Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
- Time Period: 2036
- Main Hero: Soma Cruz
- Antagonist: Celia Fortner

It's in Dawn of Sorrow where the series' handheld exploits move from the GBA over to the newer, more powerful Nintendo DS. Not withstanding, Dawn of Sorrow is Aria's direct storyline sequel; it's here where we catch up with Soma Cruz and friends one year later.

It had only been one year since the solar eclipse of 2035 and the events entailed, but Soma Cruz' life would never be the same. Soma had truly come to believe that his was the rebirth of Count Dracula, that the power suppressed within would one day manifest itself into a new Dark Lord. But he had the emotional support of his close friend Mina, with whom he was enjoying a nice walk along the streets of his home town in Europe. When their topic of discussion turned to Soma's "power of dominance" over souls, those he had long since expelled, the conversation was violently interrupted by the sudden appearance of Celia Fortner, a magically gifted shadow priestess and founder of a new mysterious cult; the ill-intentioned Celia quickly conjured some lesser demons and stood ready to sic them on Soma. Genya Arikado, who was investigating the cult because of a plot to eliminate the very Soma, arrived to counter the threat; though, the prepared Celia used her magic to create a barrier separating Soma from his friends. Genya managed to toss to Soma a knife, with which he able to finish off the demons and absorb their souls, thus rediscovering his power. Thereafter, Celia disappeared, somewhat satisfied. "The power didn't return," Genya revealed to an oblivious Soma. "It was always with you." But Genya also had a word of warning: There was an investigation to be completed, and Soma was to stay out of it.

Never one to let things settle, Soma utilized information gathered by Hammer and arrived at the cult's hideout, a large castle within a snowy mountain region. Hammer, too, made a surprise entry, which wasn't well-received. Hammer assumed that by tailing Soma he'd get to meet with Yoko Belnades, on whom he had a secret crush. Disappointed by her absence, Hammer insisted that he set up shop to aid his young friend, but, more so, he wanted to use Soma as a middle man should Yoko eventually appear. In the meantime, Soma hurried to the castle, where at its entrance stood Yoko Belnades and Julius Belmont, who had since joined in the Church's undertakings; they, too, were investigating the cult and urged Soma to leave, for they'd be forced to destroy the young man should the darkness draw him in. Soma wouldn't budge--after all, as he noted demonstratively, the cult tried to hurt Mina, who meant everything to him. Though Julius understood the sentiment, Yoko couldn't.

But when Julius left abruptly, to infiltrate the castle, Yoko had no choice but to ask Soma to escort her to the safety of the nearby village, where she, too, would set up shop. From here, across the way from the now-giddy Hammer, she taught Soma about seals--special gates used to draw in dark power. Monsters exposed to darkness were said to be invincible, so this power he'd need. Though creeped out by the presence of Hammer, "that rough-looking guy," Yoko would stay here and assist in the fusion of new weapons using remnants of Soma's soul-collecting.

Soma worked his way into the castle and into its Wizardry Lab, where the trio of Celia and her two Dark Lord candidates, Dario Bossi and Dmitrii Binov, had been expecting him. The unimpressed Dario was ready for a fight, but there was in contrast the reserved Dmitrii, who belittled his hotheaded ally for judging by appearances. Though the alliance was uneasy, it had a goal: To play on Soma's fears--that he was a danger to others. They revealed that they wanted to raise the Dark Lord, yes, but not for the purpose of evil. "For God to be perfect," Celia believed, "there must be a being of perfect darkness." Since dark power, which to them was of great importance, was growing faint, a Dark Lord was sorely needed. For now, the two candidates would let Soma live, to test separately their need for ultimate power, which by shattering Dracula's soul they'd attain.

It was in the chapel where Soma tracked down Dmitrii, who was at the time finishing off a Malachi and in the process demonstrating his unique attribute--the ability to copy others' powers. Dmitrii confided, eerily, that he had no real intention of going along with Celia's plan--that he only wanted to know the true significance of his abilities. Soma won the ensuing battle but showed pity; though he didn't finish off the depraved Dmitrii, he was overcome by an odd sensation. Had he absorbed a human soul? He wasn't sure. Hurrying along to the garden, he located Dario, who showed no sympathy for his fallen ally. "Who cares?" he thought. He would have liked to finish off the gent. No--Dario wanted to become the Dark Lord out of arrogance, the same self-importance that cost him the following battle. Though he still wanted to go at it, Celia arrived and talked Dario into showing patience, for Soma would soon be theirs. Besides--she didn't want to lose her last candidate. Before teleporting out, Celia challenged Soma to reach the castle's top floor.
Upon arriving at the guest house, Soma was obstructed by Arikado, who was supposed to be watching over Mina. Arikado again expressed his dissatisfaction with Soma's continued participation; Soma had to at all times remain under observation, and letting him roam about was dangerous. Soma was given leeway, though, because the cult had to be stopped at all costs. Most importantly, Arikado handed to Soma a special talisman that was property of Mina; she had requested that he wear it, for it would protect him from the darkness. With that, they went their separate ways: Arikado departed to track down Dario, and Soma would head to a condemned tower, where Julius was investigating the presence of a powerful barrier; unable to crack it using his legendary powers, Julius could only retreat and instead join the efforts of Yoko and Arikado. It started to seem hopeless. Though, continued meetings with Celia and his distant friends led only to the heightening of Soma's resolve to reach castle's highest point.

And he indeed reached the castle heights, where a showdown with Dario was his reward. Soma was determined to prove to the deviant that a "Dark Lord" he wasn't and would never be, to which Dario responded, "What's the point of power if you don't use it? It's survival of the fittest." During the chat, Soma noticed something strange--that by gazing into the chamber's large mirror he could see not a reflection of Dario but instead a flaming apparition. Using one of his soul powers, he entered into the mirror realm and slayed the demon, Aguni, which had fused with Dario's soul. Upon returning to the real world, he found hunched over an exhausted Dario, who realized that his powers were now gone, cut off at the seams; Dario had no choice but to flee. Celia made another grand entrance and, while disappointed by these happenings, she claimed to know of another way to awaken the Dark Lord. She invited Soma to breach the heart of the castle, where she had set up something he might want to see.
Soma followed suit and arrived at the castle center, where he found Mina bound to a tree. Before he could react, Celia fired a magical blast that de-spirited and killed Mina, an intentional act designed to draw upon Soma's hatred. Infuriated beyond all control, Soma gave in, and the chaotic forces started to gather in anticipation of the Dark Lord's rebirth. Soma didn't care about the result, as long as he'd have his revenge. "Don't be fooled!" shouted the unseen Genya Arikado. "That Mina is a fake--a doppelganger!" Thanks to Mina's talisman, which Soma had equipped earlier, it wasn't too late--the chaotic forces were held back before a transformation could complete. Seizing the opportunity, it was the overjoyed Dmitrii who made an unexpected return; he hadn't been defeated as previously thought; he had instead taken control of Soma by copying his "power of dominance" and laying low. He was able to escape from within Soma when the boy's emotions shifted, and he had now, himself, gathered and absorbed all that was needed to take his place as the Dark Lord. "Only the ability was needed," he confirmed. Pleased with this unexpected twist, Celia and Dmitrii departed. Arikado, suspecting that the duo transported to the castle's basement, again asked that the vulnerable Soma stand aside while he handle the threat. Soma wouldn't comply.

Soma followed Arikado back the tower, where Julius would attempt to destroy the barrier. Using all of his raw power, knowing the painful result, Julius came through and opened the way, exhausted and now useless to the cause. "Aging is a terrible thing," he said, subdued. But for Soma there was still work: He entered the portal, which took him to the Abyss. At its end, he found Arikado felled. It was too late: Dmitrii had gained dominance over a calamitous demon, and Arikado's dark power, its flow reversed, couldn't overcome Dmitrii's sacrifice--Celia, who never knew his true intentions. "She wanted to see the Dark Lord, after all," Dmitrii quipped, snidely. Suddenly, as he celebrated prematurely, the shocked Dmitrii lost total control, unable to grasp an unknown truth: The power of dominance isn't easily contained, and, unlike Soma's, his soul couldn't withstand a power that great. It was only a matter of moments before he would succumb.

When Dmitrii finally keeled over, all of the souls in his grasp were expelled; without a host, they were forced to fuse together to form and unleash a beast--the gigantic Menace! Arikado was quickly banished, leaving Soma alone to deal with the nightmare. Soma took to the battle, and after a grueling, brutal encounter, the Menace was chopped down piece by piece. As the chaotic forces gathered thereafter to banish into their netherworld the Menace, Soma took the opportunity to expel his collect souls into the chaos to once again seal them away. The pure scale of this event rattled and shook the castle, which began to crumble. Soma and Arikado quickly escaped and made their way to seaside, where they watched the castle's ultimate collapse.

Though victorious, Soma's curiosities were still prevalent. Was he inevitably the Dark Lord? If the Dark Lord is opposite to God, does it require an ultimate evil? Perhaps there would one day be a reason for a Dark Lord, Arikado considered, but that didn't mean it had to be Soma. As they pondered the day's events, a group of friends--Yoko, Hammer, Julius, and even Mina--came to greet them. Soma ran to embrace his most trusted friend. As the group teased the youths about their ever-growing relationship, Arikado stood alone, in his mind a poignant thought: "If the world needs a Dark Lord, one will emerge, even if it's not Soma."

The only question that remained: "Would Dracula ever be reborn again?"

 

Epilogue

And that's the tale--so far. Though the story has its share of inaccuracies, it remains untouchable in terms of the basic tale of "good versus evil" exploded into a deep, layered multiverse; it will continue, no doubt, to reign supreme for as long as it shall endure. At the moment, almost inevitably, the series has forayed into the future, and, despite any fears, it has retained its mystique by not supplying the story a futuristic presentation. Questions still linger: Will the series soon come to an end, preserving what has been an eighteen-year run? Was Dawn of Sorrows the last true part of the story? Maybe. In the meantime, Castlevania: Portrait or Ruin, typical of recent 2D adventures, arrives on the Nintendo DS just in time to fill in some gaps and explain the chain of events that lead us from Rondo of Blood to Bloodlines and finally to Aria of Sorrow. But where do we go next? A new generation has started, and Koji Igarashi promises that 'Castlevania' will surely be there. Is 3D the way to go, or will the next generation beckon the return of classic formulas? Only the next group of Belmonts knows the answer.

So we now know the true origin of our story with Leon and perhaps, based on the time-placement of Dawn of Sorrow, the final piece of the puzzle. Where will the next game fit in? Will they scrunch in another game anywhere from 1400-2000, justifying its position with another wacky story? Will we return to future times, instead? And is 2D the only future the series can ever know? The monetary success of the console titles will surely decide that fate. Until then, get your garlic ready, buy some holy water, and keep a cross nearby, because you never can tell when that pesky Count might show up! (Cue Gremlins theme.)

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