Forbidden Constellation's Blade-Chapter 149: So This Is How It Was

Ryn didn’t recognize the street at first.

The orphanage was still there.

It was the same building, yet everything around it had changed dramatically in the day that he was gone.

A massive canvas tent had been erected along the side of the grounds. It was far too large for something meant to be temporary.

And there was a line.

No...multiple lines. People crowded together in uneven rows that stretched past the orphanage, down the road, and out of sight.

Some sat on crates or just on the ground. Others leaned on the nearby buildings. A few were lying down entirely, attended by family members with hollow and tired eyes.

Ryn slowed.

The moment he stepped closer, someone noticed him.

Whispers spread amongst the queue.

Then the line broke.

People surged toward him in a desperate brush. Hands grabbed at his sleeves. Someone shoved a sack of grain into his arms before he could react. Another pressed coins into his palm, fingers trembling.

"Nico! Please—let me go first!"

"I’m worse, I swear—look at my arm!"

"I brought supplies, I brought medicine, everything I had—"

"Please—please—"

Ryn stood there, stunned, instinctively tightening his grip on the sack before realizing he didn’t want it at all.

"Wait—" he started, but no one was listening.

They weren’t even really looking at him.

They were looking through him. All gazes went past him toward something else, and he was just the confused gatekeeper.

His chest tightened.

What the hell did I miss?

Before the panic could swell further, a pair of healers forced their way between the crowd, shouting for order.

It took effort to push people back into line. Even then, the crowd’s eyes never left him.

Ryn slipped away while they were distracted and reached for the tent flap.

The moment he stepped inside, the noise changed.

The sense of urgency was thick. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Inside, the interior was packed with cots arranged in careful rows. Healers moved constantly, hands glowing faintly as they did everything from stabilizing patients, wiping sweat, and rotating people in and out.

Ryn felt it immediately.

His gaze snapped to the center of the tent.

Aria sat there.

She was smaller than the chaos around her, seated cross-legged on a raised platform, shoulders straight despite the exhaustion evident in her posture. One hand rested against a man’s chest.

A soft glow radiated from her palm.

Ryn’s breath caught.

Dark veins crawled beneath the man’s skin, branching unnaturally, pulsing like something alive. The moment Aria’s light touched them, they recoiled, shrinking back as if repelled by something they couldn’t endure.

The corruption fought back, writhing beneath the skin, but the glow remained steady. Slowly and painfully—it retreated, fading until only faint traces remained.

Healers moved instantly, lifting him away and replacing him with the next patient.

They were practiced.

This wasn’t improvisation.

Ryn’s mind raced.

A power that could force Evernight out of a living body, to drive it out completely.

His stomach sank as the implications clicked into place.

This wasn’t just rare.

This was priceless.

No, worse than that.

A power like this would shatter balance. Draw attention. Invite obsession, fear, control.

A miracle didn’t stay hidden for long, and from the looks of it...word had gotten around.

A healer raised a hand. "Break," she said, gently but firmly.

Aria’s shoulders sagged as the light faded. She pulled her hand back, flexing her fingers as if they hurt, breathing a little heavier now.

The tent quieted. The next wave of patients was guided back outside.

Only then did Aria look up.

Her eyes met his immediately.

Recognition softened her expression.

"...Nico," she said.

Ryn didn’t answer right away.

He was still staring at her hand, but after a second, he approached.

Ryn realized it a second too late.

He had already decided what to say, what questions he would ask, and how to steer the conversation away from dangerous topics.

But the words didn’t come.

Instead, his body shifted on its own, settling into a familiar posture.

Like this wasn’t his first time standing here.

Like this wasn’t his conversation to begin with.

...I’m in the backseat again.

Nico crouched beside Aria, resting his forearms on his knees.

"How’s your body holding up?" he asked.

She blinked, surprised by the question. "...It’s fine."

"That wasn’t an answer."

Aria sighed. "My hand feels numb. And my head’s been buzzing since noon."

Nico nodded once, like he’d expected that. "That’s not nothing."

"I know," she said quickly. "But it’s manageable."

He didn’t argue. Didn’t tell her to stop

"You’ve been using your powers a lot."

She looked down at her hands. "Yeah."

Nico scratched the back of his head. "We still don’t really know what these powers are. Or where they end. Or what they take."

Aria didn’t respond right away.

"That doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong," he added, immediately. "I’m just saying... it’s okay to be careful."

She glanced up at him. "You’re worried."

"Obviously," Nico said. "You’re the youngest out of all of us, yet you’re doing the most to help."

"That’s because people keep lining up," she said. It wasn’t a defensive statement or anything, more like she was stating a fact.

"I saw," Nico replied. "That’s kind of the problem."

She frowned. "I can help them."

"I know," he said. "You are helping them."

Then, more firmly:

"But you’re still allowed to be tired."

Aria stared at him for a long moment, like she was deciding whether to accept that statement or argue with it.

"...We didn’t get these powers for no reason," she said quietly.

Nico didn’t interrupt.

"We were sick first," she continued. "All four of us."

Ryn felt something tighten in his chest, but he stayed silent.

"It wasn’t like now," Aria said. "No one knew what Evernight was yet. We just thought we caught something."

She flexed her fingers once, slowly.

"I remember dying."

"Not metaphorically," she clarified. "I remember my body giving up. The others, even you, were already unconscious by then."

She swallowed. "I think the corruption was strongest in me. I didn’t let it go completely. I held onto the feeling—just enough."

Nico frowned slightly. "The feeling?"

"The moment before everything went quiet," she said. "Like sitting in a dark room."

She shook her head. "I don’t want anyone else to feel that."

Nico nodded. "That makes sense."

She blinked at him. "That’s it?"

"Yeah," he said. "You don’t need a better reason than that."

Aria exhaled, some tension leaving her shoulders.

After a moment, she spoke again, almost casually.

"...Do you remember those flower fields you used to talk about?"

Nico blinked. "The ones mentioned in that old fairy tale?"

"You said they stretched all the way to the hills," she said. "You wanted to see something that wasn’t gray."

He grimaced. "I was twelve."

"We all were," she said.

A pause.

"That’s why we snuck out," Aria added. "To look for them."

Nico went still.

"...Ah," he said.

She looked at him, gauging his reaction. "So, technically, this is kind of your fault."

He stared at her for a second.

Then he let out a short breath. "You trying to blame this on me?"

She giggled softly, "Who says I am?"

Nico raised both hands in the air in defense.

"Alright, alright. I relent."

Nico stood. "Just—don’t try to carry everything alone, okay?"

"Mazin and Kato, they...care about you, so make sure to reassure them, okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

As he turned away, Ryn felt control begin to seep back into his limbs.

...So this is how it was, he thought.

It wasn’t a grand destiny or manipulation of the highest degree. Just kids who’ve gained extraordinary powers and are just trying to use them for good.

He suddenly heard a faint, soft laugh to the side of the tent.

As he slowly made his way over, it was there again...the soft laugh coming from the Father, as he greedily held his hand out to accept "payment" for the services.

But sometimes, that same intention becomes their ruin...