell both extremes and create a true scientific understanding of the workings of magic.
Magic comes in three basic types: sorcery, summoning, and alchemy. Finding magicians willing to cooperate with my experiments was difficult at best, even through the guilds. I suspect that most prefer to keep an air of mystery about their profession. Despite this, I managed to find a sorcerer, a summoner, and an alchemist to participate, though at considerable expense.
Through the sorcerer, I deduced the fundimentals of magic. First and foremost, my theory that magic involves a form of interaction with Hyperspace was proven correct. Through the use of a pair of hypergoggles in combination with the holocam installed in my cybereyes, I was able to create records which show that whenever the sorcerer went through the process of casting a spell, his brain became active in Hyperspace. It would then create distortions in Hyperspace which in turn reflected an effect in normal space (see attached holovid). Repeated observations yielded the same results, with one odd exception. In this instance, I noticed what I can best describe as a seam of darkness floating through intersect with the subject's brain as it became active in Hyperspace. At that point, he let out a scream of pain and fell to the floor in convulsions. This is curiously similar to a reaction sometimes observed in Pilots on the rare occasion when they make a misjump. Since the quantium in a neural interface could be considered to make the Pilot's brain active in Hyperspace, the two may have a common cause.
Summoning involves the contacting and control of non-corporeal beings. The entities commonly referred to as demons are the most strongly associated with this discipline, though elementals and void spirits can be summoned by those whose magic is associated with them. Unfortunately, I was unable to find an elementalist or a void shaman willing to participate in my experiments, so all I have to go on with them is hearsay. The major difference as I understand it is that elementals and void spirits come willingly while demons are forced to do so. The summoner I hired told me that for the purposes of my observations, he would summon a weak demon to reduce the chances of it breaking free. Before performing the summoning, he drew a set of elaborate patterns on the floor, occasionally consulting his palmcomp. He explained that while they weren't really needed to summon a demon, it helped make the results more certain. Possibly these trappings have a psychosomatic effect. When he began in earnest, the summoner's brain became active in Hyperspace in the same manner as the sorcerer. Unlike the sorcerer, rather than create a local distortion in Hyperspace, he created what resembled a signal similar to those sent by a quantium transmitter (see attached holovid). Shortly thereafter, a demon appeared. When it did, a distortion appeared around it which the summoner claimed was the binding which kept the demon in check. As long as it didn't break free of the binding, the demon would follow the commands of the summoner and leave peacefully when done. Each time an order was issued, the binding would glow slightly. Fortunately, the demon failed to break free for the duration of the experiment. I was unable to observe any impromptu bindings, exorcisms, or banishings as they would require an unbound demon, making them unsuitable for a laboratory setting.
Alchemy is the process of infusing magic in a corporeal item. To give an item a connection to Hyperspace requires an exotic ingredient. Before the Otherspace War, these usually consisted of animal parts prepared in unusual ways. Since such resources are no longer available, quantium has become the active ingredient of choice. As I observed the alchemist create first a potion and then a spell lock, I found the process analogous to creating a computer program. While the quantium provides the necessary connection to Hyperspace, the alchemist in essence programs it to perform a specific function when certain criteria are met. While potions by their very nature are one use, most alchemy items can be reused to a certain extent. If an alchemy item is used too frequently within a short amount of time, the quantium core essentially overheats and shuts down. In extreme cases the core burns out, rendering the item useless.
In conclusion, I have found that magic is a phenomenon with observable and verifiable results. However, there is still the question of how the magician is able to make their brain become active in Hyperspace. One possibility is that a certain combination of genetics as well as training in mental disciplines is needed. This involves too many unknowns to be currently acceptable. Another is that it is done through a unique quantium neural implant. While this is more appealing to those who prefer a less mystical explanation, it still has a few problems. First, it would suggest that magic is a more recent phenomenon than initially thought, since the installation of such theorectical implants would require surgical knowledge at least equivalent to that needed for installing a piloting neural interface. Then there is the question of who developed such a technology and why it's been kept secret. Until more intense examinations of magicians are possible, this will remain a mystery.