"Once upon a time, there was a princess who was very sad, because her brother had died. Along came a prince who had traveled from afar, with a kind smile and a regal bearing. The prince extended a hand to the princess to lift her out of her grief, saying, "I came all this way to be with you. So don't be afraid of this world where you and I can meet." Before they parted ways, the prince comforted her with the promise, "Someday, together, we'll shine," and soon thereafter disappeared. So impressed was the princess by this example that she vowed to follow the prince, no matter where the journey would take her. But was that really such a good idea?"
"What are you doing here?" The words awaken me. I find myself lying in a familiar coffin on a bed of roses.
"Nothing," I say, looking up at the man dressed in a white uniform, whose gaze now penetrates mine. His face is one that I seem to know—but of that I can't be entirely sure.
"Are you the Angel of Death?" I murmur.
"No," he says—he is heartbreakingly handsome—as he turns to leave. "I will show you what Death looks like."
"You're so beautiful," I say to him out loud, watching him as he goes. 'He must be a Prince,' I think to myself. He turns around and beckons me to follow him.
I get up out of my coffin and follow his command.
He leads me down a long pathway, whose walls are dimly lit by a faint glow, until we finally reach an arena with a narrow platform. At the end of it on a pedestal hangs a lifeless figure whose body has been pierced by thousands of swords.
"Who is that?" I ask, taken aback to see such a figure.
I realize that the light is coming from there.
"A witch," he replies.
"A witch?" I ask.
The light is growing brighter, so much so that I need to shield my eyes.
"The Light of the World. Those who can be reborn are lucky. He cannot live again—only suffer from eternal death."
"…Why?" I ask.
"It is his punishment for bringing the Rose Bride into the world."
"The Rose Bride?" I ask.
The light has grown so bright that I close my eyes. When I next open them, I see directly in front of me an elaborate castle, whose pillars are composed of stone and rock of different hues, brightly bedecked with shining blue masts adorned by brightly colored flags that float in the wind. There is some sort of force field, however, preventing me from me reaching out to touch it.
Inside the castle stands a young girl in a red dress. "Dios," she calls out. I want to look at her more closely, and it is then that I realize that it is a mirage.
"The Rose Bride could grant miraculous power to others," the man says from my side. "Eternity, that which shines, the power of miracles, and the power to revolutionize the world," he continues. "Everyone fought to possess her for that reason."
A low moaning sound has drowned out his voice, as a crowd gathers outside of the castle, brandishing the gleaming swords that once hung by their sides.
"Rose Bride!" they start to chant in tones both deafening and infernal as they pound at the door. "We beg you… Grant us the power to revolutionize the world! You're the only one who can give us that power!"
Their cries thicken into an overpowering, dissonant song. Some are even fighting each other during this commotion. "Rose Bride!" they chant, over and over again.
"Rose Bride! Rose Bride! Rose Bride!"
Suddenly, the young woman suddenly disappears.
"But the Rose Bride could not fulfill their requests," the man continues, "and they could never obtain what they yearned for."
The gates remain closed.
I want to ask him where she went, but I am interrupted by the materialization of a young boy, dressed in a white uniform similar to the man's, who suddenly appears. He steps outside of the castle, and a hush falls over the crowd.
"Who are you?!" one of the outsiders demands, breaking the silence.
"The Rose Bride is gone," he replies. "She belongs to no one. She's gone somewhere your hands can never reach."
Sounds of horror emerge from the crowd. "What? they begin to cry uproariously. "How dreadful..." Their tones gradually change to ones of terror and torrid fascination.
"Witch! Witch! Witch!" they cry out profusely, and as they do, with the swords that had hung by their sides, their blades now begin to pierce his entire body. Every pore, surface, inch, vein…
"The Prince sacrificed himself for the sake of his beloved Rose Bride," the man says from behind the darkness. I realize that I had covered my eyes instinctively.
"But she turned away from him," he continues, "even though he was the only one who truly loved her. And what's more…"
The environs have changed back to the arena.
"…in the end, she became a princess and left his world forever."
I run towards the end of the platform to the figure of Dios, reaching out to touch Dios' figure.
"This is…"
Before I can finish my question, I am pushed back by a strong force and land on the ground painfully.
"And his death is all that remains," the man concludes. "He will never awaken again."
I start to get up, and I turn to him.
"Please help him!" I say, frustrated at my total impotence. "It's too cruel... Help him..."
The man comes towards me, watching for a second, and then leaning down to kiss my cheeks.
"He is beyond my help now," he says. "The only one who can save him is a Prince who can really be believed in."
"But… you're a Prince, right?"
He looks away. "I can't be the Prince."
"Why not?"
He pauses, and then he begins to get up, the whisper of a smile on his face.
"You're a kind-hearted girl," he says, as he turns to walk away. "Thank you for your tears."
I have grown frustrated with his obscure explanations.
"Then I'll become a prince and save him!" I say, almost involuntarily.
He turns back to look at me.
"I'll become a Prince and save him!" I repeat, getting up. "I swear!"
He comes closer, examining me.
"If you do not lose that strength and noble spirit," he says, finally, "then there is a chance that you can save him from his eternal death."
He leans down, stopping short of my face. He is so close that he could whisper in my ear.
"But you will certainly forget all about this night," he says as he kisses the Rose Crest on my finger.
He straightens up again. "And even if you do remember, you're a girl. Soon you'll become a woman."
"I will!" I promise. "I swear I'll become a Prince, no matter what!"
"Then," he says, as the light from the end of the arena begins to grow brighter and brighter, "that ring will surely lead you here again."
It has become so bright again that I am forced to close my eyes, and by the time I can open them again, he has disappeared…
'A dream,' I think… Or… was it a memory?
The elevator opens. The floor is a rounded arena with rose-shaped engravings etched into the marble. The place looks familiar.
"Where am I?"
Footsteps approach. One at a time.
"The Prince..." I think. Could it be…?
"Yes, the Prince," as a figure emerges from the shadows.
It is the Chairman, dressed in a white uniform.
The words of the letter that had appeared in my locker yesterday flutter back to me.
'The time to pass through the Gate of Eternity, when the path to Eternity will be opened and you shall receive the Power to Revolutionize the World,' it read, 'is now.'
I look down at my Rose Seal. "If you can retain that nobility even when you grow up…"
'From the Prince.'
"… then that ring will lead you to me again."
And then it suddenly hits me. It is him. The one from my dream.
Akio-san is the prince…
… How did I not recognize it before?
"So… you were the prince after all?" I ask. "You were the cause of everything that's happened?"
"You knew all along," he responds, and then he turns away brusquely.
"But I'm your End of the World. You came for the purpose of being with me."
And in that one painful moment, it became clear to me why I had followed him all the way here.
I grit my teeth. "I want to know your reason."
He smirks.
"Reason?"
'Isn't it obvious?' his eyes ask.
It angers me.
"For making everyone duel each other! For what you're doing at this school."
He chuckles and sighs.
"How valiant," he begins, as he reaches for my hand. "As I promised, that ring did eventually lead you back to me."
I instinctively draw back to protect it. "No!" I say. "I promised that I would save Dios from his eternal death. I can't lose this!"
My words stop him short.
And then,
"Truly you are valiant," he says, smiling. "I never thought you would get this far."
His demeanor is insufferable.
"What are you talking about?" I spit out.
"Looking at you reminds me of my former self. But that's exactly why you can't save him. Now…"
His words stun me.
"… I will show you reality."
"Reality?"
The screens that shield the arena from the natural light come crashing down, as the arena transforms itself into a sleekly modern empty space.
The feeling that I know this place is growing stronger…
"This is…" I ask incredulously.
Why does it seem so familiar to me? …
I gasp.
… It must be some kind of cruel joke.
I see the images—of the time he spent together with the Rose Bride—begin to stir. They flood my mind, all at once, like the light flooding into a darkroom of photos in development.
"…your room?"
The lights glow fluorescent.
"A magnificent planetarium, isn't it?" he asks, as he places his hand along a giant contraption of hard angles and smooth surfaces, burning brightly.
"This device paints the illusion of fairy tales for those with naive wishes in their hearts," he says, "who say they wish something eternal existed, who say they wish the power of miracles existed."
This doesn't feel right.
"But there is no place higher than this room. This is the summit of Ohtori School, the summit of the world, as it were." He looks me straight in the eye.
There is a faint stirring in my heart that scares me.
"I hate this room," I say to cover it up.
He does not look away.
"Someone as young as you may not understand the value of this room," he says, without inflection.
"That's not it!" I say. "This is the room where you always…"
"Oh," he smiles, as if knowingly, "is that what you're upset about?"
I have a distinct feeling that we have somehow had this exact conversation before.
"Is what I am doing really that wrong?" he presses.
"And even if I am…" his smile is plastered unnaturally on his face, "you're the same as me."
'The same…'
I turn away from him.
"…What are you talking about?"
He turns to face me.
"I doubt you've forgotten."
He points to the planetarium behind him.
"Behold, the memories you once held."
The planetarium ignites and burns, and images of the other duelists and I in the Dueling Arena—this place—but now fighting for a young woman in a red dress, are projected onto the ceiling.
I recognize her. From my dream. Except now she is a woman. She is…
"…The Rose Bride?" I ask.
…When did I…?
"You had already fought many times before, but that didn't stop you from coming back."
I can't believe my eyes…
"What do you mean?"
I don't understand. This couldn't have happened. My own face, my own hands, have somehow fought against Akio's in this very arena.
Why don't I remember any of this?
"I brought you back for one purpose and one only. To obtain the Rose Seal from you."
"Do you mean…"
And it dawns on me.
"Did you… turn back TIME?!"
He doesn't move. His face doesn't move.
But… this is…
"Why?"
His face does not change.
But… how is this possible? What could the Rose Seal possibly have that is so valuable to him?!
The sun sets a magnificent orange and burnt gold color, burning the sky with its streaks of radiant pinks and purples.
"The Rose Seal is the only thing that keeps Dios at Ohtori."
He looks at me.
"It must be destroyed to restore him to his rightful place in the world."
But… this is not right. I know it. Somehow.
I feel a hot anger flash as the injustice of the situation washes over me.
"That's not fair!" I shout.
He is quiet for a moment, and then he slowly spells out the word.
"Unfair?"
He approaches me slowly.
"Isn't it unfair to turn your eyes from the truth and then criticize others? Isn't it unfair to pretend that your conscience is clear and that you're the one in the right?"
The sound of his voice is that of a gentle whisper, barely audible.
I cannot bear to look at him.
"There was a time when you were helpless and reality subjugated you, no matter how much you struggled," he continues. "With no way to escape the cruel reality before your eyes…"
Above me is the end of my duel with Akio—I am lying on the ground, wounded.
"…you tried to segregate yourself from the world."
I have collapsed into his arms in the image on the ceiling.
"The one who saved you from that darkness… was me."
And yet, I see myself pushing him away…
"I'm the one who gave you the power to face the world again."
…as I move past him towards a rose-shaped gate.
"At that time, I was a Prince to you. But, I'm the same, then and now. And Dios is a witch."
Dios…
I remember now.
"Now…"
I remember when he first gave it to me. I remember his face.
"… won't you give me that ring?"
He was a prince then.
"But…"
He looks away.
"Aren't you the Prince?" I continue. "Are you just going to abandon Dios?"
He looks at me. "Foolish creature!" he whispers.
There are tears in his eyes.
"There never was a Prince anywhere in the world to begin with."
There are tears in his voice.
The figure of Dios has taken the place of what was the planetarium behind him. It is now an orb-like structure with his likeness now sitting atop it, a blackened sword.
He rises up from kneeling to point to it.
"Do you know what that is?"
I don't.
"It's Dios's Grave," he replies. "When he became known as a witch, the Prince perished. He no longer exists."
I begin to cry to myself.
"It looks like I have no choice but to fight you," I say, from behind tears.
He doesn't look at me, and his back is turned.
"Do you understand what you are saying?"
I whirl around to look at him.
"I do understand!" I meet his eyes.
"I'll be the one to save him from you! I'm going to be a Prince!"
It must be possible.
A sharp pierce of a sword to my back interrupts my thoughts as I catch sight of a flick of white, interlaced with red, from behind me.
I gasp.
It's Dios.
But…
"Why...?" I choke out.
The sword drives through me to the entirety of its length.
"Dios…"
I fall to my knees.
"Why…?"
"I told you," Akio's says as he walks towards me. He has the sword of Dios in his hand, and he reaches down and removes the Rose Seal from my finger.
"This is not a game."
As he rises with the ring in his hand, the terrible sound of the moaning of thousands of voices begins to rumble slowly.
"The Millions of Swords that shine with the Hatred of Humanity," Akio says as if to himself, the ring in his hand. "They are stirred by the sight of the Rose Seal."
A dome of metal objects, of whirling dervishes, fashion themselves into a ring at the top of the arena with force. Swords.
They beginning to cry feverishly, chanting "Witch, witch, witch…" with the ache of an eternity of longing.
And from where I lay on the floor, I can see what looks like a lifeless form suspended in mid-air, the wrists pinned together by a single sword.
It is Dios.
"Dios…"
I attempt to crawl towards him.
The swords that have gathered underneath the platform now aim for the body suspended in mid-air, beginning to attack him all at once.
"Dios!" I cry.
He doesn't respond.
"Dios—Dios!"
I begin to shout.
"DIOS!"
It's too horrible.
"It is the destiny of the witch to take the swords in the place of the Prince," Akio has turned his back on the scene. "All of this is I wished for myself."
'Akio-san…' I think. 'Please, don't do this…'
"The time has come to break the seal," Akio says, as he places the ring on the ground before him, "to open the door to a new world."
He begins to slash at the systematically at the ring with the blackened sword, and a sharp pain pierces my chest, like a stab wound to the heart, each growing progressively worse and worse in waves.
As he does this, the planetarium behind him begins to glow brightly and take on the form of a rose-shaped gate, its blinding light cutting through the darkness. He pays it no heed.
I have to stop him.
"Akio-san…" I begin, continuing to attempt to move forward, "please, help him…"
He is still alive; I know he is.
"Dios…" I falter as I slump to the ground. "Help him…"
"You shouldn't move," the voice of Dios resounds in my head. I recognize it.
"I'll tend to your wounds later," he says.
I sob, as I feel him stroke my cheek.
"Such a gentle girl," he says tenderly. "Are you crying?"
I cannot answer him.
"Do you see the gate of eternity over there?" he asks, the light emanating from it growing brighter by the second.
"Within that gate is that which is eternal, something shining, the power of miracles. With that power, anything is possible."
The shadows of the swords fall upon Akio's figure as he continues to stab the Rose Seal.
"You can't do it, can you?" Dios asks. "You're a girl. Besides, you don't have power. With power, you can do anything. You can even save him from his own fate. But how that power is used—"
"—is up to me to decide," Akio completes.
I open my eyes to see Dios's face next to mine.
"Come now, don't look so sad," he says. "You've tried so hard until now. No need to blame yourself. You've treasured the Rose Crest until now."
He kisses my finger where the Rose Crest once was.
"A kiss, to show my appreciation. The only consolation I can offer."
I slam my fist to the ground where I had worn the ring and force myself up with it.
'I must get up,' I think. 'It is time.' And somehow, past the agonizing pain that shoots through my entire body, I rise to my feet.
This is not the End of the World. I cannot—will not let it be.
As Akio attempts to destroy the Rose Crest one final time, the sword breaks from its handle, clattering as it falls off the platform.
He looks at the remaining blackened hilt in his hand.
Before he began, I knew it would happen.
"So, this sword won't work, either," he says to himself, tossing it aside.
I stumble forward towards him.
"Well, no matter, he says. "The Rose Seal is still mine. I can always—"
He sees me.
"I'm surprised you can stand."
I stagger towards him.
"Do you really intend to open this gate by yourself?" he asks.
I take another step.
"Don't bother," he begins.
I take another. Agonizing.
He turns to walk away from me.
And then another.
"The Prince's sword has been shattered."
I fall to my knees.
"The seal…"
I collapse onto the ground.
"The seal is unbroken."
I pick myself back up and crawl forward, slowly making my way to the Rose Gate.
Each moment is the highest form of torture, protracted by the mental anguish of the task.
I finally reach the Gate—the light from it is so bright that I can hardly see—and pull myself up by its handles.
There must be a way to open it.
I pry at them, rivulets of pain shooting from my arms through my entire body.
The gate is not opening.
"Seeing you is like seeing myself in the past," Akio says from afar.
No motion.
"But persistence by itself changes nothing…"
No…
"That's how the world works—"
It can't be…
"Shut up!" I cry out.
And I know. I know in that moment that Dios is gone. He has always been gone.
There never was a Prince to begin with.
I start to cry and drop to my knees and reach out, blindly grabbing for the Rose Seal. I find it and hold it tightly in my hands, looking at it and then back to Akio, his pitiful figure framed in relief against the window.
"Akio-san," I say, as my tear falls onto the crest. "You still don't know…"
The light from the Gate has become so bright that it is blinding my eyes. "The only time I was really happy was when I was with…"
The Seal shatters. I look in my hands and there are no remains of it left.
I look up, and I see that the Gate before me has transformed back into the planetarium, but it is now hollow and transparent. It is like a hologram, and when I reach out to touch it, it allows my hand to cross through the projection.
…Akio is…
… nowhere to be found.
Underneath the planetarium is a coffin with a rose emblem, as if the base of the contraption were a grave. I descend into the opening and push open the cover of the coffin to reveal a young boy, his white uniform pristine and untouched.
It is him. I recognize him.
"Dios," I say to him. It is time.
"Please awaken."
His eyes remain closed.
I reach down to pick him up and hold him in my arms. He is just a child.
"I guess… in the end…" I whisper, "I couldn't become a prince after all…"
My tears fall onto his perfect face.
"Forgive me, Dios, for pretending to be a prince…"
Please…
"Forgive me."
I hear a voice calling my name out softly in the darkness.
"Who are you?" I whisper weakly.
"I came here to save you."
"But, you…"
"I came all this way to be with you. So don't be afraid of this world where you and I can meet."
A sliver of light cracks open as the voice of a woman calls for me. It is too bright to see. The light finally fades to reveal a pair of familiar green eyes. A woman's face, her eyes streaming with tears, meet mine.
"Hime…miya?" I venture.
"Utena…" she says, smiling. "At last, we meet."
Appendix One. Chart of Worlds
World One.
Series Ohtori (Distant Past)
World Two.
Post-Series Ohtori (Immediate Past)
World Three.
Post-Post Series Ohtori (Present)
In Worlds One, Two, and Three, all of which exist in the "past," the roles are as follow:
Prince: to court the princess
Princess: to accept the prince's offer
Witch: to sacrifice him or herself for the prince
When Utena leaves Ohtori, World One becomes World Two. When Anthy leaves Ohtori, World Two becomes World Three. When Akio leaves Ohtori, World Two becomes World Three. However, he is not able to cross into World Four, and Akio has now become a wandering soul along the River Styx. Like Inanna, Utena descends back into the Underworld to pay his fee to Charon to cross over to World Four (the final one).