Virtual Ascendance — Ezra E. Manes

Joqi Sepeda and Dawn, a self-aware AI entity, have launched on a priority mission to locate exoplanets suitable for human colonization. Leaving family was heartbreaking, but made necessary by radical, freakish changes to Joqi's physiology that occurred on his previous mission; changes that greatly enhanced his mental capabilities. Joqi's mental prowess quickly draws the attention of vastly superior beings that have a secret, dangerous mission of their own -- and they need his help. But first they must force Joqi to hone his mental skills by enduring several life-threatening challenges, which have at stake the fate of other sentient species. As Joqi's mental capabilities increase, he suspects and then questions the superior beings' objectives. A universal plan is revealed that is eons old -- and mindboggling. Joqi wonders how he can survive the incredible endgame, which involves augmented reality on a cosmic scale...