Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

- Time Period: 1748
- Main Hero: Juste Belmont
- Antagonist: Maxim, Count Dracula

Harmony of Dissonance for the GBA, the system's second such title, follows on the heels of Circle of the Moon and the series' successful return to 2D. However, Harmony is the direct storyline follow-up to Simon's Quest--or, put simply, Simon's adventures in general.

After Dracula's defeat, the world was at peace, as it usually existed after the banishment of the Dark Lord. But evil never takes a holiday, and its slow rebuilding and eventual dominance were imminent. Fortunately, vampire killers were perennially keeping sharp in fear of such an occurrence. Juste Belmont, the grandson of Simon, and his friend Maxim Kischine were two such warriors; the two friends trained together diligently, and while the rivalry was friendly, both were hoping for the sacred honor of receiving the Vampire Killer whip and mystic sub-weapons. After it was decided by the Belmont elders that Juste was the subject worthy of receiving the title of "Vampire Killer," a disappointed, self-doubting Maxim set out on a training expedition to hone his skills and achieve peace of mind.

Two years later, Maxim surprisingly resurfaced only to show up at Juste's doorway; though, the reunion was anything but sedate--Maxim's body was covered with wounds, and his pain was instantly noticeable. Juste listened intently as his friend informed him that their childhood friend Lydie Erlanger had been kidnapped; sadly, Maxim's wounds were so great that they had deprived him of his memory, which entailed his two years away and the circumstances surrounding Lydie's kidnapping. Ignoring his injuries, recalling faint memories, Maxim led Juste to the location of Lydie's disappearance. Working through the fog, the two men stood in front of an enormous castle, in awe of the undocumented manor. "Could this, perhaps, be the infamous castle of Dracula?" they discussed. The pained Maxim urged Juste to hurry inside and save their friend, and he promised to join him in the search when his pain subsided.

Juste braved the huge haunt only to find that others, too, were also scouring the 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 their master'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 over the wave of undead castle habitants. Eventually, Juste met up with Maxim, who seemed 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. Amidst the confusion, Juste located a mysterious gateway and eventually caught up with Death, who by that time had figured it all out: It seemed as though Maxim had been possessed by Dracula's spirit, by some unknown means; to protect Lydie (who somehow wound up by his side) from himself, Maxim, his memories being suppressed to accommodate Dracula's possession, stashed her away in the castle before escaping. As a strange byproduct of this possession, a second castle was spawned--"a transient one," as Death noted, a darker version borne specifically 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, and Juste followed closely behind. Now able to move between the two overlapping castles, 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 saw the resistant Maxim reveal the truth: When he had left for his training expedition, it was out of jealousy. When he skirted across Castlevania during that time, he figured that he could prove himself worthy by doing what Simon had done a half-century before; that is, he'd earn respect by collecting Dracula's remains, by gathering them into the castle, and by then out-dueling the Count in a battle. Unfortunately, by collecting the body parts, Maxim was instead possessed by a spirit essence as a harbinger for Dracula's resurrection. Dracula's influence caused him to kidnap Lydie for evil's ill intention. So with the possession not yet overcoming him, he instead hid Lydie and the body parts throughout the castles and escaped from them. Having told Juste the truth, with that weight off his shoulders, Maxim accepted that his end 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 too late.

Juste finally located Lydie atop the castle keep of the real castle, but his impetuous nature blinded him to one detail--that Death had been tailing him the whole time, and he instead led the Reaper right to her. Death immediately took Lydie into his skeletal arms and vanished to a sealed location. Juste's only other option at this point was to search both castles for Dracula's remains 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 real castle, where he found Maxim and Lydie together. It seemed as though it was too 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. When the battle was over, Juste stood over his injured and fleeting friend, who continued to fight the possession. When it appeared that all was lost, that Maxim would perish, he gazed upon Juste's wrist only to see the bracelet with which he had entrusted him. To see his friend honor him in that manner was like a light of hope, and it gave Maxim the courage that Juste knew he had--to fight just a bit longer. Unable to wait out this event, Dracula seized the opportunity; he escaped from Maxim's body and used his collected remains to pull himself back together. As the now-free Maxim grabbed Lydie into his arms and fled from the scene, Juste and Dracula, the two polar but confident adversaries, prepared for a final showdown.

In the end, as it had happened a half-century before, the Belmont defeated the weakened Dracula, thereby ending Maxim's burden and submerging both of the vile castles. Outside, away from the ruins, Lydie awakened after the castle's violent banishment, having completely forgotten the events past. Maxim repeatedly insisted on telling her the truth, that he had kidnapped her while under possession, but Juste felt it best to leave the matter be in order to save 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, for the time sharing a smile, they agreed to begin the long journey home, where all would be right again.

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