Revolutionary Girl Utena IF: The One Who Betrays the Rose Seal - A Warning from the Ends of the World

A white envelope lay on the floor beneath the door. Mornings at the dorm came early. The patter of slippers echoed from the hallway as I stared at the floor through half-asleep eyes. "…What's this?" I picked it up. The back of the envelope bore a rose crest pressed into wax—an absurdly formal letter sealed with all the pomp of a royal decree. Inside, a single line. *After school. The Student Council room. — Kiryuu Touga* The handwriting was beautiful. Which only made it more infuriating. "He's calling *me* out? Got some nerve." I slipped my arms through my uniform sleeves, then glanced at my left wrist. The black rose mark had spread a little further since yesterday. It crept up my skin like a vine, now reaching just below my elbow. "…It's nothing." I muttered the words and tugged my sleeve down. Pretended I hadn't seen it. Because I was scared. Because I didn't want to admit it. I grabbed my bag and ran through the dorm hallway. The morning air was cold—sharp enough to sting my skin. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ After school, I headed straight for the fourth floor of the main building. The Rose Room—before the double doors of the Student Council chamber, I took a single deep breath. My heart was pounding. (*No time to be scared.*) I told myself that and shoved the doors open with everything I had. A thick wave of rose fragrance hit me. The room was dyed in sunset light. Through the wall of glass windows, the rose garden blazed crimson. Every vase on the table overflowed with red roses. And there— At the seat furthest back, Kiryuu Touga was drinking black tea. His long silver-white hair glittered in the evening sun. His narrow crimson eyes slowly turned toward me. Tall, his uniform worn with flawless elegance—he looked like a prince who had stepped straight out of a painting. But—his eyes weren't smiling. "Ah, welcome. Tenjou Utena." He set down his teacup, a smile touching only his lips. "Your declaration yesterday was quite entertaining. *'If the rules are wrong, then break them.'* — That had the Student Council members buzzing." "If I got them buzzing, then good." I glared straight at him as I approached the table. None of the other council members were here. Just Touga today, it seemed. "So? You called me all the way out here—what, you gonna lecture me?" Touga lifted his cup, narrowing his eyes as if savoring the tea's aroma. "A lecture? No. Just a warning." "A warning?" "That black rose blooming on your left wrist—the Seal of Death. How much do you know about it?" My heart jolted. I instinctively pressed my left hand over it. Beneath my uniform sleeve, the mark felt like it was prickling with heat. "That is a curse carved into those who defy the will of the Ends of the World. The more you reject this academy's dueling game, the further the seal spreads." Touga rose to his feet and gazed down at the rose garden beyond the window. Even his back was beautiful, like something out of a painting. "And when it covers your entire body—you will vanish. From this world. Your very existence. From everyone's memories, too." "…………" My voice wouldn't come. Vanish? My very existence? The words spun in my head. My wrist felt hotter than before. (*He's lying.*) (*No—he's not.*) (*Because this mark—it's real.*) "You are a piece in the game, Tenjou Utena. Even if you try to break the rules, you are merely dancing in the palm of the Ends of the World." Touga's voice was cold—like having a knife pressed against me. But— I clenched my fist. "…A game?" My voice was shaking. But I raised my head. "The only ones who think this is a game are you people!!" I shouted. My throat burned like fire. "Anthy isn't some game piece! She's a human being! She laughs, she gets scared, she feels sad—she's a living person!!" For just a fraction of a second—Touga's crimson eyes seemed to widen. He fell silent for a moment, then twisted his lips. "…Hm. I like that about you." "Huh?" "Then—shall we test it?" ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ The Spiral Forest was shrouded in twilight. The arrangement of the trees twisted and warped—even though I was walking straight, the scenery bent and curved left and right. My head spun. "Those without a Seal Ring cannot pass through this forest. Even if you wander in, you'll simply circle the same spot forever." Touga walked ahead, speaking with perfect calm. "Your ring—you got it from the Ends of the World too, didn't you?" "That's right. Myself included—every member of the Student Council." "So that's why you're all his puppets." "Puppets? No. We participate in this game to obtain the Power to Revolutionize the World. Each of us, for our own desires." "…Desires?" "Eternity. Omnipotence. Freedom. Domination—it varies by person. In my case…" Touga cut himself off. For just an instant—his profile seemed to carry something dark. But it vanished, replaced immediately by his usual self-assured smile. "Well, never mind. We've arrived." Beyond the forest stood a colossal spiral staircase. Made of stone, it stretched upward endlessly. I'd heard it had three hundred steps, but seeing it in person, it felt like far more. Step by step, I climbed. Only the sound of my footsteps echoed—hollow and unnervingly loud. When I reached the top— "…What is this?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. The Sky Dueling Arena. A circular arena at least thirty meters across, a giant rose crest carved into the ground. Nothing surrounded it—only sky and clouds stretching in every direction. And then—I looked up and froze. An upside-down castle was floating there. As if plastered to the ceiling of the world, the phantom of a colossal castle hung suspended in midair. Its spires pointed downward, pale blue light spilling from its windows. "That is *Éternité*—the Inverted Castle. It is said to be the place where the Power to Revolutionize the World slumbers." Touga walked toward the center of the arena, pulling something from his pocket. A conductor's baton. A thin metal rod, barely fifty centimeters long. "I want to test you. Draw your sword." "…I don't have a sword." "No need to worry. You have the Sword of the Heart—the blade drawn from the breast of the Rose Bride, Anthy. Though, this is merely a preliminary test. This alone should suffice for me." Touga gave the baton a light flick. The air hummed. "Are you mocking me?!" I kicked off the ground. Closed the distance in an instant and swung my fist— "—Too slow." He vanished. No—that wasn't it. Touga had merely tilted his body a fraction, dodging my punch. At the same moment, his baton extended toward my feet— "Whoa!" My legs were swept out from under me, and I tumbled to the ground. "Far too linear. Do you think charging in on pure emotion will land a hit?" "Damn it…!" I scrambled up and tried again. This time, I threw a feint—then launched a kick from the right— But Touga's baton tapped my knee lightly, deflecting the kick. As I lost my balance, he pushed my shoulder with perfect elegance. I fell again. "Why… can't I hit you?!" "Because you're trying to hit me. You're attempting to defeat me. But I am merely reading your movements. Nothing more." Touga's movements were like a dance. He evaded my attacks with minimal motion, then disrupted my stance in turn. The tip of his baton pointed precisely at my vital points—but stopped just short each time. "Your movements are honest. Right when you're angry. Left when you're frustrated. Easy to read." "Shut up…!!" I roared. I didn't care anymore. It didn't matter if I couldn't hit him. I was just—pissed off!! I threw my whole body into it, lunging at him with reckless abandon. Touga's baton struck my shoulder, but I didn't stop. I rode the momentum and swung my right hand through— *Riiip.* The sound of tearing fabric. My fingertips had torn through Touga's right sleeve. Touga stepped back—just barely. "…………" His right arm was exposed through the torn sleeve. From wrist to elbow—countless scars. Old cuts. Scrapes. Puncture wounds. The arm of someone who had gripped a sword and fought, over and over and over. Even a small rose-shaped scar was etched into the back of his hand. "…You." Still gasping for breath, I stared at those scars. Touga slowly pressed down the torn fabric of his sleeve, narrowing his eyes. "…That's enough for today." "What?" "I've gauged your strength. And besides—" He turned his back and began walking toward the spiral staircase. "That straightforwardness of yours will one day wound you. Remember this—the dueling game of this academy runs far deeper, and far darker, than you imagine." Leaving only those words behind, Touga descended the stairs. Breathless, I sat down right where I was. "…What the hell is with that guy?" ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ For a while, I couldn't move. My legs were trembling. My shoulder ached, and blood was seeping from my knee where I'd scraped it when I fell. I looked at my left wrist. The Seal of Death—had spread further than before. Just moments ago it had been below my elbow. Now it had crossed the joint, reaching halfway up my upper arm. The black rose vine stood out starkly against my skin. "…This really is life or death, huh." The quiet murmur was swallowed by the sky above the arena. If I said I wasn't scared, I'd be lying. I might vanish. My entire existence. From everyone's memories. That's—obviously terrifying. But. Anthy's face rose in my mind. That expressionless smile. The sad look in her eyes when she said, "…I'm fine." "…Ngh." My chest ached. Deeper than the pain of the seal—something deeper hurt. I stood up and began descending the spiral staircase. Step by step, slowly. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ By the time I returned to the academy, darkness had fallen. A solitary light glowed near the greenhouse. Anthy. She was still tending the roses. I stopped walking and gazed at that light from a distance. I couldn't get close. Not yet—I didn't know what Touga might do. I couldn't drag Anthy into this. (*But—*) Inside the greenhouse, I saw long black hair swaying. She was pruning rose branches with a pair of shears, utterly absorbed. The same as the day we first met. —But. Anthy lifted her head. She looked toward me. Even though I was hidden in the darkness, I felt her green eyes staring straight at me. Her lips moved—just barely. "…Utena-san." I couldn't hear it. But I was sure that's what she said. I left. My heart was pounding, my breath tight. (*I will—save you. No matter what.*) Walking the path back to the dorm, I gripped my left wrist. The heat of the seal seeped into my palm. I was scared. But more than that—I refused to give up. Keeping that girl locked in a cage like that—it's wrong. Even if this seal covers my entire body. Even if that man Touga is hiding something far darker. "…I'll do it." I murmured the words to the night sky. No stars were visible. But the distant light of the greenhouse—that alone remained burned into my eyes.

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 2

Name: Revolutionary Girl Utena IF: The One Who Betrays the Rose Seal
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt