In This Rebirth, The Male Lead Is Mine [BL]

Rise gradually tightened his arm around Kamille as he breathed heavily. He snapped back to the present again, shaking off the bewilderment that Kamille’s slight change brought to him.

Their position and situation were not exactly an ideal place to be intimate, but both seemed not to care about that in the slightest.

”We can’t find a gate,” Rise grumbled, setting them back to their topic moments ago, his voice a bit muffled.

This was truly so strange, considering that this world was so infested with gates.

Kamille continued brushing Rise’s hair, creating a languid air from the latter. He inhaled, breathing Rise’s calming scent before he withdrew, meeting Rise’s gaze.

”Let’s continue.”

Rise licked his lips, slightly distracted by Kamille’s lips, which even had a slight split. He forced himself to avoid his gaze and looked around instead.

”Then...” he trailed off; suddenly he furrowed his brows. His gaze looked into the distance. ”Wait, what’s that?” He paused and pointed in the direction.

Kamille turned his attention almost immediately to the direction Rise was pointing in; his gaze turned deep. Slowly, surprise filled his gaze.

”That’s...” Kamille narrowed his gaze; both became alert as they instinctively put their combat stance but began to stride forward, intending to meet the approaching group.

”Thalia’s group.” Rise was the one who finished, his expression dark.

Thalia had a few screws loose, but she was his fan, someone that he also cherished so much. Rise would do anything to protect her!

Without saying anything, their steps accelerated. The other also noticed them; relief seemed to finally fill their expression, overwhelmed with fatigue.

However, their tense expressions did not ease up until the two groups met. The moment they did, Thalia called for Rise’s name before she collapsed.

Sheena could not even hold her anymore, equally exhausted and injured. Rise stepped forward and caught her in his arms.

”Thalia...” Rise called, stunned. His hands were quickly painted with crimson, spreading through his gray coat. He was truly surprised at this; although he expected this, seeing the worst state of Thalia’s party members from afar, confirming it, and seeing her injured still shocked him.

Rise turned to his Guild Leader, his face did not hide his surprise, tightly holding Thalia in his arms.

”Guild Leader...” he called, not having any clue of what happened.

”Guild Leader Kamille...” A weak voice then called, capturing their attention.

It was Sheena, Evergreen’s Vice Leader.

Only then, Rise forced himself to focus on the situation. They also had to leave and get immediate medical treatment for the party.

”What happened?” Kamille asked, his tone calm, but his expression was quite the opposite.

Thalia was a childhood friend, someone he could not possibly turn a blind eye to.

Sheena breathed; her injury was not that far off from Thalia’s condition. Her stomach was bleeding as she put pressure into it, even the side of her head.

Her lips trembled and tears welled up in her eyes. Looking at the members and her Guild Leader, Sheena felt so weak, but he did not collapse from tears like she wanted to.

”We don’t know...” Sheena shook her head, tears continuing to stream down her cheek. ”The other girls... they are still there.”

She was shaken and emotional, more so, injured. Kamille frowned but did not force her. Kamille and Rise exchanged glances; they nodded, and with tacit understanding, they decided that what was important was to treat the injured.

They could ask for details later.

With a sigh, Rise carried Thalia. His expression was somber, and he also had a fierce glint on them.

Whoever did this... I’ll make you pay bastard.

Rise stared at Thalia’s beautiful face, which was now tainted with blood. He reached out and wiped the blood, returning the white, unblemished skin.

However, he clicked his tongue in displeasure when he saw a slight wound on her cheek. He bit his lips, holding his erupting emotions.

”Let’s go,” Kamille nudged at him.

Rise blinked and looked at his Guild Leader. He then slowly nodded his head. Kamille looks at Thalia in his arms.

”I can just hold her, Guild Leader.”

Kamille did not act out this time, and as time was of the essence, he merely nodded as the wind surrounded all of them. Carrying a few people was still a bit taxing to him since this was not him walking but actually flying everyone.

And so the tension did not fade, and they spent their journey back in silence. Rise also did not have the mood to flirt as much as he used to. He only checked Thalia’s condition from time to time.

Looking at his beautiful face... Rise’s lips trembled, blinking his eyes as the memory of the past surfaced no matter how he stopped to reminisce.

This was not Rise’s first time seeing Thalia’s beautiful face becoming tainted with blood; the reason he was so shocked seeing Thalia injured and collapsed was that...

He saw her die in his arms in the last life.

Thalia was Rise’s fan, but she was more than that. When Rise was forsaken by everyone because of his traitor of humanity status, she never left him and stood out for him.

And yet... it costs her life.

”Leave while you still can.” Rise weakly spoke to her; his condition was worse each day at that time. He seemed to be always stuck in between reality and dreams, more and more.

Rise did not even know the time and date; he was like someone who slept every time but was awake at the same time.

Thalia stubbornly smiled and shook her head; her gaze was as fanatical as ever. She stroked Rise’s cheeks as he lay down weakly on the makeshift bed.

”The world may abandon you, but I won’t ever do that.” Her tone was as fervent as always.

Most of the time, Thalia was such a simple crazy fan, but sometimes Rise could not understand her. Just like now, Rise was the traitor to humanity, doing evil deeds left and right, but she chose to be with him, becoming the number one sidekick under him.

When he returned, Rise also thought of this, and maybe this was her character in the book? However, Rise found out that Thalia’s name was not always mentioned in the book, becoming an anomaly despite always being with Rise.

Although, if he remembered it right, Thalia was not really in the storyline since when Rise was in his ’villain mode’ Thalia was not with him at all, as though the other knew that was not him.

And then she would eventually arrive, getting Rise’s body when the ’storyline’ concluded, and he would return to his ’real self’, as often he was too weak to move by then.

He asked then, ”Why? Why are you doing this?”

Rise was grateful to her and always thought of her as his sister, but that did not mean he was not curious about why she was doing this.

Thalia paused then; she appeared to be having a trip down memory lane, her gaze softening.

”My life is yours, then or now.”

Rise furrowed his brows, not quite understanding. Thalia giggled and patted Rise as if putting him to sleep.

”I’m not here without you,” Thalia spoke in a gentle manner. ”Just think of it as me... being your forever fan, no matter the lifetime.” She tilted her head, laughing softly as if what she said pleased her.

Rise stared at her beautiful smile then and blinked. He quite regrets not looking longer, as hours later...

Thalia, holding Rise with her bloodied and tattered body, used all of her abilities to escape, or more like to make sure Rise escaped. She was so in critical condition, and Rise was too weak to even help her.

At the foot of the fountain, Thalia embraced him securely, making sure he was not hurt.

”Thalia...” He called weakly.

”It’s fine now... They can’t track us.” Her voice became so weak, trailing off. Blood continued to stream down her wounds. ”You’re safe... now.” Hugging him so tightly.

”Your wound.” Rise wanted to check on her, but he could not move at all. Since, before this happened, he happened to have a huge scene as villain Rise, exerting all his abilities.

Villain Rise did not have regard for the body at all, or more like it was the storyline that was.

At the nick of time, Thalia arrived as always, but she was heavily injured by Epsilon. She shielded her body from all the projectiles that were thrown at Rise, and Epsilon was always aiming for the kill, his moves deadly.

Thalia was about to answer, but she was unable to do so after coughing so much blood... as though her mission was completed... Rise felt hers around him loosen.

”Thalia... Thalia...” he called frantically, but gradually the warmth from her body faded. Thalia did not even manage to say her last words, or she already did, her concern always being Rise.

When Rise realized it, tears were already streaming down his cheeks, and gradually he was sobbing so hard, calling for her name, but his number one never answered him again.

His mentality completely collapsed, and his hatred of Epsilon exploded then. The plot seemed to be waiting for this as only two weeks later... At the annual guild convention, the climax of his tragic story arrived.

Like the typical villain, Rise was defeated by the protagonist.