The story of Castlevania

The Castlevania storyline was established by Koji Igarashi, director of the Castlevania series.

Official storyline
''Warning! Heavy spoilers ahead!''

1094 - Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
In the year 1094 there is a company of knights that is led by two men, Leon Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist. Leon is a warrior without equal and Mathias is a genius tactician. Together, the two men are able to make their company almost unbeatable. However, tragedy soon strikes them both. It was during the time of the Crusades when Mathias's beloved wife Elisabetha passed away. Mathias was overcome with grief, so much so that he became bedridden. It is also at this time that a strange army of monsters appears in his and Leon's domain and Leon's betrothed, Sara, is kidnapped. Mathias informs him from his sick-bed that both the monsters and Sara's kidnapping have to do with a vampire named Walter Bernhard that lives in a castle in the Forest of Eternal Night. Leon immediately leaves to rescue Sara.

Leon first goes to the Church asking for permission to sortee, but the Church will not allow it. Leon then renounces his title as Baron, along with his sword, and sets out alone on a journey to save his betrothed. Upon entering the Forest of Eternal Night Leon discovers that he is now trapped and cannot leave. It is then he meets Rinaldo, an alchemist that lives just outside of the castle. Rinaldo runs a shop that sells items to those who have the misfortune of coming there. He does this in an attempt to help someone eventually defeat Walter. When asked why Walter allows him to do this Rinaldo replies that the vampire considers it all to be a game. He does not seriously think that anyone can defeat him so he enjoys toying with his pursuers. The elderly shopkeeper then reveals that Walter has setup five guardians that block the way to his lair as another part of the "game." They must be defeated before anyone can confront him. Rinaldo then hands Leon a whip that he has made from alchemy and enchants Leon's gauntlet, giving him the ability to absorb magic power from enemies.

Leon thanks Rinaldo for his help and sets off into the castle. There, he battles his way through the areas controlled by the five guardians and destroys them one by one. After defeating the fifth guardian, Leon confronts Walter, who is holding Sara hostage. Leon attacks him with the whip but it proves to be ineffective. Walter instead laughs at the knight and allows him to have Sara back anyway. However, something is not right. It is only when Leon and Sara return to Rinaldo's house that they learn the awful truth: Sara has been bitten by Walter. Slowly the curse will take over her body until she eventually becomes a full vampire. Rinaldo informs Leon that the only way to defeat Walter is to combine a human soul with the whip. This would bring the whip to its completed and most powerful form. Hearing this, Sara offers herself as a sacrifice to make the weapon whole. Leon at first protests, but Sara insists. Finally, Leon relents and strikes Sara with the whip, causing her soul to fuse with the weapon. This changes the whip into its completed form, the Vampire Killer.

With his desire to destroy Walter stronger than ever, Leon heads back to the castle to confront the vampire again. This time, with the fully powered Vampire Killer, Leon is able to strike a mortal blow to the monster. As Walter dies, Leon is shocked to see the figure of Death appear. He then receives the biggest surprise of all when Mathias appears in front of him as well. Leon immediately knows that something is terribly wrong when he feels a rage rise up from the Vampire Killer. Mathias then explains that everything that has transpired has been part of an elaborate plot he created. Angry over the death of his wife, Mathias blamed God for taking her away from him and turned to evil. He then constructed a plan to lure Leon, the greatest warrior he knew, into a battle against Walter, being sure that Leon would win. Then, through the use of an artifact called the Crimson Stone, Mathias was able to absorb Walter's vampiric soul and become a vampire himself, able to curse God for eternity.

Satisfied with the success of his plan, Mathias offers immortality to Leon, because he to has lost a loved one and would understand Mathias's anger. However, Leon's response is not what Mathias expected. Instead of accepting his offer, Leon becomes enraged and calls Mathias a fool. Mathias responds by leaving Leon to fight with Death. After an intense battle Leon is able to defeat Death with the Vampire Killer because of the entity's association with a vampire (Mathias). He then tells Death to give Mathias this message: he will never forgive him for what he has done and that from this day forward the Belmont clan will hunt the night.

It is from this point forward that the Belmonts began their legacy of hunting evil with the Vampire Killer whip. Mathias would go into hiding until he would eventually reemerge more than 300 years later as Dracula, Lord of the Vampires.

1476 - Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
The year is 1476, and Count Dracula has started to ravage Europe with an army of monsters. His sole purpose is to exterminate mankind, extracting his vengeance upon humanity after the death of his beloved wife Lisa, mistakenly executed as a witch for preparing medicine to help the sick.

The Belmont family of vampire hunters, once exiled from Wallachia, are called into action by the Church. They feared the Belmonts' "super-human" power, but with Dracula menacing to swallow Europe in darkness, they are left with no choice but to call Trevor Belmont, current wielder of the Vampire Killer whip.

Joining Trevor Belmont in his mission to defeat Dracula are three new playable characters: Sypha Belnades, a young priestess with poor physical attack power but powerful magic spells at her disposal; Grant DaNasty, a pirate with the ability to climb on walls and change direction in mid-jump (a rare ability in earlier games of the series); and Alucard, Dracula's son, a dhampir with the ability to shoot fireballs and transform into a bat. Trevor can be accompanied by only one companion at a time, and the player can switch between Trevor and his ally with the "select" button. Both Trevor and whoever is accompanying him share the same health meter. The ending of the game differs depending on which companion Trevor has with him at the time, or if he does not take another character with him at all.

Trevor and his companions cross the Transylvanian countryside, defeat Dracula's minions, and eventually defeat the Count himself. Once his father is defeated, Alucard goes into a self-induced slumber, unable to cope with having fought his father. Moreover, he realized that his own power could pose a potential threat to the world. However, he would awaken in the late-eighteenth century when feeling the absence of a Belmont when Dracula was revived by the dark priest Shaft. Grant DaNasty oversees the reconstruction of Wallachia after the battle is finished. Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades end up getting married once peace is restored in the region (according to the Castlevania Time Line included with Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin).

Alucard appears in several subsequent Castlevania games, as do Sypha's distant relatives (Carrie Fernandez, Charlotte Aulin, and Yoko Belnades).

1479 - Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
According to Igarashi, Curse of Darkness is set in the year 1479, three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Though defeated by vampire hunter Trevor Belmont, Dracula's curse continues to ravage the European countryside, spreading disease, mob violence, and heresy in its wake. Amidst all this devastation is Hector, a Devil Forgemaster who had formerly worked under the employ of Dracula but betrayed him sometime during the events of Castlevania III. Eventually growing disgusted with Dracula's brutal methods, Hector leaves Castlevania and relinquishes his powers to live amongst humans, settling down to live a peaceful life. When Hector's fiance Rosaly is accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, Hector learns that her murder was directed by his fellow Forgemaster, Isaac. Seeking revenge, Hector chases his former colleague back to his old home, and back to the demonic life he believed he had left behind him.

When the game begins, Hector arrives at the ruins of Castlevania to confront Isaac. The latter scoffs at his desire for revenge and dares him to regain his powers so they can settle their score in a satisfying way. Hector reluctantly accepts the challenge, and starts hunting his former friend across the Transylvanian countryside. During his quest, he encounters several people: Julia Laforeze, a young witch in exile who turns out to be Isaac's sister, Trevor Belmont, who distrusts him for being a Devil Forgemaster, Zead, a kindly holyman who provides him with reliable information about Isaac's whereabouts, and St. Germain, a mysterious time traveller who presses him to abandon his quest, but eventually leaves him alone with some cryptic comments about a "new destiny" having emerged for him.

At one point, Trevor decides to trust Hector, and uses his own blood to unlock a parallel world called the Infinite Corridor, where Isaac is supposedly hiding. However, when Hector fights a Dullahan there, an evil glyph channels his energy and uses it to summon a new incarnation of Dracula's castle. Isaac, who intended this all along, cruelly stabs Trevor and leaves him for dead.

Hector enters the new Castlevania, where he fights and defeats his nemesis. As he prepares to kill him in a fit of rage, he suddenly remembers Julia, who had warned him not to let the Curse take hold of him. Horrified, Hector realizes that his actions are being controlled by Dracula's Curse. A triumphant Zead appears and confirms this, explaining that the Devil Forgemasters were supposed to fight to the death, with the blood-stained victor becoming the vessel for the Count's reincarnation. Having secured Isaac's body for this purpose, he reveals himself to be Death and attacks, in vain. Hector proceeds to destroy Dracula, and then uses his powers as a Devil Forgemaster to lift the Curse. Julia comes to his rescue, and they start a new life together. Meanwhile, St. Germain departs for the distant future, wondering how the struggle between mankind and Dracula will end.

1576 - The Castlevania Adventure
The year is 1576, one-hundred years after Trevor Belmont's successful battle against the evil Count Dracula. However, thanks to the power of the Crimson Stone, Dracula revives once again to wreak havoc on the people of Europe. This time, however, Christopher Belmont (great-grandfather of Simon Belmont), heir to the Vampire Killer whip, sets out towards Castlevania, the Count's dark home, to bring him to justice. However, Dracula is not destroyed, and fifteen years later, a terrible tragedy befalls the Belmont family...

1591 - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
It is 1591, and fifteen years have passed since Christopher Belmont (great-grandfather of Simon Belmont) defeated Dracula, saving Europe once again from the forces of darkness. Now, Soleiyu Belmont, Christopher's son, has come of age (turning age 15), and the Belmont Clan is celebrating Soleiyu's birthday. Unfortunately, Dracula, who had been laying in wait as a spirit for fifteen years, kidnaps the boy and transforms him into a powerful demon.

Dracula uses the boy's inherent power to create a new body for himself, four new castles and a citadel placed in the middle. Christopher must ventue out once again, with the Vampire Killer whip, to destroy Dracula and save his son.

1691 - Castlevania
It is the year 1691...The land of Transylvania has been at peace for one-hundred years now, thanks to the efforts of Christopher Belmont. The peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, times when the undead walked the earth...However, there are those that remember that the evil Count Dracula returns every one-hundred years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell...Thus, one evening, the Prince of Darkness rises and returns to Castlevania, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh.

The people cry out for a hero — someone to defend them from the evil desires of the Count. Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Transylvania the Belmont line still lives, as Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Solieyu Belmont, takes up the legendary whip called the Vampire Killer, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's castle...

Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of zombies, gigantic bats, and even faces Death himself, but in the end, he makes it to the Count and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor...

The price? The evil master places a curse of death upon Simon, which will lead him into a long and dangerous journey in the very near future...

1698 - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
According to the manual, seven years after the events of the game Castlevania, Simon Belmont visits his family's resting ground. His back is critically injured by his last encounter with Dracula in the previous game. He suddenly feels something behind him, and turns to see a young woman standing within the mist. She tells him that a curse was placed upon him by Dracula during their last battle, and that he doesn't have long to live. However, she continues to say that the curse can be undone if he resurrects Dracula himself. The woman explains Dracula's body was split into five different parts after his defeat seven years ago, and that Simon must recover these and bring them to Dracula's ruined stronghold, Castlevania. There, he must seal Dracula and defeat him. However, the unknown woman cannot guarantee that this will destroy Dracula permanently. She then disappears.[2][3]

During the game, Simon searches for the body parts of Dracula's corpse from five respective mansions. He succeeds returing them to Castlevania, and defeats the resurrected Dracula. He recovers from the curse.

1748 - Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Two years prior to the game's beginning, Maxim Kischine left on a training expedition in order to cope with his self-doubt after Juste Belmont was chosen over him to receive the legendary whip of the Belmont Clan, the Vampire Killer. Two years later, Maxim returned from his training expedition, badly wounded and with startling news: a childhood friend of Juste and Maxim by the name of Lydie Erlanger had been kidnapped. Maxim had also lost a great deal of his memory of the events of the past 2 years. Even so, he was able to lead Juste to the site of the disappearance, where they encountered a castle that hadn't been there previously. Juste hurried into the castle as Maxim recuperated in the entry way, promising to join Juste later.

As the story unfolds, Juste discovers that Maxim, in his eagerness to prove himself, had attempted to emulate the actions of Simon Belmont; he had gathered Dracula's remains in an attempt to resurrect the Dark Count, so that he could defeat Dracula himself. Something went wrong, and Maxim himself was possessed by the spirit of Dracula. Knowing this, Juste set out to collect the remains himself so that he could destroy them in order to save both Maxim and Lydie.

After locating Lydie and the remains, Juste once again confronts Maxim, who has once again been overcome by Dracula's spirit. After Juste defeats Maxim, Dracula seizes the opportunity to escape Maxim's body and reform himself. Juste manages to defeat the Count in battle, but without Dracula's dark pressence, the castle begins to crumble. Juste, Lydie and Maxim escape with their lives.

1792 - Castlevania Dracula X
It is the year 1792, and Dracula is revived by the Dark Priest Shaft. After building up his dark forces, he sets out for the village inhabited by 19-year-old Richter Belmont, heir to the Vampire Killer whip, and razes the village. Moreover, Dracula's minions kidnap Richter's girlfriend Annette, a young vampire huntress Maria Renard, and several other local villagers. Thus, burdened by both duty and destiny, Richter, wielding the whip of his ancestors, sets out for Castlevania.

Once there, Richter manages to free the people of his village (including Annette and Maria). Maria, although quite young, is able to assist him with her animal helpers. Richter and Maria prove victorious in the battle against Shaft, Death, and the lord of Darkness.

Dracula explains to them that it is the evil will of humans that brings him back, not his own dark nature. Thus, he says his return is inevitable. Richter responds, in a scene almost directly paralleled by his ancestor, saying that a member of the Belmont clan will always be there to fight Dracula. [2]

1797 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
The game's story takes place during the year 1797 and 5 years after the events of Rondo of Blood and Castlevania: Dracula X(Dracula X has been officially removed from Castlevania timeline). The story unfolds as Richter Belmont defeats Count Dracula at the end of the former game. However, a curse cast by Shaft causes Richter to fall under his control and effectively become a demon. Richter claims lordship of Castlevania, which, in this installment, is explained as a malevolent entity under Chaos' sway that periodically (each incarnation) alters itself internally to confuse invaders. This causes the son of Dracula, Alucard, to awaken from his self-induced sleep, to find Richter Belmont missing, and to begin searching for clues to his disappearance. The trail leads to his father Dracula's castle, Castlevania, which has reappeared after only five years of banishment instead of the traditional century. This is where the game's plot truly starts, with Alucard deciding to brave his father's cursed realm and find Richter and determine what happened to him.

Alucard ventures through and explores the very large and elaborate Castlevania to investigate Belmont's mysterious disappearance. As he begins his quest, the spectre of Death, an ally of Dracula, appears. After some icy banter and an unsuccessful attempt to sway Alucard back to his father's cause, Death takes away Alucard's family heirloom sword and garments. After travelling through part of the castle, Alucard encounters Maria Renard, Richter's sister-in-law, at the center of its interior, the Clock Room. She states she is also questing for details of Richter's fate. During his quest, Alucard finds various other weapons, shields, armor, capes, rings, and items to aid him.

There are four separate endings to the story (five in Saturn version), depending on Alucard's level of exploration of Castlevania itself. If a certain sequence of events is followed, Richter is revealed to be under the influence of Shaft's will. After the latter is defeated, an inverted version of Castlevania, the Inverted Castle, appears from the heavens. This castle contains another entire series of adventures, crowned by the ultimate face-off between Alucard and his revived father, Dracula himself.

1917 - Castlevania: Bloodlines
As stated in its introduction, the game takes place in 1917.

In 1897, the long war between humanity and Dracula came to an end, as Dracula was laid to eternal rest by Quincy Morris, a descendant of the Belmont family. Peace was restored to Europe, until the outbreak of the first World War, which transformed the continent into a dark world filled with massacre and violence. At the beginning of the war, on June 1914 at Sarajevo, the Crown Prince of Austria was assassinated. It was said that a strange beautiful woman was involved, within the shadows. It was Elizabeth Bartley (エリザベート・バートリー Elizabeth Báthory). In order to revive her uncle, Count Dracula, she conducted an unholy ceremony which caused the war, giving her possession of human souls from Europe.

And now, two silhouettes can be seen near Castle Dracula. John Morris, a descendant of the famed Belmont and Morris families who obeyed his fate to fight vampires day and night, and Eric Lecarde, whose girlfriend was transformed into a vampire when Elizabeth was revived. After Drolta Tzuentes (ドロテア・ツェンテス Dorothea Szentes) resurrected Elizabeth Bartley, they traveled across Europe to conduct the resurrection of Count Dracula. John Morris and Eric Lecarde followed them. Even though the resurrection of Dracula was a success, the vampire hunters defeated him, and his allies.

1944 - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Prior to the start of the game, the two sisters, Stella and Loretta travel to Dracula's castle in search of their father, Eric Lecarde. After traversing through the castle, the two arrive at Brauner's lair where they find their father defeated. Seeing the two sisters, Brauner grabs them and turns them into vampires. At the beginning of the game, Jonathan and Charlotte encounter Vincent at the gates of the castle, who serves as a merchant. Upon entering the castle, Jonathan and Charlotte encounter an enigmatic blue figure which they first identify as hostile. After the figure transforms into a humanoid male, the figure explains that he was killed a short time ago and had cast a magical barrier to keep himself conscious while still within the confines of the castle. Jonathan and Charlotte attempt several times to get a name from the ex-human, but he simply says that he should be called "Wind".

Shortly after meeting Wind, Jonathan and Charlotte find one of the magical portraits Brauner is using to control the castle's energies to his will. Unable to destroy it from outside, the two travel into the world within. Soon, they find Brauner's channeler, a Dullahan. Shortly after its defeat, one of the vampire sisters appears and disdains their efforts, saying their control is lessened in only a minor degree. Later, when entering the second portrait, they find Brauner and the two twins; Brauner laughs at the notion of reviving Dracula, as he has failed too many times to control humanity, but concedes his power is too great to ignore. Both sisters desire to kill the two humans, but Brauner sees Death, as a greater threat, as he could wrest control from him far more easily than them. In the hallway connecting several areas of Castlevania, Charlotte and Jonathan encounter Death, who acts as if Dracula were already revived. When informed Dracula is still dead, and that another vampire is controlling the castle, he scoffs at the idea of a hand other than Dracula's to rule Castlevania. Yet, he is gravely disturbed when he sees the statements are true, and promptly leaves to seek a way to destroy Brauner and revive Dracula.

Jonathan and Charlotte encounter Stella at the base of the Tower of Death, and after being promptly defeated, she loses her locket as she flees with her sister. Opening the locket, Charlotte finds a photo of the twins with Wind, and both decide to question him. Wind confesses his true name, Eric Lecarde, that the twins are not Brauner's, but his own. Later, Jonathan and Charlotte confront Death, who wants to disassociate himself from Brauner and has no desire to fight. Nevertheless, he engages them but is defeated and flees. When Jonathan and Charlotte reach the towering spire of the Master's Keep, they find the throne room that belonged to Dracula sealed off, and conclude Brauner is delaying Dracula's revival to siphon his power to fuel his own agenda.

After searching the castle, Jonathan and Charlotte obtain the Sanctuary spell, a magical attack that dispels curses and allows the dead to rest in peace. During the battle with the twins, the sisters are cured of their vampirism by Charlotte's spell. This allows them to regain their sanity, and they subsequently offer to perform a ritual that allows Jonathan to utilize Vampire Killer's full power. After Jonathan passes the test and defeats the Memory of the Whip, an entity bearing the likeness of Richter Belmont, he is warned not to overuse it. After they are defeated, the twins open a passage leading to a massive storeroom where five portraits are kept, one which leads to Brauner's studio is kept. In spite of this, it is guarded by four chains, each representing one of Brauner's channelers in the four other paintings. Upon the destruction of the channelers, Brauner's studio is unlocked. The two confront Brauner and defeat him. When confronted about his acts, he admits Justice wasn't on his side, but refuses to acknowledge it was on the heroes'. Death suddenly hovers from above, and kills Brauner with one swing of his scythe. This act destroys the painting sealing the Throne Room, and Jonathan and Charlotte then go to battle with Dracula.

But before they can even engage him, Death enters the room and sides with his master, and together they attack the heroes. During the course of the battle, Death and Dracula merge into a more powerful form, but they are eventually defeated by Jonathan and Charlotte. When destroyed, everybody flees the castle, and see from the distance as the immense walls collapse. Later, the twins, Jonathan and Charlotte are visited in he fields outside of the castle by Eric's ghost, who gives some advice to the twins and thanks Charlotte and Jonathan for destroying the curse. As he leaves, Stella pleads him not to go, but she is convinced to let him go by her sister. They all leave to help Vincent, unaware he is actually chasing them.

1999 - The Demon Castle Wars
Thirty-six years before the start of Aria of Sorrow, Dracula was defeated by the Belmont clan, and his powers sealed into a solar eclipse.[19][20] Shortly after Dracula's death, a prophecy was made that Dracula's reincarnation would come to his castle in 2035 and inherit all of Dracula's powers.

2035 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
The story begins in the year 2035, when Soma Cruz is visiting Japan as a transfer student, and living near the Hakuba shrine. During a solar eclipse, he visits the Hakuba shrine with his longtime childhood friend Mina Hakuba.[23] He and Mina are then drawn into the eclipse, landing in a mysterious castle, where they meet Genya Arikado. Arikado reveals that they are in Dracula's castle.[29] After a group of monsters appear and are dispatched by Arikado, one of the monsters' souls is absorbed by Soma. Arikado explains this as the awakening of Soma's "power of dominance."[22] Arikado then directs Soma to enter the castle and seek the masters' chamber.

As Soma proceeds through the castle, he confronts several characters, each present due to a prophecy related to Dracula's powers. Graham Jones, a missionary that has come to the castle, befriends Soma. Graham explains the nature of the castle,[30] and reveals that Dracula, long thought to be immortal, is truly dead, and that his powers will be passed down onto his reincarnation.[19] When Soma proceeds further into the castle, he meets the witch Yoko Belnades, who is present on the orders of the Roman Catholic Church. Yoko is looking for Graham, who she believes is dangerous and the inheritor of Dracula's powers.[31] She clarifies the nature of Soma's powers, revealing that they are not necessarily evil, but inherent to Soma himself.[32] Later, Soma encounters Hammer, a member of the United States Army ordered to come to the Hakuba shrine. He has forfeited his mission, however, in favor of selling goods.[33] He becomes Soma's vendor, selling numerous goods to aid Soma's quest. A mysterious man then accosts Soma, asking about the nature of Soma's dark power. When Soma continues to converse with him, the man reveals that he has amnesia, and the only thing he remembers is his name starts with "J".[26]

Soma meets Graham again, and questions him on Yoko's suspicions. Graham claims he will receive Dracula's powers, as he is Dracula himself.[27] Graham inquires as to the nature of Soma's powers, to which Soma responds that he has "the power to rule," sending Graham into a panic.[34] Concerned, Soma confides this incident to Yoko, who recommends that Soma join her in stopping Graham.[35] As Soma proceeds further through the castle, he comes upon a scene of Graham stabbing Yoko with a knife. Graham retreats, and Yoko warns Soma of Graham's power.[36] Arikado arrives, promises Soma he will look after Yoko, and demands that Soma pursue Graham.[37] Soma meets "J" again, who reveals he is Julius Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula in 1999.[20] As he leaves, he remarks that he knows something about the current situation, but does not elaborate.[38]

Soma ascends to the castle's keep and confronts Graham in the throne room. Although Soma's sole desire is to leave the castle, Graham is convinced that Soma must be killed for binding the souls of the castle's demons.[39] Soma manages to defeat Graham, even after Graham uses his newfound powers to assume a demonic form. As Graham falls in defeat, Soma absorbs his powers, and realizes he is Dracula's reincarnation.[40] Arikado arrives and reveals a way for Soma to save himself by halting the flow of chaos into the castle.[41] Soma proceeds to the Chaotic Realm, but Julius attacks him, believing that Soma is Dracula.[42] Julius allows Soma to defeat him, as he sensed Soma's soul fighting against Dracula's influence.[43] Before he leaves, Soma elicits a promise from Julius to kill him if he fully becomes Dracula.[44] Soma travels through the Chaotic Realm, and finally comes upon the source of chaos. Soma manages to defeat the manifestation of chaos, and is sent congratulations by Yoko, Hammer, Julius, and Arikado. Soma awakens outside the castle with Mina, pleased that the conflict is over.

2036 - Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
One year after the events in Aria of Sorrow, Soma is living peacefully, and believes that his powers have been lost.[23] A woman who identifies herself as Celia Fortner, appears and summons several monsters. Arikado arrives to help Soma defeat the monsters, after which Soma absorbs their souls. Celia retreats, proclaiming that she will destroy Soma. Soma expresses disbelief at the return of his powers, but Arikado reveals that he never lost them.[26] He informs Soma that Celia is the head of a cult that seeks the resurrection of the dark lord.[27] He leaves, instructing Soma not to pursue Celia.

Soma, however, uses information acquired from Hammer to locate the cult's base, a facsimile of Dracula's castle.[28] Hammer arrives, and as he has left the military, agrees to be Soma's vendor.[29] After entering the castle, Soma encounters Yoko and Julius Belmont. As Julius leaves, Soma escorts Yoko to a safe location. During this time, she instructs him in the use of a Magic Seal, which is necessary to defeat certain monsters in the castle.[30] As Soma travels farther into the castle, he meets Celia, who is flanked by two men, Dmitrii Blinov and Dario Bossi. Celia explains their nature as the "dark lord's candidates," who can become the dark lord by destroying Soma.[25] He later encounters Dmitrii and is able to defeat him. Soma gains dominance over his soul, although he acquires no abilities.[31] As Soma travels further, he comes upon Dario. Soma bests him, and Celia teleports Dario away from harm.

Soma meets Arikado, who is initially angered by Soma's presence, but accepts the situation. He gives Soma a letter and a talisman from Mina. Soma briefs Arikado on the current situation, and Arikado leaves to locate Dario. Soma comes upon Dario and Julius, with the latter defeated due to his inability to use a Magic Seal.[32] Dario retreats, instructing Soma to fight him in the castle's throne room. Soma does so, lambasting Dario for only desiring power, and promising to defeat him.[33] Before the battle begins, Soma uses one of his souls to transport himself into the mirror in the room, revealing Aguni, the fire demon sealed to Dario's soul. Soma defeats Aguni, leaving Dario powerless. As Dario flees, Celia arrives, and instructs Soma to come to the castle's center.

Upon arriving, Soma is forced to watch Celia kill Mina. Furious, he begins to succumb to his dark power.[34] The talisman that Mina gave Soma is able to slow the transformation, enabling Arikado to arrive in time to inform Soma that the "Mina" that Celia killed was a dopplegänger.[35] This aborts the transformation, but a soul exits Soma and enters the dopplegänger, which takes on the appearance of Dmitrii. Dmitrii states that he died as a gambit to copy Soma's power of dominance, and leaves with Celia to increase his strength by absorbing the souls of additional demons.[36] Soma and Arikado chase after the two, and find them in the castle's basement. Dmitrii, using Celia as a sacrifice, seals Arikado's powers, and engages Soma. However, his soul is unable to bear the strain of controlling the demons he has absorbed, and they erupt out of him, combining into a gargantuan creature. Soma manages to defeat the creature, but the souls that composed the demon begin to fall under Soma's dominance. He rejects them, and flees the castle with Arikado. Soma is conflicted over the present situation, as he believes it is fated that he will become the dark lord, but Arikado convinces him that his fate is not fixed.[37] Soma then shares a tender moment with Mina, much to the amusement of the onlookers.

"Another story"
These games have been officially "retconned" from the official timeline by IGA. Castlevania: Legends has a big inconsistency with Lament of Innocence, and the three others do not include a member of the Belmont or Morris families. However, it should be noted that on the Castlevania timeline in the 20th anniversary collector edition of Portrait of Ruin, theses three games are present, without any description. As a matter of fact, these they are of no importance in regards to the overall storyline (apart from the implication in Legends that Trevor is the son of Sonia and Alucard, which would set up a direct line of descent for future Belmonts from Dracula).

1450 - Castlevania: Legends
In 1450, the Dark Lord, Dracula, reached the height of his power, having undertaken a dark transmigration from his human body which gave him the power to rule over all that was evil. He began to send out armies of the undead to conquer the nations of the world one by one.

However, in the province of Transylvania in Dracula's own homeland of Romania, there lived a girl named Sonia Belmont. From her earliest days, Sonia had been gifted with unusual supernatural powers, including the ability to see spiritual beings unnoticed by most. She was always taught that her powers must be used for good, and she was trained by her grandfather to fight with an heirloom whip.

At the age of 17, Sonia set out to find her true purpose. She met the enigmatic Alucard, the prodigal son of Dracula, who was just beginning his own campaign against his father's madness. The two remained with one another for some time, and it is suggested that they fell in love. However, Sonia learned of the full extent of Dracula's evil from Alucard when he told her of his plan to fight his father, and after a time she left him to find her own way to the Dark Lord's castle.

Once Sonia arrived at the castle, she battled through an array of challenges until she reached the castle's throne room. Here she met Alucard, and the two were equally astonished to see each other. Alucard did not want Sonia to be involved in the battle against his father because he feared for her life, and because he felt it was his own duty to deal with the transgressions of his bloodline. However, Sonia's determination to fight on was ferocious, and Alucard could tell that she would not back down. So to assure himself, he challenged her to a battle. Once she had pushed him to his limit, he conceded that her power was greater than he had known, and bid her a final farewell. He then entered what may have been the first of his long periods of sleep.

Sonia went on to fight and defeat Dracula. As his monsterous dragon-like form began to burn away, he warned her that victory was not so simple, and that as long as there was evil in the world, he would continue to rise again and again. Sonia countered by stating that as long as the Belmont bloodline existed, Dracula would rise only to be defeated again.

Not long after, Sonia gave birth to her child. Sonia's sound defeat of Dracula created great fear amongst the people of Wallachia and Transylvania, and though they had been spared slavery and death, they chose to exile the Belmonts. The Belmonts left behind some of their kin to watch in secret for Dracula's return, and they would continue to answer the calling of their bloodline.

1830 - Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
The year is 1830. At an old Austrian castle, the worshippers of Chaos were attempting to revive the Lord of Darkness, Count Dracula. The Vampire Hunter Morris Baldwin and his apprentices, Nathan Graves and Hugh Baldwin, heard of this and headed to Castlevania to stop Count Dracula from coming back to life and uniting the powers of darkness. However, they arrived a few seconds after Camilla, a minion of Count Dracula, had already started the rite to revive her master.

In order for Dracula to regain his former power, he would need to wait until the full moon ritual was completed. Before the group could fight Dracula and seal him again, Dracula destroyed the floor under Nathan and Hugh, causing them to plummet down a long shaft, leaving Morris alone with Dracula and Camilla. Fortunately, Nathan and Hugh survived the fall. Hugh ran off to save his father after telling Nathan to get out of the castle. Nathan decided not to, as he wanted to rescue his mentor more than anything. He then explored the large castle, fighting Dracula's minions along the way.

As Nathan made it through the castle, he met up with Hugh multiple times, who appeared to be changing significantly in his mannerisms, seeing Nathan as a glory hog who didn't deserve the Hunter's Whip. Eventually, Nathan encountered Camilla, who explained that she and Dracula had been tampering with his mind to cause these changes. Nathan managed to vanquish Camilla in her true form, and caught up with Hugh once more. Upon seeing Nathan, Hugh immediately attacked, saying that he would defeat Nathan to prove himself to his father. However, Nathan managed to defeat Hugh and snap him out of the mind control.

He eventually arrived at the ceremonial room and attempted to vanquish Dracula and save his master from being sacrificed as a part of the dark ritual. While he fought Dracula, Hugh freed Morris and together they escaped the castle, leaving Nathan to fight Dracula alone. Dracula first attacked him in the traditional fashion, using fireballs and teleporting around the room. But then, for the final fight, Dracula teleported Nathan and himself to another dimension where he could assume his true form. Nathan fought on and defeated Dracula again. Before he was sealed, Dracula stated "It is a wasted effort. I will never be truly gone. So long as there is darkness and desire in the soul of man, I will continue to be revived". Nathan replied, "And we will be there to stop you. You can bet on that". Dracula died and the castle crumbled. Nathan then left to continue his training with Morris and Hugh.

1844 - Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Set in the year 1844, the game stars the man-beast Cornell in his quest to prevent his adoptive sister, Ada, from being used as a sacrifice to resurrect Lord Dracula. The game opens as Cornell arrives at his village, which has been burned to the ground by Dracula's minions. He finds Ada's pendant in a doorway and follows her scent to Dracula's castle.

During the course of the game, Cornell comes upon a grand estate owned by the Oldrey family: J.A. Oldrey, the master of the Villa, Mary, his wife, and Henry, their son. Gilles de Rais and Actrise have turned Oldrey Senior into a vampire. At Mary's request, Cornell guides Henry to safety. Later in life, Henry returns to Castlevania to save kidnapped children.

Throughout the game, Cornell encounters his rival and fellow man-beast, Ortega. Ortega has allied himself with Dracula to finally best Cornell in combat. They eventually battle near the end of the game, just before Cornell defeats Dracula and saves his sister. He only accomplishes the latter by sacrificing his man-wolf powers. Unbeknownst to the hero, acquiring this power was the true aim of the dark forces, as it was the perfect sacrifice (not Ada, as Cornell had assumed) to resurrect Dracula at his full power.

The quests for Carrie Fernandez and Reinhardt Schneider (from the original Castlevania for the N64) are also featured in Legacy of Darkness. They can be unlocked by rescuing children in Henry's quest.

1852 - Castlevania 64
Dracula reawakens in 1852, after a century of enforced slumber, as a result of humankind's descent into vice and wickedness. Two young heroes sense his return: Carrie Fernandez, a girl gifted with magic powers, and Reinhardt Schneider, heir to the ancient Belmont clan of vampire hunters. The two set out to storm the Count's castle in the Transylvanian province of Wallachia and vanquish him.

As they penetrate the castle walls, an aristocratic vampire appears to warn Carrie and Reinhardt that "all who oppose the Dark Lord will die."[2] The two then come upon a decrepit villa, where they meet the elderly vampire hunter Charles Vincent, beautiful yet unwilling vampire Rosa, demonic salesman Renon, and young boy Malus. Beneath the estate's maze garden lies a subterranean path to the castle's center, where Dracula's servants (Actrise and Death) attempt to waylay the heroes by pitting them in battle against their loved ones (the Fernandez warrior and Rosa).

Carrie kills her vampirized kin while Reinhardt bests Rosa in combat. The heroes then climb several of the castle's towers before confronting Actrise and Death atop the Room of Clocks. With their defeat, the heroes move on to climb the Clock Tower to the Castle's Keep.

The heroes may also need to battle Renon, the Demon Salesman in his true form. This depends upon if thirty thousand gold or more is spent with Renon over the course of the game.

If the hero took sixteen[citation needed] or more "in game" days to reach the second chamber on the stairs to the Castle Keep, Vincent will have arrived before them, been defeated by the aristocratic vampire assumed to be Dracula (in reality Gilles de Rais[citation needed]), and turned into a vampire (thus triggering the bad ending). The hero will then have to battle Vincent. Without Vincent's intercession, the hero will not discover that Malus was indeed Dracula reincarnate - not simply possessed by him - and receive one of the bad endings in which the hero rescues the boy.

If the player took fifteen or fewer days[citation needed] to reach the second chamber on the stairs to the Castle Keep, they will arrive before Charles Vincent (thus triggering the good ending). After fighting de Rais disguised as Dracula, they will encounter Malus - who transforms into an adult - and defeat him atop the Clock Tower. After his defeat, Malus will regain the form of a child. Attempting to dupe the hero, he will pretend to have no recollection of the battle, but Vincent will arrive and douse the boy with holy water. Vincent explains that Malus was not possessed, but was in fact Dracula reincarnate. Malus then transports the hero to an alternate realm to battle his true form, a centipedal dragon. After Dracula's defeat the player will receive one of the good endings: In Carrie's ending she places a nosegay upon her stepmother's grave. In Reinhardt's ending Rosa, who sacrificed herself for him atop the Room of Clocks, is revived and her humanity restored.