Missing In Action
After the defeat of Dracula at the hands of Richter,
the Belmont family went into an undocumented hibernation whereby they were forbidden
to come in contact with the Vampire Killer until the time of Dracula's next
true-cycle resurrection, which was understood to be every 100 years. Although
a largely unexplored theme, this troublesome quirk meant that the Belmonts would
be out of the picture and unable to counter any threat mounted by the underworld
and its attempts to revive Lord Dracula early. Luckily for the world's habitants,
there was a loophole: Over time, the family had splintered, with several blood-related
factions bearing alternate surname branching out to several territories. During
the Belmonts' absence, they could leave to a faction's care the whip and the
mystic sub-weapons just in case deviants tried to resurrect Dracula before
his time. For a matter of such safekeeping, the arsenal was left in the hands
of elders from the Baldwin and Graves factions. Though of comparable power,
family members not directly in the line of Belmont heroes to touch the
Vampire Killer would face dire consequences only to be revealed to them in time.
Still, such a transition was years in the making and
would not precipitate for some time. It would be more than a decade before the
common folk discovered that the Belmont clan's absence was more than just an
ordinary sabbatical; even those with close ties were unaware of the true suitors'
location and began to sense a potentially dire scenario. Those in power, assuming
that the clan would not be returning, could no longer afford to wait
and began to search for new ways to counter the threat of Count Dracula.
The terrifying truth was that even the
most enlightened souls could find struggle in resisting darkness and unwittingly
play a role in the supernatural events that beget the reawakening of Count Dracula,
whose trademark was a series of resurrections that had been occurring since
the middle ages. While through sheer effort the whole of humanity had managed
to avoid darkness in favor of prosperity, it was in the early 19th century when
the masses in alarming number began to lose their way. Considering the unexplained
absence of the Belmont family, which had always fought to foil the plans of
the Dark Lord and his ill-intentioned allies, those in a position of power thought
it best to search for new ways to counter the threat.
The bravest of citizens pooled together
and formed organizations whose purpose was to counteract any effort to revive
Count Dracula and if unsuccessful put to use all acquired knowledge to destroy
him where he stands. One such organization was Ecclesia, which day after day
would diligently conduct its studies, often without satisfactory results. This
was before Barlowe, Ecclesia's founder and head tactician, finally made a surprising
breakthrough that could serve as a considerable countermeasure against Dracula.
Ecclesia's limited number of members specialized in the researching of glyphs,
which are artistic symbols--magical energy representative of the power that
dwells within all things. Barlowe was able to split powerful magic into three
parts and artificially create a glyph of ultimate power called Dominus, a representation
of the Dark Lord (hatred, anger and agony) altered as such to be used as a weapon
against him. When the operation was complete, Barlowe would choose for
one of his students to be Dominus' bearer, a rite that was viewed as a great
honor.
It
was surmised as a no-brainer that chosen would be Albus, Ecclesia's chief researcher,
Barlowe's assistant, and a man highly skilled in the magic. Albus was in fact
so sure of this rite that he abandoned a current mission to that day show up
at Ecclesia, brimming with confidence and anticipating the ceremony wherein
he would absorb Dominus and establish his celebrity as the blade to banish all
evil. He didn't show this emotion outwardly to Shanoa, his friend and fellow
Ecclesia member, until she informed him that Barlowe had instead chosen her
as the bearer, apparently breaking a promise he had made to Albus. Her echoing
of Barlowe's true sentiments, that Albus was "unfit" to bear such
a power, only served to send the youth into a fiery rage. After lecturing him
on Ecclesia's ultimate goal and chiding him for his lack of team spirit, she
responded to the ringing of the bell and hurried off, leaving behind the incensed
Albus, who muttered to himself that he would hold Barlowe to his "promise,"
despite orders to the contrary
Shanoa joined Barlowe in Ecclesia's ceremonial
room and readied herself for the ultimate of channelings. The proud Barlowe
explained that it would be nearly impossible for her to control Dominus' power
under current conditions, thus the importance of a ritual that would allow for
her body to adjust to such a power. Shanoa moved to make a declaration as to
her intentions in following this upcoming mission, but she was overcome by Barlowe's
overwhelming excitement and instead moved into position. Barlowe began the incantation,
Shanoa's cue to begin absorbing; unexpectedly, the room went dark, the ritual
interrupted by an unknown force. It was Albus, whose intrusion caused a violent
halt to the proceedings. "You lied to me," he fired at Barlowe,
who countered that Albus' inability to follow orders led to his lack of understanding
the truth--that only Shanoa had the power to channel glyphs, which was the necessary
ingredient to harnessing Dominus. Rather than agreeing to Barlowe's request
that the three work together to overcome his weakness, Albus simply absorbed
Dominus for himself, announcing his intent to use the power to launch his own
mission. Barlowe acted quickly in trying to subdue Albus with an electrically
charged spell, which was met by a Max Shot fired from his glyph-powered Agartha
pistol. "You are my master no longer," he hissed at the flustered
Barlowe, who was watching Ecclesia's years of work go up in flames. Albus then
escaped the building, his scheme unknown.
Several weeks passed before they were able
to pick up the pieces. Shanoa by the result of the ritual's explosive interruption
had lost her memory and would have to again endure basic training. Barlowe started
by granting her possession of a rapier glyph, which she used against conjured
adversaries to rediscover her fighting spirit and warrior instincts. Barlowe
reintroduced Shanoa to her exclusive Glyph Union ability, by which she could
combine three separate glyphs and unleash a superpowered attack. Finally, he
assigned her a new mission: To hunt down Albus, about whom she had no memory,
and reclaim the three separate pieces of Dominus. Only scattered flashbacks
revealed to her "a man who had interrupted the ritual"--a man described
to her by Barlowe as one who once cared for her like a brother but came to covet
her power. They had one temporary advantage: Dominus could not be used by ordinary
men--even Albus, whose abilities were considerable; though, with a mind as keen
and cunning as Albus', a way to harness these powers might eventually be found,
which is why it was imperative to track him down immediately and hopefully bring
him back in one piece, his defeat likely resulting in the Dominus' loss. "In
Castlevania's shadow, evil thrives," Barlowe explained, underscoring the
mission's danger.
Albus' early tracks led to a monastery,
former home to disheveled monks and a fine place to test the limits of his new
powers. By putting to use her absorbing ability, Shanoa was able to capture
the Magnes glyph that allowed her to reach the monastery's heights. After defeating
its guardian, Arthroverta, she located Albus in the next room. Albus only downplayed
her efforts in tracking him down, citing her loss of proficiency in channeling
glyphs. He then swore he would never return to Ecclesia, even when Shanoa
asserted that it was Barlowe's direct order. "Never say that name again!"
Albus shouted with venom before firing his pistol. As she avoided the attack,
Albus quickly fled, leaving behind a map clearly marking a nearby village.
Shanoa
followed the map to Wygol Village, a nearly deserted settlement where she found
a man encased in a torpor crystal glyph. By absorbing the glyph, she was able
to free the man, who introduced himself as Nikolai, the village's founder. Not
concerned of his own status, Nikolai explained that the once-active village
had gone barren when "that man" imprisoned him and then spirited away
its other twelve habitants. While unaware of the perpetrator's identity, he
remembered that the man mentioned something about the "Prison Island,"
a forsaken place to which criminals were once banished. "Could it have
been Albus?" Shanoa wondered, the fate of the villagers now weighing on
her heart. She sprinted across Ruvas Forest and the Kalidus Channel to reach
Minera Prison Island, it, too, haunted by vengeful souls. She rushed to its
center point, where she again located Albus, who this time was a bit more impressed;
he even had for her a reward, which he released into the open. She wasted no
time in absorbing what was surely Dominus--or at least a shard of it
("Hatred"), as Albus had learned to splinter Dominus into separate
pieces. "What are you thinking?" the confused Shanoa asked. Regardless
of his odd behavior, she insisted that he return to Ecclesia, to which he again
declined, noting that he had not yet fulfilled his role. That he was he able
to create a glyph without casting it was of concern to Shanoa, who believed
herself to be the only one capable of doing so; she relayed these happenings
to Barlowe, who was happy to have reclaimed at least one piece of Dominus even
though he, too, had no idea what Albus was planning.
Shanoa
headed to the prison's lighthouse, where after defeating the monstrous Brachyura
and rescuing a villager she escaped through its basement and followed the path
through the watery depths of Kalidus, across the Misty Forest Road, over the
Tymeo Mountains, and into a cave made entirely of skeletal remains, where she
found Albus experimenting on another villager. She demanded he cease such activity,
and he complied rather calmly. Why did the villagers have to be involved in
his scheme when it didn't concern them? "Doesn't it?" he questioned
with a sense of obviousness, stating that it would soon all make sense; he then
vanished, no sign of surrender. The villager explained that Albus had drawn
his blood and chanted a few words, after which he promised to return to the
village. Shanoa traveled back to Wygol to talk to Nikolai, who confirmed that
"the man" had returned, armed with a device that he used to
take samples of the villagers' blood. "Could he be the monster whispered
of in legend [Dracula]?" he worried. Why Albus needed blood was a new mystery
that might be solved if Shanoa would visit the old mansion beyond the cove.
Nikolai claimed that legends of Dracula existed even before Wygol was established;
of more interest were his comments that his ancestors were people who fought
against evil.
Shanoa
trekked through the Somnus Reef and arrived at the old mansion, now called "The
Giant's Dwelling" due to a legend that tells of a fearsome giant who took
up residence after local authorities abandoned the estate. She battled her way
through its tattered innards, bested its large owner, and eventually caught
up to Albus, ever more impressed by her perseverance. Not to be patronized,
she noted that a blind man could have found him, as he left an obvious trail.
It's like when they were young--when they'd play tag and he'd let her win when
she started crying. "Why not try it now, and perhaps I'll let you catch
me," he taunted. She refused, as crying was something she could never remember
doing. "No tears, no deal," he continued. Still, leaving her empty-handed
wasn't an option, so he again released to her care another glyph--Dominus Anger,
which she absorbed with haste. His behavior continued to seem erratic. Albus
quizzed her as to the true nature of Dominus, which she defined as an ultimate
glyph that could be used to destroy Dracula. She was half-right, he disclosed,
revealing that Barlowe actually used Dracula's remains to create Dominus.
She couldn't believe it, even when Albus urged her to return to Ecclesia to
question Barlowe about these matters.
She confronted Barlowe, who had been hiding
from her a frightening truth: He detailed the Belmont legacy and how they used
a holy whip to keep Dracula at bay until they one day disappeared. As a result,
men created other tools, much like the glyphs Ecclesia controls. After Ecclesia
proved its mettle, men of power entrusted a certain object to its care--the
vessel for the soul of Dracula, which was securely sealed away within the very
room in which they stood. They accepted care of it with only the purpose of
one day destroying it, granting mankind's greatest wish. However, there was
a technicality: Even their greatest powers failed to scratch the vessel. If
the men of power discovered this, they would take back the vessel, and Ecclesia
would be finished. So Barlowe sought a greater power--one strong enough
to topple Dracula. The answer was obvious: Fight fire with fire. He took
samples from Dracula's remains and converted them into Dominus! Even with such
wisdom, he didn't foresee that others among them might seek to make use of such
a power in a destructive way. Albus, though perhaps believing his actions to
be for a greater good, still had the final piece of Dominus, and it had to be
reclaimed.
 Shanoa
picked up the trail where she left off, cutting through Tristis Pass and
down into Oblivion Ridge. She entered a corridor only to find the final
piece of Dominus encased in a glyph. Albus then appeared before her with
the intent of explaining why he left the other pieces in her possession.
He absorbed the encased glyph and was overcome with dark energy. "Barlowe
said you weren't able to bear Glyphs," exclaimed the puzzled Shanoa.
Still struggling to control the energy, Albus swore not to be consumed.
Before teleporting away, he spoke of his "wish," which was apparently
close to fruition. Shanoa hurried back to Ecclesia to inform Barlowe of
this event. As Barlowe feared, Albus found a way around his limitations,
mainly from studying how Shanoa was able to absorb glyphs; now capable of
such, he'd certainly want to retrieve the two pieces of Dominus he had relinquished.
It was now inevitable that Dominus would devour his mind. Barlowe, with
great sadness, ordered that Albus be put out of his misery, for he could
no longer resist Dracula's will. He pointed Shanoa in the direction of the
graveyard, beyond which Albus had surely fled. |
She
dredged through the Argila Swamp and entered the Mystery Manor, scene of a number
of bizarre murders. She made her way to its basement, where she found Albus
waiting. He now had one goal: To take back the pieces of Dominus. She wondered
what he hoped to gain from being consumed by darkness. He had no answer, as
he could only submit to the dark energy; when he thereafter referred to himself
as "Dracula," Shanoa had no choice but to destroy him. The highly
skilled Albus was soon defeated, leaving behind the final piece of Dominus.
Her mission was complete. She absorbed the final piece of Dominus and was overcome
by an odd sensation--it was Albus' memories; he appeared to her as only a vision,
free from his suffering and once again the caring brother she once knew. What
kind of brother would he be if he didn't protect her? She saw into his past
to learn the true meaning of those words: Albus knew that the accepting of Dominus
would interfere with one's memory and emotions, an undesirable fate; so he volunteered
to bear the responsibility in her place, to which Barlowe agreed before sending
him out on a "mission" (allegedly to remove him from the equation
and renege on the promise). But Shanoa was told that Albus stole her
memories, not Dominus.
Albus was appearing to Shanoa not within
her mind but from inside Dominus, itself, which she had absorbed. The holy whip's
legacy made many such things possible. After he was betrayed by Barlowe, Albus
fled with Dominus, effectively taking her place as bearer and putting her out
of harm's way. Alone, he continued his research into methods of controlling
Dominus, which is Dracula's very power. To that end, he required the blood of
the sacred Belmont clan, whose heritage he hoped to trace. "The villagers,"
Shanoa deduced correctly. Fate drew them to Wygol--all thirteen of the village's
habitants descended from that bloodline. Though he studied their blood with
great diligence, the answer escaped him, and he was consumed by Dominus. His
body gone, his spirit remained, absorbed into the glyph, his soul now dwelling
within Shanoa alongside the power of Dominus. By all accounts, Dominus should
have overpowered him and erased his will; however, because the the villager's
power coursed through Shanoa, he remained tethered to her--possibly due to her
absorbing the glyphs he used to imprison them. Shanoa still didn't understand
why Albus would want to take her place. "Let's just say I knew what mattered
to me," he explained. It was a path he had to follow. If she didn't
fully comprehend, it was of no real concern. He did, however, make her promise
one thing: "No matter what happens, you mustn't use Dominus." Knowing
its propensity to ultimately consume one's life, he asked that she trust him
on this matter. She did. His time at an end, the vision of Albus started to
fade though Shanoa had more questions. "You gave up your life for my sake,
and I don't feel anything," she said, facing the reality that everything
was stolen from her. Only one person had the answers.
She
returned to Ecclesia, reporting to Barlowe that she had retrieved Dominus at
the expense of Albus' life. There was only one way to honor him, Barlowe felt.
They hurried to the "forbidden room," the site of the vessel. Barlowe
instructed Shanoa to bind the three pieces to herself and cast the Glyph Union
that would rid the world of Dracula. Remembering her promise to Albus, she turned
to Barlowe and proclaimed, "I will not." She knew that Barlowe
lied to her, that Albus had nothing to do with stealing her memory; Barlowe
instead used her emotions as a sacrifice to Dominus. He also sent Albus on a
fool's errand, to hold the ritual in his absence--this in addition to neglecting
to announce that Dominus would eventually kill her. Barlowe tried to deny it
all, but his tone only grew more apologetic, as if his actions were simply misunderstood.
"Shanoa," he said, "if you ever trusted me, then hear me: Mankind
needs you. Needs your life!" In a fit of madness, the now battle-ready
Barlowe declared that Shanoa's life would be the perfect sacrifice to Count
Dracula. The fact was that Barlowe (referring to himself as "we")
didn't need Shanoa anymore; his flesh, too, able to host glyphs, including Dominus,
which he promised to rip from Shanoa's bloody corpse! Shanoa wasn't ready to
die, for she was still owed many answers.
The two battled within that forbidden room,
Barlowe eventually brought to his knees. He was so close to tasting the power
he so desired. Why, Shanoa wondered, would he want such a power knowing that
it would cost him his life? Without Dominus, he explained, he could never destroy
the seal and release Dracula into this world, which was "the realization
of Ecclesia's mission and the singular wish of all mankind." The shocked
Shanoa swore that mankind wished for no such thing. Sounding a bit like
Dracula, Barlowe stated that it is indeed mankind's wish, that their hearts
yearn for his presence; if not, why would he return again and again? As Shanoa
correctly asserted, these were the words of just another of Dominus' victims.
The enchanted Barlowe, his strength returning, began hovering, gravitating toward
toward the vessel. Ready to destroy the seal by sacrificing himself, he inched
over to the vessel and in preparation for the Count's return screamed "Lord
Dracula!" Sensing the emergence of a new power, Shanoa could only watch
as the vessel exploded, vaporizing Barlowe in the process. The sudden rising
of Dracula's castle was proof of the ritual's success, the Dark Lord no doubt
free to again take up residence. For Shanoa, it seemed all was lost.
With
everything gone from her life--her past, her emotions, her brother, and her
very purpose--Shanoa gathered herself and headed to Castlevania, only her mission
remaining, for she was the only one left who could end this. She scoured Dracula's
huge haunt and solved the mystery of its Cerberus riddle, using a trio of glyphs
to break open a seal blocking the way to the castle's heights. She breached
the castle keep and entered into the throne room, where the freshly risen Dracula
was waiting. Despite his inclination that this was a devoted follower, Shanoa
made it clear shat she no benefactor. His company came at a price, he warned,
to which she responded with scorn: "The time of your destruction is at
hand; die, Demon Lord!" Shanoa fought hard and pushed Dracula to the limit,
but she couldn't defeat him. Her power, alone, wasn't enough, as the amused
Dracula boasted. But she surprised the Dark Lord by equipping the three pieces
of Dominus and unleashing the most powerful of Glyph Unions, a force so devastating
that it began driving Dracula from this world. "But this power is... NO!
It can't be my...," Dracula uttered, helplessly, as he realized
the irony of the situation. Though victorious, Shanoa could only apologize to
the memory of Albus, for she couldn't keep her promise. Dracula was destroyed
in a violent blaze, leaving the throne room home to only a distressed Shanoa.
Just when she thought there was nothing
left, Albus' memories began to flow from Dominus; she could see into his past,
gauge his actions. In moments she understood why Albus risked his life for her
sake. She began to cry warm tears, which to her felt like a dream--perhaps a
final vision before the death resultant from her sacrifice. Suddenly, Albus
spoke to her: "This is no dream, Shanoa. The tears you shed are your own."
Once he realized he was allowed to exist within Dominus, Albus thought to find
out what else had been absorbed; it seemed her precious sacrifice remained intact.
Shanoa knew a second returning emotion--elation in knowing that Albus wasn't
gone. He had been wandering within the darkness inside Dominus to see if he
could locate the memories it had stolen from her, and soon after she used it
to destroy Dracula, its dark power rushed away, leaving one glimmer behind;
it was a trace of light from her sacrifice. The point: There was no reason for
her to die, since Dominus required but a single soul; Albus would proudly take
her place despite Shanoa's protests.
"If you want to repay me, then you
can grant one final wish," he bargained.
"Anything," she responded warmly.
"Smile for me," he asked. "That will be enough."
Granting his final request, Shanoa fought
back tears and slowly began to smile, her face glowing. This was to Albus a
beautiful sight, the final sign of a role well-fulfilled. He could now rest
in peace. The grief-stricken Shanoa desperately tried to stop the vision from
fading, but the throne room's violent shaking meant there was no time to mourn.
Shanoa barely avoided the falling debris and escaped the castle, watching from
the nearby woodland as the castle crumbled unto itself. She then fled from the
scene, her next destination unknown, her next emotion still to be remembered.
Good had once more vanquished Dracula's
evil. All record of Ecclesia would vanish into the mists of time.
Page 14: The
Lost Episodes | Back to Page 12
