Hector

Hector is the protagonist of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, a former Devil Forgemaster who betrayed Dracula three years ago, allowing his falls by the hand of Trevor Belmont.

After renouncing his powers, Hector had been leading a normal life when his beloved was executed as a witch. He has vowed to exact vengeance upon Isaac, who cleverly manipulated the witch trial.

Appearance
Hector is tall with fair skin and long silver hair and white colored eyes. He wears black leather pants and boots with gold garnishing that almost reach to his knees, and a decorated belt made of gold. He wears a purple vest and over it is a plate shaped in the form of a bat. He wears a crimson sash wrapped around his middle with a long flowing tail that goes all the way to his feet. In addition, Hector also wears metal gauntlets that protect his arms up till the elbow (although he has also been portrayed with ones that leave his hands uncovered) where it ends in a sharp point. The back of his armour plate shows a complex insignia which is the symbol of the Devil Forgemasters.

Like other male characters illustrated by Ayami Kojima, Hector has feminine features that are common among characters depicted in the Bishōnen style.

Story
Note: The manga adaptation of Castlevania: Curse of Darkness takes precedence over the comic Fukushū no Jokyoku authored by Ayami Kojima.

Childhood
Hector had a difficult childhood. He was born the son of an alchemist. At an early age, he found that animals gravitated towards him, both animals of the day and animals of the night. Other children and adults thought that this was unnatural and did not accept him. This caused his mother grief and she exclaimed to him that she wished he was never born. The only things his father was interested in was wealth, honor, control, and protection by those in power and barely noticed that Hector existed. One day, the animals that had witnessed the cruelty of his fellow humans and decided to help him escape his predicament. They caused the church to catch on fire and perhaps cost the lives of his family and neighbors. They told him that he was free now and should be happy that they got what they deserved. They told him to go to the one place in the world where he would be allowed to live and led him to Dracula's Castle.

At Dracula's Castle
Hector entered into the care of Dracula's Castle two years after another aspiring devil forgemaster had entered there, Isaac. There he was recognized as perhaps the most promising human resident there. Hector believed that power was what mattered in the world and that it did not matter if the power was evil, for power was truly neither evil nor good. He mastered the arts of devil alchemy that enabled him to create living creatures using base materials. Isaac respected him but became jealous of his position of Dracula's favorite. Hector and Isaac's power grew and they soon became Dracula's generals. Dracula sent them to ravage the countryside and turned his domain of Wallachia, which he had once protected, into a wasteland for betraying him. Hector did not wish to use his power to do this and did not want to kill humans even though they had never loved him because he himself was one. He obeyed his master though for many months. He pleaded his lord to not make him kill them anymore, but his concerns were brushed aside.

Defection
When Dracula received word that a Belmont was on his way to destroy him, he sent Hector to kill him. However, Hector took this opportunity to flee from Dracula's castle for good, but he was wounded in the process. He sought refuge in a church, which was a place he could hide his dark powers from the forces of Dracula. There he met Rosaly, who was the sister in charge of the church while the father was away, and she let him stay there and recover from his injuries. When Dracula sensed his power disappear he was concerned at the possible loss of his most powerful general. Since the Belmont had not entered Wallachia yet at this point, it could not have been him who killed him. He decided to send Isaac to find out what happened to him. If he was dead, then that was fine, though a regrettable loss. But if he was alive and had betrayed him, he was to bring him back to Dracula for punishment. He sent Isaac with several of his human compatriots and a werewolf. Though they could not track him by his power, the werewolf was able to find him by his scent. After pleading from a village boy named Ted, Hector decided to save Rosaly from the werewolf (an act he was unaccustomed to), which had decided to feast on some humans while on his mission. Since he was found already, he unmasked his power, destroyed the werewolf, and Isaac was alerted to his general whereabouts. Isaac later found him and decided to kill him rather than bring him back to Dracula as he was ordered. This was so that Dracula would stop thinking about Hector and avail himself to Isaac's services alone. During their battle, they sensed that Dracula's Castle had been destroyed and Dracula had perished. Isaac was enraged and blamed Hector's defection for Dracula's death. He was defeated however, and left for dead.

Village Life
Rosaly insisted that Hector remain with them until his wounds had healed. He was reluctant to do so because there may be others after him and he would put them in danger. She insisted all the demons had faded away. The most dangerous threats now were from humans. The children had apparently taken a liking to Hector as well. Rosaly made it clear that she liked him and he decided to stay and enjoyed three years of acceptance, though he did not venture into largely populated areas due to prejudice. Isaac however, had not died and spied on Hector's progress. Driven mad by the curse seeping into his being, he decided to allow Hector a time of happiness and contentment so that it would be all that more painful for him when it was taken away from him.

One day, three years later, Rosaly headed into town in order to sell apples. This was the moment Isaac decided to strike at Hector's heart. He spread rumors that the apples that she was selling were poisonous and that she was a witch. Hector, who had went into town to pick her up in case there was any trouble from the townsfolk found her burned on a stake.

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
When Hector arrived at the Abandoned Castle, he angrily shouted at Isaac to come out. When Isaac revealed himself, Hector commented that he had finally tracked him down. Isaac was not impressed by this notion and revealed that it was him who had lured his former ally to the castle. Hector declared that he was there for revenge, but the truth of the matter was that in his current state he was no match for Rosalee's murderer. He had given up his demonic powers, as they would only lead to bloodshed and feelings of regret. Isaac knew that, but he wanted his old friend to suffer for his betrayal and for almost letting him fall to his death three years prior. Hector realised that he had to regain his powers for the revenge he sought, so he set off in pursuit of Isaac, who had disappeared into the Abandoned Castle.

Within its walls, Hector came across a tombstone that contained an Innocent Devil. Isaac had carved the instructions into stone, but Hector was able to summon the devil on his own. He suddenly heard the sound of someone clapping behind him, and turned around to see a missionary. The man introduced himself as Zead and said that he was impressed by Hector's display of Devil Forging. He was searching for a way to cure the land of Dracula's Curse and Isaac was the one who protected it. He informed Hector that Isaac had fled to the chapel on the other side of the mountains. The Devil Forgemaster thanked him for his help and continued his mission.

In the mountain range, Hector encountered a woman that bared a striking resemblance to Rosalee. She introduced herself as Julia Laforeze and revealed that she was a witch who had escaped the witch hunts in the western lands. She asked Hector if the man that he was looking for was a friend or enemy. He declared that Isaac was his most bitter enemy and because of that, Julia strangely offered to help Hector by selling him goods and taking care of his Innocent Devils. He then headed onward, while being fascinated by how much she reminded him of his lost love.

Before the entrance of the Garibaldi Temple, an oddly dressed man appeared in front of Hector who said he had been waiting for him. Hector suspiciously asked who he was, and the gentleman introduced himself as Saint Germain. He requested that Hector stop pursuing Isaac. He seemed to know everything regarding Hector and his quest like his pursuit of Isaac and the lamentable incident regarding Rosalee. Hector angrily demanded to know how the man learned such things, but the stranger wouldn't tell him. Before vanishing, he cryptically said that the fate of the world would be determined by Hector's actions.

Though the Devil Forgemaster was baffled by that encounter, he pressed on to the temple. Within its halls, he was suddenly approached by a man who asked if he was a Devil Forgemaster. Hector, in turn, noticed the whip the man was wielding and recalled a man named Trevor Belmont, who had defeated Count Dracula three years ago. When Hector admitted that he indeed was a Devil Forger, the vampire hunter suddenly attacked. After defeating Hector, the man confirmed that he was Trevor Belmont, and expressed his surprise at Hector's powers, which seemed much too weak for a Devil Forgemaster. Hector realised the vampire hunter was hunting Isaac as well. After introducing themselves properly, the two parted ways.

After traveling past the woods and through the abandoned town of Cordova, Hector found Isaac, who was expecting him. Isaac wanted to test Hector's abilities in order to see how much power he had regained. The battle was suddenly interrupted by Julia, who told Isaac to stop. Hector was shocked when he heard Julia refer to Isaac as "brother". Isaac agreed to stop and withdraw for the time being. Before leaving, he warned Hector that the only way he'd defeat him was to regain even more of his powers. Julia explained that he still lacked the strength and spirit to defeat Isaac. Hector understood, and he soon set off for Isaac again.

Beyond the town was an enormous clock tower that Hector decided to investigate. At the tower's peak, he found Saint Germain waiting for him. The man stated that he had fallen into Zead's trap and was unable to leave the area. Despite that major drawback, he discovered that he was able to have a physical effect on his surroundings while in that state. He challenged Hector to a duel in order to answer some of his own questions.

Saint Germain promised not to interfere with Hector anymore after Hector was able to defeat him. When the Devil Forgemaster directly asked Germain who he was. The man said that he was a traveler, only half there and not allowed to adjust reality. He assured Hector to continue walking his path without fear. The barrier was lifted, and Saint Germain vanished.

In the Aiolon ruins Hector met up with Zead who had obtained valuable information regarding Isaac's whereabouts. He was heading back to the abandoned castle, to a hidden chamber underneath its ruins. When Hector mentioned that Saint Germain would no longer meddle with his affairs, the missionary panicked and left in a hurry.

Hector was able to find a secret passageway that led to the chamber and was surprised to see Trevor at the entrance. He informed the vampire hunter of the hidden chamber below the castle's grounds and that Isaac was there now. Trevor passed that off as impossible because the seal placed on the entrance could only be opened with the blood of his clan. Isaac had attacked Trevor earlier in order to tap some blood from him so that he could enter the chamber. Trevor had no choice but to test how much power Hector had gained and suddenly attacked him. During the battle, Hector showed that his powers had grown, and he was worthy to advance to the place Isaac fled to. Trevor broke the seal and let Hector travel ahead of him.

The portal took Hector to an alternate dimension and he eventually found a mysterious seal guarded by a Dullahan. During the battle, he unknowingly broke the seal due to producing demonic magic while battling the headless Knight. After defeating the creature, Hector suddenly sensed an enormous surge of power, and much to his shock, realised that it was coming from the newly risen castle of Dracula.

Having left the bizarre dimension, Hector approached Dracula's Castle where he met up with Julia. She informed him that it was possible that Dracula had been brought back from death since his castle had been resurrected. The Devil Forgemaster said if that was the case, they should seek the aid of Belmont. Julia said that was not impossible, as he was greatly injured by Isaac, and she had only barely saved his life. Thus, Hector entered the castle alone.

Near the castle's highest point, Hector found Isaac, and the two engaged in a severe battle. Hector was able to defeat him and was about to land a final blow before snapping out from the influence of Dracula's curse, which he just realized he was under.

Zead then made his entrance and revealed to Hector that he was Death, Dracula's most loyal servant. He explained his plan to the Devil Forgemaster. The Death God wanted to use his body as a vessel for Count Dracula, but since he was no longer under the influence of his Lord's curse, that was no longer possible. Instead, Isaac was used and Hector had to been taken care of. Hector and Death battled, and Hector was eventually able to overcome him. Hector then set off towards his final task.

When Hector entered the Throne Room, Dracula was reborn from inside the coffin that held Isaac. They battled, but because Dracula hadn't regained full power, Hector was able to vanquish him.

Upon his defeat, Dracula declared that, even though his soul would return to the abyss, his curse would not be lifted. Now that Hector had regained his full powers, he could thwart Dracula's plan by forging the curse into something harmless. Once all deeds were done, the castle began to crumble. With nothing left to live for, Hector planned on dying with his former master. Julia suddenly appeared and convinced him that he had paid his debt and deserved to live.

In the end, Julia invited Hector to stay with her in the Baljhet Mountains, where he could conceal his many devils from normal folk, and he gladly accepted.

Devil Forging
Since Devil Forgemasters are imbued with Dracula's magic, Hector is able to create and command beings known as Innocent Devils to aid him. They play a major role in the game, by helping Hector fighting enemies and help him past obstacles, as well as boosting Hector's stats. Innocent Devils level up alongside Hector and eventually gain new skills. Enemies drop items called Evolution Shards when an Innocent Devil is active. When enough of these Shards are collected, an Innocent Devil involves into a new form. This results in new abilities coming available, and better stat increases.The form that the Innocent Devil will evolve into is determined by the weapon type that Hector uses while collecting Evolution Shards.

There are six types of Innocent Devils that are obtaintable in the game: Fairy Type, Battle Type, Bird Type, Mage, Type, Devil Type, and the hidden Pumpkin Type. Each Type has their own unique abilities.

Fairy Type
The first Innocent Devil is summoned in the Abandoned Castle. Fairy Devils don't attack (except for a few Evolutions that possess attacks, but quite harmless). They can cast spells that can heal Hector or cure him from poison or curse. They can also open chests, and certain higher levels of fairy types can translate messages. Enemies can't attack Fairy Innocent Devils.

Battle Type
The second Innocent Devil is summoned in the Baljhet Mountains. As the name suggests, Battle Devils are pure killing machines, with great melee abilities, created to attack enemies and protect Hector. They can open metal doors that bar Hector's passage (for example, the one blocking the Mortivia Aqueduct in the mountains). Hector can perform Chain Attacks with them. They are one of 3 types also seen used by Isaac, who uses an Iytei and a Rasetz.

Bird Type
The third Innocent Devil is summoned in the Mortvia Aqueduct. Bird Devils are good in air battle and can help Hector for jumping over large holes that cannot ordinarily be passed by lifting Hector and flying for a short amount of time, the ability of which can be upgraded to access the Tower of Evermore. They can juggle light enemies, allowing Hector to air combo easily. This is one of 3 types also seen used by Isaac, who uses a Crimson.

Mage Type
The fourth Innocent Devil is summoned in Cordova Town. Mage Devils are physically weak, being not very good at fighting enemies physically, but can cast powerful spells which inflict heavy area damage. They can also help Hector by using a "stop time" spell, which, for a limited time, freezes time for everything but Hector and bosses, who can immediately break the spell.

Devil Type
The final mandatory Innocent Devil is summoned in the Eneomaos Machine Tower. Devil type Devils are considered a balance between Battle and Bird types: they're good at melee and air battle, with high mobility and attack power, being very aggressive whenever a enemy is spotted. They can also take Hector underground, with a spell that converts both Hector and the Devil into a magic circle. There is only one evolutionary path for this ID, and its final form can only be created by collecting Evo crystals using the Chauve-Souris spear. Hector can perform Chain Attacks with them. This is one of 3 types seen used by Isaac, who uses a The End, named Abel.

Pumpkin Type
An optional Innocent Devil Hector can summon in Dracula's Castle. In order to actually unlock it, it's necessary to forge a weapon called Pumpkin Mace. Pumpkin Devils are really bad at fighting enemies and have a low heart gauge. They however give high stat boosts to Hector, increasing his strength, constitution and luck. They're often considered as the Joke Innocent Devil, or just as a challenge to players who like to solo as Hector while retaining stat bonuses.

Crafting
There are a limited amount of weapons available for purchase in the game, making it neccessary for Hector to create them himself. He can accomplish this by collecting materials that can be found in certain places or are dropped by enemies. By combining these materials, Hector can create armor and several types of weapons. As more equipment is created more recipes become available. Recipes are unlocked when all neccessary materials where at one point in Hector's inventory.

Stealing
At a certain point in the game, Hector gains the ability to steal items from enemies. Each item has a window during which Hector is able to steal from that enemy. Usually a certain requirement should be met for this window to be opened, such as an enemy peforming a special attack, or performing a perfect guard when attacked.

Musical Themes
Hector's theme is "Abandoned Castle ~Curse of Darkness~". It plays during the opening stage of the game.