Maxim Kischine


Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
 He shows up in most of the game's cut-scenes, including the intros, meetings with Juste, and the best ending

Maxim is only one of many Belmont descendants of a different surname. By this time, it was common that the closely related heroes would actually compete with the mainline clan for the honor to be recognized as the next great hunter in line. Like the future Hugh Baldwin, Maxim was forced to play second fiddle to another blood Belmont and great friend, Juste.

When the determined warrior was shunned by the Belmont elders who decided that Juste was more capable of receiving the title of "Vampire Killer," the disappointed Maxim set out on a two-year training expedition to hone his skills. In order to prove his worth, he decided, brazenly, to attempt to do what Simon Belmont had done years earlier: He would search all of Transylvania to gather up Dracula's remains and take them to the ruins of Castlevania to burn them, hopefully, he thought, to resurrect the Dark Lord and quickly defeat him in a duel.

The plan backfired mightily: By collecting the remains of Dracula, it led to a series of events that saw Maxim become possessed by the Count's very spirit. In order to precipitate a worthwhile resurrection, he used Maxim's memories to his advantage for a dual purpose: He would use Maxim to abduct Lydie Erlanger and take her to the castle, and he would carry along his own remains in order to set in motion a sacrificial ritual. To stall any would-be heroes, the Count used the conflicting energies of his new body to mask Castlevania's presence by creating a second, transient castle, which would surely confuse not just the hunters but even his own forces.

Maxim, amazingly, fought off the possession long enough to do the right thing; to delay Dracula's rising and thus protect Lydie, he placed both Lydie and the body parts throughout the two castles before escaping. He then picked himself up, his memory waning, to warn Juste of these events. Though he wanted to redeem himself, he wound up becoming both a help and a hindrance to Juste's adventure's following because of the Count's possession and the twisted mind games. Still, Juste continued to believe in his friend, a strong gesture that gave Maxim the will to fight long enough to rid himself of Dracula's contamination.

          

 
 
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