When Dracula indeed returned as decreed by the 100-year cycle, there was no Belmont clan to greet him. "Where did they go?" the Church and its followers wondered. "Were they gone so long that they lost sight of their obligation?" Hope was not lost: The recent history would continue, and in the meantime, the weapons were left to the care of the blood-related Morris faction, represented most strongly by Quincy Morris. Sometime in the late 1800s, Dracula returned to this world in search of his long-lost bride, who he was sure would be reincarnated again; it's here where the eternal battle between good and evil saw one of its latest episodes. Quincy Morris, aided by friend Jonathan Harker, fought bravely to destroy the Dark Lord. From afar, John Morris, Quincy's young son, and his friend Eric Lecarde observed the heroes' victory over the Count and watched helplessly as Quincy thereafter succumbed to the wounds suffered during the battle. In gauging this show of heroism and sacrifice, the two youths knew well their destiny, for they would train diligently and follow the same lead, to be worthy as the next vampire hunters in line.

By time John was fully grown, the Morrises had immigrated to the United States, to the heart of Texas, with the classic Belmont arsenal in their care. It was in Texas that John completed his training and came to master in the use of the Vampire Killer whip and the associated mystic sub-weapons. Existing was a serious quagmire: Because the Morrises were not direct descendants to the Belmonts, they could not through natural means command such weapons. To do so required the facing of a trial: The defeat of the "Whip's Memory," an image of the last Belmont to wield them. It was for John the image of Richter Belmont, which he was able to defeat thanks to the continued evolution of the family's chromosomes. Too, John would have to compete against members of other blood-related factions (the Lecardes, mainly) if he were to be the one deemed most worth to command the weapons.

If you choose to play John's mission in Bloodlines, he proves his wares and earns the honor over Eric Lecarde: After earning the title of Vampire Killer, Eric Lecarde volunteered to take his friend's place in the fight against evil due to a lingering agenda; however, because John's sense of justice was so great, he was not about to let the Count or his forces off the hook for what they did to his father. John traveled to Romania to infiltrate Castlevania only to find that it was all a decoy, that Elizabeth Bartley's allies had lured him there to buy some time as the evil countess was carting her uncle's corpse over to a castle in England to ignite his real resurrection. Having no leads, John was forced to follow evil's trail and travel around the globe to destroy the rising forces of Dracula's army; the trail eventually led him to the Castle Proserpina in England. It's here where John fought through the last line of defense, including Bartley and Death, before out-dueling a freshly risen Dracula in the gravest challenge.

Unfortunately for John Morris, there was another part of the equation. In order for one who is not a true successor to wield the Vampire Killer whip, he (or she) must give up part of his life. While not too steep a price, continued use of the whip thereafter would continue to consume life. Not realizing this, and perhaps never being told this truth by his father, John used the whip too much; because of this, the wounds suffered during his battle with Dracula would not heal, and no one knew the truth of this until the use of healing magic revealed the grave consequence. It was by then too late, and John would leave this world survived only by his son Jonathan Morris.

While John really didn't add anything new to the growing Belmont arsenal (an energy sphere exclusive), he did finally craft further the family's boomerang/cross weapon to give it typical boomerang form.

To see John in action, click here.