Adrian's question made Mex pause, a look of genuine surprise on his face. He was now more sure than ever that something was fundamentally different, almost wrong, with Adrian and his people. "You... you don't know what Ascension is?"
He still decided to explain the most basic fact of life in the Nexus. "Most races are able to use their own unique powers and abilities. But that's not what's special. The ability to improve that power, to grow stronger beyond your natural limits... that is Ascension. It's the one thing most races in the Slums is chasing."
He used his own people as an example. "We Normat are known to be very fast by nature. It's our racial trait. The Douts are known for their incredible vision. The Jirads, for their brute strength. But these abilities are all natural to us, meaning we can't improve them past what we're born with. We're... stuck. Because we don't know how to Ascend." He gestured vaguely to the other platforms. "The other races have similar problems."
