“Yes, but—”
“Even if it was your future self, it was you, and you did it for a reason.”
Matt had no response. What reason could there be other than to destroy his own family?
“Come,” the emperor said. “I want you to see this in the real stars.”
They left the star chart and walked to the other end of the observatory that overlooked the Forbidden City. There were more buildings than even Matt realized. There had to be thousands of them. There were a few glowing lanterns, but mostly the city was dark, and his gaze was naturally drawn upward. The sky was scattered with so many stars.
“They never stop making me feel both small and large all at once,” the emperor said. “That I am both nothing and everything, both the center of the universe and an insignificant insect.”
Matt had nothing to say to this, only it felt true. There were times when he felt like everything revolved around him, that he was important and powerful, and others when the universe seemed completely indifferent toward his existence. At this moment he felt like nothing more than a speck.
The emperor approached one of the instruments. One of the priests was making adjustments. He stepped aside as they approached and told the emperor that it was ready and in position. The emperor looked through the telescope and then motioned for Matt and Jia to come.
“Look!” he said.
Matt looked through the telescope.
“The Summer Triangle,” the emperor said. At first Matt just saw a jumbled mass of stars, but slowly they started to organize themselves and he drew lines between the stars in his mind. He saw the three points, equilateral, though two were dimmer than the third.
“In all my years observing the skies,” the emperor said, “the three stars of the Summer Triangle have always been equally bright, until recently we noticed two of them beginning to dim.”
“You think it’s because of what Captain Vincent did? Because he broke the lock on the universe?”
The emperor nodded. “I cannot help but think there is something in your relationship with your brother and sister that is significant in all that has happened. The three of you together, in some way, represent the three pillars of the universe. The balance needed. You must bring them back. Only the three of you together can mend the lock, I believe, restore order to the universe.”
“But how? And how am I supposed to bring them back? I told you, they’re gone! I don’t even know what’s happened to them. They just unraveled right before my eyes! All I have are these scraps of fabric and they’re unraveling too!” He held out the pieces of fabric. One of them fell, and when it hit the ground the threads started to unravel and disintegrate. Matt felt an invisible thread inside of himself simultaneously doing the same. He bent down and quickly snatched it up. He pressed it to his chest.
“You are an intelligent boy,” the emperor said. “You built this compass not even knowing exactly what you were doing. You have power and intelligence inside of you that even you are not aware of, but more importantly you have a good heart.”
Matt nearly rolled his eyes. A good heart. What did that matter in this situation?
“You think the heart does not matter,” the emperor said, seeming to read his mind. “But it matters more than anything, more than the forbidden lock, more than your compass. Your heart is your true compass. Let it guide you, and you’ll never be truly lost.”
Matt and Jia were escorted back to their quarters by two palace guards. They walked in silence most of the way. Matt’s mind was turning in circles. His dad, Corey, and Ruby had disappeared because the order of the universe had been disrupted, its lock broken, and in order to fix it, he needed to get Corey and Ruby back. But he had no idea how to get them back! It made no sense.
Jia also seemed lost in thought, but he didn’t think she was thinking about the same things. She seemed peaceful, happy. After the emperor had told Matt to “follow his heart,” he’d turned his attention to Jia. He asked her to tell him about her travels, what she had seen and done, the things she had learned. They talked for nearly an hour, barely acknowledging Matt unless he happened to be part of the story, which he often wasn’t since Jia had been on the Vermillion for years before he arrived. Matt watched as Jia spoke to her father, the way she lit up, the way the emperor listened so attentively, clearly admiring his daughter. Matt couldn’t blame him, but it was hard not to feel jealous, like he’d suddenly been replaced.
Matt was exhausted. He was hoping he could just walk into the house and disappear into his room. He just wanted to lie down and sleep, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen the moment he entered the house. As soon as the guards left them, they heard a crash in the next room.
“Hold him! Hold him!” Matt heard his mom shout. He looked to Jia. They both ran into the main room and stopped short at the scene before them.
At first Matt thought his mom and Albert were fighting with his grandparents and uncle. Belamie had Gaga by the upper arm and Haha by the hair, while Albert had wrapped himself around Uncle Chuck’s leg. Uncle Chuck was stumbling around the room, bumping into furniture and walls, knocking things over. When he turned around, Jia gasped. His face. It was blurry. They were all blurry. They were fading, unraveling. Vincent had struck again. He was erasing the rest of his family.
“No!” Matt shouted. He ran to Gaga.
“Oh!” Gaga said. “I feel so strange!” Her arm
