Earth's energy wells are about to run dry. The last hope lies in a legend from the edge of Orion: on a planet, an energy lifeform codenamed "Monster" lies dormant.
The Ark, captained by Lin Che, reaches the "Lost Star" and discovers that the legend is true. The target is a small, wingless silver dragon, about the size of a cat. It displays an intelligence beyond comprehension and even saves Lin Che when he is on the brink of death. But for the billions of his fellow humans back home, Lin Che completes his mission.
The Monster's energy core returns Earth to a golden age, and Lin Che becomes its savior. As its "slayer," he also receives a gift that is a paradox: the ability to travel back in time to any point in his own history.
He witnesses how utopia fractures, how the ideal of unity is torn apart by new desires and weapons. Infinite energy does not bring paradise, but only hastens the arrival of hell. At last, he stands amid the ashes of a civilization grown cold, with the silver dragon that should have died beside him.
"What a shame."
Lin Che is certain he has found the problem and its cure. He activates the time reversal and heads for the turning point where, as a prophet and hero, he can reshape humanity's fate.
We ventured across the stars only to bring back a lamp that would illuminate our own tombstone.
