Malus

Malus is a boy from Konami's Castlevania video game series. He appears as a non-playable character in Castlevania 64 and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, both of which were published on the Nintendo 64 in the late nineties.

Character History
Dracula's proxies (Gilles de Rais, Actrise, and Death) have been kidnapping small children and bringing them to Castlevania. At the request of the church, Henry rescues the majority of them. Carrie and Reinhardt interact with a one such child, a young violin virtuoso named Malus. He appears to be the child of noble parents, being dressed in ornate but slightly worse-for-wear finery. They first encounter him in the hedge maze, as they are stalked by a Frankenstein monster and two hellhounds. Before the monsters made their appearence, Malus asks the player for help, stating that the village was burned and he was kidnapped with the rest of the children. He then says that he has a headache and can't remember anymore. Then the monsters show up, and he runs away screaming 'Help me!' several times. With the player's help, Malus is led to safety.

The hero next encounters Malus in the Castle Center, where it seems the child has gone mad. After asking peculiar questions and making disquieting statements about Dracula, Malus runs deeper into the castle before the heroes can investigate.

If the player reaches the Castle Keep before fellow vampire hunter Charlie Vincent, the quest will extend beyond this level. After defeating a vampire the players assume is Dracula, the aerie begins to crumble. As they attempt to escape, Malus attacks the hero with a bow and arrow while mounted atop a demonic steed (like pegasus). After following him, the players see a horrific transformation: Malus ages, becoming an adult, and worse, a vampire. The vampire in the Castle Keep was Gilles de Rais disguised as the Count, while Malus is the true reincarnation of the Dark Lord. After Dracula is defeated, his body transforms back into that of a child. Malus looks around and wonders what happened, seemingly oblivious to the events that just transpired. As the player moves to help him, Charlie Vincent arrives on the scene and douses the child with holy water. Malus writhes in pain when exposed to the blessed substance. Vincent explains that the child is not possessed, but is a master of deception. Malus transports the player to an alternate dimension for a final battle, in which he is ultimately defeated.

If the player does not reach the Castle Keep in time, Charlie Vincent will be caught and vampirised by de Rais, forcing the player to defeat him in battle. Without Vincent's assistance, the hero fails in their mission: They are fooled by Malus' act and rescue the boy instead of destroying him.

Although you don't actually fight Malus in his child form, in Castlevania 64 you are forced to fight his 'other' true form, Dracula.

Trivia

 * The Latin word "malus" means "evil." It is also the root of the word malice.
 * Anyone who played the game might realize, that, in fact, Malus actually led the player  to safety. The player simply had to follow him out of the maze and avoid the hellhounds.
 * Malus is the first reincarnation of Dracula before Soma Cruz, who is the second.