Template:SL Beyond Story

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Chapter 0

At STΔRLIVHT's debut show at the Budo Garden in Chapter 0.I, a Noise Beast attacks, and just in time, Beyond appears and provides Grace Kamenashi with a NOISZ/RS, which she uses to defeat it, impressing Beyond as she provides NOISZ/RS units to the other three members of the group in Chapter 0.II. She introduces herself as their superior at Antiphon before disappearing. Later that day, Beyond calls Producer via an old phone in her office, and noting that she (Beyond) is there as a "substitute", explains to Producer that the group themselves are the main part of an "experiment", Noise Beasts are corrupted music that are part of the phenomenon known as the Silencing, and that the NOISZ/RS that STΔRLIVHT use is an imitation of the original NOISZ - using the power of bonds to counter it's increased consumption of the soul. Beyond explains one of the methods to increase the bonds between users is sharing secrets. In addition, she explains that Producer's role in STΔRLIVHT's story was self-determined rather than randomly chosen, though she also opted to erase any memories of making such a choice. Assuring Producer that they are on the same side, the call ends. In Chapter 0.IV, at an unknown time and place which will now be called the "present day", Beyond interrogates an unknown speaker who pleads to be let out from inside their glass tank. Beyond ignores this and, apologizing to the unknown speaker, as they were not meant to wake up, puts them back to sleep as a dream comes on.

Chapter 1

In Chapter 1.IV, concerned about an incident involving Sumire battling a Noise Beast alone - or so she says - Producer goes to put in a call to Beyond about investigating the possibility of remotely syncing STΔRLIVHT's NOISZ/RS units, though Beyond calls her before she can dial to tell her that the app has just been finished and has been pushed to STΔRLIVHT's NOISZ units. The two of them discuss the theory of battling Noise Beasts alone and Beyond explains conceptual time - while music travels at the speed of sound, corrupted music in the form of Noise Beasts is a concept more than anything, and can theoretically move up to lightspeed. Through using the NOISZ, NOISZ users can do the same, and become concepts themselves, allowing them to take on different forms. Beyond digresses, and informs Producer that Sumire has likely done permanent damage to herself if she has fought a Noise Beast alone, and Producer ends the call. Beyond continues her observation in the "present day" of the unknown person, and finds them witnessing "invalid data" - a dream in which "???????" expresses anxiety at having to follow a plan alone, though a second person, "??????", reassures them, and reminds them to stick to the plan. The second person reassures the first to have faith in themselves to do the right thing, and that they'll never really be alone. Beyond erases this, however, citing it as invalid data. The unknown person protests, asking Beyond what she's doing and claiming she is not the true Beyond. Beyond states that "Beyond" is a declaration of intent, and reminds the unknown speaker that they have a part to play - remembering the truth they'd buried under a pile of lies so deep even they no longer know what it is, as they are the only one who knows it. The unknown speaker says they don't know, and asks Beyond what she's looking for. Beyond asks the unknown person once again where STΔRLIVHT is.

Chapter 2

Beyond continues her present day interrogation in Chapter 2.IV, and asks the unknown speaker once more where STΔRLIVHT is; they insist that STΔRLIVHT is dead, though Beyond is unsatisfied with this answer, and decides to go deeper, apologizing to the unknown speaker as she steps up the investigation.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3.I reveals a flashback of the "present day"; "Beyond" discusses details of an unspecified plan with "Ari", and entrusts the role of "Beyond" to her. Remora chimes in, stating that Producer - the person being interrogated by Beyond in the "present" - is ready and that the procedure must begin. In this scene, ??? tries to remember the plan under Beyond's questioning - but remembers they weren't allowed to know once it was set in motion. Beyond talks to Producer in Chapter 3.II, after Sumire disappears and Hitori fronts in her place, and tells her that her previous job as an accountant and her role as STΔRLIVHT's producer is very much real; while real memories can be removed, human memories cannot be falsified, as the mind rejects it like contents of a dream. Beyond tells producer that the situation with Sumire should sort itself out soon, and states that the police investigation into Eito Hojo's demise at the hands of Firebird will simply be ended on Antiphon's order, avoiding the possibility of Sumire becoming a suspect. The issue with Sumire resolves itself, and along with her alter/brother Hitori, she dispatches a powerful Noise Beast. Producer updates Beyond on these events, and an intrigued Beyond asks her to bring Sumire in for testing to gauge her power as a NOISZ user as her plan moves into the next stage. Producer expresses open doubt at this plan once more, and asks Beyond who she is, citing the name received on STΔRLIVHT's scouting letter - "Arisa Antiphon". While she initially bristles at the mention of this name, Beyond relents and tells Producer what she wants; revolution.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4.I picks up right after Chapter 3.IV as Beyond continues explaining her plan to Producer; the plan to kill Gaius Antiphon to stop him severing the connection between this world and the World of Music, opting to enact a plan to repair the boundary between these worlds instead to prevent the Silencing. She notes that the dreams the Producer had of STΔRLIVHT fighting Gaius in the Antiphon building basement and dying over and over were not dreams - they were visions of possible futures. Beyond expands on this, and tells Producer that she herself had dreams of STΔRLIVHT before she'd even seen their faces, and that dream was what prompted Beyond to seek them out at the HI-LIVE to scout them out to begin with. Beyond then warns Producer that the moment she remembers the truth, her life will come to an end. In Chapter 4.III and Chapter 4.IV, Beyond takes STΔRLIVHT to an Antiphon lab on the outskirts of town for a "checkup" on their souls, to assess their power as NOISZ users; however, the four of them are attacked by a Noise Beast set on them by Stornel, who had been waiting for them. Feeling it calling to her, Sera dispatches it and Beyond leads the group through a series of corridors to escape the crumbling lab, though the appearance of Genbu, a NOISZ Beast almost identical in appearance to Grace, catches them off guard. Before they can react to Genbu's defeat, Beyond holds a gun to Sera's head and tells STΔRLIVHT to enter a nearby machine; they do, and everything goes black. In the "present", Beyond interrogates the unfamiliar speaker from before once more, stating that there's no way things happened that way; she notes that the story may not be what they remember through all of the lies. The speaker insists this recollection of events is false, citing their lack of presence as Producer at the lab, and concludes that if Beyond doesn't remember either, then these aren't anyone's memories at all. Beyond concurs, noting that this recollection is an "extrapolation", and the most likely explanation of facts. Beyond continues the investigation, and puts the unknown speaker back to sleep.

Chapter 5

In Chapter 5.I, Beyond advises Producer on how to proceed with the Clash of Twilight - a contest between STΔRLIVHT and SUNRaiSE in which the loser is forced to disband - and urges Producer to ensure STΔRLIVHT loses, to keep them out of the public eye in preparation for their final battle with Gaius Antiphon. However, Producer refuses, determined to make sure her idols do their best, and Beyond relents, casually remarking that she'll figure something out. Later on in the day, Hakuno defeats a Noise Beast in the studio, finding her reason to be an idol. Recalling this event in the "present day", Beyond notes this to be the point where it all begins - and the point they'll always have to return to as data interference grows stronger and the concept of truth is lost; that neither the equipment nor the person she is addressing is defective, but that the person she is addressing is the one hiding the truth of how it all ends. The unknown speaker insists there's nothing left to hide, and that there's no point to further interrogation, pleading to be let go once more. Beyond refuses, stating that the past she has been shown differs from reality. She notes that it's a recreation meant to jog the unknown speaker's memory - and that when it ends, reality will catch up with them: the reality that their life ended two years ago. She insists once more the speaker stop lying to themselves. The speaker states their name is Arietta, that STΔRLIVHT is dead, and that this is their punishment for the speaker's betrayal of them. Beyond tells them there aren't many cycles left, and asks them once more to tell her the truth. In Chapter 5.IV, STΔRLIVHT lose the Clash of Twilight, and head to the Antiphon Building; though Beyond expresses skepticism that STΔRLIVHT went straight from the Clash of Twilight to the Antiphon Building. The unknown tries to remember what had happened in-between - though eventually affirms that there was nothing in-between. Beyond asserts once again that the sequence of events makes no sense, especially with STΔRLIVHT having no reason to be at the Antiphon Building basement, yet the unknown speaker remembers it vividly; Beyond relents, and asks how they got there. The unknown speaker still does not remember anything, and Beyond points out that the speaker should have been there at their final show, as Producer - though adds that they in fact weren't there in this recollection. Beyond comments on how the unknown speaker had hidden the truth - subtle alterations to the parameters over each "cycle", writing themselves out of the story, their own story, bit by bit, though the lies that had been built up had finally exposed holes in the narrative, making these recollections amount to no more than a dream. She tells this unknown person that she knows who they are, and the unknown speaker begins to remember - that their identity did not belong to Beyond, but was instead "Arisa Antiphon" - aka Arietta Antiphon. Memories resurface of opening the portal in the basement with Beyond, of what they encountered; however, more discrepancies surface. "Arietta" recalls memories of having interned for Antiphon in her last year of high school, and being brought into the company right afterwards, assigned to STΔRLIVHT as their producer. These memories continue to confuse her, and Beyond remains skeptical, and yet she insists it all happened, regardless of the fact that she was unsure how, citing that a person's memories can't be rewritten. Annoyed, Beyond writes off the cycle as lost, and asks "Ari" to tell her once more about STΔRLIVHT's final battle - the conclusion of this story.

NOISZ STΔRLIVHT True Heroes

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Chapter 5(TH)

In Chapter 5.I of True Heroes, the unknown speaker realizes the phone used to speak with Beyond is a fake, which Beyond herself confirms. Confused, the unknown speaker asks why they needed such a convoluted plan in the first place. While Beyond hoped they wouldn't need to take this risk, realizes that hints won't be enough, and with nothing left to lose, begins to show the speaker who they really are, and their role in all this. In Chapter 5.II, Producer finishes a call with Beyond about finding the secret lab in her visions; Beyond provides directions and the credentials they'll need to get in. Beyond assures Producer they're on the same side, even if they won't follow her plan to disband STΔRLIVHT to keep them out of the public eye when they fight Gaius. She admits she isn't hopeful they will all make it out alive, as she hasn't seen a vision where they do. Producer asks her how they work, which Beyond admits they don't know much; they're simply relying on the fact they've been true before. She warns Producer that, while she's a good person, the world doesn't care what anyone deserves. Reagrdless, she tells Producer to be careful not to lose anyone before the final battle, as security appears to have been upgraded somehow. In Chapter 5.III, Sumire goes to Producer's office to ask if she can speak with Beyond herself. Producer agrees, and attempts to dial Beyond, but as she does so, Sumire snatches the phone out of her hand. She surmises that the phone is merely a mechanism to let Beyond speak with Producer, and that right now, Beyond should be in control. Beyond relents, figuring that Sumire would be the one to figure out the ruse, and introduces herself as Arietta Antiphon. Sumire asks her about their plan to defeat Gaius; Arietta says the pieces are in place, and asks Sumire to take Producer with them to the final fight. She agrees, but asks why Arietta would go through all this. Arietta says her dream is to create the ultimate music. She then requests that Sumire not tell anyone of her existence, as doing so could likely get everyone killed. Sumire agrees to this request as well, but asks one last question of her own: Who is Firebird?

Chapter VS

At the end of VS Prelude, in the present day, Beyond notes they've come across the two most unknown variables of the cycles so far; the outcomes of STΔRLIVHT's fated duels. Though the results of these duels could change everything, they know almost nothing about them. Joker asks Beyond how she expects her to know the outcome, and how she is still here when she seemingly died two years ago. Beyond reveals that the world of the past is not the only simulation; Joker, too, is one of thousands of a simulation of the original. Beyond believes once they analyze the data given, they can find the truth hidden from them. She assures Joker that, though she doesn't know STΔRLIVHT's condition, she'll do whatever she can for them once they're located, and asks Joker to make her choice. At the start of Chapter VS.1, the procedure is completed, and Beyond notes she's already begun getting good data in. Joker questions how they know it worked, since they are on the final cycle. Beyond tells her to look back into her memories of the past, where Joker finds a memory of her and STΔRLIVHT celebrating her birthday. Beyond asks her if she understands the significance of those bonds now, which Joker does, now sure she can witness the end of this story. During VS Postlude, Producer mentions Beyond had been helping her figure out a plan to defeat Gaius Antiphon; through scraping data from R&D, they've deduced the weaponry he's likely to bring. However, Beyond has given a concerning report; Gaius Antiphon has been seen with several test tubes on his belt, and she and Producer suspect these are human souls. Sumire, remembering Arietta's request, asks Producer to come with STΔRLIVHT to the battle. Producer agrees, saying she'll ask Beyond to look into upgrades for her wheelchair.

Chapter 6(TH)

At the beginning of Chapter 6.I of True Heroes, Beyond notes they've arrived at the end of the final cycle, and is certain they can finally see the truth they sought for so long. Joker asks how she's so sure about this, considering the previous failed cycles. Beyond answers that it is because of the result of the Clash of Twilight that Joker had seen; because she finally saw the true outcome, she can be sure the rest of what they see is reality. Beyond asks Joker what she thinks of the tie; Joker claims it's a miracle, while Beyond offers her own explanation that Arietta set up the tie beforehand to verify Joker's predictions later. Joker notes Beyond's unromantic worldview, but Beyond in unfazed, saying it makes no difference. Either way, they've finally arrived at the one true reality. In Chapter 6.III, as Joker is knocked out of the simulation by the memory of Gaius' attack, Beyond attempts to calm her, reminding her it's only a memory. Knowing that they can't afford to desynchronize, Joker demands that Beyond force her back into the simulation. Beyond agrees, and wishes Joker luck as she returns.