Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse

3/20/14

Chapter 1

"Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name..."

The words left his lips effortlessly, though they were not empty. His reverence for them and the One they were addressed to was such that they had become second nature.

"...Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven..."

Situated in what was left of the chapel, Trevor knelt before the dilapidated, yet still grand cross, praying the Lord's Prayer. As each verse was completed, he felt bolstered outward from his core. He knew there was a great power in those words, in the act of prayer, in the act of faith - he saw the Belmont bloodline as tangible proof of that.

"...Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors..."

The people of Wallachia province, unfortunately, did not share in his views. Overtaken by fear, they fervently believed the source of the power held by those belonging to clan Belmont was of a malevolent nature, rather than divine. The fear had come about slowly, at first being a sincere awe of the physical, mental, and spiritual prowess they possessed. That eventually degenerated into deep confusion as to how a fellow human being could be capable of the obviously super human feats displayed by the Belmonts. This gave way to outright suspicion, followed closely by the grips of panic. Terrified, the people ostracized them from normal society until the Belmont brood was driven from their ranks entirely.

"...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..."

After wandering as a nomadic people for a short number of years, the Belmonts found a secluded spot of land to settle. This was where they founded the village of Wygol, a small, peaceful burg they could call their own. It was there that Trevor called home. It was there that he had been cultivated in the ways of his people, in their rigorous, wildly intense training that would break most any human. It was there, in remote little Wygol, that Trevor Belmont was brought up to be a vampire hunter without peer. It was from there that he had set out days earlier with the intent of slaying Dracula, lord of the night and all its terrors.

"...in Christ's name, Amen..."

His audience with God complete, Trevor stood swiftly, turning on his heel to survey the area around him. His ice blue eyes were met with a stark landscape indeed.

What had once been a bustling market town now lay as a collection of rubble and scorched earth stretching clear to the horizon. Homes and shops alike sat in blackened ruins, what little remained of their contents littering the decaying cobblestone streets. The few buildings that had not been toppled in the assault stood as burnt out hulls that appeared on the verge of collapse if hit rightly so by a strong gust of wind.

Trevor began to slowly descend the crumbling stone steps of the once towering church. The wind suddenly picked up, as if awaiting his queue. Trevor's loose raven locks were gently tossed behind his broad shoulders as he walked. The sensation of the wind gliding over his skin might have been a pleasurable one if he'd been at all aware of it. His mind was someplace else entirely though, fixated on the colossal task at hand.

Perhaps it had been later than he realized when he'd set foot in the remains of the village. Reaching the bottom of the steps, he saw that the moon now hung high in the night sky, full and bright. Though somewhat thankful for the light it provided, he couldn't help but to be made uneasy by its presence.

"The fiend's powers will be amplified...", Trevor thought, gazing upward. "But God is on my side, demon! I shall not falter!"

He reached down with his right hand, tightly gripping the whip that hung coiled at his side. Trevor strode onward through the ash and debris, his resolve absolute.