by ArtfulDodger
Humanity has discovered that consciousness is not merely something the mind experiences. It is a force. When minds connect, they can perceive and manipulate increasingly fundamental structures of reality. What begins as communication becomes art. Art becomes Expression. Expression becomes the ability to impose concepts upon the physical world. The civilization that emerges from this discovery is extraordinary. It is also completely dependent upon connection. Everything is built around it. In a world where consciousness is civilization's greatest resource, no one lives alone. Children are raised within their families' connections. Schools teach them to strengthen and control them. Governments, armies, scientists, artists, and entire cities are built upon the ability of human minds to join together. The greatest Expressors can do more than create art. With enough minds behind them, they can give form to the fundamental concepts of reality itself. Seven-year-old Teo Arden has never been good at connecting. His family knows. His teachers suspect. And soon, the entire civilization will know.
