Castlevania Story

8/14/2019 Castlevania Story

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Story FAQ list for the multiple Castlevania games.

by

ReyVGM from the http://www.vgmuseum.com

Story descriptions written by Mr.P from the Castlevania Realmhttp://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp

Version 0.7

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Enter the Nightmare _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Most descriptions, if not all, are taken from Mr.P's excellent Castlevaniawebsite found here:

http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/

Questions at** reyvgm at hotmail dot com **Castlevania as subject please.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ The Menu _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

1095 [ Castlevania: Lament of Innocence ]1450 [ Castlevania Legends ]

1476 [ Castlevania III Dracula's Curse ]1479 [ Castlevania: Curse of Darkness ]1576 [ Castlevania The Adventure ]1591 [ Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge ]1666 [ Castlevania Resurrection ] *Cancelled*1691 [ Castlevania ]1693 [ Castlevania II Simon's Quest ]1748 [ Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance ]1792 [ Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo ]1797 [ Castlevania: Symphony of The Night ]1830 [ Castlevania: Circle of The Moon ]1844 [ Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness ]1852 [ Castlevania ]

1917 [ Castlevania: Bloodlines ]2035 [ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow ]2036 [ Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow ]

_/_/_/_/_/ Dracula's Minions _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Not all Castlevania games are offical parts of the story, for example,remember that Vampire Killer [MSX], Castlevania [NES], Haunted Castle [ARCADE],Super Castlevania IV [SNES], Castlevania [PC], Akumajou Dracula [SHARP X68000],Castlevania [C64], Castlevania [AMIGA] and Castlevania Chronicles [PS] all


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share the 'same' storyline, they all fall into the same 1691 date, even if thegames are different.The official 1691 storyline used by Konami is from the Castlevania [NES] game.

Same goes with Castlevania Dracula X [SNES] and Akumajo Dracula X [PCE],they both share the same 1792 date, even if the games are different.The official 1792 storyline used by Konami is from the Akumajo Dracula X [PCE]game.

_/_/_/_/_/ A Castlevania Story _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1095Offering: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence [ Playstation 2 ]Supporting Characters: Sara Trantoul, Mathias Cronqvist, Rinaldo GandolfiMain Hero/Heroine: Leon Belmont, Joachim, PumpkinNotes: None.

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It was the 11th century, a time of knights and knighthood. As the systemdecayed, monarchies began to weaken as local feudal lords grew in power.The knights became their sworn protectors, the defenders of the land and thosewho were brave enough to give their lives for their lords. However, thereremained a lack of any real order; as the chaos spread, rival familiescontinued to contend for control, in bloody fashion, at the expense of theknights who wished only to protect them.It was one thing to defend their masters' land--it was quite another to battleagainst rival families' independent armies who were looking for nothing morethan political gain.The disorder would ultimately call for change: The increasing power of theCatholic Church soon brought forth the Gregorian Reforms of the 11th Century;it was during this period of religious constitution that the knights were

elevated to the role of "protectors of the peace and the Church."These knights valued courage and honor, and they proudly fought againstheretics and heathens in the name of God. Some knights formed brotherhoods,sects that would fight together with a sacred trust bonding them. In this age,one such company of knights was said to be invincible; it was these two men,Leon Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist, who would unwittingly bring about a neworder.

Leon Belmont was a courageous young man who feared nothing and whose combatabilities were second to none. Mathias Cronqvist was a genius tactician whoseeducation made him a standout in a largely illiterate society.Together, these two men, bound by an old friendship based completely on trust,had never suffered a loss on the field of battle. One day, however, Mathias

suffered a loss of another kind: Upon returning from yet another victoriouscampaign, he was greeted with the news that his wife, Elisabetha, had diedsuddenly.Mathias became stricken with grief, and over the course of one year, hiscondition worsened to the point where he became bedridden. In Mathias'absence, it was up to Leon to represent the company on his own; Leon'sefforts proudly kept their company undefeated.But things certainly did not become any easier for them: The reforms of theCatholic Church were a continuing theme throughout Europe, and its burgeoningfocus on the Christian Crusades required an increased effort from the knights.Many fell in battle as the territorial disputes became more and more petty.


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Soon after, the next threat arose. Without warning, a mysterious army ofmonsters suddenly appeared in Leon's domain. Because the Church had notauthorized any battles that were not against its political enemies, Leon washelpless to prevent their sudden rising.When Leon asked permission to sortie--to begin a military-led assault againstthese terrifying besiegers--the Church had no intention of granting his wish.One night, Mathias struggled out of bed to relay a message to Leon: He knew

for sure that the appearance of the monsters was somehow tied to a vampire whoresided in a castle within the forest they called "Eternal Knight." The moredifficult part for Mathias was informing his friend that Sara Trantoul, hisbetrothed, had been kidnapped and brought to that castle. With no otherchoice, his pledge to the Church binding him, Leon renounced histitle as a lord and baron so that he could attempt to rescue his belovedwithout committing treason. He would now have to hurry, braving the forest,to arrive at the site of the uninviting castle.

As he neared the outlying areas of the castle, he was overcome by an oddsensation.He curiously surveyed his surroundings and was taken by the voice of an oldman: "Ah, he must really like you. You won't be able leave here now."

That old man was Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist who lived in this forest ruledby vampires.Rinaldo was surprised to learn that this was the Belmont he had heard about;even though he considered the youth's efforts in coming to this land unarmedto be foolhardy, he bowed with respect. The earnest Leon told Rinaldo his taleand insisted that they were now equals, both in their rank amongst men and intheir plight.Rinaldo knew that it was his job to help this troubled soul, so he led Leon tothe safety of his cottage.It was here that Rinaldo supplied him with much information: This particularforest was shrouded in eternal darkness because its vampire master, WalterBernhard, was in possession of something that afforded him this type of power.It seemed that eternal life frequently became monotonous, and Walter would

entertain himself by goading vampire hunters into his inescapable forest foran inevitable duel.

The fact remained that none could ever come close to defeating him. Walterwould initiate the game by taking something valuable away from the hunters--inthis case, Leon's beloved, Sara. Furthermore, Walter permitted Rinaldo to livehere because he approved of his helping the hunters by selling them necessarygoods--this made the game more fun.But how would Leon go about tackling such a foe? There were no easy answers,but Rinaldo assisted by entrusting Leon with the Whip of Alchemy, an artifact,he confided, that was more powerful than any slain hunter's discarded swordthat he would find. As one of the handful of people with this knowledge, heexplained to Leon the principles behind its making in regard to the secret

arts, of which Mathias, who was already an acquaintance of Rinaldo, had taughthim--the history of these arts had been handed down orally in Mathias' family.Finally, Rinaldo used what power he had to channel energy into Leon'sgauntlet, which would allow him to collect magic power by defending againstand absorbing the monsters' attacks.Leon was now ready to retrieve his betrothed, but Rinaldo had one finalwarning: To gain access to the upper half of the castle, where Walter awaited,Leon would have to defeat five of the castle's supreme guards to break itsseal.

Leon entered the castle and, suppressing his fear, used its portal room to


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transport to its five separate areas where the guardians ruled. A Golem,Medusa, the Succubus, an Undead Parasite--they all fell, one by one, to thedetermined warrior.It was after the defeat of the vampire guardian Joachim Armster that Leonlearned that Walter was in possession of the "ebony stone," which was thepower source encompassing the forest in eternal darkness. During his repeatedvisits to the cottage during this time, Leon learned from Rinaldo about theebony stone and the three others that, when combined, would allow for

alchemy's goal--eternal youth to he who was their possessor.To the vampires, only two in particular were of value: The ebony stone, whichWalter had, and the crimson stone, an ultimate power source that had beensince lost.Leon also learned that Rinaldo's daughter was one of the unfortunate victimsof Walter's game-playing. Thus, his mission became an extension of his newally's, a quest to free more than just Sara.

The seal was broken, and Leon entered onto the castle's second level, thePagoda of the Misty Moon. Walter appeared to him with Sara in his arms. Leondemanded that he release Sara, and Walter willingly complied, for she was nolonger of need to him.The infuriated Leon leapt into the air and unleashed a might whip slash, but

it had no effect on the vampire, who laughed it off and belittled him; Walterchallenged Leon to venture unto the castle's highest point, where they wouldduel under the light of foreboding moon. For now, Leon's concern was Sara'shealth, so he brought her out of the castle and to the outside of Rinaldo'scottage.Sara lay unconscious, and Leon was becoming desperate. Rinaldo came out and,as the voice or reason, demanded that Leon get a grip on his emotions and waitinside as he look over Sara.Rinaldo came inside to provide momentary relief for the pacing and anxiousLeon--Sara was alive, having survived her earlier encounter, and was restingin the next room.But Rinaldo had other, graver, news: Upon investigation, the teethmarks hefound on her neck confirmed that she was indeed vampirized by Walter, and her

condition could only be cured if Leon were to destroy Walter immediately.Unfortunately, Leon had not the means for defeating the all-too-powerfulvampire.Rinaldo, though, had the solution, however crazed it seemed: Sara had insideof her a part of Walter, an evil sample that could be harnessed; the Whip ofAlchemy's potential could be fully realized if Leon were to kill Sara bycombining his hatred and the power of the whip, collecting her now-conflictingenergies into a package of destruction that could be used against Walter.

Sara, who had been listening through the door, realized the inescapability ofher predicament. Because she knew that she would soon become a vampire,trapped within an eternal nightmare, she volunteered her life- force for whatRinaldo had proposed.

If it would mean that others would live on, she would gladly accept becomingone with the whip. The overwhelmed Leon was not convinced; he was not preparedto let go, to just let her die and then be alone in this world. When theemotions built to a boil, spurned by Rinaldo's pleas, Leon knew that there wasno other choice--he would have to accept his fate and strike down the woman heloved. And in one sorrow-filled swing of the whip, the act was complete.And behold: The Vampire Killer whip was born.

Emotionally exhausted, Leon swore that he would garner revenge on Sara'sbehalf.He raced back into the castle and fought through its last line of defense en


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route to the castle keep. One final staircase led him to the throne room wherehis target lay waiting. Leon burst through the doors with words of impendingdoom for the vampire. The overly confident Walter was none-too-impressed withthe Belmont; in fact, he saw his own heinous actions more as having given Leona gift, a whip of unspeakable power.What did impress Walter was when he felt its power, one that not even hisprecious ebony stone could protect him against. It was only a matter of timebefore the determined Leon finished the job. Though defeated, Walter bragged

about an inevitable return; this was only a temporary defeat, he thought. ButWalter wasn't prepared for what would haappen next: An unimaginable pain thatsaw his life-force extracted by Death, who Walter believed to be his ally.The Reaper instead offered his life-force to the one who had recovered thecrimson stone, the latest arrival to the throne room.

Mathias appeared before Leon, and he was very pleased. Walter's was indeed thestrong vampire spirit that he had coveted. "Why?!" the shocked Leon cried.Mathias explained that Elisabetha's death had hit him harder than anyone hadrealized, so much so that he blamed God, whose name in which he had alwaysfought, for her death and would curse Him forever by gaining eternal life. Andhe used Leon, Sara, Rinaldo and Walter to do it. "For if limited life is God'sdecree, then I shall defy it!" Mathias believed that Elisabetha would have

wanted it this way. Leon argued that the Mathias he knew would never marrysuch a woman. Mathias expected Leon to understand his plight, for he, too, hadunfairly lost someone he loved; maybe, he thought, his friend would join himin eternal life to also express a pained hatred. Leon contested that, yes,he struck Walter down with hatred, but he did it with the intention thatothers might live, which is what Sara wanted; he was sure that Elisabethawould have wanted the same.This is not what Mathias wanted to hear, unfortunately, so he would have toleave his friend behind. "Death--he's all yours," he ordered, before assumingbat form and flying off into the night.

Death transported both he and Leon to his own chaotic realm, where the twowould see a final battle. Death, too, was overly confident, but Leon knew

better--the Vampire Killer whip had the power to destroy vampires and allrelated to them, including a divine being such as Death. "Nooooooooooooo!"Death screamed as defeat came calling.The departing Reaper, like Walter before him, also bragged of a return, butLeon had a message for him to deliver to Mathias in the meantime:"You have become a cursed being, and I will never forgive you. This whip andmy kinsmen will destroy you someday. The Belmont Clan will hunt the night!"Death's violent banishment caused the castle to shake, and it began to crumblepiece by piece.Leon hurried out, each step narrowly avoiding the falling debris. As heescaped the ruins of the castle, sunlight finally shined upon the forest. "So,he did it," Rinaldo said from his cottage as a ray of sunlight beam throughhis window. Rinaldo's burden had finally ended thanks to the Belmont's

bravery. Leon returned to his domain, where he would begin to put theshattered fragments back together.And so the Belmont Clan's struggle against evil began.

After leaving Leon behind in the castle keep, Mathias escaped to foreign land,where he continued to curse God. Eventually, he named himself Lord of theVampires and King of the Night. It would be many years before the Belmonts'next battle with either Mathias or any potential namesakes.

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============================================================================Time Period: 1450Offering: Castlevania Legends [ Game Boy ]Supporting Characters: AlucardMain Hero/Heroine: Sonia BelmontNotes: Please note that self-crowned Castlevania king Igarashi has decided

to ommit this game from the Castlevania history, he says that nowoman can be a Belmont hero.

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Sometime after her seventeenth birthday, Sonia formed a bond with Alucard,Who had recently been investigating his father's affairs. Sonia, who wasgifted with special magical powers by birth, was trained to be a warrior byher uncle. As Alucard grew to love Sonia, he came to recognize her innerstrength and helped to complete her training; with a sense of her power, herevealed to her his plan: He was going to end his father's dark reign byconfronting him in his castle and dethroning him once and for all. Soniainterjected that she, too, had planned to confront the Count with the sameintent. Alucard, shocked by her decision, insisted that she not get mixed upin the crazy war that was about to be waged. Dracula's assaults on all ofEurope had gone on for years before, he explained to her, and the Dark Lord

was not about to let the threat of a human woman stop him. This Alucard knewall too well. While Sonia presented to him an appearance of subservience, sheknew in her heart that she would use her unique powers to fight againstDracula's undead army and eventually accost the Count in the heart of hiscastle.

Not soon after Alucard left for the castle, Sonia began her own journey. Asshe cut through one boss creature after another, she extracted and absorbedtheir life-forces using her inborn soul power, which allowed her to harnesstheir very essences as magical attacks. Along the way, she also reclaimed fivesacred sub-weapons--an axe, a dagger, holy water, a boomerang and a stopwatch--that were left behind by her Belmont ancestors. These, she knew, would oneday become part of the family's main power source. Eventually, Sonia stormed

into the castle, mowed down all opposition, and soon enough found herself highup in the castle's keep. It's here where she caught up with Alucard, who washaving little to no luck in locating his father. The surprised Alucard, whonever thought she would actually insert herself into his war, desperatelytried to convince her to turn away and head home. When she refused, he had nochoice but to test her in combat, to see if his instincts were truly correct.Upon feeling the power of the Vampire Killer whip, he came away very impressedby her skills, and therein, subsequently, he knew for sure that it was herdestiny to vanquish from this world the enigmatic Dracula. Alucard would helpin this effort the only way he knew--by submerging his powers and placinghimself into a state of rest, thus doing his part to remove a cursed bloodlinefrom the Earth. In parting, however, he did promise to return, one day, shouldhis father ever rise again. Though her feelings for Alucard were strong, and

the thought of losing him resulted in a state of disillusion, Sonia dredged onthrough into the depths of the castle, where Dracula was hiding.

At last, she located the Count on his secret throne in a ceremonial room.After a long, hard battle, Sonia emerged victorious. Though defeated, Draculaswore that he would one day return, for as long as those who were evilexisted, they would call upon his name. Sonia scoffed at his defiance andproclaimed that there would always be someone ready and willing to take up thefight against evil, even if she, herself, were the one required to accept thetask. He words were true: Soon Sonia would give birth to a new baby boy(perhaps in part Alucard's), a future warrior who would surely continue to


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wage war on the vampire king and his legion of followers. This hero, whosebloodline would be unlike any other, would grow to be more powerful than anyhuman and surely supreme among vampire hunters. All future Belmonts would cometo wield this very same power, whether or not it be their fate to face thetrials.

What seemed supernatural to the habitants of Warakiya was to the Belmonts onlynatural. For years, mortals had not the sufficient means nor the will to purge

from this planet the purest of evil, but now they had bold representatives whocould stand up in their place. The Belmonts would indeed showcase the will,the power and the weaponry to get the job done.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1476Offering: Castlevania III Dracula's Curse [ Nes ]Supporting Characters: Poltergeist King [ Instruction Booklet Mention ]Main Heroes/Heroines: Trevor C. Belmont, Sypha Belnades, Grant Danasty, AlucardNotes: None.

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After Sonia's spectacular display in ousting Dracula from his position ofpower, matters took an unfortunate turn for the worst. Instead of coming tohail the Belmont family as heroic, the people of Warakiya instead began tofear the Belmonts--they became not only suspicious of the family's manyabilities but fearful of what could happen if those abilities were used forwrongful means. Forming a coalition, they approached the Belmont family in itshome and strongly suggested that it leave the town and never return. Thefamily, though disappointed, willingly complied and ushered itself intoisolation.

Meanwhile: Fifteen years after suffering his first defeat, rumors of Dracula'sreturn spread across the countryside. The rumors looked to be all the more

true when all types of undead creatures and savage demons started scouringthrough Warakiya and its surrounding towns during the nighttime hours. Thingsgot all the more violent when the monsters began setting fires, east and west,leaving carnage all throughout the landscape of Transylvania. With their townbeing destroyed little by little, the Warakiyan natives fled for their lives,helpless to stop the monsters' march. Gauging the chaos from a distance,Trevor knew what he had to do: It was time for him to take command of theVampire Killer whip and the five mystic sub-weapons, to charge full force tothe castle, and to confront the Prince of Darkness like his mother did yearsearlier. Though, because Dracula's army was so huge and the odds were thus sogreat, Trevor was not opposed to accepting help from those with a certainknow-how. Along the path to the ancient castle, he found help in the form ofthree allies, those whom would offer assistance in the form of unique power

and special abilities.

First he met Grant Danasty, the quick and agile pirate whose family was killedby Dracula; Grant was transformed into a vile beast by Dracula's dark magicand was forced to guard the clock tower outside of Warakiya. It was Trevor'swhip that undid the transformation and returned to Grant his sanity. In agraveyard, he met Sypha Belnades, a woman gifted with great magical power;having had a bad life, Sypha threw it all away in favor of becoming a vampirehunter. She was ambushed by a Cyclops and magically embedded within stone.After being freed from her inanimate state by the Cyclops' destruction, shejoined Trevor and aided him with her strong magic spells. Then, finally,


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Trevor met with a freshly re-risen Alucard in the catacombs; Alucard sensedthat his father had returned, and he waited patiently in a dark cavern forTrevor (whose power Alucard could easily sense) to arrive. He would testTrevor's mettle in a contest and hope to gain his trust so that the Belmontwould help him reach the castle.

With the aid of his newfound allies, Trevor traveled by land, by ship, throughcaves and clock towers, through a sunken city, and finally through Dracula's

Castle before reaching the castle keep for yet another duel. After defeatingthe Dark Prince and ending his dark reign, Trevor and his friends headed home,where their separate relationships began to grow. Grant and Trevor becamegreat friends, and they together started Warakiya's rebuilding process.Alucard, whose inner struggle always suppressed his happiness, spent time withhis new friend before submerging his powers once again. And Sypha Belnadestook Trevor's hand in marriage and undoubtedly helped to continuestrengthening the Belmont family chromosomes. After this victory over theCount and his evil forces, the Belmont name became legend, and the people thathad earlier discriminated against and persecuted the clan now came to embraceand champion the family.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1479Offering: Castlevania: Curse of Darkness [ Playstation 2, Xbox ]Supporting Characters: Isaac, Julia Laforeze, Zead, Saint GermainMain Heroes/Heroines: Hector, Trevor Belmont.Notes: None.

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Though Trevor Belmont and his comrades successfully banished the hatedCount Dracula, the Dark Lord did not pass from this world in silence. With hisfinal words, Dracula left on Europe a demonic curse that for years followingenshrouded the continent in misery and torment.

Ravaged by hideous plague and dire famine, the people's hearts turned black andmurderous; the weak were slain without pity while the land was pillaged and

scourgedwithout remorse. Dracula was gone, but his very influence was still ever-

present.Everyone, including even the mightiest of heroes, was confused.

Everyone was confused, that is, except for the devil forgemaster Isaac, who hadconvinced himself of the "truth": For years, he and fellow forgemaster Hector

servedas underlings to Count Dracula, for whom they used their powers to magically

craftnew monsters to serve in the Dark Lord's growing army. Soon before Dracula's

defeat atthe hands of Trevor and friends, Hector betrayed the forces of evil by severing

allties in hope of reforming his ways and learning to lead a normal life.Isaac had come to blame Dracula's defeat on this event, and he vowed revenge

againstHector on behalf of his fallen master. To initiate his plan, Isaac targeted

Hector'swife, Rosaly, who inexplicably found herself accused of being a witch.Using his effective brand of manipulation, Isaac helped orchestrate a sham trial

that


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hurried state. He was looking for, he explained, his "worst enemy," Isaac, ofwhomJulia was quite aware. Knowing his intent, and more personally sharing this sameenemy, Julia offered to Hector her services. Her specialty? Well, as an escapewitch, she could see the future. Also of interest was her expertise in

witchcraft;she led Hector to her nearby cabin, from where she could prepare elixirs plus

other

special items and furthermore look after his Innocent Devils.

Hector climbed to the mountains' highest point, where stood the GaribaldiTemple.Before he could enter, his determined march was interrupted by the mysteriousSt. Germain, who had a request for him: "Stop chasing Isaac." When Hector

inquiredas to why, Germain cryptically responded, "I seek to maintain the flow."Germain boasted that he knew more than Hector could ever imagine, as part of his"arrangement," which lent to his request credibility. Hector was anything but

opento this request, but he surmised by the man's tone that he found yet another ofIsaac's enemies. Hector forged forward regardless. In the heart of the temple,

Hector met with none other than Trevor Belmont, who immediately recognized thedevil forgemaster's crest. However, there would be no negotiating--Trevor, in

hisongoing investigation of the curse, was here to fight, and he unleashed his

legendarypowers upon Hector, who was hardly a match. This subject wasn't evil,Trevor thought--he was too weak in his cause; though, Trevor believed Hector's

wordswhen he insisted that he, too, was hunting Isaac. "Hector," Trevor considered."I'll remember the name."

Hector gathered himself and retreated back into the mountains; now boasting abit

more power, he was able to breach the entrance to the Mortvia Aqueduct, where atits entrance a very pleased Zead stood waiting. Zead reported that he saw Isaac

fleeto the village via the forest, and he was now certain that Isaac was the sourceof the curse. Moments later, Zead began to hesitate and stumble about, trippingover his own words; without warning, he made a quick exit much to the confusionof Hector. Stain Germain appeared soon after, expecting to see someone else.Though disappointed by the lack of his expected guest, he had for Hector moreof his own advice: "Avoid Zead," he suggested; Germain insisted that Zead,as someone not of his recollection, should be tracked down and watched.Hector had no reason to trust Germain, and his advice was still not welcome."You've been warned," Germain sighed in parting.

After scouring the aqueduct, Hector finally reached the Forest of Jigramunt,where from a distance he spotted Zead and Germain having a little chat.He ducked behind a tree and gave listen. Zead warned Germain not to go beyondhis bounds--that it was a matter of fate. It was ludicrous to lend informationto an outsider, Zead lectured, but he made no direct reference as to whom this"outsider" was. Tired of Germain's interference, Zead extended from his sleeve ablade and launched an attack; Germain used his power of time to evade the

repeatedstab attempts. "I will keep returning," he before vanishing promised a flustered

Zead."No one escapes from me," Zead laughed to himself. The eavesdropping Hector now


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knewfor sure that these two were indeed enemies.

The forest's vacillating path led Hector to the Town of Cordova, where at itsmidway point he finally tracked down Isaac. It was still too soon for a finalbattle, Isaac belittled, but he wanted just a little taste of Hector's progress.Hector fought well, which in itself was gratifying to Isaac, who wanted to seehis former friend regain full power. Their encounter ended when a concerned

Juliainterrupted. "Brother, stop!" she shouted toward Isaac, much to the shock of

Hector.As per his plans continuity, Isaac fled; Julia restrained Hector and prevented

himfrom giving chase. Isaac was under Dracula's curse, she reasoned, and it was up

toHector to free him not with anger; she could live with her brother's death by

Hector'shands because she knew that Isaac still harbored a deep respect for his former

friend.Hector came to his senses and took to heart her plea. Though she continued to

speak of

an ill feeling that would surely not bode well, he bid her farewell with silenthope.

With the assistance of a newly acquired mage-type ID, Hector entered into theoriginally impenetrable Eneomaos Machine Tower, where at its top he again met

withSt. Germain, Zead having failed to slay him. Germain was truly the master ofmiraculous escapes, but he found himself in a harrowing position: He was stuckwithin a magical barrier placed upon the tower and its outlying regions.He wondered how it was that Hector breached it. Though trapped in this barrier,Germain could still physically affect events, and there was one in particular heengineered--an encounter between himself and Hector, which would help Germain toextract all of the information needed. The violent altercation was brought to a

halt when Hector finally wrestled Germain to the ground. Germain surrendered,promising to no longer interfere. For fate was truly Hector's, he learned.Realizing the man's power, he now sensed a new destiny for Hector: "Walk the

pathwithout fear, for you are alone." He added: "Give my regards to Zead."

Hector retreated to Cordova, where his growing power (a new devil-type ID)guided him into the Aiolon Ruins. Deep into the ruins, he found himself witnessto another meeting--a fierce battle being waged between Trevor Belmont and

Isaac.It was a fluke that Trevor defeated Dracula, Isaac taunted. But this battle

wouldsee no victor; at the sight of Hector, to the dismay of Trevor, Isaac again fled

the scene. Trevor was happy to learn that Hector and Isaac were indeed enemies,as the forgemaster swore, but he was displeased with Hector's continued

meddling.He left to continue his search, stranding Hector. However, Zead appeared andlamented at such a lost opportunity. There was hope; Zead spoke of a secret

hideawayback at the abandoned castle where Isaac was sure to be hiding. However, Zead'sbehavior again became erratic when the grateful Hector passed along Germain's

regards."No--it can't be," he spouted before making another abrupt exit. Though

nonplused,


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battledin spectacular fashion, but it was Hector's sense of justice that edged him to

victory.As he went for the kill, he was heavily subdued by an image of Julia; he

rememberedher words and realized that his impulse for revenge wasn't really him--it was

thecurse at work. Before he could consider further the meaning of these events,

a jubilant Zead made another unexpected entrance, applauding Hector's actions.These efforts were a boon, Zead cheered, for Hector's moment of wavering was allthat was needed. Zead revealed that he was the mastermind behind the entire

seriesof events, and he used both Hector and Isaac. Only a forgemaster could be the

vesselfor Dracula's reawakening, and that was why Zead brought them here. When Hectorresisted the curse, he was made useless, but his immobilization of Isaac was a

niceconsolation, for the fallen forgemaster would surely do; Isaac's prone body wasswiftly sealed within a casket and transported away. It then became apparent toHector just who was the erratic Zead--it was none other than Death itself! Zeadconfirmed the notion by extending its feared scythe and thereby taking its real

form. Though, not even the sharpest of armament would deny the enlightenedHector,and Death would find its name to be most appropriate.

With Dracula's top agent out of the way, Hector hurried to the castle heights,desperate to prevent the Dark Lord's return. It was too late--the casket housingIsaac's frame exploded, revealing a reborn Count Dracula. Dracula immediatelyrecognized the traitorous Hector and wanted answers. But Hector had a questionof his own: "Why attack humans?" It was Dracula's senseless slaughtering of

theirkind that forced Hector to disobey. Dracula disagreed that it was "slaughter"--

hewas simply cleansing the world of a plague, of a race not worth the very air

theybreathed. The powerful had always judged the weak, Dracula mused; humans judged

him,after all. "It's not your job to judge humans," Hector insisted. Dracula, whobelieved sympathy to be a form of weakness, wasn't interested in Hector's

viewpoint;he wanted only to inflict punishment, which in this case was death.The final battle was waged, raging across two separate realms. In the end, it

was theclear-headed Hector that triumphed over the inexpedient Count. The

transformation wasnot complete--Dracula would not come to re-inhabit this world.Dracula took some solace, for the curse would linger in the souls of people

untilthey met their oblivion. But Dracula forgot one thing: Hector was a devil

forgemaster;he could turn the curse aside--transform it into something harmless.These discouraging words were enough to hasten Dracula's painful demise, which

leftbehind only Isaac's stained corpse.

After a moment of reflection, Hector realized that Rosaly's death and Isaac'sanger were caused by the curse. With that said, Hector enacted one lastincantation--to turn aside the curse, as he had promised, and again relinquish


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his powers. "The struggle is over," Hector said, relieved. "Now I can die inpeace." Before he could fall into a state of depression, Julia arrived toconsole him. "You must live according to your heart," she confided. Furtherconversation would have to wait, for the host-less castle began to crumble"Farewell, Isaac," Julia uttered one last time before their portal-assisted

escape.From a distance, the pair watched on as the castle collapsed into the sea, andthey hoped that its banishment would free people's hearts. The curse's mark

wouldn'teasily vanish, they agreed, and people would have to find hope in each other.They would have to have faith in the morrow. For now, it was time to head home.

Back at the machine tower, St. Germain had some closing thoughts: "Faith in themorrow. Those are fine words." But not for him. As one who traveled through

time,he saw the morrow a bit differently. All the same, the flow of time had at laststabilized. With that, Germain would head far into the future to see whatawaits--to perhaps witness the final battle between Dracula and the humans.Would they remember Hector's bravery? Or would it all start anew. Those were hisanswers to find.

Back at the cabin in the isolated mountains, Julia wondered what Hector would donow.He had many friends to conceal from the humans, and he would have to find some

hiddenplace where he could live in peace. "No need to search out such a place," Juliacomforted. "I know of one." For her advice Hector would be in her debt. She

suggestedthat he stay in the mountains and live with her, which to Hector was an

intriguingprospect. "To stay here with you, Julia," he said noddingly, "t'is not a bad

idea!"As he had sought, Hector's life would begin anew.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1576Offering: Castlevania The Adventure [ Game Boy ]Supporting Characters: None.Main Hero/Heroine: Christopher BelmontNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

A century later, Dracula rose again to assault mankind. This time, it wasChristopher Belmont that took command of the Vampire Killer whip and stood upto protect Transylvania. Like his ancestors before him, he faced the trials

and fought his way across the Transylvanian countryside and into Dracula'sdeadly castle; his brave actions in facing his destiny meant yet anotherconfrontation between good and evil. It was no surprise, then, thatChristopher was able to get the best of Count Dracula and outlast him in abattle for the ages. However, there was more to it than anyone could expect:Just before the final blow was to be struck against Dracula, the cunning DarkLord quickly, cleverly, used what remained of his magic power to transformhimself into mist, which created the illusion that he had been thoroughlydefeated. Satisfied with what he thought was the banishment of his enemy,Christopher raced out of the crumbling castle to make a daring escape.


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Christopher climbed to a nearby mountain cliff (as had become standard Belmontprocedure) where he watched the castle collapse unto itself. When the coastwas clear, Dracula shapeshifted into bat form and hastily, nonchalantly,escaped from the wreckage. Though devastated from the battle, weakened to thelowest of levels, Dracula would live on in his depleted state for many years,patiently waiting to strike again. This time, though, the Belmonts would neversee it coming.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1591Offering: Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge [ Game Boy ]Supporting Characters: Soleiyu BelmontMain Hero/Heroine: Christopher BelmontNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sixteen years had passed since Christopher Belmont defeated the Count, and hewas living a rather peaceful life when a special day was about to precipitate:It was time for him to hand down the Vampire Killer whip and the mystic sub-

weapons to his son, Soleiyu Belmont, who had come of age and was ready to takehis place in line as the next vampire hunter. It was not just Christopher butthe whole town that was preparing for the big event. But the night before thecelebration, Dracula seized the opportunity and struck a stinging blow. Havinglargely remained in mist form for those prior sixteen years, Dracula finallyregained enough of his power to the point where he could recall his ability ofpossession; in mist form, he seeped his way into the room of the sleepingSoleiyu Belmont and possessed the youth, coaxing him onto the side of evil.

Though his power was slowly returning, Dracula was in no condition to fight awar or to even lead his own army in its march toward world domination. So hewould instead use his new outfit, the now-Soleiyu-Demon, as a temporaryresource until he was ready to assume his rightful form. Using his new host

body, with its powerful bloodline, Dracula would raise his dreaded castle fromthe depths. But first, he held his ring finger into the air and conjured theformation of four separate castles: The Plant Castle, the Cloud Castle, theRock Castle and the Crystal Castle, and he assigned to each its own bossguardian to preside over and protect it. If Christopher were to come lookingfor his son, the Count would have an efficient means of stalling his efforts.

Come morning, Christopher was awakened to the news that his son hadmysteriously vanished and that four castles had appeared out of nowhere.Having no other choice, the aging Christopher was forced to again call uponthe power of his family's sacred weaponry. Enraged by this plot, as if himselfpossessed, he entered into into each of the castles, undeterred, braved theirmany dangers, and defeated the four bosses. Yet Christopher had only succeeded

in spoiling Dracula's initial plan: Because he still hadn't yet regainedenough power to raise his castle, even in possessing Soleiyu, Dracula insteadfinished the deed using the life-force energy of the four bosses thatChristopher just defeated. Unfazed by unwittingly contributing to Dracula'splan, Christopher penetrated the Count's newly risen castle.

Christopher braved the bloody road and reached the highest point of thecastle, where he was relieved to find Soleiyu waiting in a chandelier-filledhall. His relief, though, turned to shock when his son refused an embrace andinstead challenged him to a duel to the death. Thus, an intense battle betweenfather and son echoed into infinity; in the end, Christopher's will for peace


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shined through, and his glancing blows knocked the remaining Dracula essenceright out of Soleiyu, who soon after came to his senses. With his son nowsafe, Christopher entered into the last leg of the castle and prepared foranother battle with the Count. It wasn't going to be easy, though--Dracula hadby now regained enough power to retake his rightful form, and he was more thanready for another round with the Belmont warrior. Still, then, for the sake ofall humankind, the steel-willed Christopher was once again able to defeat thePrince of Darkness.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1666Offering: Castlevania Resurrection [ Dreamcast ] *Cancelled*Supporting Characters: NoneMain Heroes/Heroines: Sonia Belmont, Victor BelmontNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

Set in 1666, the stars are Sonia Belmont from 1400's and Victor Belmont,a vampire killer from the 1800's. So how does that make sense?

Simple - time travel. Apparently these two Belmonts were summoned to take careof the evil that a new Countess is trying to bring into the world.[ Info taken from the Castlevania Dungeon ]

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1691Offerings: Castlevania [ Nes ], Vampire Killer [ MSX ],

Haunted Castle [ Arcade ], Super Castlevania IV [ Super Nes ],Castlevania [ PC ], Castlevania [ Commodore 64 ],Akumajou Dracula [ Sharp X68000 ], Castlevania [ Amiga ],Vs. Castlevania [ Arcade ], Akumajou Dracula [ FDS ],

Playchoice 10 Castlevania [ Arcade ], Castlevania Chronicles [ PS ]Supporting Characters: The Merchant [ MSX Only ]Main Hero/Heroine: Simon BelmontNotes: All of the above offerings share the same storyline, even if the games

are different.--------------------------------------------------------

Through the incantations and ceremonies of evil souls who wished to bring uponthe end of the world, Dracula had once again been resurrected, and it was onlya matter of time before his army of the undead began to terrorize Transylvaniaonce again. As the theme goes, Simon Belmont, the great-grandson of Soleiyu,donned his battle gear and took command of the Vampire Killer and mystic sub-weapons in preparation for another war against evil. Simon fought his way

through the monster-inhabited yet beckoning countryside and arrived at theCount's daunting castle. Once inside the house of horrors, Simon negotiatedhis way through six torturous castle sections before arriving at the dreadedheights of the estate, the castle keep where many a battle had been fought.Dracula, who had been defeated by Belmont warriors time and time again, waswaiting intensely for this moment, for he would finally get to extract revengeon the family after a one hundred-year wait. Though the throne room appearedto be empty, Dracula would soon emerge from his coffin and launch an assaultin the only way he had ever known.

Dracula fought as hard as he could and made sure to get in his fair share of


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offense, but in the end, ultimately, it was Simon Belmont who stoodvictorious. The pained Belmont warrior picked himself up and escaped from thecastle and to a nearby mountain cliff where he watched on as the castlecrumbled to the ground. Though he thought his trials were over, Simon wouldsoon learn that they were just beginning.

========================================================================

============================================================================Time Period: 1693Offerings: Castlevania II Simon's Quest [ Nes ],

Castlevania II Simon's Quest [ Tiger handheld ]Supporting Characters: The Ferryman [ Nes Only ], The Merchants [ Nes Only ],

The Villagers [ Nes Only ], The Priest [ Nes Only ],The Crystal Trader [ Nes Only ], Hidden Souls [ Nes

Only ],Oak Stake Salesman [ Nes Only ]

Main Hero/Heroine: Simon BelmontNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

After defeating Count Dracula at the heights of Castlevania and destroying hishaunted abode, Simon Belmont continued the family's legend by earning even therespect of kings. Through his heroic efforts, he had indeed proven himself tobe the culmination of a noble bloodline. However, that fame came with a price:Two years later, Simon started to grow ill--he began to feel pain all over hisbody because the wounds inflicted upon him during his battle with Dracula justwould not heal, and the anguish therein began to gnaw at his soul; in time, hewould surely succumb to the pain. More troubling to him was the fact that eventhough Dracula had been defeated, his forces continued to roam free; as aresult, the Transylvanians were forced to hide in their homes at nighttime asswarms of zombies marched through the streets. None of the citizens couldunderstand why evil remained strong despite the defeat of its leader--and itslowly started affecting them, too, as normal citizens began taking on a

deviant nature, be it a cynical attitude or the playing of mean-spiritedpranks.

With no answers apparent to him, Simon fell into depression. One night, abeautiful maiden appeared to him in a dream and revealed that his "pain" wasnone other than the effect of Dracula's curse! She explained to him that inorder to lift the troubling curse, he'd have to scour the countryside tocollect the five body parts of Dracula--his rib bone, his heart, his eyeball,his nail and his ring--and burn them away in the heart of his castle. Inclosing, she said, "If you have the courage to risk your life, then you willfind the strength to win again." As most beautiful visions do, she disappearedas though never having been. Simon quickly absorbed the meaning of her words;come morning, he grabbed a hold of the Vampire Killer and set out to complete

a new quest.

Though, Dracula was more clever than anyone suspected, as the maiden foretold:He knew very well that he had the propensity to infect the Belmont hero with acurse, so before his defeat two years earlier, he ordered that his dark forceskeep him safe until his next re-rising by dividing up his remains and byhiding them in five local mansions. The mansions chosen were Berkeley, Rover,Laruba, Bodley and Brahm's, and the forces of evil were ready to guard theremains at all cost. Despite their earnest efforts, Simon dredged throughmonster-filled towns, graveyards and marsh pits; he gathered, traded for, andmastered in the use of new magical items and weapons; and he infiltrated the


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mansions, solved their respective puzzles, and collected the five body partsof Dracula.

As he traveled into the town of Fetra, which lay not far from Castlevania, henoticed that the town habitants were anything but welcoming. Instead, theywere decidedly prepared to blame him for all of the trouble, as if thepresence of the Belmont's justice-presiding power was necessitating all of theincurring evil. All of the accolades in the world couldn't prevent Simon from

facing such opposition, a problem his family had dealt with in the past andwould ultimately have to deal with again and again. In this case, the eldersknew that Dracula's forces were living on as a residual effect of the curseinflicted upon Simon, and they wanted no part of him. Regardless of theiradvice and their belittling words, he entered into the ruins of Castlevaniaand proceeded to its basement, where he burned the remains of the Count in afiery blaze. Having taken the proper measures, Simon watched on as Dracula,zombified, somehow arose from his slumber to mount a lightning-quick assault.The Count, though, in his weakened state was no match for the power of Simon'sflame-enhanced whip. Finally, the curse was gone--Simon would live on tocontinue his family's bloodline, and the monsters would be banished from thisworld. With this experience documented, the Belmonts would be ready for anysimilar curse-inducing antics in the future.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1748Offering: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance [ Game Boy Advance ]Supporting Characters: Lydie Erlanger, The MerchantMain Heroes/Heroines: Juste Belmont, Maxim KischineNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

After Dracula's defeat, the world was at peace, as it usually existed afterthe banishment of the Dark Lord. But evil never takes a holiday, and its slow

rebuilding and eventual dominance were imminent. Fortunately, vampire killerswere perennially keeping sharp in fear of such an occurrence. Juste Belmont,the grandson of Simon, and his friend Maxim Kischine were two suchwarriors; the two friends trained together diligently, and while the rivalrywas friendly, both were hoping for the sacred honor of receiving the VampireKiller whip and mystic sub-weapons. After it was decided by the Belmont eldersthat Juste was the subject worthy of receiving the title of "Vampire Killer,"a disappointed, self-doubting Maxim set out on a training expedition to honehis skills and clear his mind

Two years later, Maxim surprisingly resurfaced only to show up at Juste'sdoorway; though, the reunion was anything but sedate--Maxim's body was coveredwith wounds, and his pain was instantly noticeable. Juste listened intently as

his friend informed him that their childhood friend Lydie Erlanger had beenkidnapped; sadly, Maxim's wounds were so great that they had deprived him ofhis memory, which entailed his two years away and the circumstancessurrounding Lydie's kidnapping. Ignoring his injuries, recalling faintmemories, Maxim led Juste to the location of Lydie's disappearance. Workingthrough the fog, the two men stood in front of an enormous castle, in awe ofthe undocumented manor. "Could this, perhaps, be the infamous castle ofDracula?" they discussed. The pained Maxim urged Juste to hurry inside andsave their friend, and he promised to join him in the search when his painsubsided.


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Juste braved the huge haunt only to find that others, too, were also scouringthe castle in search of Lydie--mainly Death and the rest of Dracula's forces,for Lydie would indeed serve as the perfect sacrifice to conduct theirmaster's return. However, neither Death nor his allies could find her. Indeed,all parties in question were equally confused about the entire matter.Disregarding Death's discouraging words, Juste charged forward, mowing overthe wave of undead castle habitants. Eventually, Juste met up with Maxim, whoseemed a bit disoriented; they later met up again, but this time, Maxim's tone

seemed more like that of insanity. This pattern of events continued. Amidstthe confusion, Juste located a mysterious gateway and eventually caught upwith Death, who by that time had figured it all out: It seemed as though Maximhad been possessed by Dracula's spirit, by some unknown means; to protectLydie (who somehow wound up by his side) from himself, Maxim, his memoriesbeing suppressed to accommodate Dracula's possession, stashed her away in thecastle before escaping. As a strange byproduct of this possession, a secondcastle was spawned--"a transient one," as Death noted, a darker version bornespecifically out of Maxim's conflicting will to both harm and protect Lydie.

Death quickly exited to the second, real castle via the gateway's portal, andJuste followed closely behind. Now able to move between the two overlappingcastles, Juste had two more confrontations with Maxim that confirmed Death's

words; the first saw Maxim sic a Shadow boss on his friend, and the second sawthe resistant Maxim reveal the truth: When he had left for his trainingexpedition, it was out of jealousy. When he skirted across Castlevania duringthat time, he figured that he could prove himself worthy by doing what Simonhad done a half-century before; that is, he'd earn respect by collectingDracula's remains, by gathering them into the castle, and by then out-duelingthe Count in a battle. Unfortunately, by collecting the body parts, Maxim wasinstead possessed by a spirit essence as a harbinger for Dracula'sresurrection. Dracula's influence caused him to kidnap Lydie for evil's illintention. So with the possession not yet overcoming him, he instead hid Lydieand the body parts throughout the castles and escaped from them. Having toldJuste the truth, with that weight off his shoulders, Maxim accepted that hisend could be near; as a last request, he handed Juste his bracelet, a family

heirloom, by which to remember him. For Juste, there was only one solution:Find Lydie and then locate Dracula's remains and destroy them before it's toolate.

Juste finally located Lydie atop the castle keep of the real castle, but hisimpetuous nature blinded him to one detail--that Death had been tailing himthe whole time, and he instead led the Reaper right to her. Death immediatelytook Lydie into his skeletal arms and vanished to a sealed location. Juste'sonly other option at this point was to search both castles for Dracula'sremains and use them to break the seal. Using all of his special abilities,Juste collected the body parts and opened the way to the heart of the realcastle, where he found Maxim and Lydie together. It seemed as though it wastoo late: Lydie lay unconscious and Dracula's possession had finally overcome

Maxim's will. Sadly, Juste would now be forced to battle his own friend. Whenthe battle was over, Juste stood over his injured and fleeting friend, whocontinued to fight the possession. When it appeared that all was lost, thatMaxim would perish, he gazed upon Juste's wrist only to see the bracelet withwhich he had entrusted him. To see his friend honor him in that manner waslike a light of hope, and it gave Maxim the courage that Juste knew he had--tofight just a bit longer. Unable to wait out this event, Dracula seized theopportunity; he escaped from Maxim's body and used his collected remains topull himself back together. As the now-free Maxim grabbed Lydie into his armsand fled from the scene, Juste and Dracula, the two polar but confidentadversaries, prepared for a final showdown.


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In the end, as it had happened a half-century before, the Belmont defeated theweakened Dracula, thereby ending Maxim's burden and submerging both of thevile castles. Outside, away from the ruins, Lydie awakened after the castle'sviolent banishment, having completely forgotten the events past. Maximrepeatedly insisted on telling her the truth, that he had kidnapped her whileunder possession, but Juste felt it best to leave the matter be in order tosave face on behalf of his friend. When it almost came to blows, Lydie stepped

in and brought both to their senses. It didn't matter, she pleaded. Thus, forthe time sharing a smile, they agreed to begin the long journey home, whereall would be right again.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1792Offerings: Akumajo Dracula X Chi No Rondo [ PC Engine CD ],

Castlevania Dracula X [ Super Nes ]Supporting Characters: Maria Renard [ Super Nes Only ], Annette Renard,

Iris [ PC Engine CD Only ], Terra [ PC Engine CD Only ],The Ferryman [ PC Engine CD Only ]

Main Heroes/Heroines: Richter Belmont, Maria Renard [ PC Engine CD Only ]Notes: All of the above offerings share the same storyline, even if the games

are different.--------------------------------------------------------

Almost a half-century had passed before the groundswell of evil again began togrow to a boil. A sure sign of its impending uprising was the sudden emergenceof the dark priest named Shaft. Shaft, who was a master in the black arts,wanted nothing short of world conquest for all of his kind. Knowing that thepower of the vampire hunters might be too much of an obstacle, he gatheredtogether his followers and held an unholy ritual where they sacrificed a youngwoman with one goal in mind: To resurrect Count Dracula. And indeed, the DarkLord lived again, and, concurrently, Castlevania sprang itself up from the

depths. Shaft knew all too well that his best bet was to play the role ofsubservient to Dracula, who was more likely the key, the pure representationof evil's lust for dominance.

Dracula, now more wise to his opponents' sense of justice and emotional statusin light of his encounters with Soleiyu Belmont and Maxim Kischine, formed aplan: He knew that his only true hope to defeat the Belmonts lay with thepropensity to blind their justice-seeking nature by enraging them in otherways. If he could only take something of theirs, he thought, maybe he couldachieve this goal. With the dark priest Shaft by his side, he certainly had anedge.

In the meantime, Richter Belmont was living a peaceful life with his

girlfriend, Annet Renard. One night, without warning, Dracula's plan was setin motion: He commanded his forces to head out into Warakiya, to ravageRichter Belmont's entire home town, and to kidnap some of the town's womenbefore leaving the ruins. While studying a rough sketch of Castlevania'sinterior, Richter looked out the window only to catch sight of the manyskeletons and demons laying waste to his town. Without hesitation, he grabbedhold of the Vampire Killer whip and mystic sub-weapons, he scoured the town,and he quickly terminated the undead fleet. But it was too late: Four townwomen--including Annet and her younger sister, Maria--had been kidnapped andtaken to Castlevania.


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Richter hopped into his horse-pulled carriage and raced toward the castle.Moments later, Death flew in from the blindside to instigate some mind games-in this case, it was a swift toss of sickle in the Belmont's generaldirection. After a short battle, where Richter held his own, the belittlingDeath, having sent his message, flew off into the distance. Undeterred,Richter arrived at the castle. Once inside, he located Shaft almostimmediately in the main halls, where the dark priest was holding Maria insuspended animation, no doubt ready to banish her into a netherworld. At the

very sight of Richter, though, Shaft released the spell and vanished. Mariawas more than just happy to be saved--the magically gifted youth wasdetermined to aid Richter, to assist him with her magical prowess for the restof the journey. Continuing on together, they scurried through the castle andits outland, where they battled and defeated the same old faces of Dracula'sarmy while saving the other missing women.

When Shaft intervened with his nostalgic bag of tricks, he, too, felt thepower of the whip. With the dark priest out of the picture, finally, Richterreached the castle's clock tower, where he located his beloved, Annet, who wasbeing held within a locked and sealed off room. Relieved to see her alive andwell, it filled Richter with a sense of virility, and, despite having alwaysdreaded his vampire-hunting destiny, he was now more determined than ever to

vanquish the Dark Lord. High in the castle keep, another confrontation withDracula was at hand, and, as had his ancestors, Richter emerged victoriousfrom the deadly duel. After the battle, he embraced with his future family,Annet and Maria; and after staring down the castle from a mountain cliff, witha sense of satisfaction, the trio began the long journey home.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1797Offerings: Castlevania: Symphony of The Night [ Playstation ],

Dracula X: Nocturne In The Moonlight [ Saturn ]Castlevania: Symphony of The Night [ Tiger Handheld ]

Supporting Characters: Maria Renard [ Playstation Only ], Lisa, The Ferryman,The Master Librarian

Main Heroes/Heroines: Alucard, Richter Belmont, Maria Renard [ Saturn Only ]Notes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

Four years after Dracula's latest defeat, another devious plan was in themaking. Without explanation, Richter Belmont disappeared, not a trace of himto be found. Within one year's time, it became clear that Richter would not bereturning--at least not on his own power. So Maria Renard set out to look forhim. It was then that fate intervened: Castlevania suddenly materialized fromout of the mist as if to show her the way. Meanwhile, powerful forces werestruggling for the soul of Alucard; sensing that the balance was threatened,

that the scales were falling too far in evil's favor, Alucard was forced toraise from his slumber to investigate these matters. And it was only a matterof time before the castle beckoned him, as well.

Alucard infiltrated the castle and defeated any foe in his path. Eventually,he ran into Maria in the castle's Marble Gallery, where he explained to herhow and why the castle's appearance changed since she'd last been there. Thetwo agreed to go their separate ways and exchange information when available.Continuing on toward the heart of the chaotic estate, Alucard found a throneroom where he met a man who claimed to be "the ruler of this castle." From hispast contact with the family, especially Trevor, Alucard was sure that it was


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Belmont blood in his presence. After defeating the man's personal guardians,he met up with Maria and relayed to her these happenings; while she initiallyrefused to believe it, Maria later conceded that it could be Richter. However,she insisted that if it were true, it had to be because he was under someoneor something's control. To be sure, Maria, who had by now taken a liking tothe half-breed, handed Alucard a special pair of glasses that would allow forits wearer to see beyond this plane.

Alucard took her advice and headed toward the dreaded castle keep. There, heran into what he now knew was Richter Belmont. Richter explained to him:"Count Dracula rises but once every century, and my time is over. But if Icould resurrect him, then the battle will last for eternity!" Thereafter, hechallenged Alucard to a contest and then immediately, fiercely, began toattack using his legendary powers. While Alucard was shocked by the Belmont'swords and actions, he quickly slipped on the glasses and found the answer:Richter was indeed under the control of an unknown presence, which hoveredover him like a dark green cloud. Alucard avoided striking Richter and tookthe brunt of his attack while remaining focused on the hovering sphere. Heattacked the sphere diligently until it faded away, whence the realperpetrator of the entire plot, the revived dark priest Shaft, finallyrevealed himself.

Shaft had planned to coax Richter to the side of evil, using a spell, so thatno other vampire hunter would ever be a threat to he or Count Dracula. WithRichter, the greatest threat, eliminated and furthermore aiding them, instead,the dark forces would have been unstoppable. Though the plot had failed, Shaftwas well prepared and thus had a backup plan; using his dark magic, he createda perfect replica of Castlevania except upside-down! He then escaped to thenew castle where he would focus on his real, more important goal: To resurrectCount Dracula once again. Richter came to his senses and recognized Alucard asthe one who had fought beside his ancestor Trevor Belmont. But there was notime for small talk--Alucard strongly suggested to Maria that she usherRichter out of the castle and to safety. It was his business, he felt, totransport to the second castle and deal with the imminent threat.

Alucard faced more intense challenges in the second castle, but by sheer forceof will, he worked his way to the reverse Marble Gallery, where Shaft wasabout to complete his ritual. Alucard succeeded in eliminating Shaft, but itwas too late--the incantation was complete, and Dracula was ready to return tothis world. The reunion between father and son was anything but pleasant:Dracula was very displeased that his son was still siding with the humans,especially after they had killed his mother without provocation hundreds ofyears earlier. The mind games were futile, and Alucard knew that his fathercould not be allowed to roam free among the living. A grueling battlefollowed, and in the end, Alucard was the victor, having overcome his father'sonslaught using a power Dracula could never understand: Love, for humans andfor his mother, Lisa. Alucard had parting words for his father, a message from

that same Lisa: "She said to tell you that she would love you for alleternity..." "Forgive me, Lisa," Dracula muttered in solace before beingpainfully ushered back to his resting place.

Alucard escaped from the castle and arrived at seaside, where Maria andRichter were waiting. The two consoled Alucard knowing that the encounter withhis father, as always, was one defined by mental anguish. Before doing what hehad always done--submerge his powers to remove from the Earth his own cursedbloodline--he offered them some words of encouragement and some advice. Thoughshe wished him well, Maria cared more deeply for Alucard than she had let on,and Richter sensed it. "Don't you want to go after him?" Richter asked. She


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confessed yes, and Richter's words ("Go after him, then--perhaps you can savehis haunted soul") gave her the courage to do just that.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1830Offering: Castlevania: Circle of The Moon [ Game Boy Advance ]

Supporting Characters: Hugh Baldwin, Morris BaldwinMain Hero/Heroine: Nathan GravesNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

In 1820, Dracula was again resurrected early in what was becoming a commonstunt by deviants. History repeated itself and Dracula was not able to reachfull power; thus, he was defeated by Morris Baldwin and members of the Gravesfamily, a group of friends all descended from the famed Belmont clan. Havingalmost been killed, Morris came to realize the power possessed by the evilCount Dracula and his minions and how dangerous the combined forces could beat their peak. As the one assigned responsibility of housing the VampireKiller whip and the mystic weapons, Morris knew that it was important to hand

down the artifacts to the appropriate party. Hence, he trained two youths--hisown son, Hugh Baldwin, and Nathan Graves, the son of his close friends-accordingly with the fear that Count Dracula would one day return, perhapsagain early, wherein he'd be no match.

As the two youths grew together, they became great friends and blossomed intothe warriors Morris knew they could be. Even though it was obvious that Hughwas superior in skill, Morris continued to favor Nathan; Hugh could neverunderstand why, and, over time, he became jealous and hateful of Nathan to thepoint where the good friends instead became rivals. Hugh grew even moreenraged when it was decided by Morris that Nathan should be the next in lineto wield the Vampire Killer and the sacred weapons. From the circumstancessurrounding, Hugh strongly believed that he was the more logical choice, but

the answer still eluded him. Through time, his hatred for Nathan only grew.

In 1830, Camilla was risen from her grave. As a devout follower of Dracula,perennially craving leadership, her very first act was to prepare a ritualthat would serve to reawaken the soul of her dark lord. As the ritual wasunderway at the ancient Castlevania, Morris Baldwin and his students sensedthe imbalance in nature that they felt could very well be the rising of theinfamous Count Dracula; the three hurried to the beckoning castle to preventsuch an unnatural occurrence, sprinting through the main halls and into theCeremonial Room. They found that it was too late: Camilla's ritual wascompleted, and Dracula, though not at full strength, was back to threatenhumankind as Morris had feared. Dracula immediately recognized Morris as theone who had sealed his fate ten years earlier, and he gained an early

advantage on the trio by blowing open a hole in the ground of the CeremonialRoom. Amidst the chaos, Nathan and Hugh plummeted to the castle depths, whichleft Morris to be captured by the demonic duo of Dracula and Camilla. NowDracula had the perfect plan: He would drain away Morris' power, his life-force, and use it to restore his own.

Meanwhile, Nathan and Hugh had reached the bottom of the abyss. When theylanded safely, Nathan suggested that they stick together and escape from thedepths, but Hugh, feeling that he had something to prove, belittled his formerfriend, pushed him aside, and set out on his own to rescue his father.Regardless of Hugh's discouragement, Nathan picked himself up and persevered


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through the castle of horrors. He eventually located Hugh, who still wantednothing to do with him. When they met a second time, Hugh was roughed up butcontinued to feign a tone of superiority toward Nathan because he knew thathis former friend had beaten bosses that he could not. Much later, as heneared the heights of the castle, Nathan entered the keep only to find Hughwaiting; while he was ready to breathe a sigh of relief, his weariness wouldhave to subside quickly; Hugh, whose hate had grown so much that hisdiminishing spirit easily came under a Dracula-enhanced spell that magnified

this hatred infinitely, grabbed his sword and launched an assault. It was onthis day, though, that Nathan proved himself to be superior. Defeated, heavingobserved himself externally while under the spell, Hugh finally realized whyit was Nathan that was chosen to be the recipient of the whip and the weapons.The truth set him free, and he humbly gave Nathan the blessing to continue onand rescue their master.

In the next room, Nathan found what Dracula was protecting--the key that wouldunlock the door in the Ceremonial Room. Nathan hurried to meet his destiny.Once inside its inner throne room, a fully-powered Dracula began to attackNathan in his typical fashion. Nathan won the first encounter and was able torescue Morris; Hugh finally arrived at the throne room, too, and took hisfather into his arms. Before scurrying to safety, the two encouraged Nathan to

enter into the ambient blaze that would lead to a final battle with Dracula'strue form. Absorbing their words, Nathan confidently entered into the realmwherein the Dark Lord awaited, and ultimate good and ultimate evil wouldbattle once more. When the battle was over, Nathan stood victorious.

Defeated, Dracula called his demise but a "wasted opportunity," echoing thehollow words he had spewed again and again. "I will continue to be revived."Nathan confided, as Sonia Belmont once did, that someone would always be thereto stand up to him. As the castle began to submerge, crumbling piece by piece,Nathan hurried out and located Morris and Hugh by a mountain cliff. Morris wastruly proud that his students were able to resolve their issues with theirminds rather than with their fists. Hugh, too, was proud of his friend'sefforts, and, comfortable with the knowledge that he would have to restart his

training, he expressed his newfound respect for Nathan with a friendlychallenge to stay sharp.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1844Offering: Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness [ Nintendo 64 ]Supporting Characters: The Ferryman, Ada, Young Henry Oldrey, Rosa, Renon,

Charles Vincent, Mary Oldrey, Malus, Lizard ManMain Heroes/Heroines: Cornell, Reinhardt Schneider, Carrie Fernandez,

Henry OldreyNotes: This is another game that the self proclaimed savior of Castlevania,

Igarashi, has decided to eliminate from the timeline.--------------------------------------------------------

About fourteen years later, early proceedings began by a trio--Death, GillesDe Rais and Actrise--to raise Count Dracula from the grave, and they would dothis by sacrificing a human woman to the spirits of chaos. About this time, ayoung man named Cornell was on his way home from severe ascetic training. Whenhe arrived at the village limits, his heart stopped as he found that thevillage had been burned to the ground by the forces of evil. More urgently,his sister, Ada, had been kidnapped by an unseen assailant. Cornell, aided byhis man-beast powers that allowed him to transform into a werewolf, set out to


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rescue his sister from whomever or whatever it was that kidnapped his sisterand destroyed his village.

During his journey, it was revealed to him that his sister would be used aspart of that human sacrifice to once again raise Count Dracula. What Cornellwas more shocked to learn was that his close friend, Ortega, a fellow man-beast, was responsible for torching the village, kidnapping Ada, anddelivering her to the trio; to verify his actions, Ortega intervened several

times to antagonize Cornell. In their more recent history, Cornell haddefeated Ortega in a "friendly" contest to see which of the two was superioramongst the man-beasts, and he did this by showcasing his unique ability: Inits history, he was the only member of the order who could break the man-beastseal and release his beast form, able to switch between the two states as heso pleased. The man-beasts had long ago sealed away this power when theysought to live in harmony with the humans. Ortega was always jealous ofCornell's propensity, and his defeat in their friendly contest was the strawthat pushed him over the edge. Despite Ortega's interference, Cornell endured;he slaughtered all foes in his path, he saved a few lives along the way(mainly that of Henry Oldrey, who would one day grow up to become a suitedchurch knight), and he finally reached the castle's heights.

At the top of a tower, Ortega arrived to lay down a challenge. With theassistance of Dracula's dark magic, he, too, could now break the seal, and hetransformed into a large chimera and attacked vigorously. Still, it wouldn'tbe enough to stop what was a determined Cornell, and his defeat was imminent.While in defeat Ortega's burden thus ended, he wouldn't apologize for hisactions; he could only accept what he had done--that is, accept what he was-and instead offer a newfound respect for his former friend. Though shaken bythe encounter, Cornell's mission was not over: He now knew who was behind thisplot, and the castle keep was now his only destination.

He entered into the throne room to find the Count waiting for him. The twolocked horns in an inevitable duel. When Dracula finished testing the limitsof Cornell's powers, realizing his adversary worthy, he employed a stall

tactic by attempting to attack Cornell's psyche through a series of taunts.Mainly, Dracula knew of a secret that Cornell had been trying to hide for manyyears--that Ada was not his sister by blood; rather, she was adopted as hissister when found as a survivor of the war fought between the humans and theman-beasts.

Cornell refused to be blinded by hatred and burdening half-truths, and thebattle with Dracula's true, more powerful form was his only escape. Afterdefeating the Dark Lord, Cornell watched helplessly as Ada was quicklyencapsulated within a crystal, of which Dracula grabbed a hold with the intentof dragging it down into the underworld with his submerging body. For Cornell,there was only one option: Harnessing all of his strength, he projectedforward his werewolf form--its very essence separating itself from Cornell--in

order to smash the crystal and thus save his sister; therein, the wolf formwas effectively substituted as her replacement. With his sister in his arms,he hastily escaped from the castle. Though he would never be the same, Cornellhad triumphed.

That night, as he, Ada and Henry Oldrey warmed themselves by a fire, Cornellreflected on his trials, and the Count's words continued to echo in his head.Ada had to know the truth, he felt, but the words escaped him. He stumbled andstuttered, looking for the words, but he repeatedly came up empty. Then ithappened: As he started to speak, Ada interrupted--"It doesn't matter if we'reblood relatives, together we can do anything!" she proclaimed. "How did you


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know?" Cornell asked. Though she would give no explanation, her mere words andexpression were enough for Cornell to find his peace.

What Cornell was blind to was one unfortunate detail: After Dracula's defeat,Death and Actrise were able to extract the crystal, which held Cornell's wolfform, from the underworld. Using the wolf form, a power more enormous thanthey could realize, they were able to use it as a true sacrifice to thespirits, to ensure that Dracula would be reborn into a new body--this one

especially gifted with a violin. In essence, Cornell was only able to buy thefuture heroes few precious years before the inevitable, real re-rising of theCount. Unwittingly, he had contributed to what was Dracula and the trio's planall along.

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1852Offering: Castlevania [ Nintendo 64 ]Supporting Characters: Charles Vincent, Rosa, Renon, Malus, Lizard ManMain Heroes/Heroines: Reinhardt Schneider, Carrie FernandezNotes: The other game, god Igarashi, has decided to eliminate from the

Castlevania timeline.--------------------------------------------------------

The trio's incantation held true, and Dracula was indeed reborn into thisworld. Unbeknownst to them, he grew up and lived among the people, who weregiven nary a clue that they were imbuing in the presence of ultimate evil. Hispower was growing, as was evil in the world, and soon, people began to returnto the path of wickedness. Heathens gathered with the belief that the DarkLord would finally raise from his slumber and lead them to victory. Death andActrise, too, continued to plan for his return.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Wallachia, a young man named Reinhardt Schneider wascoming of age. Reinhardt, an heir to the Belmont clan of legend, was faced

with a dilemma: Since it was difficult to prove that such links still remainedto the family of legend, as the surname had been since lost, Reinhardt alwaysfelt that he had to prove to himself, and to all of Wallachia, that he couldlive up to his ancestral legacy. He grabbed the Vampire Killer whip and themystic weapons and vowed to hunt down the forces of evil. He would not bealone: Carrie Fernandez, a magically gifted young woman descended from SyphaBelnades, would do her best to deal with side-matters concurrent to hisjourney.

Reinhardt followed a trail through the Forest of Silence that led him to theancient Castlevania. From there, he searched the castle and its outland highand low looking for answers. He met a few friends along the way, too: First,there was Charlie Vincent, a master vampire hunter who insisted that it was

his destiny to destroy Count Dracula; the foolhardy hunter made no bones abouthis mission to reach the Dark Lord first. Renon, the demon salesman from Hell,proved to be an unlikely ally despite his questionable intention. And then hemade the acquaintance of the enigmatic Malus, a young boy whose family wassupposedly killed by Dracula years before. Reinhardt rescued the boy from thecastle's monster-inhabited Villa; while for this act Malus was gracious, theboy continued to lurk about, his actions thereafter becoming more and moresuspicious.

Finally, he met a beautiful woman named Rosa in the Villa's indoor rosegarden. What he discovered is that all who lived in the Villa were under the


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influence of Dracula's curse, Rosa especially. While consumed deeply by thecurse that threatened to make her an eternal slave to the Count, she had notyet been overcome--still, an inescapable conflict existed within, and, thoughshe took a liking to him, she did her best to distance herself from Reinhardt.Though Reinhardt insisted on trying to save her from an undead fate, shewarned him over and over again that there was no hope of saving her soul. Muchlater, in the heart of the castle, he again encountered Rosa, whose pain hadboiled over so much that she tried to destroy herself by exposing her flesh to

a beam of sunlight; Reinhardt stopped the event, to her dismay, and tried toease her pain through even religion. "God forbids suicide," he lectured. Hisefforts proved to be for naught when in the castle center Death intervened toforce a confrontation between the two; Rosa could not resist the vampiric urgeanymore, and a saddened Reinhardt was forced to unleash his wrath. Thoughjustified, he promised to extract revenge for her soul by destroying the Countand his followers.

Reinhardt arrived at the top of the clock tower. Before he could even gatherhis bearings, the unseen Death attempted a surprise attack. The scythe spedtoward the now-sensing Reinhardt, who could muster no defense. Suddenly, Rosaappeared and threw herself in front of Reinhardt, shielding him from theattack by instead taking the fatal blow. As she lay in his arms, Reinhardt

wondered why she would come to his protection after the preceding events."Because you are pure and have the power to defeat Dracula," she admitted.When Rosa confessed a fear that her soul could know no forgiveness, Reinhardtplaced in her hand a cross and assured her that God forgives all. As she fadeaway, the enraged Reinhardt stood up to deal with her tormentor. "I will neverforgive you!" he shouted at the all-too-pleased Death. An encounter wastheirs.

After tangling with and vanquishing Death, Reinhardt arrived at the castlekeep. While Reinhardt investigated his empty casket, Dracula appeared frombehind and began to attack in his usual method. The vampire menace fellbriefly to Reinhardt's onslaught; it was "too easy," Reinhardt thought.However, there was no time to reflect: The castle started to crumble and

shake, and Reinhardt struggled to escape. He climbed to the top of one of thecastle's steady towers, where he was met, conspicuously, by a unicorn-ridingMalus. Much to Reinhardt's disbelief, the seemingly innocent boy turned aroundand claimed to be Vlad Tepes Dracula incarnate, bragging that the "Dracula"Reinhardt defeated was merely his servant. This looked to be reality whenMalus revealed his true self by transforming into a rather youthful-lookingCount Dracula.

The two battled atop the tower, the struggle between good and evil in theirhands. Reinhardt unleashed his fury and brought Dracula to knees, from wherehe evaporated into nothing; just then, Malus appeared from out of the mist,"free from possession," Reinhardt thought. "Is it over?" Malus asked. "IsDracula dead?" As Reinhardt went over to console the child, a vial of holy

water exploded in front of him, knocking him back and engulfing Malus' flesh."Don't be fooled," an arriving Charlie Vincent boasted. "That boy is Dracula."His plan thwarted again, the Count used his remaining power to magically usherboth he and Reinhardt into a desert realm and to transform himself into thebehemoth-like Drago! Though the battle that followed was increasingly violent,even in this, his most powerful form, Dracula still was not able to negate thecruel hand that fate had dealt him; he was defeated yet again, and his plot tofool all of Wallachia had failed.

Reinhardt escaped from the desert realm and watched from seaside as the castlecollapsed into the ocean. Exhausted, he looked toward the heavens; a lone rose


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fell from the sky, its meaning eluding him. To his surprise, this divinecontact signaled the sudden re-materializing of Rosa, whose soul had beensaved by the defeat of Count Dracula and her will to be forgiven; finally, shewas free of his curse. Sharing a hug, the pair pondered the events past. Theyknew that the battle was eternal, that Dracula would continue to return tothis world. "That is the fate of humanity," Rosa considered. Reinhardt, as healways had, proclaimed his faith in people. "As long as we have hope, evil cannever defeat us!"

====================================================================================================================================================Time Period: 1917Offering: Castlevania Bloodlines [ Genesis ]Supporting Characters: Quincy Morris, GwendolynMain Heroes/Heroines: John Morris, Eric LecardeNotes: None.

--------------------------------------------------------

More than a half-century later, Dracula made his inevitable return. His reignwas ended when he was defeated

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