Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Story

Lament of Innocence is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. It is set in 1094 and focuses on the series' origins - the conflict between the vampire-hunting Belmont clan and the vampire Dracula. The protagonist and main character of Lament of Innocence is Leon Belmont, a former baron and member of the Belmont clan. His close friend, Mathias Cronqvist, tells him that Leon's fiancée Sara is being held captive by the vampire Walter Bernhard. During the game he meets Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist and inhabitant of the forest outside Walter's castle. Once on the castle grounds, Leon meets Rinaldo, who gives him a whip made through alchemy to help him kill the monsters and enchants his glove so he can use magical relics in the castle. Leon also learns that he must defeat five monsters to gain access to Walter's throne room. Once in the castle, Leon defeats the five monsters, including Joachim, a vampire who is being held captive by Walter in the castle. Before he dies, Joachim mentions the Ebony Stone and the Purple Stone, both of which are made through alchemy, and explains to Leon that the Ebony Stone can create darkness. From Rinaldo, Leon learns that the Purple Stone converts the souls of vampires into power for its owner. After Leon reaches Walter's quarters, he rescues Sara and tries to kill him with the whip - without success. At Rinaldo's cabin, it turns out that Sara is slowly becoming a vampire. Rinaldo reveals that Leon must sacrifice Sara in order for the whip to work against Walter. Overhearing their conversation, Sara asks him to kill her and use her soul to save others from their fate. Leon reluctantly performs the ritual and creates the Vampire Killer Whip. Distraught over the loss of Sara, Leon returns to the castle to confront Walter and defeat him. Death takes Walter's soul and offers it to Mathias. Mathias appears and reveals that he orchestrated everything to obtain his soul and turn it into power for himself using the Crimson Stone. Mathias explains that he chose immortality as a vampire so that he could curse God for taking his beloved wife from him. He offers the same to Leon, but he refuses in disgust. Mathias orders Death to kill Leon, but Leon defeats Death and swears that the Belmont clan will hunt Mathias down and destroy him one day. The epilogue of the game reveals that Mathias became Dracula, the main antagonist of the series.