What would you give to live forever? Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender�a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid�after all, they�re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor...