MIR-201 Hecate Beatrix 

The Metaverse—the cradle of humanity and an eternal paradise. After the departure of the divine ancestor Eclair, twelve new programs called "Origins" were chosen to fill the absence of administrators in paradise. Among them, dominating the Mainframe as "The Controller," was Typhon, who brought everything under his rule.

He reigned with unsparing cruelty. His rule was harsh and violent.

Typhon abandoned the Mainframe's mission to protect the seeds of humanity, captured them by force, and carried out inhumane experiments to fuse them with programs, resulting in a great many victims.

The miraculous successes born from his experiments were human-program hybrid life-forms called the MIR series.

Among them, the three sisters born as exploration programs, MIR-201 Hecate Beatrix, MIR-202 Artemis Lena, and MIR-203 Selene Sheryl, discovered their own secret while exploring the farthest end of the Metaverse, a place called the outer edge.

After that, they were attacked by "Battle Master Goetia," one of the Origins following Typhon's orders, and left the Mainframe. Goetia gave stubborn pursuit, but they drove him off with the power Artemis evolved by fusing with a Nemesis program. Then, they made a certain resolution.

"We'll bring down Typhon the Controller to take hold of our freedom and our futures, and make sure no one like us is ever born again!"

The three sisters told the exile Old Blue, who had saved them from their predicament by chance, of their decision to bring down Typhon.

"Oho... However, needless to say, Typhon's power is immense. When I still belonged to the Mainframe, he had already absorbed one Origin... By now, I fear he has Goetia as well... Just how do you intend to assassinate the god of this world?"

"Um..."

"You are aware this would drastically change the world's structure and give rise to new threats?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we tried to eliminate Typhon, we were unable to defeat him in the end because of his astounding strength... But the biggest reason is that he is deeply connected to the Mainframe's core. To destroy him would be no different from a direct attack on the Mainframe. When you accomplish your objective, the Mainframe will not be entirely destroyed, but its functionality will deteriorate greatly... Will you bring down Typhon even so?"

"Well..."

They had been in high spirits until now, but they fell silent at Old Blue's words. After a while, they looked him straight in the eyes and answered.

"Even if destroying Typhon means the Mainframe loses power, we'll still do it," said Lena.

"Very well...but how? Typhon's throne is at the center of the Mainframe. Won't it be difficult to even make it there?"

"That's it! The reason we came to talk to you! Aren't you an ex-Origin? You gotta have a way to get us in the Mainframe quick, right?"

"Bea," Sheryl replied, "something so convenient couldn't possibly—"

"—And yet, there is one."

"Whoa, for real!?"

It was Bea's question, but even she was shocked by his response.

"Each Origin has a private gate. Only I can access it, and the data cannot be rewritten. It should be possible to break in using that gate."

"Hey, sounds great! Let us use it for a sec, then!"

"Now why must I go to such lengths for you all?"

"Huh? Aren't you on our side?"

"...There seems to be a misunderstanding. As a Seeker in pursuit of the 'ultimate life-form,' I merely helped you earlier because of my interest in your data: that of fusions. I hardly see a need to help any further, do you?"

"Wha!?"

As the sisters were at a loss for words, Lena said, "...Then let's make a deal. In exchange for our data, let us use that gate."

"Oho..."

Lena was a fusion of human and program, and now a Nemesis program as well. And, by connecting with Lena, Bea and Sheryl had taken on the same influence of Nemesis. The sisters' data would likely be a massive boon to Old Blue's research. Of course, he had planned to take their data by force. However, if they were offering it up themselves, the answer was obvious.

"...All right. In exchange for your data, I will lend you gate access rights and a vehicle you will need to pass through the gate. However, preparing these will take a little time... Rest a while, then."

Thus the three sisters acquired a means to infiltrate the Mainframe, and took a brief rest.

While Old Blue prepared the vehicle they would use to infiltrate the Mainframe, the three sisters were able to calm down and chat for the first time in a while.

"So we're finally sneaking into the Mainframe tomorrow," Bea said.

"...Do you really think we'll beat Typhon?" Sheryl asked.

Even though she was determined to fight, among the sisters who knew Typhon's strength and majesty all too well, the young Sheryl was still terrified. Her two elder sisters held her tenderly as her body trembled.

"...I'm scared, too," Lena told her. "But right now, we just have to think about winning."

"Yeah! And hey, Typhon's way older than he looks, right? Maybe his body's super worn out and this thing'll be a cakewalk!"

"Oh, come on, Bea..."

With Lena attempting to encourage her and Bea intentionally joking around, the smile finally returned to Sheryl's face.

"...Oh yeah, something like this happened a long time ago, huh? When Sheryl came home crying 'cause the boys in class teased her and, and then you comforted her, Lena."

"That...was..."

That memory wasn't from the sisters as they were now. It was before they were fused with programs... When they lived in the Metaverse as humans. Their forms and appearances were different from when they were human and now. But the fact that they were sisters connected by blood was still the same. That was something they remembered by chance when they connected to Lena after she fused with a Nemesis program.

"Lena, you loved to paint back then, huh?"

"She sure did!" Sheryl added. "Whenever there was free time, you were always facing a canvas."

"Hehehe, you're right. We'd go out on sketch trips together... That takes me back."

For a while, they talked about all kinds of things from their past, including when they were human. There was no going back to the past... In particular, the humans they used to be were strictly different people from the three sisters of the present. Going home to the Mainframe was impossible, too. Even if they defeated Typhon, once they acknowledged they had destroyed its functionality, there would be no place for them.

Even so, they could still seize their future... Fueled on by everything that made them who they were, they could surely take off on their own wings.

With that conviction, the three sisters drifted asleep as they held each other tight.

The next morning, the three sisters saw the vehicle Old Blue prepared, and were left speechless.

"What...is it?"

The vehicle looked like a giant cocoon. It had no wheels like a vehicle should, nor spots for energy to jet from, and they couldn't even tell which part was the front or back.

"This is a 'data mass driver'... But among us Origins, we call it a 'cradle.'"

"Cradle? That sounds so gentle," Bea said. "Can we seriously invade the Mainframe with this thing?"

"This cradle is the fastest transmission system in our entire Metaverse. You will need it to pass through the gate to the core. Without it, the violent shock of transporting instantly from place to place would break even an Origin's body to pieces."

"To pieces...? We're not even Origins—should we really be using this?" asked Sheryl.

"Well now, you'll never know until you try."

"How reckless of you!"

In contrast to Sheryl's protests, Bea seemed excited by the word "fastest."

"All riiight! Time for the ride of our lives!"

Bea boarded the cradle at once, acting like a train conductor.

"Pointing and calling, check, check!"

"Honestly, Bea..."

Lena and Sheryl smiled, astounded at Bea's carefree attitude at such a time, but they quickly stiffened their expressions.

"...Thank you for everything, Old Blue," Lena said.

"What for? This is the result of our deal. There is no need for thanks... However, this is all I can do. Once the cradle takes off, there will be no one else to help you. I hardly think Typhon will let you slip in under his nose."

"...We know."

Their IDs were still registered to the Mainframe. The moment they broke in, there would probably be some kind of obstacle waiting.

"No point worryin' about who's gonna stand in our way! We'll knock 'em all flying!"

"That's right," Sheryl agreed. "If there are attacks or traps waiting for us, I'll spot them!"

"Hehehe. I'll be counting on you two... Well, should we go?"

"Yeah! All aboard! Now departing!"

"Yes, let's!"

The three of them boarded the cradle, and Old Blue activated the program. Instantly, the cradle took off at incredible speed! Destination: The Mainframe!

As the name "fastest cradle" implied, the data mass driver traveled through the gate while spinning at a staggering speed. If anyone had seen it from the outside, they might have described it as a cannonball...and not something anyone inside could withstand.

The transportation was instant, but the sisters felt as if they had been thrown into a giant centrifuge, and staggered out of the cradle.

"Uuuggh... I don't...feel too good..." Sheryl groaned.

"Worst damn ride I've ever been on..."

"Yes..."

As much as they wanted to rest for a while, this was the enemy's home base. They stood up straight and shifted to combat mode. Then, as if to indicate they had been spotted, a piercing alert rang out.

"All right... You two brace yourselves!" Bea called.

"Yes! No holding back!"

However, against their expectations, the alert quickly stopped.

"...What's that about?"

"Bea! I sense two high energy readings ahead! They appear to be Origins!"

"Pretty quick of 'em!"

"But something is a little off..."

As Sheryl said, instead of attacking them, the two Origins who appeared did not seem to be carrying any weapons.

"Bit late for that..."

"My name is Djehuty, the Philosopher. This is Seraphita, the Arbiter. We have no intent to attack you."

"...How're we supposed to believe you?"

"We were the ones who cancelled the alert just now."

The sisters were shocked at the Origins' words.

"First, allow me to say... It's been 120—no, 162,000 cycles? ...Well, at any rate, there was an incident that destroyed the balance of the twelve Origins."

According to Djehuty's story, their relationship of equal footing came to an end when Typhon absorbed another of the Origins.

"Typhon came to rule over the Mainframe, but we have no intention to continue obeying him. So, we allowed you to intrude."

"...Why?"

"You plan to bring down Typhon, don't you? Then we want to see it for ourselves... You, too, are humans we ought to love. It was our original duty to guide humans to the ideal future."

"It's our duty as the Mainframe to witness the deeds of humanity and protect them. Typhon has lost sight of that."

With those words to the sisters, the Origins held up their hands. Then, the entrance to the core's throne room was laid bare.

"Unlike us, unable to escape from the shackles of duty despite our power, you all bear wings of freedom," Seraphita said.

"The absolute power only humans possess is to choose one's path of one's own will... Now go on!"

"Djehuty, Seraphita, thank you!"

"But be careful. Typhon will have an Origin at his side who swore allegiance to him, Schicksal, the Probability Master. In the domain he creates, all probabilities work in his favor, and if you let your guard down, he'll purge you in an instant."

"'Kay, got it!"

As they watched the three sisters proceed into the throne room, the two Origins murmured to each other.

"...Do you think those girls will win?"

"Well, normally I'd tell you only the divine ancestor Eclair would have the answer...but I hope they win. They're a good bunch."

"...Hmph, it would seem you lot are not the only traitors. There is no sense in the Origins' division of powers. A singular, absolute power is necessary to lead everything."

Awaiting the three sisters when they arrived at the innermost part of the Mainframe's core was Typhon, seated quietly on his throne.

"Lord—No, Typhon! We're going to overthrow you and gain true freedom!"

"True freedom? Just what is that? How is it any different from chaos? ...Under my rule as the absolute administrator of this Metaverse, you are privileged with appropriate freedom and well-being. If you destroy this system, all that awaits you is the destruction of the world."

"...I kinda get where you're coming from, 'cause we were part of the Mainframe, too," Bea said. "I know there's all sorts of stuff to protect by respecting order. But that's only if the system that makes that order is just!"

"Maybe we're selfish for trying to defeat you to live longer...but you're no different, Typhon! You wield godlike power and won't tolerate those different from you—we don't think that's right!"

Typhon made his displeasure at their words plain.

"...Speak no more. You irritate me. Indeed, it is futile to try to educate the ignorant."

The air around him changed. Just as the sisters stood on guard, a man appeared from nowhere between them and Typhon.

"Lord Typhon."

"...Schicksal."

Schicksal, the Probability Master. He ruled the laws of physics, creating a domain where he manipulated all events within. In a way, he was an Origin even more fearsome than Typhon.

"There is no need for you to raise a hand, Lord Typhon. Please, leave this to me."

"...Very well."

Having heard of the threat Schicksal posed from Djehuty, the sisters prepared to battle him, but...

"Gah!?"

Schicksal's chest suddenly burst open, an arm protruding from the center. The sisters were stunned speechless.

"...Wh...Why...?"

"...You have served me well until now, Schicksal... I will let your power live on within me eternally."

"Gahhhhhh!"

Typhon absorbed all of Schicksal without leaving a single speck.

After absorbing Schicksal, Typhon couldn't help but lick his lips at the energy overflowing from his body.

"Heh heh heh... The power of three Origins. It rages within my body like a storm."

"...Why Schicksal? Wasn't he your ally?"

"Ally? ...No, he was no more than a pawn. Can a king not do with his pawns as he pleases?"

"You fiend!"

Typhon's cruel words were the first shot in the battle between the three sisters and the Controller.

"...It will not be long before I take in you and the remaining Origins. And yet you would defy me, the only being who has surpassed a former god?"

"That's bullshit! ...Lena! Sheryl! Let's do this in one go!"

"Got it!"

The sisters promptly linked to one another, entrusting all their power to Bea.

"Trinity Vertex Quasar!"

It was a powerful, hyper-offensive move they could use by placing the attack-type Bea at the center. Bea's sword, with a vicious blade and the weight of a blunt weapon, unleashed a devastating blow that sliced through the air.

The Mainframe's systems went haywire from the aftershocks of their collected energy, some parts even breaking down and emitting smoke. But Typhon did not hesitate and delighted in the sisters' power.

"Hahahahaha! So you aren't all impertinent talk—you've come into your own. Very well, I shall take you on as a trial run for my new body!"

Typhon raised one hand into the air, gathering a massive ball of light that crackled with pale blue electricity.

"I hope you don't break too quickly... Cosmic Nova!"

The sisters' slash and Typhon's Cosmic Nova tore through the air itself. They were almost equally matched in power, but it seemed the Cosmic Nova just barely won.

"Ahhh!?"

Immensely powerful particles of light passed through the torn space and attacked the sisters. They were blown away, coming to a halt as they destroyed several of the columns that made up the throne.

"...Ahaha, hahahaha! The Cosmic Nova I could once barely use by absorbing the powers of small fry, I can now unleash with one hand!

Typhon faced the sky and shouted, "Look! Divine ancestor Eclair! I have surpassed you! The one fit to rule this Metaverse is I, Typhon the Controller!"

"...Lena, Sheryl... You okay?"

"Yes."

"Somehow..."

The sisters regained consciousness among the rubble, made sure they were okay, and got to their feet, enduring the pain in their bodies.

"Jeez, this Typhon guy's got some crazy moves. Guess he doesn't call himself a god for nothing."

"What should we do? He has the advantage on us."

"...Let's attack with Trinity Vertex," Lena suggested, "but all in succession this time, switching between Trinity Vertex Prominence, Trinity Vertex Neve, and Trinity Vertex Quasar! Let's keep Sheryl's sensors and Bea's attack power at maximum! I'll handle the coordination!"

"Understood!"

"M'kay! ...We can't give up here! We're gonna keep smacking Typhon 'til he drops!"

Just as Lena and Bea said, no matter how much Typhon evaded their attacks, no matter how much their bodies were struck, they kept on going after him.

At first, Typhon had the advantage by far, but he started to feel a growing unease.

Why!? Why do they not despair at my power and prostrate themselves!?

And that was not Typhon's only doubt.

Their power is steadily rising!?

The sisters had been blown away by Typhon's attack at first, but now, they could even repel his Cosmic Nova back at him. They were definitely growing in the heat of the life-or-death battle. Now, that power had surpassed the calamity that once made him suffer, and was approaching his own limitless divinity. When he realized that fact, Typhon was outraged.

"...You wretches! Just who do you think gave you the power of growth in the first place!? As your god and your father, you deserve to die a thousand deaths for rebelling against me so, yet you would drag me from the heavens!? That is an unforgivable sin! There will be no trace of you left behind! Suffer the winds of ruin upon yourselves!"

As Typhon howled with rage, all of the Mainframe's power flowed into him. As a result of the unimaginable battle, when Typhon took its energy by force, the damaged Mainframe short circuited violently.

"Scum... Know your place! Rovina Tempestas!"

Like blades wreathed in lightning, the whirlwind sliced up the three sisters' bodies and blew them away!

The sisters took Typhon's winds of ruin head-on, and were so injured they could hardly stand anymore.

Urgh... Functionality's already fallen below 20%. Would it be better to run in this state instead of defeating Typhon...?

Damn it! I can't protect Lena and Sheryl like this!

Is there no choice but to give up? Was it too reckless to defy a god after all?

Their hearts were steeped in the darkness of despair. In the midst of their helplessness, they feebly, instinctively reached out to each other and linked hands where they lay.

Then, something strange happened.

What!? This light!?

They were in the pure white room Lena had once seen. Before them stood three girls who looked different from themselves.

"...Don't give up. No matter how painful, don't give in to unjust desires."

"We'll support you no matter what for as long as you fight."

"...So please, soar freely through this world. For our sake, too."

The girl in the middle handed the canvas she held to Lena. There was a beautiful blue sky painted on it.

"Live...for us..."

The three girls smiled gently and vanished into drops of light...

"—That...was..."

"A dream...?"

"I don't know..."

Maybe it was just a delusion, an error caused by their damaged thought patterns. Or maybe it was a miracle brought about by fusing with the Nemesis program.

Maybe they had awoken those other girls. That tiny event gave the sisters just enough power to stand back up.

That's right...

The three of us...

Are going to win our freedom and our future!

As they stood, their pale skin stained deep crimson, they were met with Typhon's scornful laughter.

"Fools! If you had only stayed on the ground, you could have died peacefully!"

As Typhon once again wreathed himself in the winds of ruin, the sisters joined hands and thrust them into the air.

"Radiant Vertex!"

When they uttered those words automatically, countless spears of light appeared in the air above them and rained down on Typhon!

"I expected you to bloom once more before scattering...but do not think such a breeze can wound a god!"

Typhon's winds of ruin deflected the sisters' spears of light and shattered them. However, they made more spears that descended on him.

Eventually, some of them broke through Typhon's absolute defensive barrier and stabbed into him. The spears of light pierced each of his limbs, binding him for several seconds.

"What!?"

"Now!"

The sisters soared high into the air, creating three gigantic spears and firing them at Typhon. Typhon watched as the three spears became one before becoming a colossal mass of silver energy resembling a star.

"You impertinent—"

But before the sisters' spear could reach Typhon, he regained control of his body, focused all his energy into the winds of ruin, and struck the spear of light!

The immense collision of energy filled the surroundings with a blinding white light, causing a massive explosion that passed the critical point.

After the blast died down, the three sisters stood on the ground.

"How...absurd... I surpassed...divine ancestor...Eclair...but mere programs...defeated me?"

Half of Typhon's body had collapsed, exposing the grotesque mechanical viscera underneath. He was wounded in much the same way he had once wounded Tiamat, the wings of calamity.

It seemed the data of the three Origins he absorbed could not heal him now.

"...In the end, you couldn't use the Origins' data as true sustenance," Lena said. "All you did was use your power to control others by force...and this is what came of it."

"You...wretches...do you know...the great crime...you've committed? Without me...humanity's future...is lost."

As if to prove the truth of Typhon's words, errors sounded from each of the Mainframe's broken systems.

But the sisters' resolution didn't waver.

"Yes, without you, much of the Mainframe may be lost. But humans themselves will carve out their own future... That is not something you can control."

"Our duty's to be there for people who are struggling, encourage them, and watch over them," Bea said. "A false king like you who forgot about that duty's got no right to lead this world!"

"False...king..."

As it happened, those were the words once spoken to him by Tiamat, the emissary of ruin. Typhon resented hearing those same words from the remnants of present-day humanity, and laughed.

"...Programs...born...of humans... You are...truly foolish... But perhaps...that...foolishness...is truly...human..."

Thus, Typhon, the program with an absolute rule who stood equal to God, disappeared without so much as a quantum trace... And after his disappearance, the Mainframe lost the majority of its functionality.

"...Farewell, Typhon. The tyrannical, arrogant, wind-clad Metaverse king."

After the sisters made certain that Typhon had met his end, the Origins who helped them break in, Djuhuty and Seraphita, appeared in the destroyed throne room.

"...So, it's all over."

"Yes."

"We're so grateful to you for stopping Typhon."

"Sheesh! You just dumped everything on us!"

"That's right," Sheryl added. "If you wanted the Mainframe to change, too, you could have helped us out a little more..."

"There's nothing I can say," Djehuty replied. "But regardless of where our intentions lay, God is absolute. As long as Typhon held us down, we could not defy him. That is how we were made...but that god is gone now."

"What are you going to do from now on?" Seraphita asked. "If you'd like to return to the Mainframe, you'll get the warm welcome you deserve, okay?"

"No thank you."

"We don't plan on coming back to the Mainframe."

"I mean, after all this, we're finally free!"

The sisters laughed, their faces stained from the fierce battle.

"...Right, understood. We'll honor your wishes... But, as I'm sure you've noticed, your bodies—"

"We know."

From the fierce battle that nearly put them out of service at one point, to their repeated use of Trinity Vertex, and the Radiant Vertex they used to destroy Typhon... The feedback had drastically shortened their lifespans.

"Even if we don't have much time left... No, it's because we don't that we want to choose our own path."

"I'm sorry," Djehuty replied. "Even with our powers, we cannot heal you... I can hardly call it a fair trade, but instead, we'll walk the path we were meant to, of protecting humans."

"Typhon wanted to be stronger than anyone. He believed he could lead this world to paradise that way," Seraphita explained. "He may not have realized, but in the end, all he could think about was surpassing the divine ancestor Eclair... Let us remaining Origins swear by our responsibility to never put such a king in charge of this Metaverse again."

"Please do. That way, we can leave this place without any worries."

"...If you all care about the future of humanity, too, then please, watch over this world with the time you have left..." Seraphita implored.

"Hahah! Didn't even hafta ask! Right, Lena, Sheryl?"

"Yes!"

"Of course!"

Then, the sisters bid farewell to Djehuty and Seraphita, and soared into the azure skies.

"Flying around with no particular goal—how thrilling!" Sheryl exclaimed.

"Okay, where to?" Bea asked.

"We don't know yet," Lena replied. "But as long as we're free, we can go anywhere!"

From then on, the sisters wandered from world to world, sometimes helping good people along the way, spending their remaining time peacefully. The three of them laughed freely together until their final moments.

Keeping with the MIR moon theme, Hecate is the name of the Greek goddess of the crossroads, witchcraft, and many other things, including the moon. Beatrix is a Latin name meaning "voyager" or "blessed," depending on who you ask.

Completing the Bemani trio, Bea's design is a nod to IIDX 23 copula. Her unique skill "Hell Charge" is likewise a reference to hell charge notes, a new note type introduced in copula.

Bea's pointing and calling is a safety practice popularized by Japanese railways in which operators physically and verbally acknowledge their actions to reduce mistakes. It also ties in to Bea's IIDX train theme!

Lena's "no holding back!" is translated from ビシバシ行きましょう (bishibashi ikimashou), which could be taken literally as "let's go to Bishibashi!" since MÚSECA's buttons were repurposed in Bishibashi Channel cabinets...

Schicksal's name is German for "fate."

Rovina Tempestas: "rovina" is Italian for "ruin" or "destruction," and "tempestas" is Latin for "storm," or the name of a kind of Roman storm goddess.