When Steven finally saw the cave he took a breath of relief. He ran in and saw that it was empty. He entered the coordinate of the location they were headed to and ran.

When he arrived, he saw A-Xuan and Louis fighting with multiple soul-eaters. He joined them, and they kept killing beasts for the next 40 minutes.

When they weren’t any more around, A-Xuan looked at Steven.

"How did you know we were here?"

Steven ignored him and approach Louis, but A-Xuan pulled him behind his back.

Steven yelled:

"If I want to check on Louis, I’m going to. Who do you think you are?"

"Don’t pretend you care about him when you’re the reason we ended up here."

Steven took a step back, shocked that he find out the truth. Ever since they entered the academy he made A-Xuan’s life miserable, but he never said anything or figured out he was responsible.

Louis looked at Steven incredulously.

"You wanted me to die?"

"No, I..."

Before he could finish A-Xuan cut him:

"He did, he’s been fucking Gregg. That’s why he changed the coordinates for him, so we would both die."

Louis looked at him horrified. A-Xuan just wanted to laugh. You didn’t seem that horrified when you were planning to have me killed.

Steven took a step forward wanting to talk to Louis, but A-Xuan blocked him again.

"Just leave. He would rather not have anything to do with you anymore."

Steven asked through A-Xuan:

"Is it true, Louis?"

Louis didn’t answer, which was answer enough. A-Xuan smiled.

"Leave me and my boyfriend alone."

He felt disgusted saying that, but he knows what words would trigger Steven. Steven pulled out his knife and Louis watched as he was aiming at A-Xuan’s heart. Louis pushed him and stood in front of him.

The knife went through his chest and his piercing scream resonated through the forest. Louis fell to his knees on the floor. A-Xuan expressionlessly checked his forearm.

Steven watched Louis on the ground, he got on his knees and cried.

"No Louis, please don’t leave me. Why would you do that?"

Louis said through difficult breaths:

"I swore that if I had him back, I wouldn’t let him die. I love him."

A-Xuan laughed and they both looked at him incredulously.

"I would be more touched if a few days ago you weren’t planning on having me killed with Steven."

Louis looked at him shocked:

"No, listen, this isn’t what you think I was..."

A-Xuan cut him.

"Yeah, actually I don’t care. I only pretended to forgive you, so you would die at the hands of Steven."

Louis’s breathing got caught, and he started to cough up blood. Steven held him as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"It doesn’t matter if you stop the bleeding, the blade was poisoned."

Steven looked at Louis, scared.

"No Louis, I swear I didn’t."

"I did."

A-Xuan leaned against a tree smiling cruelly. Louis looked at him with anger.

"Why?"

A-Xuan laughed while watching his forearm.

"You are just as guilty as Steven for everything he’s done to me. You stood there not doing anything while he made my life miserable. The only reason you decided not to go through with killing me, in the end, is that I forgave you. If I hadn’t, you would’ve helped him. And you dare ask why?"

Louis asked sadly:

"Do you even have feelings for me?"

Steven yelled angrily:

"What the hell is wrong with you? He just admitted that he did all of this to have us killed, and you ask him if he ever had feelings for you. Do you love him that much? Wasn’t I enough for you?"

Louis looked intently at A-Xuan.

"I do love him. Did you ever love me at some point at least?"

A-Xuan said indifferently:

"Never. The only person I love is Charles Ren."

Louis looked down and couldn’t stop himself from crying. Steven felt his body shake with anger.

"Why would you love someone as despicable as him?"

A-Xuan laughed. It’s been a while since he met such a hypocrite.

"You dare use that word when you intended to kill me?"

Steven put down Louis’s unresponsive body and walked to A-Xuan. He had tears on his face and his chest kept going up and down.

He threatened:

"I’m going to kill you for killing Louis."

"I feel like I need to remind you that you did that. If you hadn’t tried to kill me, he would’ve never tried to block me with his body. You are the reason he’s dead, you and no one else."

Steven took a step back as if someone slapped him. He’s right, if I hadn’t attempted to kill him none of this would’ve happened. Even if they hadn’t been together, at least Louis would be alive right now.

A-Xuan said:

"Actually, even if he hadn’t blocked the knife I would still have him killed."

Steven looked at him incredulously.

"You planned all of this, didn’t you?"

"God, finally you understand."

Before Steven could launch at him, A-Xuan gave him a flying kick and climbed the tree at the speed of light. He sat on a branch watching the soul-eaters sucking Louis and Steven dry. When they were done, they left and A-Xuan got down.

Steven was barely alive. He pulled the knife out of Louis’s chest and ripped his throat. He wiped the knife and put it in Steven’s hand. Furthermore, he winked in the direction of a tree and left.

A-Xuan checked his husband’s position and walked his way. When he reached him, he hugged Charles from behind:

"Did you do what you had to?"

A-Xuan let go of him and looked at him.

"Yes, let’s go destroy the collective consciousness, I want to leave this place."

Charles laughed and interlaced their hands. They walked until they reached it. A-Xuan took an explosive from his backpack and when they were far enough the entire forest resonated with an explosion.

Every soul-eaters fell to the ground. When everyone was at the rendezvous point, the ship descended. A-Xuan got in, pulling on Charles’s hand.

They directly went to the shower and after fooling around they went to the meeting. A-Xuan and Charles entered the meeting room on the ship, when everyone was present, they all sat.

The instructor said sadly:

"Everyone knows that Alpha Century isn’t an easy place to go, but it’s still difficult when we lose people."

He took a deep breath and said:

"Louis and Steven died and from what we saw the weapon was a knife."

Everyone gasped.

They all signed a release saying that the academy wouldn’t be held responsible if they died, but everyone thought they meant by soul-eating beast, not a fellow student. Gregg’s tears fell and turned to look at A-Xuan.

A-Xuan winked and Gregg immediately got up to point at him, he yelled:

"It’s A-Xuan everyone knows how much he hates Steven. He was there with them."

A-Xuan leaned back on his chair.

"It’s the other way around, but you’re right I was there."

The instructor frowned.

"What happened? Tell me."

A-Xuan got up and linked CF to the computer.

"How about I show you."

He knew Gregg was there watching everything, of course. He didn’t expect anything less from him. All the students watched as A-Xuan and Louis fought soul-eaters.

After a few minutes, Steven joined them and when they were all dead, he tried to check on Louis. A-Xuan got in front of him, confronting him about his plan.

They watched incredulously as Steven admitted that he intended to have A-Xuan killed and that he only came because he didn’t know Louis would go with him.

After Louis said that he loved A-Xuan, Steven pulled a knife trying to kill him, but Louis blocked it with his body.

A-Xuan grabbed him before he fell and looked at Steven shocked. Steven took a few steps back and when he realized he had killed Louis, he slashed his throat.

A-Xuan closed his eyes, endeavoring to calm himself. When he saw soul-eaters coming, he fought until he couldn’t anymore, and left when he was out of force.

A-Xuan stopped the projection and looked at everyone.

"I set out to stop the soul-eaters, but they were too many, and I couldn’t save them. Even if Steven wanted to kill me, I never wanted him to die. We grew up together, how could I have it in me to do anything bad to him?"

The students and the instructor felt heartbroken for him. They were unable to imagine how awful he must feel. The most heartbreaking for them was seeing him fight the soul-eaters for so long to save them.

The instructor hugged A-Xuan. A-Xuan had his back to everyone, but in front of him was Gregg looking at him shocked. A-Xuan smirked and Gregg lost it.

He started to yell in a frenzy:

"That’s not what happened, I was there, I saw everything. He pretended to forgive Louis, so he would save him from Steven. Not only that, but he let Steven be killed by the soul-eaters and when he saw he was still alive he slashed his throat."

A-Xuan looked at him shocked and said as he realized:

"So it was you, you’re the one who changed the coordinates on my locator and gave it to Steven. He only joined us because you told him Louis was with me."

Gregg took a step back, not knowing what to say. Everybody quickly understood he was guilty. If he hadn’t stolen the coordinates and given them to Steven, none of this would’ve happened.

The instructor looked at him with disgust, he yelled, and two men dragged him away. Gregg insisted:

"No, this isn’t what you think, none of this happened. He’s crazy! He’s crazy."

A-Xuan rolled his eyes at him and asked in a small voice to the instructor:

"Can I rest please?"

"Of course, go get some rest. You must be tired after all you’ve been through."

A-Xuan left for his room. He lay on the bed and after a few minutes, Charles joined him. He got on the bed and hugged him.

"Are you okay?"

A-Xuan looked up.

"Yes, you?"

"If you’re okay, then I’m okay. Which sector are you going to join?"

"None"

A-Xuan knew from the beginning he wasn’t going to join the federation’s army. The only reason the original joined was that he wanted to do what his father couldn’t do.

Destroy the collective consciousness and leave Alpha century alive. Now that he took revenge for him and made his dream come true, he will just enjoy the rest of his life in peace.

Charles asked:

"Why?"

"I only joined the academy to do what my father couldn’t. Destroy the consciousness and leave the planet alive. Now that I’ve done it, I’m done with the army."

"I see."

A-Xuan looked at Charles, he could see the disappointment in his eyes.

Charles is upset because if A-Xuan doesn’t work in the army, then they’ll never see each other with all his missions.

A-Xuan kissed the tip of his nose.

"It’s better, like that, I’ll be able to follow you on every mission you take."

Charles’s eyes brightened as he asked:

"Really?"

A-Xuan laughed.

"Of course. I don’t want to be apart from you, so where you go is where I’ll go."

Charles hugged him tightly, feeling happier than he ever felt. When he said he was done with the army, he wanted to ask him to follow him, but he felt like it was too much to ask. He didn’t think he would propose.

A-Xuan would, of course, follow him. After coming to terms with his feeling, he decided that he wouldn’t stop himself from feeling as deeply as he would.

He was scared to sink in before because he wasn’t sure they would always meet and that he would love him too. But now he knows that his soul will always recognize him. They truly are meant to be.

For 30 years, A-Xuan followed Charles on every mission. He would even fight by his side. People had never met two people more inseparable. They became famous in the federation, and no one dared to act recklessly against them.

When Charles retired, they traveled to countless different planets. When Charles died peacefully in his sleep, A-Xuan kissed his forehead and left for the Locus space.

After taking all the energy, he left for the next world. The first word that came to his mind when he opened his eyes was: Fuck!