Castlevania Legends

- Time Period: 1450
- Main Hero: Sonia Belmont
- Antagonist: Count Dracula

The third Game Boy title, which was released in the late 90's, was for a while the storyline origin--this until the later release of Lament of Innocence. It does, however, remain as our first tale of "Count Dracula" (as Mathias became known) versus the Belmonts.

 

Prologue

During the Middle Ages, there was unknown to the people of Europe a very real threat: The balance of power was definitely swaying in the direction of evil's darkest forces and their lust to destroy. It was during this time where vampire menace Mathias, his hatred only having grown in the centuries prior, quietly launched his campaign to eradicate from the face of the planet all human beings, a now lesser species he viewed as a God-made creation that Earth could do better without. Enraged by the loss of his second wife, Lisa, who was killed under the presumption that her expertise in medicine was akin to witchcraft, Mathias would show no mercy. Since his powers were far beyond anything known to man, victims were largely helpless against his dark magic; so sinister were his deeds, which instilled in people fear and a sense of chaos,, he became known as "Count Dracula," which translates into "Son of the Devil."

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.

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 launch a preemptive strike and thwart any potential Dracula reign by confronting him in his castle and banishing him into the underworld, where he'd be locked away forever. 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 quiet assaults on all of Europe had gone on for years before, he explained to her, and he had grown only more powerful during that time--a human woman stood no chance, he thought. While Sonia presented to him an appearance of subservience, she was hurt that Alucard had underestimated her abilities, which were considerable, for 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 weapons, she knew, would one day become a strong source of power for vampire hunters most suited for the challenge. Sonia eventually stormed into the castle, wherein she 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 mettle in combat, to see if his true instincts were correct. Immobilized upon feeling the power of the Vampire Killer whip, he came away very impressed by her skills, and now knew for sure that it was her destiny to vanquish from this world the enigmatic Dracula. Alucard would contribute to the effort the only way he knew: By submerging his powers and placing himself into a state of rest, thus doing his part to remove from the Earth a cursed bloodline. The emotional pair two parted ways, a sadness lingering. 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, Sonia located the Count on his secret throne in a ceremonial room. After a long, hard battle, Sonia used well the sacred whip and mystic weapons and 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, would have to again accept the task. Making true her words was her giving birth to a baby boy (perhaps in part Alucard's), a future warrior who would surely continue to wage war on the vampire king and his growing legion of followers. This hero, his bloodline unlike any other, would grow to be like his ancestors supreme among vampire hunters. All future Belmont warriors, too, 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, mere mortals had not the sufficient means nor the will to purge from this planet the purest of evil, but they now they had bold representatives who could stand up in their place. With that power came a price, as the people began to feel suspicious as to the Belmont clan and its extraordinary abilities. The distrust only grew.

Complicating matters was that Romania, and Europe as a whole, was still reeling under the threat of terror as the monsters continued to roam free. People were held emotional hostage to what was a continued spree of murder and chaos. Their worst fears were realized when it was learned that Mathias was still alive, having somehow survived his encounter with Sonia Belmont. It's not long before Mathias, as to make known in grand fashion his presence, changes his name to "Vlad Tepes" and finally gives face to an enemy that the whole world would soon come to know.

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