Prologue

During the Middle Ages, the threat of evil began to grow to an all-time high due to a new threat. Vlad Tepes Dracula, the former ruler of Wallachia, Romania, gained supernatural powers upon his Earthly death. Enraged by his failed attempts at ruling all of Europe--combined with the death of his second wife, Lisa, who was killed under the presumption that her expertise in medicine was akin to witchcraft--Dracula looked to punish all people that walked the Earth by taking over their world and turning it into his own dark habitat. Since his powers were beyond anything known to man, the people were helpless against his dark magic; no ordinary human was a match for him. Poised to take over the world, with, at the time, a budding army of both the undead and the mythological, it seemed that nothing would get in his way. However, at this time, in a remote area of the province of Warakiya, a girl possessing special powers was born. As she grew older, she was reminded over and over again that her extraordinary powers were meant for a higher purpose. Her life changed forever on her seventeenth birthday, when she met Alucard, the estranged and forgotten son of Lord Dracula.

			Time-Period: 1450
			Main Hero: Sonia Belmont
	The third Game Boy title, one of the late-90's offerings from Konami, was the storyline origin up until Lament's release. However, it still remains the first tale of "Count Dracula versus the Belmonts."

Sometime after her seventeenth birthday, Sonia formed a bond with Alucard, who had recently been investigating his father's affairs. Sonia, who was gifted with special magical powers by birth, was trained to be a warrior by her uncle. As Alucard grew to love Sonia, he came to recognize her inner strength and helped to complete her training; with a sense of her power, he revealed to her his plan: He was going to end his father's dark reign by confronting him in his castle and dethroning him once and for all. Sonia interjected that she, too, had planned to confront the Count with the same intent. Alucard, shocked by her decision, insisted that she not get mixed up in the crazy war that was about to be waged. Dracula's assaults on all of Europe 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 knew all too well. While Sonia presented to him an appearance of subservience, she knew in her heart that she would use her unique powers to fight against Dracula's undead army and eventually accost the Count in the heart of his castle.

Not soon after Alucard left for the castle, Sonia began her own journey. As she cut through one boss creature after another, she extracted and absorbed their life-forces using her inborn soul power, which allowed her to harness their very essences as magical attacks. Along the way, she also reclaimed five sacred 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 one day become part of the family's main power source. Eventually, Sonia stormed into the castle, mowed down all opposition, and soon enough found herself high up in the castle's keep. It's here where she caught up with Alucard, who was having little to no luck in locating his father. The surprised Alucard, who never thought she would actually insert herself into his war, desperately tried to convince her to turn away and head home. When she refused, he had no choice 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 impressed by her skills, and therein, subsequently, he knew for sure that it was her destiny to vanquish from this world the enigmatic Dracula. Alucard would help in this effort the only way he knew--by submerging his powers and placing himself into a state of rest, thus doing his part to remove a cursed bloodline from the Earth. In parting, however, he did promise to return, one day, should his 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 on through 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, Dracula swore that he would one day return, for as long as those who were evil existed, they would call upon his name. Sonia scoffed at his defiance and proclaimed that there would always be someone ready and willing to take up the fight against evil, even if she, herself, were the one required to accept the task. 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 wage war on the vampire king and his legion of followers. This hero, whose bloodline would be unlike any other, would grow to be more powerful than any human and surely supreme among vampire hunters. All future Belmonts would come to wield this very same power, whether or not it be their fate to face the trials.

What seemed supernatural to the habitants of Warakiya was to the Belmonts only natural. 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 who could stand up in their place. The Belmonts would indeed showcase the will, the power and the weaponry to get the job done.

			Time-Period: 1476
			Main Hero: Trevor Belmont
	The third NES installment is the direct sequel to Legends; though it's noted in the game's manual that this is 100 years before Castlevania, it actually dates back 200.

After Sonia's spectacular display in ousting Dracula from his position of power, matters took an unfortunate turn for the worst. Instead of coming to hail the Belmont family as heroic, the people of Warakiya instead began to fear the Belmonts--they became not only suspicious of the family's many abilities but fearful of what could happen if those abilities were used for wrongful means. Forming a coalition, they approached the Belmont family in its home and strongly suggested that it leave the town and never return. The family, though disappointed, willingly complied and ushered itself into isolation.

Meanwhile: Fifteen years after suffering his first defeat, rumors of Dracula's return spread across the countryside. The rumors looked to be all the more true when all types of undead creatures and savage demons started scouring through Warakiya and its surrounding towns during the nighttime hours. Things got all the more violent when the monsters began setting fires, east and west, leaving carnage all throughout the landscape of Transylvania. With their town being 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 the Vampire Killer whip and the five mystic sub-weapons, to charge full force to the castle, and to confront the Prince of Darkness like his mother did years earlier. Though, because Dracula's army was so huge and the odds were thus so great, Trevor was not opposed to accepting help from those with a certain know-how. Along the path to the ancient castle, he found help in the form of three 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 killed by Dracula; Grant was transformed into a vile beast by Dracula's dark magic and was forced to guard the clock tower outside of Warakiya. It was Trevor's whip that undid the transformation and returned to Grant his sanity. In a graveyard, 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 vampire hunter. She was ambushed by a Cyclops and magically embedded within stone. After being freed from her inanimate state by the Cyclops' destruction, she joined Trevor and aided him with her strong magic spells. Then, finally, Trevor met with a freshly re-risen Alucard in the catacombs; Alucard sensed that his father had returned, and he waited patiently in a dark cavern for Trevor (whose power Alucard could easily sense) to arrive. He would test Trevor's mettle in a contest and hope to gain his trust so that the Belmont would help him reach the castle.

With the aid of his newfound allies, Trevor traveled by land, by ship, through caves and clock towers, across a sunken city, and finally through Dracula's Castle before reaching the castle keep for yet another duel. Their resolve forming as one, Trevor and his company defeated the revenge-consumed Count Dracula. With the Dark Lord's reign brought to a forcible end, Trevor and his friends headed home, where their separate relationships began to grow. Grant and Trevor became great friends, and they set in motion Warakiya's rebuilding process. Alucard, whose inner struggle continued to suppress his need for camaraderie, spent some quality time with his new friend before submerging his powers once again. And Sypha Belnades took Trevor's hand in marriage and undoubtedly helped to continue strengthening the Belmont family chromosomes. After this victory over the Count and his evil forces, the Belmont name became legend, and the people that had earlier discriminated against and persecuted the clan now came to embrace and champion the family.

			Time-Period: 1479
			Main Hero: Hector
	Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is in regards to its gameplay a sequel to Lament of Innocence, its fellow PS2 entry. Though, as to its storyline relevancy, Curse of Darkness is a direct follow-up to Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse. Though there's no connection gameplay-wise, Trevor Belmont does appear in a supporting-cast role.

Though Trevor Belmont and his comrades successfully banished the hated Count Dracula, the Dark Lord did not pass from this world in silence. With his final words, Dracula left on Europe a demonic curse that for years following enshrouded the continent in misery and torment. Ravaged by hideous plague and dire famine, the people's hearts turned black and murderous; the weak were slain without pity while the land was pillaged and scourged without 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 had convinced himself of the "truth": For years, he and fellow forgemaster Hector served as underlings to Count Dracula, for whom they used their powers to magically craft new monsters to serve in the Dark Lord's growing army. Soon before Dracula's defeat at the hands of Trevor and friends, Hector betrayed the forces of evil by severing all ties 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 against Hector on behalf of his fallen master. To initiate his plan, Isaac targeted Hector's wife, Rosaly, who inexplicably found herself accused of being a witch. Using his effective brand of manipulation, Isaac helped orchestrate a sham trial that found Rosaly guilty of witchcraft; she was thereafter burned at the stake as Hector, who relinquished his powers upon abandoning his evil ways, watched on helplessly. Enraged, Hector vowed to extract his own measure of vengeance against the arrogant Isaac.

Hector eventually tracked Isaac down at an abandoned castle. Isaac, with by his side a fully powered devil-type I.D. (Innocent Devil), greeted Hector at its entrance; having cleverly lured Hector to this location, he reiterated his stance that the blame for Dracula's defeat lay at the hands of the traitorous forgemaster. Hector cared not for formal chatter and was ready to fight, but Isaac wasn't worried; after all, without his powers, Hector wasn't even able to protect his own wife. The ball was in Isaac's court. Isaac's plan, in fact, was twofold; knowing his former friend to be revenge-mad, he would flee and force Hector to give chase, whereby he'd suffer humiliation on two fronts: Hector would have to regain his since-relinquished powers, which he admitted brought him much shame, and he'd at full power face and suffer defeat at the hands of Isaac! Hector would have to give in--to honor the memory of his wife, he vowed to reclaim his powers and at all cost use them to hunt down Isaac.

Hector charged into the abandoned castle and was quickly reminded of the dangers he once helped fester. He had to become stronger, and the discovery of a powerful tombstone was the first step. On the tombstone lay an inscription left by Isaac, who by this act showed how desperately he hoped for Hector to fully regain his powers. Hector obliged; he staged a dark incantation and freed from the tombstone a low-level fairy-type ID His concentration quickly shifted at the sound of clapping of hands. The arrival was that of Zead, an enigmatic man who sought to abolish the curse that was afflicting Europe; Zead was impressed by Hector's show of power and revealed to the forgemaster his intent to purify the land. He revealed, also, that it was indeed Isaac, deemed an "impediment," who through his own mastery of devil forgery was helping to keep alive and protect the dark curse. Hector, considering the man's advice, thanked this new ally.

After defeating its main guardian, Hector escaped from the castle and exited into the Balijhet Mountains, where he freed from its holding a fighter-type ID More importantly, he stumbled across a brook where he was taken aback at the sight of a young woman who bore a remarkable resemblance to Rosaly, his deceased wife. The woman, named in actuality Julia, introduced herself and inquired about his hurried state. He was looking for, he explained, his "worst enemy," Isaac, of whom Julia was quite aware. Knowing his intent, and more personally sharing this same enemy, Julia offered to Hector her services. Her specialty? Well, as an escape witch, 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 Garibaldi Temple. Before he could enter, his determined march was interrupted by the mysterious St. Germain, who had a request for him: "Stop chasing Isaac." When Hector inquired as 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 open to this request, but he surmised by the man's tone that he found yet another of Isaac's enemies. Hector forged forward regardless. In the heart of the temple, Hector met with none other than Trevor Belmont, who immediately recognized the devil forgemaster's crest. However, there would be no negotiating--Trevor, in his ongoing investigation of the curse, was here to fight, and he unleashed his legendary powers 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 words when 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 a bit more power, he was able to breach the entrance to the Mortvia Aqueduct, where at its entrance a very pleased Zead stood waiting. Zead reported that he saw Isaac flee to the village via the forest, and he was now certain that Isaac was the source of the curse. Moments later, Zead began to hesitate and stumble about, tripping over his own words; without warning, he made a quick exit much to the confusion of Hector. Stain Germain appeared soon after, expecting to see someone else. Though disappointed by the lack of his expected guest, he had for Hector more of 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 beyond his bounds--that it was a matter of fate. It was ludicrous to lend information to 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 a blade and launched an attack; Germain used his power of time to evade the repeated stab 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 knew for sure that these two were indeed enemies.

The forest's vacillating path led Hector to the Town of Cordova, where at its midway point he finally tracked down Isaac. It was still too soon for a final battle, 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 see his former friend regain full power. Their encounter ended when a concerned Julia interrupted. "Brother, stop!" she shouted toward Isaac, much to the shock of Hector. As per his plans continuity, Isaac fled; Julia restrained Hector and prevented him from giving chase. Isaac was under Dracula's curse, she reasoned, and it was up to Hector to free him not with anger; she could live with her brother's death by Hector's hands 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 silent hope.

With the assistance of a newly acquired mage-type ID, Hector entered into the originally impenetrable Eneomaos Machine Tower, where at its top he again met with St. Germain, Zead having failed to slay him. Germain was truly the master of miraculous escapes, but he found himself in a harrowing position: He was stuck within 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 he engineered--an encounter between himself and Hector, which would help Germain to extract 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 path without 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, especially) guided him into the Aiolon Ruins. Deep into the ruins, he found himself witness to 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 would see 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 and lamented at such a lost opportunity. There was hope; Zead spoke of a secret hideaway back at the abandoned castle where Isaac was sure to be hiding. However, Zead's behavior 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, Hector started the long journey back to the castle.

He arrived at the castle's keep, where Trevor Belmont was investigating. "A hidden chamber beneath the castle is not possible," Trevor thought. "Not unless the blood of my clan..." The still-puzzled Hector struggled to understand, but there was no time to ponder, because Trevor had no choice but to fight the forgemaster; he needed to know how much power Hector had regained. The result of the proceeding battle was encouraging--as opposed to their first encounter, Trevor felt as thought he was fighting a whole different person. This power would be needed to further hunt Isaac, and Trevor would assist; using a dagger, he sliced open his hand and used the family's sacred blood as a key to open a magical gateway. "Your heart might waver if you think about what's within," Trevor warned. "But you must concentrate on your mission. Show him no mercy," Trevor inspired.

The gateway led Hector to a bizarre and chaotic infinite corridor. Using all of his regained power, Hector successfully overcame every challenge presented, which culminated in the defeat of the corridor's guardian, the considerable Dullahan. The guardian's defeat was felt continent-wide, as powerful earthquakes shook the entire land. In the most unexpected turn, the chaotic force caused Dracula's feared castle to rise up from the sea's depths! In the panic, Isaac sneaked up behind the unsuspecting Trevor and stabbed him through the chest. It was all becoming clear: It was Isaac who left that gateway for Hector to find, and he did it for the express purpose of harnessing the demonic energy generated during the battle between the fully powered Hector and the corridor's guardian. This magic, when channeled, would be more than enough, Isaac knew, to set in motion an even grander plot--he would scurry to Dracula's re-risen castle and once again attempt to resurrect the Count!

Hector rushed to the site of the castle's rising. Before he could enter, Julia stopped him. The curse was still emanating from the castle, she warned, remnant of the Dark Lord's magic. "All because of me," Hector believed. If it was demonic power, however, Hector could surely find its source. Still, even though Trevor survived the near-fatal injury, thanks to Julia's magic, he would be in no condition to battle a freshly risen Count, which put the whole mission in doubt. Though, Hector vowed again that he would garner revenge in the name of Rosaly. Sensing his anger, Julia reasoned with him: "Don't let the curse take hold. It's not worth the price of revenge for your wife." Again taking her words to heart, Hector set off into the castle as mankind's only hope. "Please don't die," the helpless Julia worried.

Hector braved Dracula's legendary haunt, cutting through the nastiest of his forces. When he reached the castle keep, the weary warrior was anything but consoled. "You resurrected Dracula's castle--bravo!" the awaiting Isaac celebrated. Hector fell right into his plot. Hector lost his edge, and Isaac lost his pride and home; now Hector would suffer as Isaac did and die a gruesome death! The two equals battled in 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 remembered her words and realized that his impulse for revenge wasn't really him--it was the curse 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 all that was needed. Zead revealed that he was the mastermind behind the entire series of events, and he used both Hector and Isaac. Only a forgemaster could be the vessel for Dracula's reawakening, and that was why Zead brought them here. When Hector resisted the curse, he was made useless, but his immobilization of Isaac was a nice consolation, for the fallen forgemaster would surely do; Isaac's prone body was swiftly sealed within a casket and transported away. It then became apparent to Hector just who was the erratic Zead--it was none other than Death itself! Zead confirmed the notion by extending its feared scythe and thereby taking its real form. Though, not even the sharpest of armament would deny the enlightened Hector, 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 housing Isaac's frame exploded, revealing a reborn Count Dracula. Dracula immediately recognized the traitorous Hector and wanted answers. But Hector had a question of his own: "Why attack humans?" It was Dracula's senseless slaughtering of their kind that forced Hector to disobey. Dracula disagreed that it was "slaughter"--he was simply cleansing the world of a plague, of a race not worth the very air they breathed. 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, who believed 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 the clear-headed Hector that triumphed over the inexpedient Count. The transformation was not complete--Dracula would not come to re-inhabit this world. Dracula took some solace, for the curse would linger in the souls of people until they 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 left behind only Isaac's stained corpse.

After a moment of reflection, Hector realized that Rosaly's death and Isaac's anger were caused by the curse. With that said, Hector enacted one last incantation--to turn aside the curse, as he had promised, and again relinquish his powers. "The struggle is over," Hector said, relieved. "Now I can die in peace." Before he could fall into a state of depression, Julia arrived to console him. "You must live according to your heart," she confided. Further conversation 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, and they hoped that its banishment would free people's hearts. The curse's mark wouldn't easily 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 the morrow. 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 last stabilized. With that, Germain would head far into the future to see what awaits--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 his answers to find.

Back at the cabin in the isolated mountains, Julia wondered what Hector would do now. He had many friends to conceal from the humans, and he would have to find some hidden place where he could live in peace. "No need to search out such a place," Julia comforted. "I know of one." For her advice Hector would be in her debt. She suggested that he stay in the mountains and live with her, which to Hector was an intriguing prospect. "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: 1576
			Main Hero: Christopher Belmont
	The first two Game Boy titles, which are considered to be their own mini-series, are still very much relevant to the story, and it's 100 years after Trevor's victory where they begin carving out their niche with the first offering--Castlevania Adventure.

			Time-Period: 1591
			Main Hero: Christopher Belmont
	The second Game Boy installment continues the tale from where Castlevania Adventure leaves off and continues with the struggles of Christopher Belmont.

Sixteen years had passed since Christopher Belmont defeated the Count, and he was 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 take his place in line as the next vampire hunter. It was not just Christopher but the whole town that was preparing for the big event. But the night before the celebration, Dracula seized the opportunity and struck a stinging blow. Having largely remained in mist form for those prior sixteen years, Dracula finally regained enough of his power to the point where he could recall his ability of possession; in mist form, he seeped his way into the room of the sleeping Soleiyu 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 a war or to even lead his own army in its march toward world domination. So he would instead use his new outfit, the now-Soleiyu-Demon, as a temporary resource until he was ready to assume his rightful form. Using his new host body, with its powerful bloodline, Dracula would raise his dreaded castle from the depths. But first, he held his ring finger into the air and conjured the formation of four separate castles: The Plant Castle, the Cloud Castle, the Rock Castle and the Crystal Castle, and he assigned to each its own boss guardian to preside over and protect it. If Christopher were to come looking for his son, the Count would have an efficient means of stalling his efforts.

Come morning, Christopher was awakened to the news that his son had mysteriously vanished and that four castles had appeared out of nowhere. Having no other choice, the aging Christopher was forced to again call upon the power of his family's sacred weaponry. Enraged by this plot, as if himself possessed, he entered into into each of the castles, undeterred, braved their many dangers, and defeated the four bosses. Yet Christopher had only succeeded in spoiling Dracula's initial plan: Because he still hadn't yet regained enough power to raise his castle, even in possessing Soleiyu, Dracula instead finished the deed using the life-force energy of the four bosses that Christopher just defeated. Unfazed by unwittingly contributing to Dracula's plan, Christopher penetrated the Count's newly risen castle.

Christopher braved the bloody road and reached the highest point of the castle, where he was relieved to find Soleiyu waiting in a chandelier-filled hall. His relief, though, turned to shock when his son refused an embrace and instead challenged him to a duel to the death. Thus, an intense battle between father and son echoed into infinity; in the end, Christopher's will for peace shined through, and his glancing blows knocked the remaining Dracula essence right out of Soleiyu, who soon after came to his senses. With his son now safe, Christopher entered into the last leg of the castle and prepared for another battle with the Count. It wasn't going to be easy, though--Dracula had by now regained enough power to retake his rightful form, and he was more than ready for another round with the Belmont warrior. Still, then, for the sake of all humankind, the steel-willed Christopher was once again able to defeat the Prince of Darkness.

			Time-Period: 1691
			Main Hero: Simon Belmont
	This is where things get confusing in terms of remakes. Though Vampire Killer, Castlevania, Haunted Castle, Akumajo Dracula X68000 and Super Castlevania 4 all play differently and have somewhat different plots, they're all to be recognized as the same game--the same point in history with the hero Simon Belmont. The only true recognized story, therein, belongs to the NES version we know as Castlevania.

Through the incantations and ceremonies of evil souls who wished to bring upon the end of the world, Dracula had once again been resurrected, and it was only a matter of time before his army of the undead began to terrorize Transylvania once 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 the Count's daunting castle. Once inside the house of horrors, Simon negotiated his way through six torturous castle sections before arriving at the dreaded heights 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, was waiting intensely for this moment, for he would finally get to extract revenge on the family after a one hundred-year wait. Though the throne room appeared to be empty, Dracula would soon emerge from his coffin and launch an assault in the only way he had ever known. Dracula fought as hard as he could and made sure to get in his fair share of offense, but in the end, ultimately, it was Simon Belmont who stood victorious. The pained Belmont warrior picked himself up and escaped from the castle and to a nearby mountain cliff where he watched on as the castle crumbled to the ground. Though he thought his trials were over, Simon would soon learn that they were just beginning.

			Time-Period: 1698
			Main Hero: Simon Belmont
	The second NES installment is next in line, and it continues telling the tale of Simon Belmont not soon after Castlevania ends.

After defeating Count Dracula at the heights of Castlevania and destroying his haunted abode, Simon Belmont continued the family's legend by earning even the respect of kings. Through his heroic efforts, he had indeed proven himself to be the culmination of a noble bloodline. However, that fame came with a price: Seven years later, Simon started to grow ill--he began to feel pain all over his body because the wounds inflicted upon him during his battle with Dracula just would not heal, and the anguish therein began to gnaw at his soul; in time, he would surely succumb to the pain. More troubling to him was the fact that even though Dracula had been defeated, his forces continued to roam free; as a result, the Transylvanians were forced to hide in their homes at nighttime as swarms of zombies marched through the streets. None of the citizens could understand why evil remained strong despite the defeat of its leader--and it slowly started affecting them, too, as normal citizens began taking on a deviant nature, be it a cynical attitude or the playing of mean-spirited pranks.

With no answers apparent to him, Simon fell into depression. One night, a beautiful maiden appeared to him in a dream and revealed that his "pain" was none other than the effect of Dracula's curse! She explained to him that in order to lift the troubling curse, he'd have to scour the countryside to collect 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. In closing, she said, "If you have the courage to risk your life, then you will find the strength to win again." As most beautiful visions do, she disappeared as 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 a curse, so before his defeat two years earlier, he ordered that his dark forces keep him safe until his next re-rising by dividing up his remains and by hiding 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 the remains at all cost. Despite their earnest efforts, Simon dredged through monster-filled towns, graveyards and marsh pits; he gathered, traded for, and mastered in the use of new magical items and weapons; and he infiltrated the mansions, solved their respective puzzles, and collected the five body parts of Dracula.

As he traveled into the town of Fetra, which lay not far from Castlevania, he noticed that the town habitants were anything but welcoming. Instead, they were decidedly prepared to blame him for all of the trouble, as if the presence of the Belmont's justice-presiding power was necessitating all of the incurring 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 and would ultimately have to deal with again and again. In this case, the elders knew that Dracula's forces were living on as a residual effect of the curse inflicted upon Simon, and they wanted no part of him. Regardless of their advice and their belittling words, he entered into the ruins of Castlevania and proceeded to its basement, where he burned the remains of the Count in a fiery 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's flame-enhanced whip. Finally, the curse was gone--Simon would live on to continue his family's bloodline, and the monsters would be banished from this world. With this experience documented, the Belmonts would be ready for any similar curse-inducing antics in the future.

			Time-Period: 1748
			Main Hero: Juste Belmont
	Harmony of Dissonance, for the Game Boy Advance, is the second such title for the system, spawned largely from Circle of the Moon's success. However, Harmony is the direct follow-up to Simon's Quest--or, simply put, 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 clear his 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.

Page 3: The Story Continues | Back

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