▁the ▁future . ▁The ▁novel ' s ▁back story ▁describes ▁how ▁the ▁ag ing ▁universe ▁continued ▁expand ing ▁and ▁its ▁spac etime ▁fabric ▁weak ened . ▁With ▁the ▁galaxies ▁bur nt ▁out , ▁human ity ▁dispers ed ▁across ▁the ▁cos mos , ▁where ▁they ▁encountered ▁the ▁Ty phon , ▁an ▁in exp lic able ▁entity ▁that ▁was ▁destroy ing ▁the ▁decay ing ▁universe . ▁It ▁consum ed ▁matter ▁and ▁replaced ▁space - time ▁with ▁em pt iness ▁and ▁incons isten cies ▁beyond ▁the ▁laws ▁of ▁physics . ▁The ▁resulting ▁Cha os ▁spread ▁rapidly , ▁driving ▁some ▁humans ▁back ▁to ▁ancient ▁Earth ▁with ▁its ▁re kind led ▁sun . ▁In ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁f end ▁off ▁the ▁approaching ▁Ty phon , ▁leaders ▁of ▁the ▁dying ▁Earth ▁sent ▁for ▁Poly bibli os , ▁a ▁human ▁living ▁with ▁the ▁Sh en , ▁an ▁ancient ▁al ien ▁race . ▁Poly bibli os ▁returned ▁to ▁Earth ▁with ▁his ▁adopted ▁daughter , ▁I sh an ax ade , ▁a ▁being ▁he ▁had ▁constructed ▁from ▁" f ate - logs " ▁of ▁intellig ent ▁species ▁collected ▁by ▁the ▁Sh en . ▁After ▁the ▁Sh en ▁system ▁fell , ▁and ▁the ▁Cha os ▁surrounded ▁Earth , ▁its ▁leaders ▁instruct ed ▁everybody ▁to ▁convert ▁themselves ▁from ▁prim ord ial ▁( real ) ▁matter ▁to ▁no öt ic ▁( virtual ) ▁mass . ▁As ▁each ▁city ▁fell , ▁its ▁inhabitants ▁retre ated ▁to ▁the ▁last ▁remaining ▁cities , ▁the ▁Kal pa ▁and ▁N atar aja . ▁Using ▁knowledge ▁he ▁had ▁g lean ed