Though
Trevor Belmont and his comrades successfully banished the hated Count Dracula,
the Dark Lord did not pass from this world in silence. It was indeed proving
difficult to supress a very determined foe. With his final words, Dracula left
on Europe a demonic curse that for years following enshrouded the continent
in misery and torment. Ravaged by hideous plague and dire famine, the people's
hearts turned black and murderous; the weak were slain without pity while the
land was pillaged and scourged without remorse. Dracula was gone, but his very
influence was still ever-present. Everyone, including even the mightiest of
heroes, was confused.
Everyone was confused, that is, except
for the devil forgemaster Isaac, who had convinced himself of the "truth":
For years, he and fellow forgemaster Hector served as underlings to Count Dracula,
for whom they used their powers to magically craft new monsters to serve in
the Dark Lord's growing army. Soon before Dracula's defeat at the hands of Trevor
and friends, Hector betrayed the forces of evil by severing all ties in hope
of reforming his ways and learning to lead a normal life. Isaac had come to
blame Dracula's defeat on this event, and he vowed revenge against Hector on
behalf of his fallen master. To initiate his plan, Isaac targeted Hector's wife,
Rosaly, who inexplicably found herself accused of being a witch. Using his effective
brand of manipulation, Isaac helped orchestrate a sham trial that found Rosaly
guilty of witchcraft; she was thereafter burned at the stake as Hector, who
relinquished his powers upon abandoning his evil ways, watched on helplessly.
Enraged, Hector vowed to extract his own measure of vengeance against
the arrogant Isaac.
Hector
eventually tracked Isaac down at an abandoned castle. Isaac, with by his side
a fully powered devil-type I.D. (Innocent Devil), greeted Hector at its entrance;
having cleverly lured Hector to this location, he reiterated his stance that
the blame for Dracula's defeat lay at the hands of the traitorous forgemaster.
Hector cared not for formal chatter and was ready to fight, but Isaac wasn't
worried; after all, without his powers, Hector wasn't even able to protect his
own wife. The ball was in Isaac's court. Isaac's plan, in fact, was twofold;
knowing his former friend to be revenge-mad, he would flee and force Hector
to give chase, whereby he'd suffer humiliation on two fronts: Hector would have
to regain his since-relinquished powers, which he admitted brought him much
shame, and he'd at full power face and suffer defeat at the hands of Isaac!
Hector would have to give in--to honor the memory of his wife, he vowed to reclaim
his powers and at all cost use them to hunt down Isaac.
Hector charged into the abandoned castle and was quickly
reminded of the dangers he once helped fester. He had to become stronger,
and the discovery of a powerful tombstone was the first step. On the tombstone
lay an inscription left by Isaac, who by this act showed how desperately he
hoped for Hector to fully regain his powers. Hector obliged; he staged a dark
incantation and freed from the tombstone a low-level fairy-type ID His concentration
quickly shifted at the sound of clapping of hands. The arrival was that of Zead,
an enigmatic man who sought to abolish the curse that was afflicting Europe;
Zead was impressed by Hector's show of power and revealed to the forgemaster
his intent to purify the land. He revealed, also, that it was indeed Isaac,
deemed an "impediment," who through his own mastery of devil forgery
was helping to keep alive and protect the dark curse. Hector, considering the
man's advice, thanked this new ally.
After defeating its main guardian, Hector escaped
from the castle and exited into the Balijhet Mountains, where he freed from
its holding a fighter-type ID More importantly, he stumbled across a brook where
he was taken aback at the sight of a young woman who bore a remarkable resemblance
to Rosaly, his deceased wife. The woman, named in actuality Julia, introduced
herself and inquired about his hurried state. He was looking for, he explained,
his "worst enemy," Isaac, of whom Julia was quite aware. Knowing his
intent, and more personally sharing this same enemy, Julia offered to Hector
her services. Her specialty? Well, as an escaped witch, she could see the future.
Also of interest was her expertise in witchcraft; she led Hector to her nearby
cabin, from where she could prepare elixirs plus other special items and furthermore
look after his Innocent Devils.
Hector climbed to the mountains' highest point, where
stood the Garibaldi Temple. Before he could enter, his determined march was
interrupted by the mysterious St. Germain, who had a request for him: "Stop
chasing Isaac." When Hector inquired as to why, Germain cryptically responded,
"I seek to maintain the flow." Germain boasted that he knew more than
Hector could ever imagine, as part of his "arrangement," which lent
to his request credibility. Hector was anything but open to this request, but
he surmised by the man's tone that he found yet another of Isaac's enemies.
Hector forged forward regardless. In the heart of the temple, Hector met with
none other than Trevor Belmont, who immediately recognized the devil forgemaster's
crest. However, there would be no negotiating--Trevor, in his ongoing investigation
of the curse, was here to fight, and he unleashed his legendary powers upon
Hector, who was hardly a match. This subject wasn't evil, Trevor thought--he
was too weak in his cause; though, Trevor believed Hector's words when he insisted
that he, too, was hunting Isaac. "Hector," Trevor considered. "I'll
remember the name."
Hector gathered himself and retreated back into the
mountains; now boasting a bit more power, he was able to breach the entrance
to the Mortvia Aqueduct, where at its entrance a very pleased Zead stood waiting.
Zead reported that he saw Isaac flee to the village via the forest, and he was
now certain that Isaac was the source of the curse. Moments later, Zead began
to hesitate and stumble about, tripping over his own words; without warning,
he made a quick exit much to the confusion of Hector. Stain Germain appeared
soon after, expecting to see someone else. Though disappointed by the lack of
his expected guest, he had for Hector more of his own advice: "Avoid
Zead," he suggested; Germain insisted that Zead, as someone not
of his recollection, should be tracked down and watched. Hector had no reason
to trust Germain, and his advice was still not welcome. "You've been warned,"
Germain sighed in parting.
After scouring the aqueduct, Hector finally reached
the Forest of Jigramunt, where from a distance he spotted Zead and Germain having
a little chat. He ducked behind a tree and gave listen. Zead warned Germain
not to go beyond his bounds--that it was a matter of fate. It was ludicrous
to lend information to an outsider, Zead lectured, but he made no direct reference
as to whom this "outsider" was. Tired of Germain's interference, Zead
extended from his sleeve a blade and launched an attack; Germain used his power
of time to evade the repeated stab attempts. "I will keep returning," he before
vanishing promised a flustered Zead. "No one escapes from me," Zead
laughed to himself. The eavesdropping Hector now knew for sure that these two
were indeed enemies.
The forest's vacillating path led Hector to the Town
of Cordova, where at its midway point he finally tracked down Isaac. It was
still too soon for a final battle, Isaac belittled, but he wanted just a little
taste of Hector's progress. Hector fought well, which in itself was gratifying
to Isaac, who wanted to see his former friend regain full power. Their encounter
ended when a concerned Julia interrupted. "Brother, stop!" she shouted
toward Isaac, much to the shock of Hector. As per his plans continuity, Isaac
fled; Julia restrained Hector and prevented him from giving chase. Isaac was
under Dracula's curse, she reasoned, and it was up to Hector to free him not
with anger; she could live with her brother's death by Hector's hands because
she knew that Isaac still harbored a deep respect for his former friend. Hector
came to his senses and took to heart her plea. Though she continued to speak
of an ill feeling that would surely not bode well, he bid her farewell with
silent hope.
With the assistance of a newly acquired mage-type
ID, Hector entered into the originally impenetrable Eneomaos Machine Tower,
where at its top he again met with St. Germain, Zead having failed to slay him.
Germain was truly the master of miraculous escapes, but he found himself in
a harrowing position: He was stuck within a magical barrier placed upon the
tower and its outlying regions. He wondered how it was that Hector breached
it. Though trapped in this barrier, Germain could still physically affect events,
and there was one in particular he engineered--an encounter between himself
and Hector, which would help Germain to extract all of the information needed.
The violent altercation was brought to a halt when Hector finally wrestled Germain
to the ground. Germain surrendered, promising to no longer interfere. For fate
was truly Hector's, he learned. Realizing the man's power, he now sensed a new
destiny for Hector: "Walk the path without fear, for you are alone."
He added: "Give my regards to Zead."
Hector retreated to Cordova, where his growing power
(a new devil-type ID, especially) guided him into the Aiolon Ruins. Deep into
the ruins, he found himself witness to another meeting--a fierce battle being
waged between Trevor Belmont and Isaac. It was a fluke that Trevor defeated
Dracula, Isaac taunted. But this battle would see no victor; at the sight of
Hector, to the dismay of Trevor, Isaac again fled the scene. Trevor was happy
to learn that Hector and Isaac were indeed enemies, as the forgemaster swore,
but he was displeased with Hector's continued meddling. He left to continue
his search, stranding Hector. However, Zead appeared and lamented at such a
lost opportunity. There was hope; Zead spoke of a secret hideaway back at the
abandoned castle where Isaac was sure to be hiding. However, Zead's behavior
again became erratic when the grateful Hector passed along Germain's regards.
"No--it can't be," he spouted before making another abrupt
exit. Though nonplused, Hector started the long journey back to the castle.
He arrived at the castle's keep, where Trevor Belmont
was investigating. "A hidden chamber beneath the castle is not possible,"
Trevor thought. "Not unless the blood of my clan..." The still-puzzled
Hector struggled to understand, but there was no time to ponder, because Trevor
had no choice but to fight the forgemaster; he needed to know how much power
Hector had regained. The result of the proceeding battle was encouraging--as
opposed to their first encounter, Trevor felt as thought he was fighting a whole
different person. This power would be needed to further hunt Isaac, and Trevor
would assist; using a dagger, he sliced open his hand and used the family's
sacred blood as a key to open a magical gateway. "Your heart might waver
if you think about what's within," Trevor warned. "But you must concentrate
on your mission. Show him no mercy," Trevor inspired.
The
gateway led Hector to a bizarre and chaotic infinite corridor. Using all of
his regained power, Hector successfully overcame every challenge presented,
which culminated in the defeat of the corridor's guardian, the considerable
Dullahan. The guardian's defeat was felt continent-wide, as powerful earthquakes
shook the entire land. In the most unexpected turn, the chaotic force caused
Dracula's feared castle to rise up from the sea's depths! In the panic, Isaac
sneaked up behind the unsuspecting Trevor and stabbed him through the chest.
It was all becoming clear: It was Isaac who left that gateway for Hector
to find, and he did it for the express purpose of harnessing the demonic energy
generated during the battle between the fully powered Hector and the corridor's
guardian. This magic, when channeled, would be more than enough, Isaac
knew, to set in motion an even grander plot--he would scurry to Dracula's re-risen
castle and once again attempt to resurrect the Count!
Hector rushed to the site of the castle's rising.
Before he could enter, Julia stopped him. The curse was still emanating from
the castle, she warned, remnant of the Dark Lord's magic. "All because
of me," Hector believed. If it was demonic power, however, Hector
could surely find its source. Still, even though Trevor survived the near-fatal
injury, thanks to Julia's magic, he would be in no condition to battle a freshly
risen Count, which put the whole mission in doubt. Though, Hector vowed again
that he would garner revenge in the name of Rosaly. Sensing his anger, Julia
reasoned with him: "Don't let the curse take hold. It's not worth the price
of revenge for your wife." Again taking her words to heart, Hector set
off into the castle as mankind's only hope. "Please don't die," the
helpless Julia worried.
Hector
braved Dracula's legendary haunt, cutting through the nastiest of his forces.
When he reached the castle keep, the weary warrior was anything but consoled.
"You resurrected Dracula's castle--bravo!" the awaiting Isaac celebrated.
Hector fell right into his plot. Hector lost his edge, and Isaac lost his pride
and home; now Hector would suffer as Isaac did and die a gruesome death! The
two equals battled in spectacular fashion, but it was Hector's sense of justice
that edged him to victory. As he went for the kill, he was heavily subdued by
an image of Julia; he remembered her words and realized that his impulse for
revenge wasn't really him--it was the curse at work. Before he could consider
further the meaning of these events, a jubilant Zead made another unexpected
entrance, applauding Hector's actions. These efforts were a boon, Zead cheered,
for Hector's moment of wavering was all that was needed. Zead revealed that
he was the mastermind behind the entire series of events, and he used both Hector
and Isaac. Only a forgemaster could be the vessel for Dracula's reawakening,
and that was why Zead brought them here. When Hector resisted the curse,
he was made useless, but his immobilization of Isaac was a nice consolation,
for the fallen forgemaster would surely do; Isaac's prone body was swiftly sealed
within a casket and transported away. It then became apparent to Hector just
who was the erratic Zead--it was none other than Death itself! Zead confirmed
the notion by extending its feared scythe and thereby taking its real form.
Though, not even the sharpest of armament would deny the enlightened Hector,
and Death would find its name to be most appropriate.
With Dracula's top agent out of the way, Hector hurried
to the castle heights, desperate to prevent the Dark Lord's return. It was too
late--the casket housing Isaac's frame exploded, revealing a reborn Count Dracula.
Dracula immediately recognized the traitorous Hector and wanted answers. But
Hector had a question of his own: "Why attack humans?" It was Dracula's
senseless slaughtering of their kind that forced Hector to disobey. Dracula
disagreed that it was "slaughter"--he was simply cleansing the world
of a plague, of a race not worth the very air they breathed. The powerful had
always judged the weak, Dracula mused; humans judged him, after all. "It's
not your job to judge humans," Hector insisted. Dracula, who believed
sympathy to be a form of weakness, wasn't interested in Hector's viewpoint;
he wanted only to inflict punishment, which in this case was death. The
final battle was waged, raging across two separate realms. In the end, it was
the clear-headed Hector that triumphed over the inexpedient Count. The transformation
was not complete--Dracula would not come to re-inhabit this world. Dracula took
some solace, for the curse would linger in the souls of people until they met
their oblivion. But Dracula forgot one thing: Hector was a devil forgemaster;
he could turn the curse aside--transform it into something harmless. These discouraging
words were enough to hasten Dracula's painful demise, which left behind only
Isaac's stained corpse.
|
 After
a moment of reflection, Hector realized that Rosaly's death and Isaac's
anger were caused by the curse. With that said, Hector enacted one last
incantation--to turn aside the curse, as he had promised, and again relinquish
his powers. "The struggle is over," Hector said, relieved. "Now
I can die in peace." Before he could fall into a state of depression,
Julia arrived to console him. "You must live according to your heart,"
she confided. Further conversation would have to wait, for the host-less
castle began to crumble "Farewell, Isaac," Julia uttered one
last time before their portal-assisted escape. From a distance, the pair
watched on as the castle collapsed into the sea, and they hoped that its
banishment would free people's hearts. The curse's mark wouldn't easily
vanish, they agreed, and people would have to find hope in each other.
They would have to have faith in the morrow. For now, it was time to head
home.
Back at the machine tower, St. Germain had some
closing thoughts: "Faith in the morrow. Those are fine words."
But not for him. As one who traveled through time, he saw the morrow a
bit differently. All the same, the flow of time had at last stabilized.
With that, Germain would head far into the future to see what awaits--to
perhaps witness the final battle between Dracula and the humans. Would
they remember Hector's bravery? Or would it all start anew. Those were
his answers to find.
Back at the cabin in the isolated mountains,
Julia wondered what Hector would do now. He had many friends to conceal
from the humans, and he would have to find some hidden place where he
could live in peace. "No need to search out such a place," Julia
comforted. "I know of one." For her advice Hector would be in
her debt. She suggested that he stay in the mountains and live with her,
which to Hector was an intriguing prospect. "To stay here with you,
Julia," he said noddingly, "t'is not a bad idea!" As he
had sought, Hector's life would begin anew.
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